I'm a big fan of babies. Truly, I am. They're soft, cuddly, and so stinking cute. They usually smell good, but when they don’t, they’re forgivable. And when they smile AND laugh, it kills me with joy! Maybe it’s cause I’m one of these women that have chronic baby fever, but I just can’t help but be completely mesmerized by these lovable squishy creatures.
Now I will admit, motherhood is obviously not 100% glamorous, but ONE perk that makes having babies totally worth it, is that they travel for free! YES! Children under the age 2 get free airfare! It’s awesome! So even if they’re crying, pooping, or even causing a scene, it doesn’t really matter because their plane ticket is free! Who doesn't love free stuff?
So when Zared was basically a newborn up to 24 months old, we traveled a lot! And as a single mom, having my baby strapped to my chest, holding my carry on in one hand while having and my plane ticket in the other, made me feel like a rock star. We went everywhere together!
When Zared was about 14 months old, I booked us a quick trip to visit my parents in Chicago. At the time we were living in Reno, NV and life was pretty good. I was doing well in school, making money bartending, and had a ton of friends. In my eyes, I was handling the full-time single mom/student/work life balance fairly well. We had an early morning flight out so we stayed at my girlfriend Nikki’s place the night before so she could drive us. Nikki was a single mom too therefore we operated like a family, constantly helping each other out. That’s the thing about single motherhood, it’s a tribe. Even though we didn’t have husbands, we never felt alone. We decided to turn our sleep over into a girl’s night in and invited a few more of our lady friends to come hang out. I brought over a few bottles of wine I bought in Napa just 3 weeks prior. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to drink them, plus I wanted to bring a bottle to my parents. So the kids played in the living room while the girls and I sipped on wine in the adjoining kitchen. It was the perfect set-up – kids, music, wine, and girl talk. We threw in a few dance parties with the kids throughout the evening, and we had a blast. Easy times were had by all.
We woke up at 4:45 am to catch our 6:50 fight. I felt like death. I really didn’t think I drank that much. Perhaps I didn’t eat enough food or drink enough water, but regardless my hangover was killing me. Luckily Nikki felt fine. Zared and her 2 kids finished up their breakfast and we all piled into the car to head to the airport. I didn’t eat anything, couldn’t stomach it.
So here I was, Zared strapped to my chest, holding my carry on in one hand while having and my plane ticket in the other, walking down the corridor to our gate, and definitely not feeling like a rock star. My hangover and nausea worsened as we boarded the plane. I took the first window seat available; having a wall to lean against truly helps while traveling with small children. The seats next to me were occupied by a young couple, they commented on how cute my baby was. I softly thanked them hoping that they couldn’t smell the alcohol on my breath. The turbulence was quite strong during take off. Zared started getting fussy. I started salivating at the mouth and thought to myself, oh no, I think I’m going to puke. I finished off the last bit of water I had in my water bottle, but it didn’t make me feel better. The fussier Zared became, the sicker I felt! And the turbulence! The turbulence did not make things easier! I couldn’t take it any longer. I covered us up with the airplane blanket, gently covered Zared’s head on my chest with my left hand, grabbed the doggie bag with my right, and leaned towards the window to then vomit my brains my out. What can I say, my multi-tasking is on point. Since I didn’t really eat anything most of the vomit was phlegm, water, and pale red wine. As I finished, I noticed that half of the vomit ended up on the airplane blanket while the other half was in the doggie bag. Of course Zared was crying (cause why wouldn’t he be) and even though I felt relief, I was completely grossed out and ashamed of what I just did. Luckily the young couple next to me were too into each other to notice what happened, and there was already too much noise on the plane for anyone to hear my soft vomit noises. Epic motherhood fail is what I like to call it.
I wrapped up the blanket and rolled up the doggie bag. I needed to get rid of the evidence otherwise it would probably make me feel sick again. I pressed the call button for the flight attend, and said what any desperate mother would say in her time of need…
“Excuse me, sir? My son got really sick from the turbulence and vomited all over the blanket and doggie bag. Can you take this from us please? Can you also bring us new ones just in case he gets sick again? Thanks you so much.”
Epic motherhood fail number 2: throwing your son under the bus! I know it’s bad, but I couldn’t possibly admit that I, the adult, just vomited all over the airplane supplies. What is a mother to do?
Motherhood. It’s not perfect, and it’s definitely not glamorous, but boy does it teach us humility. Now, that morning, like other mornings, I was hung over. And what are the 3 best things to cure hangovers? Water, food, and more alcohol! Just kidding, I can no longer partake in “hair of the dog”
If you’re anything like me, having a hangover makes me feel guilty enough, let alone eating something greasy and unhealthy. Here is a breakfast recipe that I’ve created that can help cure a hangover without having all the garbage.
Tomato and Turkey Sausage Frittata with Oven Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
1 carton of eggs
1 lb turkey sausage, squeezed out of the casing
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
1 small red onion, diced large
2 lbs red potatoes, quartered
1 cup spinach, chiffonade
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of Himalayan Salt, divided
1 tablespoon black pepper, divided
Coconut oil/spray
Ketchup – as much as you want!
Time: 1 hr and 30 min Yields: 8
Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Take one casserole dish and one roasting pan and generously coat the inside of both pans with coconut oil/spray.
Chop and prepare all ingredients as listed above.
In a large bowl combine chopped potatoes, 1 ½ tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon Himalayan salt, and ½ tablespoon pepper. Mix thoroughly and place potatoes on roasting pan. Place in the oven and set the timer for 40 minutes.
Crack eggs into the blender and blend on mix. I like to use the blender when I need to whisk a lot of eggs. It’s faster and the eggs turn out fluffier. Set aside.
Place a sauté pan on the stove. Allow the pan to get hot and then spray the pan with the coconut spray until well coated.
Add the onion, tomato, and sausage into the sauté pan and cook for about 7 minutes, breaking up the sausage. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Keep the sausage seared but not cooked all the way because we will finish cooking it in the oven.
Take the casserole dish and place the sausage mixture in the dish. Pour the eggs on top of the sausage and then place the casserole dish into the oven. Set another timer for 25 minutes. Pull casserole dish and potato dish on the stove and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
Cut the casserole dish in 8 pieces and serve each piece with ½ cup of the potatoes. Place a pinch of spinach garnish on top. Serve with ketchup!!
Notes:
Eggs are great for hangovers because they contain properties that kill toxins in the body that the body hasn’t done itself, so eggs can help kill alcohol toxins.
Tomatoes help regulate blood sugar levels while the kidneys are metabolizing the liquor. So if you consume tomato products while you’re hung over, the feelings of fatigue and grogginess won’t last as long as if you didn’t.
We picked turkey sausage instead of pork sausage because you still get a little bit of grease to coat the stomach, but not a huge amount of grease to make you feel even more sick.