Recipe for “Me-time”

Recipe for Me Time – How I take a bit of time each day for myself along with enjoying this peach iced tea with added white peaches.

Woo-hoo, It’s summertime.Is anyone else excited about that? I am. We barely had a winter here and I really have nothing to complain about in that regard, but I am so happy the sun is shinning and the ground is warm. Like any kid, summertime was always my favorite time of year…because there was no school. But as a parent, I equally love and loathe summer.

As an adult, I have those pesky responsibilities of paying bills and such, requiring me to work while the children all frolic carelessly and joyfully outside. Elizabeth has made friends in the neighborhood and runs in and out of the house like I used to do. I hear my parents and grandparents in my own voice several times a day “close the door, I’m not air-conditioning the outside.”

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SipYourSummer #CollectiveBias

We needed to pick up some of those quintessential summer items like popsicles, sidewalk chalk, a new bathing suit (for her not me) and bandaids (you know those are most certainly needed during the summer), so Elizabeth and I took off to Walmart to get them. I happened down the coffee/tea aisle (I was nearly out of coffee filters, bad situation to find myself in) when I spotted Snapple. I have been seeing their commercials lately and I remember chugging the drink as a kid.

I saw the classic Strawberry-Kiwi and a rush of summertime memories returned; sleeping late, reading lots of books, tanning in the backyard, occasionally taking advantage of the fact my neighbors had a pool, and being with friends in my neighborhood. I want Elizabeth to have as many carefree summertime moments as I had, to play, build her imagination, and create memories.

I wanted to share the Snapple I remember from my childhood with Elizabeth, but when reaching for it, I saw their Premium Peach Tea. Another memory of sipping iced tea, not fresh-brewed but the kind made from powder. I loved that stuff, sweet but then this delicious biting strong taste of black tea. Do you remember my confession in another post that I use to stick a freshly licked finger in the powder?  Ah, memories.

It’s cool that something as simple as reaching for a nostalgic bottled drink that an entire childhood of memories flooded back. I actually longed for the quiet, backyard suntanning sessions while reading. That’s when I realized I need to be taking a bit of time each day for myself and why not in the same manner I did as a kid, maybe sans suntanning most days?

It’s just Elizabeth and I, so me-time is hard to come by. It mostly comes in the form a really long shower and often is just a bathroom break–and that’s not always guaranteed. We started ‘quiet time’ where we read our own books or she colors, usually outside. Sometimes, I get to be outside all alone, but often she joins me. We sit or lay side by side, quietly. It’s quite serene.

Elizabeth and I have been greatly enjoying our reading time outside. Recently, we set up a blanket on the grass and I poured us each glasses of Premium Peach Tea but got a bit fancy and added freshly sliced white peaches, my most favorite of peaches. It was quite a treat to eat those after they had been soaking in my drink. The drink was as delicious as I knew it had to be. Quite refreshing. It was peachy-sweet then that favorite, delicious biting strong taste of black tea. The girl greatly enjoyed it too. It was truly a SipYourSummer moment.I can’t wait to try their other tea flavors.  I am on the hunt for Lady LiberTEA,  a blend of delicious black tea with RED raspberry, WHITE peach and BLUEberry flavors. These flavors are available in stores between May 1st through July 4th in 16oz singles and 6 packs. Get it while it lasts! Oh, the 18.5 oz Straight Up Tea and Premium Glass items will be on Rollback for $1.00 in-store at Walmart starting on June 3rd, so pick up a great drink and save a bit of cash; win-win.

I think Snapple will continue to be my drink of choice as I take my ‘me-time’ each day. I must get around to trying all the available flavors. It makes me feel like a kid again drinking these and we all know how important it is to stay young at heart. Leave a comment below and tell me how you unwind and relax during the summertime, what keeps you young at heart?

 

 

Thank you for sharing!