Hello, Lovelies!
It’s good to be back after a long week of traveling.
Last week, we decided to venture south a state with my hubby as he continued to work on a project in South Dakota. Lewi and I got to do a little exploring, and got to take lots of naps. That’s where it’s at. I don’t know why, but I am just so much more exhausted with this pregnancy than I was with the first. It’s also hard because now I have a crazy toddler to chase around all day!
We got to lay down some details for Lewi’s second birthday party, and I’m not even letting myself get emotional about the fact that he is going to be 2 years old! (sobbing face emoji here)
We decided to make his birthday a two-part extravaganza, by revealing the gender of our second baby at the end of the party. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this because I didn’t want to take anything away from our Lewi’s birthday. However, getting our families together isn’t always easy and it seemed to be the most plausible solution.
To finding out the gender of our baby, some of you may be wondering about because we were originally going to keep it a secret.
At the beginning of this pregnancy, we decided it would be so fun for just J and I to find out the gender of our little one and let our families keep guessing. This plan was going to work by us telling our families that we weren’t finding out the gender either! (Though, neither of us could go through with that.)
Unfortunately, my sister has been living with us all summer, and knows me better than anyone else. The moment I got home from my ultrasound she was hounding me, and exclaiming that she already knew what the gender was! Evidently, I’m bad a lying. I don’t know if that’s a good quality or bad, but she figured it out.
Having her also know the gender didn’t really work with our little plan, so we decided it would be in everyone’s best interest to have a little reveal and celebrate the pregnancy of another Magee baby!
So, come September, you will all know the gender of our little ear of corn. (That’s the size my phone tells me our baby is this week.)
Now, onto what I wanted to talk about today!
I thought I would give a little insight to my favorite Starbucks beverages according to the season, and how I order them.
I know how stressful it can be to order something out of your norm. It’s hard enough to say your go-to order the way it is! You have to remember if you want a hot drink or a cold drink, what size you’ll finish, if you have any allergies to order around, any add-on ingredients, or any specific details on making your favorite drink.
For me, I go by a season schedule. Don’t get me wrong — sometimes I’m in the mood to try their latest creations (ala the Pink Drink or S’mores Frappuccino), but I usually stick to my flavors of the season.
Now, if you don’t know me personally, you may not know that I am a Chai Tea girl to the core. I LOVE the cinnamon, nutmeg spice that fills your palette with every sip. For this reason, my go-to drink is a Chai Tea latte.
In the spring (mid-March to June), I don’t want a hot drink. My mind is on the blooming flowers and bright pastel colors that fill my wardrobe. This is the season that I order an Iced, Venti, Chai Tea Latte, with soy milk and light ice. Now, before any of you get all brutal with me about how bad soy is for you. Remember, that it was just last December that the branch started including Coconut and Almond milk at all their locations. I have tried both milks in my latte. When I’m trying hard on that healthy living, I will replace soy with almond milk. It makes the drink a little thicker, and more true to the original whole milk latte taste.
In the summer (June to September), I seem to feel a little more adventurous! My go-to drink is the same of the spring, but I this is the season I catch myself trying new creations. I really enjoy the Pink Drink, and now you don’t even have to order it as a Strawberry Acai Refresher with Coconut milk instead of water. All you have to do is order a Grande, Pink Drink with light ice! I never order my non-caffeine drinks bigger than a grande because honestly, I just can’t finish them!
I also really like the Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, it’s what we order for Lewi when we go because it’s basically ice cream and we can order it dairy free! When I order my Chai, I like to order a Venti because it has the same amount of caffeine as a grande — so to me, getting the bigger drink dilutes some of the caffeine that I don’t necessarily need.
**Bonus tip: I always order my iced drinks with light ice because you get more or your delicious drink that way! I hate when I forget to mention this and am left with half a Venti-sized cup filled with ice and a water-y drink.
In the fall (September through Thanksgiving), Starbucks is the first to let you know it’s PUMPKIN season! This is my favorite season of all, and my favorite creation. I’m not the typical Pumpkin Spice Latte girl. I’m the hot, Venti, Chai Tea Latte with soy and PUMPKIN! That’s right. I add pumpkin right to my Chai, and it is the absolutely most delicious way to drink a Chai Latte. Make sure to add the actual pumpkin and not just the garnishing powder.
Before Christmas (Black Friday to Christmas), I will have the occasional hot Chai, but my go-to ‘Tis the Season drink is the Snickerdoodle Hot Chocolate. Oh my gosh, you guys. If you ever wanted to know what a melted snickerdoodle cookie tasted like, this would be the drink to try. It’s like a hot puddle of cookie in a cup. It’s so sweet and decadent, I don’t ever order more than a Grande. How I order: Tall/Grande, Snickerdoodle Hot Chocolate with soy. Again, you can pick your own milk, soy is the poison of my choice.
The rest of winter (post-Christmas to March), I usually go back to my go-to hot, Venti, Chai Tea Latte with soy. Of course, I will have the occasional Caramel Macchiato when I’m craving that coffee taste.
I hope you try one of these Chai creations. My best advice is to change up your order every season to avoid getting bored with your favorites!
Remember, you can always go back to your norm if you don’t like a certain drink. But, be sure to try a Chai. It will change your life, especially if you’re a pumpkin spice kind of girl!
(I just saw there was a Chai Creme Frappuccino on the website, I may have to try that later this week..[UPDATE: I tried it. I love it.])
xo, Tay
