According to Random.org, commenter #75 is the winner.
Joyce, please contact me via email at manda_paige@hotmail.com so I can get your mailing address and ship your Starbucks gift card to you. You have 48 hours to contact me, or else I will choose an alternate winner.
Spring has been a tease this year and I have yet to experience any long-lasting bursts of vitality in the beckoning sunshine. All three kids have rattling coughs and snuffly colds and it still feels like winter, the purgatory I thought we’d have been released from by now.
So here’s what’s getting me through these grey, dreary, phlegm-soaked days:
1. Starbucks VIA instant coffee. My mornings are fraught with fighting kids, rushed commands to “get dressed ALREADY!” and yanking tangles out of matted bedheads. I don’t often have the time to grind coffee beans and make a French press of medium roast. (Oh, wait. That’s because Avelyn dropped my French press on the tile floor a few weeks ago and it shattered into a zillion little pieces, just like my heart. Kids!) I do have the time to boil some water and make a cup of instant coffee, however, and the Starbucks VIA is surprisingly tasty. Add a generous splash of cream and sugar and suddenly I’m thinking we just might make it after all.
2. A Babysitter. I have been studying like mad for my real estate licensing exam (gah! six weeks left! I just soiled myself in nervous anticipation!) so I’ve been paying a sitter to watch the two older girls a couple times a week so I can get some quiet time to devote to my course. I may not be getting a pedicure or a massage, but the hours away from the kids are still a welcome retreat, even if my nose is in a textbook the entire time.
3. Girls’ Night. Once a week I host a girls’ night in at my place. It started out with the noble intention of being a craft night where we could get caught up on our scrapbooking and knitting but has evolved into an excuse to eat too many brownies and just talk over a glass of wine. I love that time with the women in my life and it also gives me a reason to quasi-tidy my house once a week. Win-win!
4. All of You. The blogging community I have found here has been so wonderful and you readers are my sounding board, my cheerleaders, my connection to the outside world. So, thank you. Your comments and input are so valuable to me and I appreciate you all.
And hey, you know what? I am going to give away a $20 Starbucks gift card (from my own allowance, even!) to one lucky commenter. You could buy half a latte with that, or your own pack of the VIA instant coffee. Just tell me in the comments what’s getting you through these days and I’ll randomly pick a winner on Thursday, April 14, 2011.
What’s getting me through these days? Coffee, and lots of it!
My Tassimo coffee in the mornings, Starbucks even though I can’t afford it, and a handful of chocolate covered almonds…aren’t almonds GOOD for you?
My Keurig coffee maker, plus the occasional pick-me-up latte at Starbucks, and my Blackberry. It’s my lifeline.
C-o-f-f-e-e is a *must* for me. That and my treadmill. Two things I couldn’t live without to keep my sanity. :o)
Wowy! Wow! Wow! look at all the buzz over a Starbuck GC! I’m such an addict that I have stocked the drive thru Starbucks girl, made friends with her and now schedule play dates at her house where she serves me all the Chai lattes I can drink! Still a gift card would rock! Another thing getting me through these days… rubber boots and sending my kids outside, listening to Junie B Jones on audio CD with the kids at bed time, and visiting my in-laws and getting to hold my sweet little baby instead of making meals and cleaning house. Here’s to the random comment picker picking me, oh please, oh please, oh please!
I have four daughters under the age of six. I need coffee.. LOL
Daydreaming about my upcoming vacation to New York has been getting me through these days!
Great giveaway! I am a Starbucks regular 🙂
I’ve gotta say I’m with Christy – my iPhone = how I breath. But also, these past couple weeks have sucked and if it weren’t for all the comments on our blog, Facebook, Tweets, phone calls, emails and the like, I don’t think I could have made it. God is good, no matter what happens, I always knew that, I lean heavily on it in fact, but I had no idea how good. He’s given us friends near and far that left us feeling so supported and uplifted it was amazing!
My iphone gets me through the day. And coffee. Good coffee. I’m poor so a Starbucks card would be SWEET! 😉
coffee. definitely coffee. and the sun that’s starting to peek out between the rain & hail… and the cherry blossoms that are blooming now. i love those things 🙂
Hmmm starbucks.. it would be great to help get through the day… My little family keeps going through sickness after sickness. NOthing serious just colds, croup, and flu. but it never seems to end!! Starbucks would be such a treat!!
The snow melting and the sun shining – FINALLY! This means more walks, more talks and more sanity all around! Yay for spring.
And the coffee in the morning also helps! Gotta have my jo!
