I don't know how people live without coffee, I really don't.

Just before Christmas vacation, I slid down to the kitchen to start getting ready for another day, and I thought to myself, I just can’t do it. I can’t do another whole morning of making oatmeal, buttering toast, feeding dogs, packing lunches…I literally sank back against the counter and put my head in my hands…Please, please, please, let me spend one night in a hotel.

It wasn't room service I was longing for, not a long luxurious bath, my fantasy was centered around black-out curtains. One night in a hotel room with those thick, vinyl, black-out curtains that I could draw shut and sleep as late as humanly possible. Just one night. But glancing at the microwave I saw the time marching on, so I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other, take it one step at a time.

And then it happened. I opened the refrigerator door, and there, perched on the edge of the top shelf, just about to topple over and make a huge mess (thank god my husband didn't see it first) was a miracle. A miracle in a to-go cup. I’d saved coffee from yesterday! Yes! Lately we've been watching Underdog cartoons on DVD, and there's always that moment when Underdog seems to be finally, fatally, trapped. But then he remembers the energy pill he keeps in his ring and POW! he's back to his old bad-guy-busting self. Seeing that coffee, just seeing it, was my own Underdog moment. “There’s no need to fear, SuperMom is here!” I was chopping apples, heating up taquitos, I was on fire! (Here's where I need a Bevis sound-effect, “Fire!”)

Wait. Did you hear that? "I'm hungry, I want pizza." That's the sound of my blogging window-of-opportunity sliding shut. Since he already had 3 slices today at the Santa Monica Pier amusement park, I have to go make some actual food.

Hope you all had a great holiday!

xoxo, Martha