Has your relationship with coffee changed since becoming a mother? Mine sure has. I grew up in Seattle, and inevitably have had a lifelong love affair with Starbucks. I couldn’t imagine anything more refreshing on a warm summer afternoon then an Iced Vanilla Latte. Nothing warmed me up better during rainy fall afternoons than a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
After I got married and the reality of paying bills set in, paying $3-$5 for a cup of coffee was no longer a reality. I soon began brewing my own Starbucks coffee at home. The love affair continued.
Then, I got pregnant, and began avoiding caffeine. I dreamed of the day my daughter would be born and I could, once again, indulge in a steaming cup of Joe. She was born, began breastfeeding, and, lo and behold, was very, very sensitive to caffeine. If I drank a cup of coffee, she’d be fussy for the rest of the afternoon. Deciding that the cranky hours weren’t worth it, I ended my relationship with coffee and didn’t look back. I forgot about all of the fragrant grounds stashed in my cupboards.
I’m guessing that, if you are a new mother, your relationship with coffee has also changed. Maybe you’re like me and have had to give up drinking coffee altogether. If that is the case, you probably have unused coffee grounds that are getting staler by the minute. You might be on the other end of the spectrum, and have come to rely on coffee to get you through the day after another sleepless night. In that case, you’re probably going through coffee grounds like nobody’s business. Whatever the case, you probably have some coffee grounds around the house (brewed or unbrewed) that could be put to good use.
This week, as I was sorting through my cupboards, I came across my stash of coffee grounds. I looked at the expired dates on the bags and decided the grounds were no longer of brewing quality. I hesitated to throw them in the garbage, because Starbucks grounds aren’t cheap. I began researching alternate uses for coffee grounds.
I found many interesting uses for coffee grounds, but one really caught my interest. Many people suggested using coffee grounds as an exfoliating body scrub.
As soon as I read about it, I couldn’t wait to get in the shower and try it out. I put my daughter down for a nap, filled a little Tupperware with grounds, and got in. I dug my fingers into the grounds, rubbed them between my fingers, and started scrubbing. I can’t even tell you how good it felt. It was so relaxing, so calming, and my skin felt so soft and smooth afterwards. Sure, my shower looked like it was covered in dirt, but it rinsed off quickly and easily. The next day, I did the same thing, and loved it just as much. I began looking forward to showering as a time to indulge in a little self-pampering.
I didn’t only find a use for my old coffee grounds – I had fun doing it. The few minutes of scrubbing did wonders for relieving my stress, and the positive effects it had on my skin lasted all day. Are your unused coffee grounds getting stale, or are you wondering what to do with your wet, used grounds? Put them in your shower!