This sponsored post and giveaway are inspired by my sampling of the new Ambiance line of coffee by Smart and Final. *Contest is now Closed - Congrats to #27, Kalea!*

"Over second and third cups flow matters of high finance, high state, common gossip and low comedy. Coffee is a social binder, a warmer of tongues, a soberer of minds, a stimulant of wit, a foiler of sleep if you want it so. From roadside mugs to the classic demi-tasse, it is the perfect democrat."            ~Author Unknown

I'm sure you're all dying to know how I feel about coffee. You could skip straight to the bottom for the gift card giveaway, but you'd be missing out on a chance to get to know me better!

I didn't start drinking coffee until I was in college. I've always liked the smell of the beans and a fresh brewed pot, but before I went away to school I couldn't take the taste. Even when I started drinking it, it wasn't really because I wanted a cup of coffee. It started, like most people I knew, as a tool for cram sessions or a way to wake up after a long night of partying, er, studying.

© 2013 Asher Isbrucker, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Before I learned to appreciate the taste and recognize a bad cup of coffee, I drank mine like Clarence, a character in one of the best movies ever made.* "It's not a good cup of coffee unless the spoon stands up." The sugar to liquid ratio was totally skewed toward sugar. My teeth feel gritty just thinking about it.

I've become a bit of a coffee snob in my old age. We prefer to grind our own beans, only drink flavored coffee and always have an assortment of creamers and half and half in the fridge. Also? I don't mix flavors. If my coffee flavor is creme brulee, the creamer has to be, too. French Vanilla and Hazelnut do not go together and never shall the two mix in my mug.

Speaking of mugs, I have two favorites. There's my everyday mug that I went to several Starbucks to find, and my Copco travel mug. I don't let anyone use them so don't even ask.

© 2011 LenDog64, Flickr | CC-BY-ND | via Wylio

Does anyone remember that TV show from the early '90's Grace Under Fire? In one episode, Grace's neighbor, Nadine, got into a fight with her husband Wade over how she takes her coffee. "Doesn't he know I like my coffee taupe?!" That's me. I can't drink my coffee unless it's a certain shade of taupe.

I also have pretty specific tastes when I go out for coffee. Most people stop offering to go on a coffee run when I'm around because I will hand you my drink order on a Post It note. Yes, I am that person.

I may have gotten a late start, but now coffee is a big part of my life. I usually start my day with it. I've had meetings over a cup. I've made new friends, reconnected with old friends, caught up on life, laughed, had serious discussions and read great books with a cup of coffee nearby.

I love my coffee. I need my coffee. I crave coffee. I have driven out of my way for coffee. Coffee!!!!!!

Ahem.

I've told you my coffee quirks, now you tell me yours. I have a pretty cool prize up for grabs. Smart and Final wants you to get addicted to enjoy their new Ambiance coffee. 

You'll get the same gift basket I was given with a sampling of their 6 flavors AND a $150 gift card. $150 goes a long way at Smart and Final (more on that later). So how do you win? Easy:

Prize: One winner will receive an Ambiance coffee product gift basket and $150 Smart & Final gift card.

Rules/ways to enter:

1. Comment here with your favorite coffee moment, quirk or your beverage of choice.

2. You can earn extra entries for tweeting about this giveaway and using the #MyAmbianceMoment hashtag. Leave a comment with a link to your daily tweet (one tweet/extra entry per day).

3. Post the contest on Facebook and leave a link.

4. You don't have to follow me, friend me or Smart and Final to win. There are 14 other bloggers doing the same giveaway and all links are being Tweeted and posted on the Smart and Final Facebook page.

Sample text: "Enter to win an Ambiance Coffee gift pack and $150 gift card from @smartfinal http://bit.ly/SFSmartiesAmbience #MyAmbianceMoment Pls RT!"

5. You know the drill, no contact info, no entry.

6. I'll post the winner here and on Twitter after I've used Random.org.

7. Winner has 24 hours to respond or I'll choose another.

Deadline: Tuesday February 8th, midnight PST.

Good luck!

*If you can tell me what movie that line is from you'll be my new BFF.

My Kid Told a Racist Joke: Advice Needed

I'm so upset right now I don't know what to do. Tyler got in the car after school saying he had a joke to tell me.

"An American, a Canadian and a Mexican get on a plane."

As soon as he got the words out I bristled. I knew where he was going and I wasn't happy. I'd not heard the joke before but there's no way a joke that starts out like that is going to be good.

He finished as we pulled into the driveway. I put the car in park and, I'll admit, I lit into him a bit. I kept my voice calm but he could tell I was very angry. I told him jokes like that are not OK, not appropriate and he's never to repeat it.

I asked him to substitute a white person, black person and an Asian in the joke. Was it still funny? Did he still think it was OK to repeat?

I asked him if he'd heard the words racist or racism. He hadn't so I explained their definitions. I talked about Columbus, slavery and immigration. I didn't get too deep into those issues since he's only 8, but the examples I used from TV we've watched were things he could relate to and understand.

I told him what I was most angry about, that a joke like that is making its way around the playground. I told him I was angry at the situation, not at him. He told me which friend he heard the joke from. It's a little boy he had a playdate with a few weeks ago. Tyler said the boy heard the joke from someone else. I believe him. I don't think he's devious enough to make that up on the spot to protect his friend.

My dilemma is, should I call this boys mother and tell her what her son is saying? I know that, for the boys, the joke was funny because someone gets punched in the face, not because of its undertones. As kids they just hear the slapstick. But it's something I would want to know about. How do I even begin a conversation like that?

If someone you only met once called you with this information, how would you take it? I want to be clear that I'm not accusing her son of being a racist, merely passing on the information. I don't want to put any strain on the boys' friendship. But, I hate to think of the (blond haired, light eyed) boy telling the joke again around someone some of the older kids and having one of them call him out. I hope I'd be opening the door for Tyler's friend and his parents to have a conversation about acceptance. What if it backfires?

Would you call the other mom? Has another parent ever called you with something like this? Have you ever made a phone call like this? HELP!