Starbucks Junkie

I've been a Starbucks lover for probably 6 years... maybe 8. Probably around the same time I became a mom of 5. After The Best Birth Story Ever I undoubtedly needed that foamy caramelly goodness.

This is probably why my youngest is one of the biggest Starbucks junkies I know. She would pick Starbucks with adults over Chuck E Cheese with kids any day. She has spent many a birthday dolled up walking into the door of the local Starbucks to get her birthday treat and hot chocolate.

Her and Adam (my second youngest) used to climb up into my lap while drinking my espresso drink and sneak it out from under my nose the second I looked away. I imagine that is where she found her love for skinny Caramel Macchiatos.

She only switched from kids hot chocolate to Caramel Macchiatos for a short time. I just couldn't swallow the cost of allowing her to drink the same thing I was drinking each time we walked into one of their stores (or Target). That, and too much espresso probably wasn't the best idea for a preschooler.

Then she discovered the frappuccino. In fact, all my kids discovered the frappuccino and it was all down hill from there. I had created five little "coffee" monsters! Soon they were asking each week to get Starbucks and I even started a behavior system with their reward being a frappuccino on Sundays. That ended when the cost was far outweighing the benefit. Then I started betting them a trip to Starbucks if they scored while playing soccer. I didn't end up paying out too much in the beginning but as my kids are getting better, and maybe more greedy, I am finding myself paying up more often than I would like (once a week, again).

I finally found the perfect solution and it benefits all of us. Christmas was upon us so we asked for Starbucks gift cards for everyone. In the end, the kids ended up with $42 on each of their Starbucks cards. I registered all of them on my Starbucks app so I could keep track of them (in case they were lost or they were running low on money) and each time they swipe those precious little pieces of plastic this mama gets a reward star! Every 12 swipes and I'm in for a free drink! Just this month alone I have gotten two free drinks from those rewards, plus my birthday reward... BONUS!

So, in a roundabout way there is a positive to getting my kids hooked on the coffee giant. I don't even have to do anything and I end up with a free Triple Venti Skinny Caramel Macchiato. Yum!