A Coffee Break with Coffee Connection

Besides being a mom full time, I also work at a coffee shop part time. I don't know what I would do without my coffee. It's my addiction basically. So I'd like to take some time to talk about coffee.
Are you a coffee lover? I can't really think of a word stronger than love but if there was one that would be how I feel about coffee. I drink it everyday. It’s part of my daily routine and I wouldn't be able to get through my day without it!
Here in Virginia the weather has been hot. Hot is an understatement actually. So when it's hot I prefer to drink my coffee iced. There is nothing more refreshing than a sweet cold iced coffee (usually flavored with yummy vanilla) on a muggy summer day. Thats not to say I don't enjoy a deliciously brewed cup of hot coffee now and again. In my most stressful days nothing calms me like a hot brewed cup of coffee with some flavored creamer. Yum.
Does anyone own a Keurig brewer? I do not own one yet. I’ve entered to win one many times on various blogs and such but no luck yet. My mother owns one and I am seriously jealous. They are so easy to use and have so many coffee varieties.
This company, One Cup Connection, is holding a giveaway for the next couple weeks over at Kelly’s Lucky You. You can bet I’ve entered and you should enter too! I just think the convenience and ease of these one cup coffee brewers is fantastic. I hate having to make a whole pot to see half of it go to waste. With a Keurig, I could have a different flavor each time I make a cup… not the same old thing every time. I was looking through the K-Cups section and there is so much variety. I’m thinking I would try the Timothy's World Kahlua - 24 K-Cups first! My kids would love the hot chocolate and apple cider!
Do you use a Keurig? Tell me about it!
One Cup Connection also has their very own blog, how fun!? Check it out here!




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Location:Virginia

My kids, nicknames and a bit about them

  The qualification for having a mom blog is first and foremost, being a mom. So, of course I couldn't have a mom blog without my kids. They are ultimately my main source of joy and also my main source of torment, especially now that my oldest is a teenager and my second is headed that way. So, in order to include them in my blog, I suppose I should give them some handy nicknames. Well, I have no idea what names to use because a lot of the good ones are taken. I pretty much already have nicknames for the two little boys but my older two are much harder.
  My daughter, my only daughter well, she could certainly be Judy Moody if that wasn't already a popular book and upcoming movie or Debbie Drama most days lately. But beyond all that preteen hormonal drama she is really my biggest helper and she is more responsible than even my oldest. She is always there to lend a hand with the little ones or help clean up, and she always wants to be close to me and imitates a lot of what I do. I think her blog nickname will be "Mini-Mom". My oldest son is at that age where he thinks he knows more than me. He has it all figured out, as most teenagers do. But, I will say that at least he has goals. He wants to join the Marines when he is older and he wants to be a psychiatrist. He loves all things military related as well as magic (he does some amazing things with a deck of cards) and he plays the drums and guitar very well. I am thinking of donning him with the nickname "Soldier boy".
  My three year old has earned the name "The destroyer" since he was old enough to move around on his own. If it can be taken apart, spilled, ripped, dumped, broken, shredded, or crushed, he will or has done it. He just enjoys it. Maybe he will be a mechanical engineer one day. He is also very cunning and shy as well as verbally expressive. The things he says have us rolling and we can never stay mad at him long. My little guy, our very last (unless God has other plans) has always been "Baby Dude" due to the way my Destroyer pronounced his name from the day he was born. It was so cute that it stuck and he's just Baby Dude to us. He has quite the personality, this little guy, he loves to make us laugh and he is always trying to get a chuckle, whether with faces, dances or sounds. He loves attention and he definitely has his ways of getting it.
 So, that's some quick info on the ones that call me Mom. They drive me crazy, but I wouldn't trade them for anything!

Soccer mom coming through

Ok so, none of my kids are in soccer but I think I qualify for the title "Soccer Mom". A title I can honestly say I am shocked to fit into. I think when I hear the term "Soccer Mom" I picture a frumpy older minivan driving stressed out woman with a kid in each arm, and one clutching a leg, driving the kids around for all those kid things. I created a little drawing of what a tired soccer om might look like. So, ok most of that is me, I do drive a minivan and occasionally drag a child around by my leg (or else it feels that way) and I do drive the kids around for every little event under the sun. The kicking baby, the tantrum, the apparent lack of sleep in my eyes. Yep, that's me. I just feel like maybe I am the atypical version of the classic Soccer mom. (I like to see myself as an individual, doesn't everyone?). Maybe Soccer mom with a cool twist. I can deal with that. I have that bumper sticker on the back of my minivan to remind me just in case I start to forget. It says "I may drive a minivan but I still Rock!". It's all to let all those on the road know that this minivan is being driven by someone awesome (please let me have my delusions).
Sometimes, I am not as well groomed as I'd like but I try to pull myself together before I leave the house. I shamefully have been known to go grocery shopping in pjs however and some days I squeak by without a shower. Ahhh, That's motherhood at it's finest. But seriously between cooking cleaning, refereeing, and the occasional though not at all private, potty breaks when am I supposed to fit in grooming? Let's not forget the fact that I am a traveling milk bar for a very clingy 1 year old. I am constantly running to pick up kids from after school activities, driving to talent shows, musical events, Romp N Roll, doctor's appointments, and church events. I think that alone throws me into the "Soccer Mom" category. Add all that stuff previously mentioned and Kapow! I guess I am a Soccer Mom after all!
What does it all mean for me? I am living a life I could have never pictured in a million years. Now, don't get me wrong this is just where I want to be. I absolutely love being a stay at home mom whose career is in the hands of those who don't wash their own. I love picking up after a family that should be picking up after themselves and driving to all the events that almost slipped my mind until the last possible minute. The stress is manageable and the kids may actually become self sufficient adults one day. I know how fast it goes so I am just enjoying it now. No, this is never what I pictured but when has my life ever been what I pictured anyway? I think this is better. I get to give my kids the very best gift of all, me! I am there for all their needs and they get my love, attention and time, and when they really start driving me crazy I can always beg dady to take them to the park.

Being a Mommi

Being a mother, is something anyone can do
but, being a Mommi is making a commitment to no longer coming first.
A feeling unmatched and unable to be explained to those not blessed as I.
Being a Mommi is a calling, it is an occupation, it is a gift
Fear has never griped so hard and love has never grasped so tight.
My heart has been awakened
My life no longer belongs to me
I am reborn and transformed.
Being a Mommi is hard work,
and it is sometimes painful
It is never easy and always worth it
Being a Mommi changes who you are
It makes you stronger
and it makes you more scared than you have ever been
Being a Mommi opens your eyes, censors you and sets you free.
Motherhood is deep and profound.
Being a Mommi is multi tasking
It is Health care, it is teaching, it is learning
It is feeling.
Being a Mommi is compassion, it is selflessness
It is faith.
My life Forever changed, not for my own regard.
Being a Mommi is perfect, without coming close to perfection
Being a Mommi is me
And I am grateful for those who call me so
I am Mommi