The weather isn’t so bad where I live but my husband has been away working for over 6 weeks and I am trying to survive a few more weeks with out him. The only things keeping me going are chocolate, a friend helping me, and God!
My stroller, a dog who sometimes (actually, NEVER) listens and the fresh air (though some more sunshine would be nice). I also eagerly anticipate my daily dose of caffeine. And the knowledge that one day, soon, my life won’t always be spent at home and I am going to miss these days when they’re gone.
What’s getting me through these days is that it’s FINALLY warm-ish. Like, 50’s and 60’s. I honestly think I might have gone slap out of my mind if winter had stayed around even one week longer. I feel… like, almost DESPERATE for it to be warm, almost PANICKED if I feel like we might get a cold snap. Spring has most definitely been an awful, painful tease this year.
What’s keeping me going during these overdue pregnancy days is my daughter heading off once a week to a dayhome. It’s right smack in the middle of the week and I leisurely make my way to my midwife’s appointments in the a.m after a stop at Starbucks. Then I have till 4 to do WHATEVER I want!! It’s amazing! Sometimes it’s the mall, other times I come home and sleep, or when I’m feeling bad for my dear husband, I get supper going early. Then I pick up my daughter and feel like I have 20X more patience with her after a little break from her. That’s what’s getting me through these days!!!
My husband is keeping me going. I’m stuck in a job that I hate and that is sucking out my soul and he is gently prodding me towards the job search. He knows that a new position for me would make me much happier and he is giving me a confidence boost when I think that I’m not qualified for anything.
Trips to Chapters with a built-in Starbucks make my life a little more bearable! I grab a coffee and my daughter plays with the toys, trains and books. Peace for a few precious moments!
Keeping me going… the small gift of been woken up most mornings these days by a sticky 3-year-old kiss — no matter how up-and-down and frustrating the rest of our days are, if I can remember that one moment, it’s all a little better.
As the mother of a 5 week old, spring and it’s warmer weather are most welcomed around these parts! The earlier the sun can rise and put an end to the sleepless night the better. What gets me through (and keeps me awake)? Coffee during the day and posts from awesome bloggers at night… It’s currently 3:20AM 😉
God is who gets me through my day. Knowing that even in my craziest, busiest days, I can always find rest in God.
Alone time after the kids go to bed. Starbucks is my weakness.
coffee, wine, and the hope of some sunshine. 🙂
When I need caffeine for my one cup a day I like a foamy london fog or as starbucks calls it an earl grey tea latte! When I just want a tasty hot drink out like tonight… I like this tea latte that is called Foever Nuts from David’s Tea (an amazing tea place here is Vancouver)
My after-work quiet time gets me through. Every day I come home and have a hot bath (I freeze at work), put on pajamas and then check my email/ facebook on my laptop in bed. It sounds so indulgent when I type it out like this, but it’s just what I do. The kids have a snack and then find something to do (playing, reading, tv…). I’m pretty lucky – they have always been good at entertaining themselves.
Wine… oh wait, I’m nursing. However, I do see how stay-at-home moms can become closet drinkers. Talking the kids for walks in the sunshine helps. On rainy or snowy days, I frantically arrange playdates and hope to be entertained. I’ve also become a Starbucks fan since they put one in my regular Safeway so, a gift card would be handy on grocery day.
Um, coffee gets me through the morning, naps gets me through the afternoon, and the thought of a glass of red wine once the kids are in bed gets me through the afternoon!
Drive-thru Starbucks!
Also, toddler nap-time is a wonderful thing.
Umm coffee, memories of a recent trip away where I actually had a bit of a break and a glass of wine doesn’t hurt either to make it through the day! Oh and the promise that one day here in Alberta spring might actually come which means summer will follow!
Tetris and coffee. I’m not even joking. Except now when I’m trying to sleep, all I can think about is sweet Tetris combos.
What’s getting me through? My first day of work today since December. GAH. An espresso machine in the work place DEFINITELY helped this morning!
Coffee all the way!
love starbucks! i live for their vanilla lattes-with SKIM milk, so that i can have the total whip cream on top with less guilt!!
I’m working on the picu and a warm meal when I come home gets me through
Coffee as well here! And I’m 37 weeks pregnant.. no guilt, dude! And of course when the clock strikes 6(ish) and the husband returns to give my 3 year old the physical play he craves that I can no longer help with, while I retire to the bed.. 🙂
Knowing that soon summer will be here. It too has been a long winter full of sickness and boring days. Also this week we are going to the Edmonton to shop and that is definitely giving me something to look forward to! Gymboree and Sephora here I come! Oh and your blog helps me, knowing that I am not alone!
