Every morning I drink a cup of coffee. It’s good for my heart, warms me, and makes the start of the day peaceful. It’s not just the coffee though. I also wake up an hour before Emmett to enjoy the quiet time. When you’re raising a kid son up to son down everything is on the go and often loud. I love it so much I had to use that sun/son pun ;). Still, having that hour to myself in the morning is essential to having a productive day where I don’t feel like I’m constantly dragging my feet.

CONTENT WARNING
In this blog post I share my experience with a medical condition.
Do not read further if these topics bother you.

Today I’ll be sharing:

Why I Started Drinking Coffee
My Favorite Coffee
How I Use My Hour Productively

Why I Started Drinking Coffee

Before I became a mom, I had a lot of health problems. It took years to figure out I had a condition called PoTS. Essentially my heart rate increases at a much higher rate than normal every time I sit up or stand up, often causing me to faint. This also causes me to have low blood pressure. Not everyone who has PoTS has the same symptoms and the syndrome affects everyone differently. I did a lot of tests. Met with many different doctors. They couldn’t find my underlying condition.

While I was pregnant I went to a new heart doctor to make sure everything went smoothly. He discovered WHY I have PoTS after just a moment of looking at my heart. Now I know I have Mitral Valve Prolapse. To put it simply, heart valves flaps are like doors that open and close, but my door doesn’t like to close all the way allowing the blood to leak backward instead of staying where my heart wants it to go to. I have low blood pressure and a high heart rate because my heart has to work twice as hard to get my blood where it needs to go.

Thankfully my new doctor was super helpful. Turns out all I needed to do was cardio every day, eat more salt, drink more water, and after my pregnancy… start drinking coffee. The coffee was a problem. I had never liked coffee. But I knew drinking coffee would raise my blood pressure and slow down my heart rate. So I created a coffee challenge for myself. I haven’t passed out since becoming a mom.. I drink a cup of coffee in the morning and a cup before a hike or other cardio activity.

My Favorite Coffee

I’ve tried a lot of different coffees. Thanks to the Instagram community, I received lots of recommendations for my coffee challenge. Some I love, others are okay, and a few still taste terrible to me. My favorite coffee to brew at home is Portside Blend from Seattle’s Best Coffee. I’d say my use of creamer is pretty average. Hazelnut is my favorite creamer to mix into my home brewed coffee.

On days I go to Starbucks I always get the Caramel Macchiato. Side note: I really love those Turkey Pesto Paninis too. Emmett of course loves to come to Starbucks with me. Apple juice is his typical drink choice. Usually accompanied by a slice of lemon loaf or a cake pop.

How I Use My Hour Productively

There are so many ways to use up 60 minutes. It took me a while to find my balance. Now I regularly use my hour to organize the day in my planner and catch up on computer work.

Responding to emails take priority. I love interacting with fellow homeschoolers and my design clients. After emails I work on writing blog posts like this one. Some days I make necessary changes to my website and blog. Mornings are also great for client design work.

Sometimes I will spend the full hour researching for a project or designing a new activity I’m excited about. Making time to be creative is really important. Especially when the moment strikes me.

What is Your Favorite Coffee?