I Need Coffee!

Hubby left this past weekend.  

The time he spent at home was beautiful.  Exhausted Mommy and Whiny Child vanished.  The Grill Master and Silly Tickle Monster was back  home! All was right in the Tofu Fox world for three beautiful weeks.  It's kind of incredible how much light leaves our home when he does.  

One of my biggest Deployment Hates is that I have to spend the next few months waking up with Little TF around 6 am, every single morning.  When we had our first deployment, two and a half years ago, I worried a lot.  I worried about how much I would miss my husband, all the baby milestones he would miss, what I would do if the car died.  But all of those worries were dealt with, or somehow never became a big deal.  But when Little TF's door slides open at 5 am, like it did this morning? Morning Mommy Duty is what drains me. I find myself greeting each morning with grouchiness instead of joy.  Someday, I will long for the pitter-patter of those little feet.  But right now?  It's tough to appreciate what I have when my body would love to sleep for another solid two hours.

I don't want Little TF's early memories to be of the Morning Mommy Grouch Monster!  In an effort to brighten up my morning attitude, I started collecting super-cute, Japanese mugs!  I have to start my day off with coffee, and I might as well add a healthy dose of cuteness, right?  Mr. TF's obnoxious mugs have their place...with him.  Instead of grabbing a Navy mug (Dang it, Navy, it's your fault I'm up at 5am!), I now enjoy sipping coffee out of a cherry blossom or bunny-patterned mug.  A little bit of beauty, while Little TF whines for Cheerios, a glass of milk, and her new pop-up Japanese toothbrush, makes my morning fog just a little more bearable.  

Mug from a small ceramics shop in Kamakura, plate from a 100 Yen Store.

Yesterday morning, I enjoyed my coffee out of a beautiful, hydrangea mug.  Every time I drink coffee from it, I am reminded of this past June's beautiful visit to the hydrangea temple.  Happy memories are always morning-brightening!

I also enjoyed a special treat with my coffee.  A friend, recently returned from a trip to Kyoto, brought me a box of yatsuhashi.  This treat is not as beautiful as other Japanese confections, but WOW is it delicious.  Yatsuhashi is one of Kyoto's most famous, regional treats.  The most popular version of this glutinous rice pocket has a sweet, cinnamon-y filling.  It was the perfect addition to my coffee.  How could I not have a good deployment attitude with a coffee mug this cute, and a delicious reminder that a friend was thinking of me?


Collecting a few, cute mugs is a great deployment survival strategy.  Not only are they fun to drink coffee out of, but they're cheap!  Taking care of yourself and buying a cute mug here and there may even help to fend off those deployment-fueled, late night internet shopping binges.  Not that any military spouses know what I'm talking about, right?