It was so windy last night that our power was knocked out. I hadn't made supper yet, so we decided to call Pizza the Hut and order, and their power was out! Then I remembered that we had a coupon for a free meal from Scotty's for BJ's birthday (because we're in the club) so, we went out for dinner to a real restaurant.
Anyone who has ever met a child knows that it is, generally, a very bad idea to try to eat with them in public. We've never let this stop us from eating out, figuring that MG and C need to learn to behave like civilized creatures eventually, so we might as well start now. MG's biggest problem is that she doesn't understand that restaurants don't have dogs, so while we may not care at home if the occasional noodle hits the deck, they don't take too kindly to that sort of shenanigan at Applebee's. Well, that, and she starts screaming "out out OUT!" about 11 microseconds after she finishes eating, and you just can't get OUT at a restaurant.
One of BJ's proudest childhood memories is of eating dinner at the Country Club (is it still a country club if it's in the city?) with his parents and his brother, and some random stranger was so impressed with the boys' behavior that he bought their dinner for them. It is his mission in life that this event be repeated with his own children. I also remember being expected to behave at restaurants as a kid (on the rare occasion that we went out). Since I've been a server myself, I know that it's not just a decency issue, it's a safety issue. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly dumped hot coffee or soup on some poorly behaved child who thought that my section of the restaurant was Romper Room.
So, as you might imagine, we take this whole eating out thing pretty seriously in this family. But, we're also realists. MG is one. Even though she may talk like she's 5 and be as tall as a 3 year old, she's only one. I try to "set her up for success" by bringing lots of activities and doling them out one at a time over the course of the event, so that I've already got something new at the ready when she gets bored with what she has. I found these great post-it notes that are shaped like letters at the pharmacy, and some pads of paper with kitties and puppies on them, and those have been big hits. Gotta love the $1 section!!! I also have crayons and a rotating selection of books.
*****We interrupt this post to bring you a special news bulletin! Hershey's Kisses have a new truffle flavor, and they ROCK! Oh my God, I'm going to eat the whole bag... We'll call it "baby weight."*****
Well, as you can see from this picture:
which was taken at the end of the meal, she did great! We were still smiling at dessert! Woah!!!
When we finally got home at 10 pm, the power had been restored. Yay!
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