Perks of being an Expat

Our humble bar when we moved in.

Our bar now.

We've been deemed the "good home" for alcohol when their parents move back to the states. Kel's scotch collection is on the right hand side and I believe it's approaching 9 bottles.

As you can see, the left side contains the more "unique" and less desirables - Disaronno on the rocks? Mmmmm. Cognac? We just recently killed a bottle of Pimms. Not sure how that ended up in our collection, but I'm glad it's gone. Any drink mixed with cucumbers does not fall high on my list of "anxious to try" cocktails.

"And, the Mother of the Year is..."

I was craving good Mexican (maybe had something to do with a few drinks the night before), so we headed down to El Chico, the only good Tex-Mex place in Dubai, for an early dinner. The addition of a toddler to our little family has put a bit of a crimp in our eating out dynamic.


1. 7:30 has turned into 5:30 (which helps since lunch is now 10:30 or 11)
2. I say "I'm sorry" more than "thank you" basically because of all the crap that ends up on the floor under D's highchair - including stuff he swipes from others' tables.
3. We ask for the check when our entrees our served.
4. We take turns eating while the other chases D around.


Despite how fun eating out with Little Man is, the fabulous "at your table guacamole" makes chasing that kid around worth it! D loves the guac and has been known to eat it with a spoon. He also likes chips and as of late, likes to feed others (including the cat). Great entertainment for D AND keeps him occupied.I placed my order for the "top shelf guacamole" and you guessed it, no ripe avocados! What?? I was wallowing in my guacamole lacking pity when the manager came over to say hello to me - I'm not there all the time I swear. I told him I was devastated (I know the connotation really doesn't seem to fit with guacamole, but until you've tried it, no comments) about the avocado situation and he said he ordered new avocados and they should be here by dinnertime (he was referring to all the normal folks who are eating at 7:30 of course) and literally, at that moment, the door opened and the delivery guys came in with cases of new avocados balanced on their shoulders. Woo hoo! The manager himself ran up to check the ripeness of those babies and sure enough, our waittress came down with a tray of halved (completely mashable) avocados, lime juice, red onions, salt/pepper, tomatoes, and jalapenos. It's mixed right at your table and is so fresh! I will take a picture the next time I'm there, soooo should be up by next week.

I am not typically lucky, so I guess I should have known that I would have to pay in some other way for my ripe avocados.

Before I dug in, I got a little bite for Dylan. He ate it, then started screaming, and scraping his tongue with his hand. It has NEVER been spicy before! The jalapenos are always seeded and he's eaten it multiple times. I broke the cardinal rule and didn't taste it first! I know, I know, what kind of mother am I? This puts me in the same boat as those other cavalier mothers who don't test the bath water or look both ways before crossing the street.

Kel just gave me the disappointed head shake. D wouldn't touch any other food or drink the rest of the night. I tried to give him DEFINITELY NOT spicy chicken and he slapped my hand away. I handed him his sippy cup of milk (the best thing to remedy spicy mouth) and he knocked it to the floor. And, as further punishment, he no longer tolerated (he commenced screaming and kicking) the high chair and we had to take turns letting him run around outside and I was punished yet again as I felt my hair completely frizz and somehow gain 4 inches of height.