Cereal for Dinner: Strategies, Shortcuts, and Sanity for Moms Battling Illness [Paperback]

Kristine Breese (Author), Jennie Nash (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

At the age of thirty-fiver, author Kristine Breese was always on the go--running after her two young children, training for marathons, and working as a full-time journalist. A typical selfless mom, Breese ignored the slight heart flutters and light-headedness she experienced from time to time. However, after ignoring symptoms for over 10 years, Breese collapsed from heart failure and was rushed to the hospital. After surgery and a pacemaker installation, Breese soon learned that to take great care of her kids, she needed to learn how to take fantastic care of herself.

Cereal for Dinner is a hands-on guide for mothers who are struggling with illness while also meeting the myriad demands of motherhood.The book teaches these mothers how to balance their lives so that they can care for themselves while still taking care of their families. Sections include:

*Taking Care of Yourself First: From "Shock" to "Check Up from the Neck Up"
*How Your Illness Affects Your Kids: From "Honesty" to "Tools for Talking"
*Maintaining Relationships: From "Daddies" to "Girlfriends," to "Paychecks".

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Meet Kristine Breese, the 35-year-old working mother of two, whose first thought after suffering cardiac arrest was about defrosting macaroni and cheese for her kid's dinner. Her heart disease spelled "the end of mommy life" as she knew it, but it also gave her the wisdom to write a practical and poignant book urging moms facing serious illness to find a balance between care taking and self-care. In Breese's view, the expression "sick Mom" is not an oxymoron. But the mom mantra--"I can't get sick--everyone is counting on me," must become, "everyone is counting on me to take care of myself." The title, Cereal for Dinner, is a wise metaphor that urges mothers to lower their standards so they can heal. Strategies and stories from Breese and eighteen other recovering mothers suggest how illness effects a mother, her children, her work, family relationships and future. The specifics are hopeful an helpful---addressing a broad range of issues including the shock of the diagnosis, how to ask for help—and what to ask for, getting what you need from doctors, waiting for test results, the benefits and warning signs when talking to your kids, balancing work with recovery and the challenges of maintaining an intimate marriage. Breese's optimism is sunny and contagious, but she doesn't sugar coat. For example, her suggestions for talking about death and dying are as realistic as they are inspiring. Because of her tender heart and smart suggestions, this book will bless and embolden every person who reads it. --Barbara Mackoff

About the Author

Kristine Breese is a freelance writer, consultant, marathon runner, and mother of two. She is a spokesperson for the American Heart Association. She and her family live in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312317735
• ISBN-13: 978-0312317737
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,093,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cereal for Dinner - not just for sick moms, May 3, 2004

By 

Peggy C. Wehe "Picture taking Grandma" (Kingwood, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cereal for Dinner: Strategies, Shortcuts, and Sanity for Moms Battling Illness (Paperback)

At first glance this would seem to be a book just for mothers who are seriously ill. Kristine, who herself experienced a serious illness and in fact her heart stopped for a brief time, writes about her experiences and shares the insights and experiences of other mothers who have or are experiencing serious illness including cancer, dietetics and Multiple Sclerosis. Any mother who reads it will relate to what Kristine writes about - the need to be strong and do it all for children, spouses and friends. We all can relate to the Super Mom phenomenon which most moms' still struggle with. Kristine also gives good advice both hers and from the other mothers who shared their stories with her. She shares valuable resource informaton.

I should now state that I am not a mother of children experiencing a serious illness. I am in fact a sixty-year-old retired mother who is not even a grandmother yet. In reading Cereal for Dinner I not only related to how hard it is to ask for help let along accept it, I also had some understanding of what it must be like when we get older and have to let others help us. I think that this book could be good reading for any one who is experiencing a serious illness - mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and friend. It is also good reading for those of us who know people who are experiencing serious illness. Some of the suggestions for helping people in those circumstances are things I had never thought about before.

My husband and I retired 2 years ago and have agreed to share the domestic duties. On page 51 of Cereal for Dinner, Kristine offers good advise for all people who complain that they don't get enough help. "Whether it's not wanting to ask for help or not wanting to lower our standards, women hold tightly onto the reins of "power" in the domestic spheres. We seem to think that by refusing to delegate and demanding that things are done exactly as we specify, we can prove how much we love our families when in fact, how we really show that is by taking cares of ourselves." She goes on to say, "The best way to teach .... is to accept that everything isn't always perfect."

If you are a mom who is experiencing serious illness or know a mom who is, the book is a must. If you are not a mom who is experiencing a serious illness you will find the book very insightful for current or future situations. Kristine Breese has written an easy to read practical and insightful book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cereal for Dinner, June 16, 2004

By 

Grandma Kakhi (Cardiff, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cereal for Dinner: Strategies, Shortcuts, and Sanity for Moms Battling Illness (Paperback)

What brave women we meet in this book! I feel like I know them now. I knew this would be good read for Moms with kids at home, but Cereal for Dinner has been good for those of us over 60 whose kids have been grown for a long time. Asking for help, speaking up,and rethinking long held beliefs. I am very glad to have read this book. I have bought and given many with confidence that anyone who reads this will appreciate Breese's powerful insights.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This Book For Yourself - And For Your Friends, May 11, 2004

By 

Edward Woods (Tampa, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cereal for Dinner: Strategies, Shortcuts, and Sanity for Moms Battling Illness (Paperback)

As a really good writer, Kristene Breese states her case so eloquently, there is little I can add except to say her book, Cereal For Dinner, embodies a very powerful message which should be read by all; whether fighting medical adverity or not.

Kristene Breese has written her guide around the personal experiences of surviving medical adversity (for moms) and the trials of keeping all other aspects of life balanced while doing so. However, this book's scope, in my opinion, is much broader than what is revealed by a quick scan of the title and cover-sheets. This book can be parlayed and paraphrased, by the intelligent reader, into a survival guide for anyone, facing any adversity while trying to keep life on course.

I wish her well. I believe she will enjoy much success with this and future writings.