the one with the coffee and voting

I don't know if I have mentioned what an addiction I have to Starbucks pumpkin spice frappuccinos, but it is a major addiction!  I just have to have them, everyday~though I don't have them every day, but I want to.  I do have them several times a week.  I know they are bad, really bad.  Expensive and high in calories and not to mention the ingredients that I have been fighting to remove from my diet for more then a year.  but I have given myself permission as a treat, since the rest of my diet is pretty clean.  but I go overboard, I know it.

I have been trying to come up with different replacements and restrictions.  I am letting myself have one on every other Friday (which is pay day) and then I have been trying to drink more hot spiced cider to get some of the same flavor that I crave.  I use organic apple cider and mulling spices.  and I love the flavor.  it has been hard though since our weather has been so hot!

this morning I made coffee for my husband before work and I decided to experiment... I had some cream off our milk and I added a spoonful of pumpkin puree and then a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.  I added that to my coffee and some cane sugar...I was fabulous!!!!  oh man, I am making up a bigger amount and keeping it in the fridge for the future, this will save me hundreds of dollars and probably a few calories as well!

also, a reminder...VOTE!!  I did! I took the kids and explained the process (counts as civics ya know) it was an interesting time, the process was different this time, the voting machines were different.  But I hope they learned something and know how important it is.  I am hoping and praying for good outcomes :)

the one with all the candy

so, I am usually very conscience of what we eat around here.  but that is hard to do on Halloween.  So, I have let the kids have some freedom to eat some candy.  They have made good choices and I am glad.  I put a bowl out and said anything you don't want goes in there, and they actually put stuff in!  and they continue to do it.  sometimes trading but still putting stuff they don't want or won't eat in there.  I told them today was the last day and it will go away.

My husband said someone at work yesterday told him they have a "halloween witch" that comes a few days after halloween.  the kids pick 5 favorites and they set the rest on the porch and in the morning the "halloween witch" has replaced the candy with a toy!  I think that is brilliant!  I have tried to pay my kids for the candy, but I guess they are spoiled enough (and deprived enough of junk food) that the candy is more valuable. LOL  My husband and I don't like the witch idea, but we are thinking of calling in the "harvest fairy" with a similar job description.

I am getting over the few days of poor nutrition provided by all that candy, but it's the tooth decay I am worried about. we have bad enough teeth around here anyway!  hopefully I can convince them to be done today.  I was even a little sick yesterday after indulging in a few treats from the throw away bowl.  I finally threw it away this morning, the temptation was too great.

well, all in all a good fun time and now we are in NOVEMBER!  wow time sure flies!