Down with the Count

No, not "Down FOR the Count".... though that's what I could have called my experience of the last week. I was basically the walking wounded. Sick but dragging my butt around, basically doing essential services. Work, come home, get kids to bed, sleep. That was about it. Didn't need those six pounds anyway.

But now, I'm feeling better. Except for the "holy sh*t, I think I just expelled a lung" cough that hasn't let go of me yet.

No, "Down WITH the Count" is the name of this post.

Since it's Saturday.

And Saturday is junk food day. What is "junk food day" you ask? Allow me to explain.

Starting life as a child who grew up eating, with very few exceptions, two kinds of breakfast cereal (Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies), I grew to be an adult who recognized that kids should have another food group that they get to eat from once in a while: the CRAP food group.

Meaning, what I call junk cereal:

Froot Loops.

Lucky Charms.

Corn Pops.

Sugar Crisp.

Frosted Flakes.

Alpha Bits.

Reese Puffs.

And, of course...

The grand-daddy of them all...

The Godfather of junk cereal....

COUNT CHOCULA.



So, I chose Saturday morning as the one morning a week where the kids could eat junk cereal. The rest of the week they can eat boring stuff like oatmeal, waffles, and plain Cheerios.

We've had the "Saturday is junk food day" rule since... well... a LONG time. Back when we only had one or two kids. I can't remember for sure.

And things have been pretty consistent all this time.

However. something has changed. A NEW contender has sprung from the mists to make a play for Saturday morning dominance in our household. Actually, an OLD player with a new twist. One of those things where you might say, "That would never work! Who would want to eat that?!?" Yet, somehow, the incongruity has not dampened the popularity of this newcomer among the youthful voters. This old-yet-newcomer called....

CHOCOLATE LUCKY CHARMS.



The problem, for me, is that while the cereal itself is chocolate, the marshmallow 'charms' are still multi-coloured. That just doesn't work. Count Chocula, while it has progressed over the years from little brown marshmallow bits, to ghost shapes, bat shapes, and other less scary shapes, has remained true to its chocolate theme.

So, for the sake of the children, I will support their wishes and continue to bring that leprechaun into the house, despite my concerns over the 'wrongness' of the whole thing.

But, as I'm sure you understand, and many of you will even agree with me...

I'm down with the Count.