Shake, shake, shake. Shake your booty.

For some reason, I’ve always liked this song. When I’m getting things ready in the kitchen, I’ll sing it and shake my booty right along to the music. Claire loves it, and she’ll dance and sing, too. All I have to do is say, “Shake, shake, shake…Shake, shake, shake…” and she’ll sing, “Shake your boooooooo-tay.”

So, what does this have to do with anything? Well, Claire has really started picking up on the nuances of language and noticing that some words have the same sound but mean different things. Take the word “shake” for example. In the song, it means to move. But, it can also refer to a yummy drink that I sometimes have for breakfast or lunch.

Because of my altered work schedule and trying to get as much done as is humanly possible during the day, I’ve been drinking a shake for one of those meals. I’m not doing it for weight-loss purposes; the convenience factor is high with these, and they are healthier than grabbing something less nutritional to shove in my mouth while Claire is sleeping or eating or running around like a crazy person.

A few years before I had Claire, I joined Weight Watchers, lost 40 lbs, and became a Lifetime Member. I have the perfect personality for counting points, and I loved the fact that I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I recorded it in my journal and stayed within my point values for the day. I’d successfully kept the weight off, and after I had Claire, I knew that I could get back into the swing of things. Luckily, I was able to, and although I don’t record the points faithfully anymore, the good eating habits I learned in WW have stuck, so the baby weight is pretty much under control. Old habits die hard, and I still remember the point values of most things anyway.

So, when I was in WW, I found that if I saved my points during the day, I could eat more at night with my hubby. The shakes are only 3 points a piece, and when coupled with a low-point lunch (or breakfast, depending on which meal it has replaced), they leave my dinner options wide open.

Another thing I drink is Diet Coke. At one time, it was my favorite drink and really helped with the weight loss. Diet Cokes are zero points, and can serve as a little pick-me-up during the day.

Years after I’d reached and stayed at my goal, my hubby and I decided to “stop preventing” and see what happened. At that time, I swore off all caffeinated beverages. My doctor was rather conservative and suggested I not partake of the caffeine while pregnant, and I decided to follow her advice. Also, some people believe that caffeine withdrawal is a myth, but I didn’t want to deal with the potential agony of that process and the pitfalls of being pregnant. Luckily, I didn’t seem to have any withdrawal symptoms from my caffeine habit, and I got pregnant a few months later.

I was horribly sick with “morning sickness” for months (I put that in quotes, because it was more like morning-noon-night sickness for me!), and as much as a Diet Coke had soothed me in the past, I refrained. I didn’t even return to its loving arms after I had Claire and was dealing with the exhaustion of being a new parent, because I was breastfeeding, and I really didn’t want to see the effects of a caffeinated baby firsthand. Plus, I’d not had it for so long now, what was another year?

Claire has always been a good sleeper, and part of me wonders if there’s a connection. Either way, after I had breastfed Claire for a year and she was weaned, I went back to the loving arms of my illicit lover, Diet Coke. It was though nothing had changed, and we’ve rekindled our affair.

So, the other morning, we’re all in the kitchen, and I’m making breakfast for Claire.

“Coke! Momma’s Coke!” Claire said excitedly as she saw the can at my place at the table.

“No, Claire, that’s not Momma’s Coke. I know it’s surprising that it isn’t her Diet Coke, because I know that’s what she normally has for breakfast,” Daddy said as he grinned at me. “It’s really a chocolate shake in a can. You’ll need to learn the word chocolate, because it’s what makes Momma’s life easier.”

“Actually, chocolate for Momma makes everyone’s lives easier,” I said with a wink and a smile. “And, Daddy’s right! That’s not a Diet Coke; that’s a shake!”

“Shake your boo-tay!” Claire yelled as she bounced up and down in her highchair.