My wee fetus is getting me through the day lately. Life is a bit overwhelming but I can’t help but smile when I feel a little kick (I say that because he’s still small enough that a little kick really is just a LITTLE kick and not a bone-jarring ninja chop.)
The daylight lasting longer with the promise of spring coming is keeping me going – I find that although it’s not spring yet at least dinner and getting ready for bed is happening in the daylight…oh and coffee – so excited that Starbucks is releasing K-Cups soon!! 🙂
Wine-o’clock is something to look forward to every day. That sounds sooooo alcoholic and dependant, but it’s really just part of the countdown until the day’s end… a glass of wine is never a bad thing. Heh.
I love reading you, Sugar!! xox
At this point, I love showers. They are official “daddy time”, so I take them in the evenings and relax in there until the hot water runs out.
The thought of collapsing on the couch to watch something trashy on tv and eat a piece of Easter candy or something. It’s the time after all my duties are done but before I get tired and have to go to bed to start it all over again the next day.
coffee, coffee, coffee.
after a long day wrangling three little boys i go to bed thinking about my morning cup of coffee. just ordered a keurig single cup coffee maker today with mastercard points, can’t wait till it gets here!!
What is getting me through is knowing that breastfeeding won’t last forever! I love my baby, but I hate breastfeeding! I know “breast is best” so I am sucking it up and doing it, but my boobs are constantly stinging. My toddler is driving me nuts, and has been doing everything she can to make me want to cry, and coffee and naptime have been my saving grace.. so I could use the gift card. 🙂
p.s. My husband is also a little cheap and won’t let me go to Starbucks very often!
Knowing I only have 8 days of work before I’m on mat leave. And my wonderful hubby who’s always willing to give me a foot massage or entertain our toddler while I nap. My irises poking up through the ground are also a nice reminder that summer’s on its way….these are the things getting me through these days.
my curtains are closed most the time because I have two babies on the boob and everyone who walks past can see so I kind of feel like I live in a messy, toy filled cave and have no idea what season it is even supposed to be outside. Nap times and internet help, getting out to work helps and the gym and the hope of buying a bigger house with a yard soon and breathing space and the ability to entertain and thus regain some kind of social life.
Mmmmm Starbucks!!! The thought of Friday at 4 gets me though…Friday and Saturday nights I get two nights of uninterrupted sleep (daddy takes over the night feeds).
That and mid day naps. I’v just leaned the art of sleep when the baby sleeps and she’s 8 months old.
(wow I have sleeping on the mind today, must be because I was pu a billion times lady night)
So the promise of spring, home made lattes, a mid February get away to Palm Springs, a strollercize class, good friends, and more than a few glasses of wine have made this winter bearable. Here’s to a great summer hopefully, cheers!
Yay, coffee! You’re speaking my language. Looking forward to getting back to the 6:15 workouts is getting me through the day! Haaaaa, wait that’s why I NEED the coffee. What’s working though is my parents doting on me and the kids for over a week! Cooking, cleaning, playing and chatting. It’s filling me up. That said I’m excited to be heading home shortly too – I miss my man and routines can be a great thing for 3 year olds (I hear).
I’m afraid to say I’m making it through the days in fear that the universe might hear me and decide to nip that in the bud! Actually, believe it or not, my answer would be exercise. It seems to be the only thing that keeps me from stringing my little ones up by their toes. Definitely something to be said about endorphins.
The chance to finally play outside is what’s getting me thru these days. The winter was so long! Just like Jen, I’m in WI too and we hit 80 yesterday! That reminded me that summer is coming.
I can’t believe I’m admitting this but the GYM is what is helping me get through.
This was the first winter since my babies were born eight years ago that I’ve been able to attend the gym regularly through the winter. I can’t believe what it has done for my mental health!
…knowing that if Spring comes too fast this baby in my belly will also be here is getting me through this april SNOW in my backyard. (but the daffodils starting to poke through the snow in the front yard help, too). I don’t think I’m quite ready for baby #2 yet, so a few more days of white and bright might be okay in my books…(but, let me assure you, some good coffee would definitely help!)
What’s getting me through? Long walks with my dogs. It’s nice to get away from everything and just walk and let my mind wander.
Nap-time and the faint memory of how beautiful summers are here. And the deep fear that if I can’t keep it somewhat together with one child I’ll be a raving lunatic when #2 shows up in July. And chocolate.
A free Starbucks gift card. That might get me through. Maybe.
