Oily Bits

You may recall that yesterday I said you couldn't, or rather shouldn't, eat off my floors.  That changed last night when my husband washed the floors (after I did a lot of other cleaning around the house during the day).  Well, its once again changed.  The Babe had some small noodles with dinner, the size of a jeweler's jump ring, with some margarine.  She would take small fistfulls, and then somehow shake them out over the floor.  Small, oily noodles on my clean wood floors.  Not so happy, but not a shocker.  They have been picked up, but some spots have little oil rings.  Since we will be having friends over tomorrow, looks like I'll be doing a mini-floor washing tonight.  Just what I want to do (after reading a book, going to sleep, and a few other things).

Household Standards

Once upon a time, my husband liked to clean.  Sound like the start of a fairy tale?  Not quite.  When we first were married, it was not particularly pleasant.  Granted, I liked the fact that he washed the sheets and towels, and was better at cleaning the kitchen.  We had a deal, I did the toilets if he did the vacuuming.  We split up other aspects of housecleaning, as we both worked full time.  And he was much better at this.  He would polish the faucets, and get the grout clean in the shower, and then give me instructions on how I didn't do it properly.  Ahem- then do it yourself!  Anyhow, time passed, we moved, and I stopped working outside the house.  I became the person primarily responsible for the house.  And somehow my (sometimes obsessively) neat husband lost that shine, or rather that need to shine the faucets.  And put away his dirty clothes.  And wash a dish or stick a glass in the dishwasher.  Granted, there are times when he does do all of the above, and more. However, now he works super long hours, is exhausted by the end of the day (and weekend), and we would rather spend our limited time together with the Babe than cleaning the house.

So if you happen to come over to visit, the house may appear neat.  But don't go looking for dust bunnies.  They do exist, but please, just don't look.  I continue to keep up with the laundry and cleaning the toilets.  I'm just not the one who irons their sheets (I know someone who does this- and enjoys it!) or washes the windows weekly (with a toddler who loves to touch the glass that would keep me busy all day).  Our house is clean, I just wouldn't recommend eating off my floors. 

Must Have Coffee

When the Babe was a few weeks old, my husband bought a onesy for her that said, "Sleep is for the Weak".  I have a very cute picture of her in it, and its a funny joke.   However, not so funny now.  When she was an infant, waking up every three to four hours to nurse her didn't actually bother me.  I had plenty of energy, and wasn't drinking any caffeine.  Night feedings continued for many months, and for the most part, didn't bother me. 
Now, I seem to have a sleeping problem.  There are certainly a few external reasons for it.  On nights that I get the Babe to sleep in her own bed, she finds her way back to me by 2 or 3 in the morning.  Other nights she's sleeping right next to me, either laying sideways so she can try to push me out of the bed or kick me in the face, or else beside me trying to absorb all my body heat.  But even with her as a BIG factor in my sleep issues, I'm still finding myself waking in the middle of the night and its not because of her.  She's on the other side of the bed, curled in a ball, sleeping soundly.  (And if you can tell, we have not resumed the battle of the bed.  This will happen in the next few weeks, but we have some stuff coming up that will interrupt any progress we might make.)

Now, I wake up for no known reason, or to go to the bathroom, and it takes hours to sleep again.  It doesn't help that I keep my IPod next to me waiting to play a game or check email.  However, I do put it down...eventually.  I try, and I try, and I try, and I just can't sleep.  So an hour or four later, I finally fall back to sleep.  So now, I think I shall have my second cup of coffee (my limit) for today.

Gluten-Free Matzo

If you saw my post last year, about this time, I was trying to figure out what to do for Passover.  There are several traditional foods eaten during the Seder, a religious service combined with meal, that covers the Exodus from Egypt.  One of the key items is Matzo, a thin sheet of unleavened bread.  Some compare it to a cracker, others to cardboard.  I am one of the rare people who actually enjoy eating matzo.  Granted, by day 5 or 6 of eating it, its not necessarily liking me.  Its generally made of just wheat and water.  From start to finish, it must be made in 18 minutes or less to be considered Kosher for Passover.  There are a few other acceptable grains, but to be gluten free, the only grain acceptable would be oat.  And there are only 2 known distributors of Kosher for Passover gluten-free oat matzo in the world (at least that I have found).  One is out of London, and the other is Lakewood Machine Shmurah Matzoh out of New Jersey. 

Last week I was in Skokie, IL at Hungarian Kosher Foods.  They had most of the Passover groceries out and on the shelves.  I asked about gluten-free matzo, and they hadn't arrived yet.  The man who I asked seemed knowledgeable on the subject, and said that last year they only received 10 boxes.  Ten Boxes.  That's not cases.  Hundreds shop at this store for Passover, and I'm sure more than ten families have gluten issues.  However, it didn't matter.  We were not buying it, because the cost of one box exceeds the cost of 10 boxes of wheat matzo.  I am not exaggerating. 

