She's Going to Be How Old?

Image by Will Clayton via Flickr

Beth has a birthday next month. For some reason, she thinks this is a special birthday.  And, for this birthday, she'd like us to keep Jason overnight so she can go out and take advantage of her age.  I bet she expects all birthday gifts for her to be of a certain type, too - a type she can drink!

Yes, next month Beth will be 21.  It doesn't seem like it's been 21 years...

She wants to go out and 'get drunk' - because she can, I guess.  I don't really understand the whole idea of going out drinking just because you're old enough to do it.  I think I bought a 6-pack of beer or some wine coolers or something at at grocery store a few days after I turned 21, and then went home with my parents.  I was vaguely disappointed that the checker didn't even ask for my ID!  Of course, now they have to ask everybody.  And in the years since then, I've never gone out 'drinking' and definitely never gone out to get drunk.  Why would anybody want to do that?

Regardless of whether I understand her need to go out drinking or not, I'll be happy to keep the little guy!  I do hope she lines up someone responsible to drive, though.

Taste the Past - Pepsi Throwback Giveaway

-- This giveaway is now closed --

Have you heard that Pepsi is offering a taste of the past? For 8 weeks only, starting April 20th, Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback will be available nationwide. These products, inspired by the 60's and 70's, are sweetened with natural sugar (instead of the usual high fructose corn syrup) and come in 20-oz retro designed single-serve bottles and 12-pack cans. I really love the look of those Pepsi cans! Look for them in your local store.

Now, for the exciting part: One lucky reader will win this Pepsi Throwback Pack!

The pack is valued at $150 and includes:

• Pepsi Throwback Trucker Cap
• Retro Pepsi Tin Lunch Box
• Retro Clock Radio/CD Player
• USB Lava Lamp
• Pepsi Throwback & Mountain Dew Throwback

I just had to use that background! Far Out, isn't it? You can learn all about Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback, as well as get some great blog and twitter backgrounds, computer desktops, and even learn some 70's slang at the Throwback Hub.

To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment on this post, either telling me who/what was on your lunchbox and/or what you used to take to school in it, or a song from the past that brings back memories. Be sure to share the memory, too - I'd love to hear it! Don't just say "pick me!" or your entry won't count. Open to U.S. only. No extra entries will count unless you do this one first, but once you've done that...

Extra entries: I’ll give you one extra entry for each of the following that you do or have done, leave a separate comment for each:

• Subscribe to my feed in a reader or by email, or follow this blog. The links are in the sidebar.
• Follow me on Twitter @bcmom and tweet about this giveaway. Sample tweet -
  RT: @bcmom is giving away a Pepsi Throwback Pack worth $150! - enter by 9:59pm CDT on 5/26 - http://tinyurl.com/oybnsp
  Be sure to leave your twitter user name or a link to your tweet.
  
• Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave me the link.
• Stumble this post, and be sure to leave your Stumble username so I can check.
• If you've already tried Pepsi or Mountain Dew Throwback, let me know what you think, and I'll give you an extra entry for that, too.

Entries must be received by 9:59pm CDT on Tuesday May 26, 2009. I'll use random.org to pick the winner, and I must have a way to contact you, so be sure you leave a valid email or blog address or someone else may end up with your prize.

Good luck everyone! Spread the word!

For a Little Added Kick

My beverage of choice is water. I drink a lot of water. The kids would rather drink soda and those new energy drinks that seem to be popping up everywhere. I don't know if they've tried Hype yet, but I bet they'll want to.

Before I checked the Hype website, I had the idea that energy drinks were pretty much soda with an added caffeine kick. I didn't realize they had vitamins, too, and ingredients like ginseng, guarana, and natural fruit juice. Yes, there's still a lot of sugar, but Hype also has a low-calorie version.

One of my commenters suggested during the Olympics, when I wasn't getting enough sleep and I was complaining that I was so tired, that I should give energy drinks a try. Maybe he was right. I'd certainly like to see what Hype tastes like - even without the vodka. What do I mean vodka? Visit the Hype website, and you'll see. Sounds good, doesn't it?

-Edited so the link goes to the page I thought I was supposed to write about.

The Tilt 'n Tap

I was drinking lemonade this afternoon, and Cory decided he wanted a drink. So, he picked the glass up; the coaster stuck to the bottom of the glass and then fell off, getting water all over the coffee table and the papers on the table. I guess he hasn't mastered the tilt 'n tap yet. When you pick up a sweating glass, you tilt it slightly. When the coaster starts to come with the glass, you tap the edge of the coaster on the table to knock it off. That way the coaster stays on the table, instead of sticking to the glass and then falling off at the worst time.

