A few quick updates before I get down to business:
1. The kid is, of course, growing and growing. He's crawling and pulling up and showing all kinds of signs that he's planning on being a handful once he fully masters the art of mobility. He's always been a very independent kid so it's nice to be able to give him a few toys and trust him to entertain himself for a few minutes. Though he has his days when he's completely against me experiencing any level of productivity. Still, motherhood hasn't gotten old yet so he's not in danger of being an only child.
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| Trying to be like Mommy |
2. I mentioned before that I've been exercising my brain by doing some self-study in programming and Computer Science. It's something I had to do a lot of in college and became pretty good at. It's been good because I get to use my problem solving skills, which is how my brain works best. It's also sparked some ideas in my head for a project. I'd like to try my hand at developing some educational software that allows students to perform virtual lab experiments. It's kind of my way of blending y interests in computers, science, and education. Of course, my skills are not near up to par for a such a task so I've tried to step up the study. Unfortunately, fitting it into my schedule is easier said than done, so it's been a bit of slow going. I'll keep you up to date on that.
Anyway, on to what I really wanted to talk about: COFFEE. If you know don't know anything else about me, know that I love coffee. My mom started giving me tastes of flavored coffee with loads of milk in it when I was 11 or 12 and I was drinking the real think by the time I was 13. And this was before there was a Starbucks on every corner and 9 year-olds knew how to order Tall Half-Caf Lattes. I've been known to drink upwards of 4 cups a day. Of course, my consumption went way down when I got pregnant, but that was more because I developed a strong aversion to the smell than for any health reasons.
When I lived in Philly, I would take the El Train out to Upper Darby for church. One Thursday evening, as I was headed out for midweek service, I stopped at 7-11 for a cup of coffee to drink on the way. I headed to the 34th Street Station with my Bible and notebook in 1 hand and my cup in the other. The train came and, as I was getting on, I mis-stepped and my foot went down into the gap between the platform and the train (There are no kindly "Mind the Gap" reminders like in the London Tube). My Bible went flying across the platform. My notebook went flying across the platform. My coffee? Safe in my hand with no more than than 4 or 5 drops spilled. So that tells you all you need to know about me and coffee.
When I lived on my own, the one thing I always had to have was a coffee maker. Even in college, when I worked at a cafe for two years and rarely brewed my own coffee at home, I made sure I had a functioning coffee maker wherever I lived. It just wasn't home without it. When I moved back in with my mom, I brought along some of my kitchen appliances, including my coffee maker.So when I got married, I left it with her when I moved into my husband's house. Unfortunately, my husband didn't own a coffee maker. It was a big adjustment or me. We generally drink tea in the mornings, which is OK... I guess. And I don't consume as much caffeine these days, which is probably a good thing. But still, me without a coffee maker? Weird.
Which is why two nights ago, I took advantage of a Fall Clearance Sale and a gift card I've been holding on to for 6 months to score a brand new coffee maker from Macy's! It was a momentous occasion, especially when it rang up for $16 less than it was marked. Even the cashier was excited for me then.
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| Thank you, Macy's |
It was a great feeling to setup that beautiful machine, set up the clock, and program it to start brewing 15 minutes before my alarm goes off in the mornings. No more dragging myself out of bed and having to suffer the indignity of waiting for water to boil to get my caffeine fix. Me and mornings might just be on speaking terms again. I was so excited for that first, coffee-filled morning. Coffee would be waiting for me when I woke up, it was going to be glorious...
Fast forward to yesterday morning. What's that sound waking me from my sleep? Is it my alarm? No, it's the baby crying 45 minutes before my alarm is set to go off. He's been sleeping 10-12 hours a night since he was 3 months old but, this week he's inexplicably been waking up for midnight feedings. I had been up with him just a few hours before. Now, to add insult to injury, he also gets up before the sun on my perfectly planned Coffee Morning? I brought him to bed and tried to coax him back to sleep but he had his own plans so I ended up laying in bed or 45 minutes with a baby crawling all over me and not a drop of caffeine to be found.
Of course, when I made my way into the kitchen, the coffee was there waiting for me, freshly brewed. And though the kid had thwarted my plans to wake up to the smell of coffee wafting into the bedroom, it was still
nice to have a fresh cup first thing in the morning. I've missed that. The thing about my house is that my husband has owned it for years. He's lived here on his own so everything about it screams "A Man Lives Here." The furniture, the decorations, everything. They re nice, they're just not my style. There aren't a lot of touches of me yet except for my collection of Chick Flicks in the entertainment center. I've got lots of ideas of things I'd like to do to add my own flair, but these things take time, especially when you're on a budget. So it's nice to have something that's definitely me. It feels like home.
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| The return of my Morning Cup |
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| Feeling the effects of his early rising |
YOUR TURN: What's that one thing that you've got to have to really feel like home?
