SodaStream! My new toy.

I have a new toy, and a new solution!

I like to drink soda. I don't like to drink sugar, much less the HFCS that most soda is made of. A bunch of yummy chemicals with bubbles added isn't really what I want - but there's that yummy part, right? And then, while I was shopping for something totally unrelated, I found the solution.

The SodaStream carbonates tap water. Or bottled water, or filtered water - whatever water you drink. You add either the mixes they sell or better yet 100% juice.

My personal current favorite is 1 part orange juice to 4 or 5 parts carbonated water. I have already given 2 of these machines as gifts. My older daughter, who received one of them, likes to juice a clementine into her sparkling water. Cranberry juice. Grapefruit juice, fresh from the grapefruit. A little lemon and a little lime, for those of us who miss Mountain Dew. Grape. The possibilities are endless.

You can get one online at Soda Club USA, or in person at Camping World, Boater's World, or Williams-Sonoma.