Good to the Last Drop.

We may have found a solution to our drinking problem...

As you may know, I have been trying to root sugar out of the sneaky hiding places in our diet, some days we have more success than others, particularly in the beverage department.

Not only have I had a very hard time learning to enjoy coffee black, but the kids really like their juice.
I mean really really like their juice.


I joke that Jackson likes juice like some people like illegal substances... of all kinds.
He`s a bit of a junkie actually.

Now I`ve never been one to give the kids sugared drinks like punch or cool aid or soft drinks, but even the Pure Apple Juice from concentrate I get in frozen cans or the Orange Juice of the same type, need to be enjoyed in moderation (apparently no more than 4 ounces a day which is only 1/2 a cup).

The problem then becomes, what else to substitute for the juice?

This isn't really a problem per say, because the obvious answer is water.

My kids do drink a good amount of water. But water is not very exciting and so water is consumed at the breakfast, lunch and supper table in a grown up cup with a straw.... this is the only way that water is exciting enough for my kids to drink it.

But they do in fact drink it, so I am satisfied.

The real problem is Baby.

Baby doesn't just like juice, baby also really, really, likes his bottle.
But only when it doesn't have water in it.
Water in the bottle makes baby turn into the hulk

and we don't much enjoy hulk baby.

Why not milk in his bottle?  You may be wondering?

Milk is what most babies take in their bottle, but Baby is lactose intolerant and so he needs Soy milk which is dang expensive.

I have a post sitting in my drafts about our recent dive further into frugality which would make this post make perhaps even more sense than it does, and that post would tell you that in a moment of shock when I realized how much we were spending on both children's milk habits, I also researched and found out they were over consuming milk, by almost twice the amount they really needed.

It kind of works out like this:
Ava Grace is 4 so she needs no more than 16 ounces of milk a day.  (that's less than 3 cups)
That, in our house,  translates to two sippy cups a day.
One at Naptime and one at Bedtime.

Jackson is 18months so he needs only 16 -24 ounces max a day
which translates to two bottles a day.
One at Naptime, and one at bedtime

(and no, I don't put them to bed with their bottles or milk cups, it's part of our routine to have a cup with a cuddle before going to bed)

With Jackson we go with the lower amount, but there's still times in the day when he wants something in his bottle, most likely just for the comfort of having it.

My goodness I feel worn out with all that explaining! Isn't it kind of sad that as a mom I feel I need to do all this explaining for the things I do with my kids? Am I the only one?

Anyways, there you have it.... our drinking problems

Then I remembered that my sister-in-law's father (did you catch that?), who is from South Africa and drinks Rooibos tea like it's water, told us that this tea is actually given to babies where he is from, and that it has many good properties etc. etc.

I decided to go on a google hunt just to see what I could find about babies and rooibos and guess what,

There was a lot out there!
This site, had it pretty well summed up and I was excited that there may be something new for my little one's to drink and get something good out of it at the same time!

I learned that herbal teas (rooibos in particular) contained a healthy amount of antioxidants and was beneficial to kids in often calming upset stomachs (of which Jackson also frequently suffers). It is naturally decaffeinated and contains no hidden sweeteners.  Unlike Black Tea, it is not a diuretic and does not contain poly phenols t that interfere with the absorption of iron.

All around herbal teas are a safe satisfying drink to feed small tots like mine! And BONUS, if you brew them weakly they are still getting a pretty good dose of water!

I tried this for Jackson on Friday, by making a weak brew of All Natural Pomegranate Rooibos with a little splash of his soy milk. (roughly 6 ounces)

He was skeptical at first, but soon gave it a better try and the 6 ounces gave him enough to suckle away at over the period of the afternoon ( he still had 6 ounces of soy milk at afternoon naptime and a cup of water at lunch and supper, each)

I served the tea at first lukewarm temperature, and as it cooled over the course of time, he was less interested in it.
Late in the afternoon I decided to throw it back into a ceramic mug and give it 20 seconds in the microwave to make it slightly warm again.


So there, you have it.

Now if I could only find my tea cozy.....