The Only Thing Better...

than a fresh cup of coffee is one made by someone else. Now that my husband is on night shift, we are operating on totally opposite schedules. So imagine my surprise this morning when I woke to fresh coffee handed to me by a very handsome guy. And even better since he gave me an extra few minutes to sleep before giving me that wonderful treat. I am so glad that I married someone that not only understands my caffeine habit, but also supports it. And after 5 years of marriage, I think that some of it has rubbed off on him too.

Unfortunately, I think my love of coffee has also passed on to my almost 2 year old little girl. I can probably trace it to the ice lattes that I drank when i was pregnant, or the many that I drank while nursing, but her favorite drink in the world is now iced lattes. Most of the time, I'm able to hold her off until i can get her a decaf one, but she has been caught sneaking sips off my full powered drinks enough times for me to realize that my little princess does have a problem. And when Daddy is in charge, he is almost powerless to say no to her big eyes when she comes begging. He has gotten better at saying no after the day she conned him out of his whole drink and then refused to sleep until later that night. That was a valuable lesson learned the hard way!

"And a Latté for My Mommy"

My mother in law came to visit and we decided to take a trip to the beautiful Peaks of Otter. We were hoping to spot some deer and ended up with a surprise around the lake-tons of frogs, most of them still with their tadpole tails. We saw a couple of deer, but they were way across the lake, and then I spotted a snake wriggling into its hole. After a failed attempt to sneak up to a large black bird, we stopped in the gift store to look around and then headed for a surprise lunch for the kids at McDonalds. But as soon as we turned on the road to leave, we spotted a deer about four feet from the car on the passenger side. We stopped and gawked for a few minutes and then another deer approached the driver side. So Elijah and Arabella each had a close look at a deer and we considered the day a success.

Our next stop was to McDonalds for lunch and the kids were thrilled that they were getting a special treat for lunch. Unfortunately, the poor worker probably had a hard time hearing our actual order with my son repeating, quite loudly, "and a latté for my mommy, please..." My conflicting thoughts...."What a great son that he'd be more concerned about my coffee than his lunch" followed quickly by "Am I really that bad when I don't have it?"

Weekly Morning Treat

I work Saturday mornings at MyGym, teaching gym classes to toddlers and preschoolers, and I look forward to a venti iced latté from Starbucks each week. I can make a similar drink at home, but something about the large tall plastic cup makes the morning a little more special. And my secret drink brew that I make at home is a much smaller size and wouldn't last me through my three classes. So each week, I leave with enough time to hit the drive through and order my special drink that I will sip while I get the mats cleaned, mirrors wiped, and then on the five minute break between classes.

But no matter how many times I get my drink, i refuse to order it as a venti. Always a large. I think it's stubbornness from my espresso making days where we served the rival brew (Seattle's Best Coffee) combined with indoctrination from my former coffee mentor. In fact, in my shop, it was referred to as "Charbucks" because the beans were somewhat over roasted in comparison. So that slightly traitorous feeling persists as I get my Starbucks each week, but my need for a latté overrides that feeling.

McCafé Praise

I was shocked when I finally gave the new McCafé drinks from McDondalds a chance. I had tried their iced coffee back when it first came out and it was sweetened and had cream in it. Whether iced or hot, i like my coffee black, and I was definitely not a fan. But one day out of desperation, I needed my iced latté fix and McDonalds was the only convenient location. So I decided that it was time to give them one more shot at coffee, and this time, I was pleasantly surprised. The iced latté was unsweetened espresso and milk, the way it should be, and it tasted like what I make at home. For people that like flavors, there are several to pick from, but for those of us non sweetened drink fans, it's nice to have that choice. And now I don't mind letting the kids go play at the local McDonalds Playland since I can be sipping on a tasty iced latté...

A little about my Coffee Obsession

I was completely spoiled by the chance to work in an espresso bar. Having a commercial grade espresso machine at my disposal turned me from a casual drinker of drip coffee to a caffeine addict and coffee snob. And while coffee addiction can be an expensive habit, there are so many great ways to get great coffee at home without breaking the bank.

As a mom, I need my coffee to help try to keep up with a toddler and a preschooler. So I'm starting this blog to share my passion for coffee, tips on how to make great coffee drinks at home, reviews, and other little coffee facts and insights. Plus I'll be mixing in some other stories from my busy, caffeinated life, including stories about my little ones that fuel my need for coffee. So pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and hang out with me a while.