My Life Without Garlic

Have I mentioned how this baby does not like garlic?  Really this baby doesn't like much, except bar-b-que, fried okra, and cookies.  But ninja-baby really does not like garlic.

Pretty much it comes right back up, but if I'm lucky it just makes me sick for several days and Carlin gets to listen to me moan and groan about how wretched my life is and how I'm never getting pregnant again.  Ever.

You would be surprised how many foods garlic shows up in - it's like people put garlic in everything.  At first I was just miserable.  I wasn't up for much cooking and all my favorite soups and store-bought, pre-made foods had garlic in them.

But now I cook more and an interesting thing has happened.  I've realized how other herbs and spices taste WITHOUT garlic.  Suddenly basil is sweet and charming, thyme has a kick to it I didn't know that little spice could have, cumin has a wonderful smoky flavor that can save my lame attempts at taco seasoning.

I also have a new view on restaurants.  Are they really good or are they just hiding behind a hideous amount of butter, cheese and garlic?  For example, Carlin took me out to Zio's the other day and I ordered a shrimp in lemon butter sauce except I had to omit the sauce and ask for no seasoning on the shrimp.

The dish came out with angel hair pasta, shrimp, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and mushrooms in a plain butter sauce.  And guess what?  I could taste the dish.  The juicy shrimp, the bitter artichoke, the out-of-season-lackluster tomatoes, and the always wonderful sauteed mushrooms.

Now instead of adding an extra dash of garlic to my dishes I'm discovering new spices and use of old spices and loving it.

Oh - and ninja-baby is the official name of this baby because it is seriously trying to karate chop its way out of my stomach.  It even startles Carlin it kicks so hard and has almost made me pee my pants on several occasions when using my bladder as a punching bag.

Sleepless in America*

My kids have been a bit crazy lately.

They've been impossible to put to bed.  Many nights ending up in our bed.

They wake up multiple times during the night and crawl into bed with us.

Last night I got up with Lillian.  As soon as I got her settled down Samuel woke up.  As soon as Samuel settled down, Lillian would get agitated again.  This went on for a while.

I guess I gave up at one point because I woke up this morning with Samuel's feet propped on my stomach while he took over my pillow and Lillian poking me in the eye.   

Didn't help that I couldn't get to sleep till 1am anyway.  Which has happened several times this week.

During the day they are like these little balls of frantic energy that just get into everything.

They made "dinner" the other night with mud and all of the fruit from the fridge plus carrots.

I have a trail of mud from the back door to the bathroom.

Even though I've put away/hidden every single soap, shampoo, toothpaste type item they still manage to find the one I missed.

Lillian insists she's old enough for red high heels and make-up.

 

I can't even begin to put into words how exhausted I am - Carlin has come home many times this week to find me curled up in bed with chocolate and a book.  By 5 o'clock there is no point in trying to manage the mess anymore.

*Sleepless in America is a book I'm reading - check out my GoodReads button thingy on the side for more details.