Day #5 No Coffee

I love to just throw random pictures into my blog.  I don't know if there is some rule that your picture has to go with whatever you blog about, but mine don't always. 
Here I am, day #5 without coffee and I've survived.  Who'd a thought that could happen?  I miss it terribly though.  I have been waking up ok without it in the morning, but Teeccino just doesn't cut it for creamy roasted goodness in my morning mug.  We'll see if I keep drinking that in the morning.  I might just drink it in the afternoon.  Dunno what I will drink in the morning then.
After the first 3 days there was no headache, and the 3rd day was an extremely mild one.  I experienced  very mild mood swings.  They were pretty easy.  And no one else in my family suffered from them!  Lucky for them!

I want to take more naps than usual, but that should go away soon.  Hopefully. 
Today we went back to homeschooling after taking a break last week.  It was nice to have a break.  I wanted to get a lot done, but between having cramps and then having to catch up when they were gone, not too much housework actually got done.  But that's ok with me. I am doing the most important things here and that is worshiping my Lord, taking care of and teaching my children and trying to make my hubby happy. 
Tomorrow I think I may have a couple book reviews to do.  We'll see....I may do them tonight.  It depends....

My Friday Fave Five

Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story hosts this wonderful post every Friday.  It forces you to think back on the wonderful praises and blessings of your past week.  And without any further ado, here is my favorite things of the week:

1.  The love and comfort that I have from my church family.  I am so thankful for them!  They are blessings to my whole family!  I always know that when I walk into my church, I will be loved and accepted.  And comforted if I need that!


2.  I got my Teeccino samples in the mail!  As most of my readers know, I am in love with coffee.  I found out it's not the best thing for my kidney stones and can actually make them worse.  So my hubby talked me into trying to quit.  For my health.  I am not a big tea drinker and I don't think that is strong enough to fill my taste for coffee.  I searched for an alternative and found one recommended by a lady at Super Supplements and a friend on Twitter.  Well, it is fabulous!  It is so much like coffee that I will be able to switch!  You can read my posts on this here and here.

3.  I am so blessed by my beautiful cats.  My kitten just knows how to make me smile and laugh.  He cuddles up on my lap and does not let me ignore him!  Our middle cat has been getting closer and closer to me, he's quite shy and panicky.  Poor guy.  We got him like that and it makes us sad for him.  Our oldest is ruder than ever but trying to be a little bit nicer because she wants to come in more now that the warm weather has passed.  She is a sweetheart, if you catch her in the right mood! 

4.  I am extremely thankful for the laughter that I shared this week with my kids.  As Stinky is getting older, she is funner to joke with.  And she gets more things, like when I mess up.  Bubba is just a little joke maker and loves to make others laugh.  He's a little comedian for sure.  I am blessed by my babies and I thank the Lord for making me their mother!

5.  And last but not least, I am thankful for my creative talents.  I decided to crochet myself a new headcovering instead of spending money that I don't really have right now on a new scarf or a real headcover that I can order online.  I am excited for this!  My first one won't be anything special or fancy, but it will help sharpen my skills all the same.  I haven't crocheted enough to understand all of the lingo and directions yet. 

Have a fantabulous week folks!  If you'd like to count your blessing for the week, you can join us by clicking on the name "Living To Tell the Story" above! 

Teeccino Part 2

Yesterday I blogged about trying Teeccino.  When my hubby got home, I told him to try it.  Now, my hubby is not a coffee drinker because he thinks it's too bitter.  But I decided to try it with some cream and sugar last night and I didn't care for it that way at all!  But I thought he would so I gave it to him and he downed the whole cup!  Than told me yep, I'm right, he wouldn't be able to tell it wasn't coffee but it wasn't as bitter.  He might just think it was a different flavor.
So far, in most of my healthy food/diet changes, he hasn't liked it.  He doesn't like butter better than margarine, the organic cookies taste stale to him (except for the peanut butter and organic oreo like cookies), even though he agrees you can barely tell the difference between ground turkey and ground beef he still wants to eat the beef.  I was shocked to hear him say that it was something he liked!
Then when I told him that it still had a natural energy boost and also include inulin, which has many healing and nutritional qualities, he was all for it!  To check out the ingredients used and their properties go here.  To check out the health benefits go here. 
After my father in law came over, which he does every night and drinks my coffee, I tried a little test on him.  I told him I bought a new kind of coffee and to try it.  He said that it was really good!  Then he asked me what I bought.  So I showed him the package and explained it to him.  He was impressed that it was healthier for you and said he'd buy some.  I told him you have to order it and he said when I order mine to let him know so he can order some.

Now I just have to finish drinking my Starbucks Breakfast Blend that I bought......lol

My First Teeccino Sample

I took the plunge and tried it.  I really can't believe that I am going to have to say goodbye.  Really?  Maybe.....
Ok, so because of my wonderful kidney stones, my hubby wants me to quit drinking coffee.  The caffeine and coffee acids contribute to them.  That unnerves panics me!  I thought to myself, "I am going to have to find a replacement drink!  All I drink besides coffee is water.  I want some flavor!" With that thought, I decided I would go ahead and check the health food store for a coffee alternative.
Well, I didn't go exactly....but that's what friends are for right?  Now, actually she was already there and called and asked if I needed anything.  Since she asked, "Oooh yea!  I need some more Dr. Bronner's liquid castile, face cleanser and check out their choices for a coffee alternative and let me know what they have please?!"  Of course she did.  Actually, she brought me everything I asked for and gave me a website to order a coffee alternative.
I was on Twitter and chatting with a friend and she mentioned that she had gotten her Teecchino in the mail and she was so excited!  I asked her what that was....I was curious because the website I was given was written "Teechino".  I found out that she was talking about the same thing and I had been given the wrong spelling.  She told me a little about it and how great it was.
My next step was ordering!  On http://www.teeccino.com/ I found that they have a sampler pack that I could order to try 10 of the flavors.  And of course, I did.  I was also told that I could order this from Amazon.com.  I got my samples yesterday in the mail. 
This afternoon I tried it.  I opened up the Teeccino Mediterranean Original herbal coffee, smelled it (I could totally smell the carob.  Honestly, it doesn't have a great smell), brewed me a pot and sat down with my cup of Teeccino.  I wanted to try it black first, to get the real flavor.  Then if I needed to I could add cream and sugar.  I was excited about this Mediterranean flavor because it is described like this:

Citrus notes of orange peel sweetened by dates and figs

My favorite coffee is Starbucks Breakfast Blend.  Folgers Breakfast Blend is my 2nd choice.  But both use citrus flavors and maybe I like that?  I was a little disappointed to find that there wasn't a breakfast flavor, but this has to be it!
When I took my first sip, I couldn't believe how much like coffee this tastes!  It's amazing!  I am looking up now because I will be able to keep my flavors!  And the best part?  It's 75% organic!  The ingredients for this blend include:

Organic carob, organic barley, chicory, organic dates, organic orange peel, almonds, organic figs, natural citrus flavor

You can add cream and sugar if you want.  So far, I have drank 2 cups without cream or sugar.  I think I may add some in the next cup.
I am still in shock at how much like coffee this tastes!  There is a slight drawback.  It is a little more expensive than coffee.  But, as someone who spends at least $15 on coffee products per week, I can handle just a couple more dollars for health!  I am doubly sure that I could serve this to people and they would never know that it wasn't coffee. 
This is definitely a 5 star product for me!