The Need For Clear Is Unclear

My mornings often begin very early with two small children who find their way into my bed for predawn snuggles.  With only faint signs of sunrise and the birds hardly chirping yet, it's still hard to argue that this isn't a great way to begin the day. 

After my children and my husband, my next most favorite thing to see each morning is my coffee mug full of a nice dark brew.  I'm a huuuuuge coffee lover/drinker/promoter/addict.  The earthy smell, the bitter taste, the rich brown hue, mmmmm, heavenly.  And with small kiddos, necessary.

Well today Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee announced its new blend, Caribou Clear.  According to Caribou, it's a "proprietary new coffee blend that has removed the color while retaining all the flavor."  The company says it was developed in response to complaints of coffee stains on teeth and other things.  I don't like those stains either, but I'm not sold on why we should so dramatically alter this otherwise perfect beverage.  The dark caramel color is a very important part of the coffee experience!

The clear brew will be sold online starting tomorrow and in stores next month.  I tell my girls: you don't have to like it, but you have to try it.  Well I'm the mom and I get to overrule my own rules.  For now I'm sticking to my dark roast.  Your thoughts?  (About clear coffee, not about breaking my own parenting rules, haha.)

Updated 4/1, from Caribou's website: Thank you for participating in our April Fool’s Day joke!  Ahahahahaha.  I actually feel relieved.

The Civic-minded Preschooler

This week Riloh and I boarded a school bus with some teachers, kids and parents from her preschool class to visit our state capitol for a rally in support of early childhood education.  It was a great morning; the highlight for Riloh of course was the bus ride.  But it also got me thinking about how to teach young kids about civic engagement.  I found this list Top Five: Political Books for Kids by New York Magazine that's a fun variety of reads.  It's not exactly a list of books about how a bill becomes a law, but what three year old really cares about that?  Turns out #2 on the list The Peace Book is already a favorite in our house.  We love Todd Parr books!  And the awesome Red Balloon Bookshop keeps them in stock.

Simon Says: Keep It Simple

"Something simple and true, that has a lot of possibilities, is a nice way to begin." 
- Paul Simon

I love that quote.  It's my go-to quote when I'm stuck and can't organize my thoughts enough to begin.  I also love Paul Simon.  And music and travel and creating and my family and baking and making things look cool and expressing my opinions.  Hello World, I'm a blogger now.

I often need to remind myself to simplify.  I tend to get paralyzed sometimes with too many ideas and plans and to-do lists.  Pick one great idea.  Stick to what you know.  Get really good at the thing you love the most.  Or the ten things you love the most, ha.

Rather than risk losing the simplicity of this inaugural blog entry, I'm going to stop there.  By the way, Paul Simon's Something So Right is a pretty darn great song. 

Ready, Set, Jump!