So what just made my day?  The UPS man rang the bell.  No, it wasn't him.  It was what he was delivering.  I was expecting a package from Amazon, but that wasn't what I got.  Instead, inside was a box of Lakewood Matzoh.  At first I wondered if I accidentally ordered it, but then I realized where it came from.  My in-laws sent it so the Babe could experience a normal part of the holiday.  Super thoughtful of them.  Now I will be guarding it for the next week and half until the holiday to prevent it from damage, and then carefully rationing it out to last us through the holiday.

Yummy Cookies

I am a happy girl right now.  That is because I just had several chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven.  Did I mention I'm kind of on a diet?  I guess its kind of, because although I worked out today, and counted every calorie up until about 8:30 tonight, I hit a wall and decided I just had to bake these cookies.  I came across the recipe a few days ago while trying to plan some meals.  Somehow the page just flipped right there to the wheat-free chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Knowing I had all the ingredients, it sounded tempting. 

The recipe is from the cookbook, "Veganomicon," by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.  I highly recommend this cookbook even if you are not vegan.  If you happen to have it, its the Wheat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies on page 237.  The nice part of making these is I didn't need to use bean flour or xanthan gum.  My husband's comment was to enjoy them tonight as they won't taste the same tomorrow.  I told him that shouldn't happen since without the bean, and just oat flour, it should taste as good tomorrow as tonight.  Of course, tomorrow I'll be back on the calorie counting wagon, so I may not have them...well, more than one.

Saved by a Pancake

I'm loving the Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake Mix.  Thank goodness the Babe got over the rice allergy, since rice flour is in it.  I do have a recipe for making gluten free vegan pancakes that got much use before the rice allergy disappeared.  On occasion I do haul out all the ingredients to make it, however I like the ease of making them from the mix. 

Last night I made stew.  If you've been reading my posts, you know we're sick of stew around here.  However, I haven't made it in weeks.  No, really.  So last night, after the stew had been simmering away for an hour and a half, my husband said he didn't want it.  Like he has a choice.  Granted, he's not two, but if I'm cooking, he better eat it, especially since it was a weekend evening.  Of course, we'd been watching some food shows showing the best of pizza and also "Man vs. Food".  Basically, we spent two or three hours drooling over foods we couldn't eat last night.  And while we wanted to make a last minute call to the sitter so we could go out, we knew she was busy.  So when he said he didn't want it, I kind of agreed.  What to make last minute?  How about pancakes?  All around "YES". 

Here's the funny part.  The Babe generally eats 1 or 2 at a time, on a good day three.  Never more than three.  So she was sitting at the table last night, and quickly consumed one.  Then another, and another.  Before we knew it, she had six- a full adult portion.  Yippee!  About an hour and half later, she had half an avocado and some turkey (at her request).  Clearly she did not have enough to eat earlier in the day, or else she finally got an appetite.  As our former pediatrician told us, toddlers eat like snakes.  They can go days and days eating very little, and then out of the blue, consume huge quantities.  While the image isn't flattering, it is true. 

Date Night

My husband and I go out about once a week for what some might call "Date Night".  Its not necessarily so we get some quality time together, although that is sorely needed since the Babe doesn't go to bed until late and he's been working longer hours.  Its more so I get to eat "real food", or rather, food I didn't cook and food that doesn't fit within the Babe's restricted diet.  Let us say it is usually filled with eggs, dairy and/or wheat. 

Last night we enjoyed Chinese food.  First off, yum!  We finally found a local restaurant that was good.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and can't wait to go back. That though is not the point of this post.  Its what happens after we get to enjoy "unsafe food".  Our routine is to wash up in the restaurant, washing hands and rinsing out mouths.  Then, once we get in the house, the Babe usually runs towards us in delight that we're home and wanting to share all the fun things she did with the sitter.  At which point we say hi and dance around her.  She knows the routine, so by now isn't surprised that we then go upstairs.  I proceed to wash my face and hands thoroughly with soap, brush my teeth, and change my clothes.  Afterwards, I return to her for hugs and kisses.  However, we still watch her, just in case. 

Last night I was a little more leery.  I don't know why, worrying that I may not have gotten every possible food particle off me.  Its not like I went face first into my food or slathered it on in sheer delight.  Its just that niggling little thing that after a few hours eventually goes away.  So that is what our date night is like- dinner followed by scrubbing down.  I may not be prepped to perform surgery, but I'm ready for hugs.