The Mom Juice.

I've never been a morning person.


I remember when I was in junior high, and the school I attended started at the ungodly hour of 7:15 a.m. How did I even survive those 3 years? To this day I have no idea. I would wake up & stumble to the shower, mumbling something incoherent in response to my dad's "Good morning! How are you today? [insert I've-been-awake-for-3-hours smile here]" At that point in my life, I simply needed a shower to wake me up, and I was good to go.

I don't even remember mornings in high school. They are simply a blur to me. I didn't drink coffee then - it wasn't cool back then for teenagers. It was just something grown-ups did. Starbucks hadn't become the temple that it is today, and my caffeine addiction was just showing on the horizon.

Then came college. Ah, college. Theoretically, the college student plans his/her own classes, so that no early mornings exist. However, I had to work while I was in college, and my schedule planning wasn't as flexible as one would hope. This is when I started my Dr. Pepper addiction. I remember quitting caffeine a couple of times while I was in college, only to come back to it. At that time, my metabolism was all gung-ho, so I didn't have to worry about the calories consumed from all those Dr. Peppers. Those were the glory days, when a Dr. Pepper & a couple of doughnut sticks was the breakfast of champions.

From the time I graduated from college, through my "dating Baron" years, and into married life, I've had off-and-on relationships with Diet Coke, coffee, tea...anything with caffeine to get me going. I haven't really needed the strong stuff; just something to kick-start my day.

Before I became a mom, people kept telling me, "Oh, you'll be a morning person when you have to, once you're a mommy!" Incorrect. I really never got used to those middle-of-the-night feedings. {SO thankful those are in the past!} And during the summer, Baron got up with Natalie to feed her while I slept in. {Could I ask for a better husband?!}

Well, then school started, and it was my job to get up every morning with the cutie pie. Initially, I would just sleep until she woke up, which is what makes the most sense. When she was about 4.5 months, we started giving her cereal in the mornings. Well...that's a horse of a different color. Mommy doesn't have the patience to feed cereal to an easily distracted 4.5-month-old...and it took me a few mornings to grasp the fact that this just was. not. happening. I was too impatient, and it was just not fun.

So, I hesitantly made the decision that probably sounds crazy to you moms. I decided I desperately needed to get up earlier than my baby, to have some time to enjoy The Mom Juice. That's right, I now wake up to the sound of my alarm going off about 20 minutes before my baby wakes {if I'm lucky}. It was a decision that was essential to the sanity of our whole family. Some mornings I sit & sip my coffee as I listen to her babble in her crib, awaiting the moment when the babbles turn to whines, which would eventually turn to screams if no action is taken, at which point I set The Juice aside, only to finish an hour later once The Babe has finished her breakfast. Today was a particularly pleasant morning - I actually FINISHED my cup o' joe BEFORE she woke up!

That, my friends, is how you know it will be a good day.

{maybe someday I will look like this when I wake up}

{the cause for my growing addiction. totally worth it. ;) }