Ode to Coffee

Oh, sweet coffee. Without you, I might never make it through the day. And while some people consider you a drug, I think of you as the breakfast of champions.

I recently had a discussion about the generation gap when it comes to coffee. My baby-boomer parents and their friends drink coffee, as in a mug of coffee from the coffeemaker on the counter. Usually they have it "black", but occasionally you will see people who drink theirs with cream or sugar. (or both!) Simple.

For myself, and the rest of my Gen X friends, we came of coffee-drinking age during the Starbucks/Grunge rock movement. When I say I'm "getting a coffee", what I mean is I'll have a 20 oz. vanilla double latte, heavy on the foam and only heated to 150. Intentionally complicated. (And my typical order is actually quite simple in the land of baristas) We want to carry huge coffees in paper cups, even though they are more than half milk.

But, for the next generation of coffee drinkers, sales may dwindle. It seems to me that most teenagers/young adults these days would rather have a RedBull than a latte. (Or heaven forbid a cup of actual coffee!)

Money being a little tight, and the fact that I no longer hang out on campus next to the coffee cart, I've taken to making my coffee at home. A few Christmases ago I received an espresso machine. It only makes 4oz of espresso at a time, but that is just enough to get me through a morning. The trouble has always been that heavenly syrup they add at the coffee bar. They do sell it in stores, and have purchased it before, but my local grocery doesn't carry it so I have had to improvise:

Autumn's Vanilla Coffee Syrup
* 1 1/2 cups water
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1-2 tsp vanilla extract

In a microwave-safe measuring pitcher, heat the 1 1/2 cups water for 3-4 minutes in microwave, or until boiling. Pour in sugar and stir gently until sugar is completely dissolved. (Syrup should be clear) Allow to cool, approx. half hour or until just warm to the touch. Add the vanilla, stir to mix. (I use real vanilla extract, so my syrup is a light brown color, but if you use imitation vanilla it will remain clear) Store in a container with a tightly sealing lid. (I use an empty 12 oz. water bottle, label removed and marked with a Sharpie so everyone knows what it is.) You can make larger batches, but I find that making in smaller batches keeps the syrup tasting "fresh". You can keep it on the counter or in the fridge. You can also use flavors other than vanilla. I have used candy flavoring, especially easy to find in stores around the holidays. (Just be sure to use a few drops, not a tsp!)

Enjoy your coffee, everyone. I must leave you now...I need a refill!

A Few of Mommy's Favorite Things

A lot of things change when you have your kids as far apart as I did. There have been some great advancements in parenting since the Teen was a baby, and even some big changes from the Angel's time. It may not seem like much, but all these product make child care so much easier. Examples:

• Dye-free infant's Motrin drops- I always wondered why drug companies insisted on adding Red 40 to something that is most likely going to be spit all over the place, and possibly regurgitated onto the carpet. I guess Product Development finally hired a woman...
• Ear thermometers- Because taking baby's temperature rectally is an emotionally scarring experience for everyone involved.
• Baby seats in public bathrooms- I love, love, love places that have these. When mom is out shopping with baby, it is almost impossible for her to go to the bathroom. Have you ever tried to buckle a belt with one hand, while trying to prevent your baby from licking the toilet paper dispenser? These little seats are in the stall, and mom can buckle baby to the seat so she can use both of her hands and the baby isn't on the floor trying to catch Hepatitis or something. And while we're on the subject...
• Family bathrooms- For the Husband, the very thought of taking the Angel out in public, just the two of them, is terrifying. She has only recently reached the age where she can use a public restroom by herself, with nervous daddy freaking people out by standing right outside the door. But even a year or two ago, he didn't want to take her anywhere, mostly because he didn't want to take her into the men's room, which in my imagination is always completely filthy. (Although, I'm not sure ladies rooms are any cleaner.) And I understand. I'm always a little surprised when I see 11 year old boys in the ladies room, but what else is mom supposed to do? Presenting the Family Restroom. Because mothers have sons, and fathers have daughters. And it wouldn't kill dad to change a diaper every once in a while.
• DVD players in the car- I have no idea how anyone traveled with kids before these came along. It sounds like a luxury item, but I think like airbags and seatbelts, it has probably saved lives. (Driving while refereeing backseat squabbles is unsafe. And leaving your kids on the off ramp because you simply can't take it anymore is frowned upon.)
• Spill-proof sippy cups- Great for little kids. I wish I could get the big kids to use them. In fact, we'd probably have fewer wine stains on the couch if everybody used them!
• Attractive diaper bags- Because even babies don't want to carry around something with dorky looking ducks on it! Granted, the Peanut's diaper bag is blue silk with an asian flower pattern, but who's carrying the thing, him or me? (And I don't think we have to spend too much time worrying about Daddy carrying it either. Like that'll happen.)
• Baby Entertainers- Kind of like walkers, but with solid bottoms so they can't go anywhere. And baby videos with classical music and spinning color thingys. Yes, I know I'm probably supposed to wear my baby all day and do nothing but interact with him, but sometimes Mommy has other stuff to do. How did June Cleaver manage to do the ironing and have her hair perfectly coiffed when Wally and the Beave were babies? One word: playpen. So back off.

