Like Stealing Juice From a Toddler

     My daughter is two years old and obsessed with chocolate milk.  She is just a skinny little thing, still wearing a size 18 month, so I don't mind too much that it's her beverage of choice.  But the smother mother in me can't be silenced.  I worry about the sugar content, the caffeine in chocolate, and the ever rising cost of the beverage itself.  I also worry that it is the gateway drink.  What is there to graduate to after chocolate milk?  Milkshakes?  Straight melted butter? Bailey's Irish Creme?
     So I  tried to slowly lower the three cuppies of chocolate milk she drinks a day to one.  And, like any addict, I needed to decide the best method for her to conquer this addiction.  Cold turkey seemed awfully harsh and unnecessary, so we went with the toddler version of nicotine gum.  Capri Sun Roarin' Waters.  At an affordable $1.97 for ten and low in sugar and calories, it seemed like a good idea.  And it was until she figured out what I was doing.  At first the novelty of the shiny foil pouch that would douse anyone in a ten foot radius when squeezed was irresistible.  Then it became old hat when she realized that the 'juice water' as she called it was to replace, not supplement, her beloved drink.  Which left me with about twenty packs of the stuff. ( It was on sale and I wanted to provide a variety of flavors!)
     Now we have a new addict in the house.  That's right.....Mommy.  I can't get enough of the stuff.  I drink three a day.  Wild Cherry, Tropical, Grape, all equally delicious and thirst quenching.  I do it in secret because of the shame.  I'm hoping that this is just a pregnancy craving, but I highly doubt it.  Maybe I should switch to chocolate milk...if I can get Ava to share.