It's been a many-year tradition that when the wee little ones came to our house to swim, they swam hard, then after swimming, they trudged up the circular staircase to the kitchen and opened the cereal cupboard. Their favorite: Lucky Charms.
We would set out bowls and spoons, bring out the milk, and the four little ones would line the center snack bar. Over the years they became rather picky about their Lucky Charms. Sebastian would eat the charms and the little oat bits together. Theo would first eat the oats and save the soggy charms for the end...and then Lulu came along...and then Bea.
We encountered picky so complete that finally, Tony came to me the day after he'd hosted the little ones without me. His resignation and defeat were palpable.
"I've decided not to buy Lucky Charms anymore; it's become too stressful. Bea will only have the marshmallow charm pieces in her cereal bowl. Lulu insists on only unicorn charms. Sebastian and Theo now eat only the charms. They sneak into each other's bowls and swipe the charms."
Tony laughs at his dire predicament.
And then he laughs at himself.
That evening while Tony is out, I have a craving for a bowl of Lucky Charms. Alone, I am free to eat them as I do without causing him stress and consternation. I pour a bowl, gathering the charms that rest on the top and spilling the extras into my bowl. He'll never know.
At least twenty years ago, an entrepreneur friend started selling bags of marshmallow stars, moons, and hearts. Shortly thereafter General Mills slapped him with a lawsuit that required him to stop producing marshmallow bits. His temporary marshmallow goldmine was no more.
More recently, we walked into a country store in Kentucky and found a shelf filled with clear, plastic tubs of marshmallow bits. Perhaps too many people found a need and infringed on the marshmallow bit business.
In a quick search today, I found that General Mills is finally bringing to market their own extra pouch of charms...and they're magically delicious!
But alas, the era of Lucky Charms at Grandpa's is no more.
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