I started my day with a very happy tummy this morning thanks to Quaker Instant Oatmeal. When I was a kid I used to eat oatmeal all the time. But it was very plain, (and kind of lumpy to tell you the truth). But lately I have gone back to the future. I have been eating oatmeal, but not my mother’s oatmeal, my children’s oatmeal. Oatmeal of the future. What is oatmeal of the future you ask? It’s whatever you want it to be. You get to CrEATe Your Day. The great folks at Quaker Oatmeal want me to think outside the box and get creative with my oatmeal.
First Quaker sent me a box filled with their delectable instant oatmeal, a bowl, a placemat, a cloth napkin and a spoon. The creativity would come from my pantry. The sky’s the limit. Well actually, my pantry’s the limit, but let’s see what’s possible. 
I’ve got peanut butter, soy nut butter, honey, raisins, craisins, granola, strawberries, apples… hmm those all sound good, but I need to make choices. First I must choose a flavor of oatmeal. Oh no, I can’t decide. (I’m already failing). Well, when you can’t decide…don’t. (Brilliant!) I went with both the Apples and Cinnamon and the Maple Brown Sugar. (Hey, I’m a growing girl.) Now it’s time to add my ingredients. I use raisins, craisins, and some fresh strawberries.
It looks so pretty. You see, I encourage my children to eat as many colors of the rainbow throughout the day. This is a very colorful way to start, don’t you think? Now to heat up the water. (Whistle!).
Steaming hot water! Perfect, the raisins and craisins are getting plump, and the strawberries are getting soft. Hmmm, wait a minute. I think I need one more texture to add to the mix. I’m going to add some crisp sliced apples right on top. Perfecto!
Oh, It’s beautiful, and it smells amazing. The cinnamon is very inviting. Excuse as I dig right in.(Slurp) Ahh. That was amazing. (Being creative always makes me hungry.) Can’t wait until tomorrow morning when I can have some more. (Actually, truth be told, I prefer to have my oatmeal at night, for supper. Well, you told me to think outside the box!)
So, now it’s your turn. I’ve met the creativity challenge what can you bring to the table? Better yet what do you have in your pantry that would top your oatmeal with some pizazz? Don’t think small, think big, think spices, fruits, granola, you could even use chocolate chips, (only if I’m not looking). To help encourage your crEATive flow Quaker is doing two things. First, from their website, they are going to donate $1 to Share Our Strength, up to $25,000, until March 31, 2010. All you have to do is go to QuakerOats.com/CrEATeYourDay and share your own oatmeal creation to participate. Up to four per day. (Quaker actually started this program on January 25th and have already reached their original $25,000 goal. So what are they doing? They’re starting again and going for a second $25,000! Pretty creative, don’t you think?)
The second thing they are doing is feeding you. Yes, you. They have given me two additional starter packs, just like the one they sent to me. Would you like to win one? Of course you would. Well all you have to do is get crEATive. Design your own oatmeal mixture and share it with us here in a comment. Link to a picture, video or blogpost and get more entries. Even better, if you take the time to comment on one of my other blog posts you will get an even more entries! Every link, tweet, and comment gains you an entry. So many ways to get in the game, but not a lot of time. Entries will be accepted from now until Friday March 5, 2010 at 10pm. Then two winners will be chosen using random.org and announced on Saturday March 6 right here on this post. (Open to anyone living in the United States).
So grab your kids, raid your pantry and get crEATive. Your Quaker instant oatmeal awaits. Your tummy will thank you.
SMILE On!
ML
Miss Lori can be found Musing from her Minivan at MissLori.TV , Wearetherealdeal.com , YoungChicagonista , and ChicagoMomsBlog. She is also the new Chicago Family Entertainment Blogger for Examiner.com and a Discussion Leader for MomsLikeMeChicago. You can also see her Activating to Be Great at Miss Lori’s CAMPUS on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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