Knowing summer is coming soon. Meaning no lost winter mitts or hats. Get out of the house just the way you are.
Hanging onto the good days through the rough ones. Like seeing my daughter cuddle her little brother or hearing her say thank you without being reminded. That and sending her for sleepovers at the grandparents so I’m down to just one kid for the day!
Little gummy grins and giggles are getting me through!
Some days I can catch a glimpse of what my daughter is really going to be like once we’re finshed slugging our way through toddlerhood. Seeing how she cuddles her little brother or says thank you without being reminded. I try to hold onto those good days during the worst days!
What keeps me going through the rough days is the fact that I know that 10-15 years down the line, I will be smiling back at whatever it is, because I know whatever happens..whether it be good or bad, happens for a reason.
Oh, Starbucks iced coffee. You drink that stuff and it feels like you’ve just sinned OR just sipped away your worries. Sigh.
Right now the nice weather (FINALLY!) and the childcare at the gym is keeping me going.
Naps, definitely naps!! :o)
What’s getting me through is that I’m in WI, and it was 80 yesterday. 80! But I also have a house of cough/runny noses (mine included)…so…… Hmmm.. But 80! In April!
I am 7 months pregnant and just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes – previously the only thing getting me through pregnancy was the fact that I could eat chocolate and not feel guilty about it! Now, even that small pleasure has been taken away! Thankfully I have a wonderful husband and 4 year old who are keeping me positive and helping me stay sane!
Coffee always gets me through the Monday-Friday grind….and having a Starbucks attached to our office building is a plus!!
I’m also able to get through April and May by planning my lil one’s birthday party (which isn’t until June but it’s better to plan early right?!).
I’m just going with the routine and repeating in my mind over and over that summer is only 2 months away…..
Starbucks definitely gets me through (and I am saying that FOR REAL). But the most important thing for me are my friends. My two sisters (way too far away) and my girls near home.
Plus, I travel a lot and just getting a good night’s sleep, time with my book and a peaceful glass of wine helps. And it gives me time to miss them.
I found having kids under 3 WAY hard. Now, mine are 8 and nearly 12 and I actually miss having them around so much. Amazing but it does happen!
Coffee and Chocolate!
three kids, smoker coughs, too much snot…sounds eerily familiar. Twice a week I lock myself in the bathroom, find the good bubble bath (that is hidden from the kids!), and soak my troubles away. A big glass of wine doesnt’ hurt either.
I go to a playgroup three mornings a week, for 2 hours at a time. It seriously helps get me through the week. The kids run around and play and I get to visit with other moms who are mucking through the same crazy mom-years that I am.
Amanda I love reading all your posts. You’re such a down-to-earth, say-it-how-it-is person and I love that! I have to say that the internet gets me through the day (that and coffee of course!). I love zoning out in front of the computer for a few minutes while my kids run amuck downstairs (thank the Lord for a developed basement that I can banish the kids to and shut the door). I’m also very thankful for a loving and supportive husband that works where we live…which means he often swings by the house and picks up a kid or two to work with him. It’s nice to have the option to have less children around once in awhile (5 can become a little overwhelming at times, especially on dreary winter days when everyone’s going a little stir crazy from being locked indoors for so long).
sounds like you should win your own contest! 🙂
i just had a night away at my parents’ house and it was heavenly! coffee’s always made, snacks readily available that i don’t have to share, time to read when i want! ahhhh, that made my month! 🙂
Looking forward to future events gets me through tough moments and busy days. Even if it is going for an walk to get a coffee or a dinner out with girlfriends that is happening in 2 weeks. Just having something to focus on keeps me feeling positive. Sometimes when things get ridiculous my ‘events’ have to be way smaller. So today my thing is looking forward to clean bedsheets tonight.
could you believe what i am going to say? working out!! GASP has helped me get though winter and in to spring. it makes me feel good, and time away from kids is totally worth the pain of working out! all the working out in the world will not cure me from the 3″ of snow that fell last night. send help! the shoveling kind would be the best.
chelspoelman at gmail dot com
Oh my word! Pick me! I recently decided to do a starbucks card giveaway to friends and relatives for helping me fill out a survey for my new bed and breakfast that I’m opening and I nearly cried when I gave the winner the giftcard. I would LOVE a pack of VIA coffee…. ahhh. Keep up what you’re doing!
What’s getting me thru the fact that it’s April and we still have a few feet of snow in our backyard? hmmm…. I’ve seen a robin and two butterflies … the promise that things are bound to improve soon.