Breakfast of Champions

One of the things that Sam and I have been working on this past week is how to heat up your own oatmeal (or, as Sam sometimes calls it, porridge).

Over the years, I’ve occasionally asked Sam if he was interested in having any nice, hot oatmeal and the reaction has always been pretty much the same - “Thanks, but maybe another time” (i.e., “I don’t want to hurt your feelings but I believe we’ve already covered this ground so please stop asking me.”).

Last week though, one of the Sample Ladies at the grocery store had hot oatmeal as a sample and since this was coming from a Sample Lady and not me, Sam apparently thought it might be worth trying. Surprisingly, Sam not only liked it, but he liked it enough to give it a rave review (Me: “How was it?” Sam: “Good.")

This week, due to several things I don’t need to get into, I’ve had several occasions to leave a little later for work. What this has meant is that rather than leaving Sam the same-old-same-old for breakfast - and then heading out the door for work, I’ve actually been able to be home by the time he climbs out of bed and comes downstairs.

This, in turn, has meant more options at breakfast for Sam - specifically, more options for a hot breakfast. Even more specifically, hot oatmeal.

Unsurprisingly (by now), Sam thought hot oatmeal now sounded like a pretty good idea (since, no thanks to me, it was now endorsed by a true professional, like the Sample Lady).

So, as these things go, on the first morning, I made some hot oatmeal for Sam - even adding some sliced bananas on top (which I’m pretty sure the Sample Lady didn't bother to do). On the second morning, I did the same thing, but this time, I had him observe me - making special note of my technique for ripping open the envelope (right-to-left). On the third morning, I had him do all the steps with me (but I still ripped open the envelope).

This brings us to last night.

Last night, we did two things. First, we went to the grocery store and I had Sam pick out whatever fruit he wanted on top of his now professionally-made oatmeal (which, in this case, turned out to be blueberries).

The second thing we did was to walk through the steps together on how to make your own hot oatmeal. I dictated while Sam wrote it down. Like so many of these things, it takes a lot of repetition, but with visual aids, we got there.

Afterwards (I guess this makes three things), we lined up all of the essentials on the counter - except for the now-rinsed off blueberries, which I put in an accessible spot in the refrigerator (no easy task) - and then we walked through things one last time (ok, I think that makes four things).

This morning, I left for work with nothing more at Sam's spot on the table than his transcribed directions - the first time ever, I think, that I’ve left the house in the morning without some kind of breakfast waiting for him. Weird.

After getting to work and after waiting until the usual A.M. texting time (all the while picturing spilled hot oatmeal all over the kitchen floor), I texted Sam to see how things went. The verdict? I’m happy to report that all went well (though, "the bowl was a little hot").

So there you go, one more option for breakfast, one more step towards independence. All thanks to the Sample Lady.

Here, if you’re interested, are all the steps you need for making your own bowl of delicious, hot oatmeal (or, if you prefer, "porridge").

 Please note, your microwave time may vary.