Fair Tickets

Summerfest started yesterday, and we didn't go to opening day. The last couple of years we've gone in the afternoon, donated our 3 non-perishable food items, and gotten in free. Mostly we went because we wanted to see REO in concert, and the fireworks. This year REO isn't playing Summerfest, and we just couldn't get enthused about any of the other bands. We hated to miss the Big Bang, though. We did watch it on TV - not quite the same, but high definition is pretty nice.

We do have tickets to see REO at the Wisconsin State Fair, so we'll still get to see them. Jeffrey went and bought fair tickets yesterday since they're cheaper now than they will be at the gate. He figured we won't have much time to do anything else when we go for the concert, so he bought extra tickets so we can go back. We have to have time to check out all the Wisconsin products and the 'as seen on TV' product booths, right?

Image via WikipediaOne of our favorite things at the fair is the wine tasting, so we have to have time for that, too. We get to taste different wines from around the state and buy the ones we like. We have found some wines that we really like this way. I always grab the brochures, thinking maybe we'll go for a winery tour or sign up for the wine of the month. So far I just get the newsletter every month from one of the wineries. One of these days I am going to order some of their wine, because it is really good. I had some last weekend, and I really do need to order some.

Anyway, I think he got enough tickets so that we can go to the fair for the concert, go to the fair to taste wines and look around, and even go back to watch the horse pulls if we want to. Yes, we definitely must watch the horse pulls. I can't believe we never went to the fair when we lived in Illinois. We go every year here.

Summertime Coffee

Today I'm drinking the pomegranate cranberry juice I told you about, but the last couple of days I've tried out one of the recipes Tammy shared on her blog. Remember when she posted the recipe for Not Quite Tim Horton's, But Almost as Good Ice Caps? You don't? Here's the original recipe:

NOT QUITE TIM HORTON'S, BUT ALMOST AS GOOD ICE CAPS

• 1 cup of whole or 2% milk
• 1 heaping teaspoon of instant coffee
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 6 ice cubes
• 4 teaspoons of sugar

Mix all in blender until ice is crushed. Pour in glass and drink with a straw.

I usually double the recipe because as soon as I make one for me, everyone wants one.

from Tammy

Of course, like I do with all recipes, I had to change it a bit. Sometimes when I make my coffee in the mornings, I don't end up drinking all of it. In the winter, I often heat it up later and make hot chocolate, but I just don't feel like drinking hot chocolate in the summertime. So, earlier this week, I had some leftover coffee and thought I'd try it in this recipe. I used half coffee and half milk (doubled the recipe like Tammy said, so that was 1 cup coffee and 1 cup milk) and left out the instant coffee. It turned out really good.

I know I will be making this again. Now, on the days I have extra coffee, I pour it into a jar in the refrigerator so it will be ready when I want to whip up a batch of these Ice Caps. I probably need to find a different jar, though. The one I'm using now is the one that I usually store black olives in. Black coffee, black olives in black brine - they both look exactly alike. I can just see someone pulling the jar out expecting to find some olives in there.

I'm Thinking Iced Tea

I've been hearing about green tea and its health benefits, but I admit I don't know much. I did try, for about a week once, to drink green tea instead of coffee. Somehow it just wasn't the same. Tea for me is more of a separate drink. It definitely won't replace coffee in my world. Ever.

That doesn't mean that I don't want to drink tea. I enjoy a good cup of tea, both hot and iced. Since it's summer now, I'm going to have to go with iced, of course. I found this website where I can buy tulsi tea. It's also called Holy Basil, and it's an herb known in India that's supposed to have healing powers. This might be even better than green tea? It comes in 18 delicious flavors and is supposed to provide stress relief, increased energy and a boost to your natural immune system. Some of these flavors sound really great - Pomegranate, Red Mango, Vanilla Cream. They have a special summer pack on sale for 50% off - 4 flavors that will be especially good poured over ice for a refreshing, healthful summer drink. That Raspberry Peach sounds yummy.

All the teas at Organic India are certified organic and grown by thousands of family farmers. Together with whole farming communities, they have converted tens of thousands of acres of impoverished farmland to robust certified organic fields. The farmers are paid a good wage, and buying this tea helps those farmers keep their land and support their families.