Looking back at how much of a fad coffee–particularly espresso–has become over the past several years really fascinates me. The regular coffee, whether black or mixed with a bit of cream and sugar, that folks have brewed for centuries has sort of become passe. In its place are lattes, mochas, frappes, americanos, cappuccinos, and a host of other drinks that I can’t name, let alone tell you how they are made.
Before we became parents, Mr. Handsome and I were not big coffee drinkers. We would occasionally pick up a latte or mocha on car trips, but that was it. Enter Little Buddy, and everything changed. It was Mr. Handsome who started the trend, claiming that he needed it to function at work.
I somehow survived the newborn days without coffee, but it just made the house smell so good that I eventually got into it. I usually don’t drink it in the morning, but it makes a great mid-afternoon pick-me-up. In fact, I’m drinking a cup as I write this.
When we’re at home, we drink black coffee, made in our $20 French press, with a good amount of milk and a tiny bit of cream (the real stuff, not creamer). But when we’re out and about and feel like treating ourselves, we love to stop by coffee shops and pick up one drink to share. Over the summer, we did mostly iced lattes, but now we’re into hot lattes. While we enjoy the more sugary drinks, we usually ask the barista to hold off on any sweetener or flavoring. But every once in a while, we’ll try one of the advertised seasonal lattes, like lavender or pumpkin spice.
I still remember the day I told Mr. Handsome how delicious the fancy coffee drinks from Starbucks were and that he should try them. He laughed and told me that he would never get into that. Fast-forward about three years, and he is quickly becoming a coffee connoisseur. We haven’t been to Starbucks in months because we both agree that the coffee sold at independent coffee shops is much more delicious.
Are you a coffee drinker? What are your favorite ways to drink it?
Two days ago, 
Last Friday, Mr. Handsome came home from work with an announcement: “Tomorrow at 11:00 in the morning, I have a surprise for you.”
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” (Benjamin Franklin)
One of our readers asked us if we believe in the idea of being debt-free. We decided that would be the perfect topic for a vlog (embedded below). After you watch it, feel free to share your thoughts on the topic. Do you believe in living debt-free, or are there things for which going into debt is permissible?
Happy Friday! As Little Buddy approaches his five-month milestone, we want to hear your thoughts on sleep training. Since he was born, our routine has always been to wrap him up in his soft blanket, turn on a TV show, and let him fall asleep all cuddled up to us. (Mr. Handsome is usually the one to put him to sleep, while I get things done or relax.) Then once he is fully out, we swaddle him and put him to bed.
Back in 2015 and 2017, I released posts titled “Ask Ellie” and “Ask Ellie 2.0.” Tons of readers submitted questions, and I answered them in blog posts and videos. Since it’s been a while, I wanted to do another “Ask Ellie” post.
Merry Christmas to all of my wonderful blog readers! How are you celebrating? What I love about holidays like Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter is that they are celebrated by people across the world, each with their own traditions. It’s just really neat to me to think about millions (if not billions) of folks from different countries and backgrounds, although thousands of miles apart, all focused on the same thing at the same time.