Several people have assumed over the years that we’ve been married that Trevor and I might have differences of opinion when it comes to our choice in hot beverages. In the UK, many people assumed that “hot tea” was a completely foreign concept to my American sensibilities. Likewise, here in the US, many people ask Trevor if he would prefer tea when coffee is being served. In fact, the short version of the story is we both like both. But you can find out what he says about it here.

I grew up sampling hot tea from my mom’s cup (she was raised in part by her Scottish grandparents) as well as little plastic creamer cups full of very milky coffee from my dad. Through my teen years, I would occasionally have a cup of tea with my mom, but towards the very the end of high school, I discovered coffee. Of course I wasn’t and am still not a “true” coffee drinker (much to my dad’s ongoing disappointment – he made the switch to black coffee several years ago and has been trying to convert me ever since): the milkier and sweeter the better. Coffee was a dear friend to me through many an all-nighter in late high school and throughout college. It made writing a term paper until four in the morning feel like a little celebration, and getting up for an 8:30 class the next morning… well, possible.

In college, our most exciting and favorite road trip was to Borders in Pittsburgh, and the discovery of syrupy, frothy, and frozen coffees that could be consumed while giggling over magazines with dear friends just deepened my affection for coffee. I must confess, I am a total sucker for the whole Starbucks/Borders/Barnes & Noble thing. Yes, a cup of coffee and a cookie cost a small fortune, but when you factor in unlimited access to books, magazines, and Thomas trains for the little ones for the two hours that we can easily spend there, it starts to seem like a worthwhile investment. Once in a while.

Living in the UK got me used to drinking tea again as well. It was just the done thing, and I loved the rhythm of “putting the kettle on” in the afternoon and sipping at a cup of tea to recharge me for the afternoon. We still usually have a cup of tea together on weekend afternoons, and drink buckets of it whenever Trevor’s family come to visit.

If I had to choose a camp, though, I’m a coffee drinker at heart. I’ve been either nursing or pregnant or both for the past four years, and nobody has ever made me give it up completely, though when I’m pregnant I can only stomach it iced or with hot chocolate mixed in. I’ve asked several healthcare professionals if I ought to give up caffeine while pregnant or nursing, and they’ve all told me it’s fine in moderation. If you know different, please don’t tell me, because I would certainly not be as good a mother as I am without my beloved morning and 4 PM cups of coffee in my life.

Many days, I wake up feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. How can I possibly look after all these babies for this *whole* day? After my morning cuppa, everything is different. I love my life.  I can think of nothing I would rather do with my day than pour my heart and soul into these sweet little people. I would take ten more of them! (Probably best not to make family planning decisions on a full tank of coffee, come to think of it.) In an ideal world, I would get more sleep, I would drink more water and eat more vegetables, I would exercise more, and I would come upon this joie de vie by more natural means, but for the here and now, coffee will do just fine.