Check out my new blog!

Hey all! I started another side blog about my crafting projects. I'm hoping this might give me even more of a reason to actually finish a few of the many, many projects I start around here! I'll still update this blog with my usual snarky anecdotes, but craft stuff will go on my new blog, Project Incentive. See you there!

Step-parenting

Dear Sony/Disney studios,

Thank you for continuing to promote the stereotype of the "evil" step-parent. As an evil stepmother myself, I can't tell you how useful your movies have been. As I command my little "minions" to load the dishwasher, I am reminded of your classics, such as Cinderella and Snow White. (Reminded by the "minions" themselves) Never mind the fact that I would command my own daughter to do the same chores. Never mind the fact that the "minion"s mother also commands him to do these same chores. (Actually more often, because my "evil queen" business allows me the time in my day to do the dishes myself, therefore only requiring assistance once a week or so.)

I would also like to thank you for the upcoming movie The Stepfather, because there is no way that will cause problems in blended family households. Sons of divorced/widowed mothers are always rational when it comes to a new man in mom's life, and your movie will no doubt be hilarious to them.

What you may fail to realize is that there are people who genuinely care about the children of their spouse. You may also fail to realize that while divorce is very difficult on parents and children, it can be particularly difficult for the people who marry the parents of that divorce. And guess what? Their job is more difficult. They have the unique opportunity to be responsible for the care of a child they have next to NO say in raising. Mom and Dad want Junior to take piano lessons? Step-mom ends up being the one to actually drive him to and from said lessons. Mom and Dad want Junior to take hunter's safety courses? Step-dad is the one who actually takes him hunting.

And after all the effort and love Step-mom and Step-dad may pour into Junior, he will always only have two parents. Mom and Dad. Not that Step-mom and Step-dad need a "thank you", (they know they'll rarely get one) but they would seriously appreciate being painted as the "villain" less often! Did anyone consider that Cinderella was a little mouthy, and therefore deserved to miss the big dance?

But you guys, major movie studios, don't care about all that. And I understand. Parenting is a thankless job, and step-parenting is even more so. It's not like we didn't know about these kids when we married their mom/dad. We just didn't plan on loving them. And we certainly didn't plan to be pissed off by your portrayal of our role in the family. But we can take it. We've had worse.

Sincerely,

Evil Step-Mother

Come here often?

Sorry all, for staying away. Unfortunately we've had some "stuff" going on in our three-dimensional life which makes blog posting drop a few places on the list of things to do. The least of which is the technical difficulty I'm having with my laptop. I'm not sure what the technical term would be for the problem, but "won't turn on" has been working for me so far. And before you start throwing advice, like "try plugging it in", let me assure you that I have done all the stuff one is supposed to do, and I've spent an inappropriate amount of time on the phone with the guy from tech support. (I think he and I might be legally married in some countries) We (and by "we" I mean the fella who's Indian name I can't spell) think it's a motherboard problem. I'm pretty much writing it off, as it sounds expensive to fix and I didn't pay that much for it to begin with. But I am going to take it somewhere and see if someone far wiser than myself would be able to retrieve any data from the hard drive. (Hamnibijeesh seems to think it might be possible.) So I have been using my older laptop, which is much slower and doesn't have any of the bells and whistles that make things easier to use, like a memory card reader or a current version of Adobe. And it is the family computer, so I have to fight off the husband, teen and angel for my computer time. (Hopefully it will be another year or two before the peanut wants to be added to the schedule) *Sigh*

In addition, my father-in-law has been having some health problems and has been in the hospital for the last few weeks. The husband, who works four 12 hour days during the week plus an hour commute each way, has been spending the lion's share of his time-off at the hospital, which leaves the "holding down the fort" up to me. I don't mind,it's just a lot less free time without a baby on my lap. And holding babies makes typing quite difficult! As I'm not realistically expecting his condition to improve drastically in the near future, my blog posts may become fewer and farther between. Just for now. If praying is your thing, I ask that you do for him, as he has a difficult road ahead. Get well, Grandpa!

So, for my loyal readers, I hope you don't become discouraged when you keep checking and I haven't made a new post. I will check in from time to time when I've got something good to say. But in the meantime, the three dimensional people come first!