Decaf anyone?

I'll admit it.  I'm a spoiled brat.  But, I think that being the middle of 10 girls... and feeling lost in the mix... I completely deserve to be spoiled... right?  Well... at least a little ;)

Every morning, I start my day off with coffee in bed.  I couldn't imagine having my day begin without my hubby (Thank GOD for my sweet, thoughtful hubby :) tapping me on the foot to wake me up and announce that a fresh cup of hot decaf coffee is waiting for me.  Wait... did I just say DECAF????  Yes, I most certainly did... and yet... I still can't start my day without it!

Now, what on Earth would possess me to drink decaf?  Well, first of all, the Suzanne Somers diet has a 'no tolerance' caffeine policy.  I'd say that I gave up leaded coffee when I first started the diet, but the truth of the matter is that I gave up caffeine years ago... and have given it up several times since. 

The beauty of giving up caffeine is that if you really do end up needing a mid-afternoon or nighttime jolt... a little caffeine goes a LONG way.  A great example would be family trips. 

It's a good 24 hours of straight driving to get to my parents house, and with 5 kiddos, I really don't relish the thought of splitting it up and driving two full days to get there.  It's enough to make everyone cranky.

Introduce caffeine into the scenario and an entirely new picture is painted.  Hubby and I team up to drive the 24 hours straight through.  We leave around 11am while the kids are fresh and excited.  Hubby usually drives until 1:30 or 2am, and then this is where the caffeine comes into play.

Even though it's the time of day when I'm usually thoroughly exhausted, all I have to do is crack open a Dr. Pepper or drink a caffeinated coffee, and within minutes, I'm wired...  I'm jumping up and down in my seat and talking a million miles a minute. 

Yes, my dear friends.  THIS is why they invented caffeine.  I start driving, and at 6:30am when I see dawn start to spread over the horizon, I'm still hopping in my seat.

We arrive at Grandma & Grandpa's around 11am the next day.  The kiddos have missed out on about 12 hours of driving, and crankiness is at an all-time low (Well... for traveling, at least!).  Now... isn't that a heck of a lot less painful than the alternative?  I certainly think it's worth it :)

Yes.... decaf coffee... you are my friend.  I drink you... a lot... and don't get the jitters... or irritable... or have my eye do that crazy twitching thing that happens when someone drinks too much caffeine.  Then, when I need to stay awake... I can... I just have to cheat on you for a short period.  But don't worry, my friend... I'll be back!