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  I'm often asked what I miss the most of my life before kids. And I'm also asked by expecting moms what they should do a lot of before having kids.  Aside from the obvious answer, Sleep!, I usually tell them to go out to dinner.  That's what I missed the most.  I never realized how often we really went out to dinner (at real sit-down restaurants) and how much I really enjoyed that.  After a long day at work I enjoy being waited on. I enjoy better food than I am capable of cooking. I enjoy not doing the dishes. 

Then I had kids and the first few months were great. The baby slept in his car seat while we continued to enjoy the luxury of being waited on. 

Then he learned how to crawl. And it all came to a screeching halt.

No longer were we able to go anywhere that involved sitting still for long periods of time (not to mention the "no screaming rule").

Then I had a second kid. And my days of McDonalds with playplaces began.  We came to think of a McDonalds playplace night as a "date night" because the boys would go off and play while we talked about our day.

They were behaved well enough to go to "real" restaurants (so you can stop right there with typing the "if you were a better mother you could control your kids reply)   but it wasn't something that any of us enjoyed. We spent our time eating quickly and hoping that we had enough things to occupy the boys before their meal came. They spent their time asking if we could leave yet. 

I used to look longingly at the families nearby that had kids who sat at the booth/table and just colored quietly. I wasn't sure if it was something that would ever happen for us. My kids are not the "sit quietly and color" type.

But lately, things have changed. It's like we've turned a corner. The boys have both reached an age where going to a restaurant is something we can do without great fear of being "that family" (you know the one I mean).

The boys still don't LOVE going to grown up restaurants (except Red Robin, they love Red Robin for some reason) but they tolerate it. And we're trying to sell it as a special thing (which it is, we don't go that often).  They'd still rather go to ChicFilA and play on the slides when they're done eating, but they're capable of "sitting quietly and coloring".

We no longer walk into a restaurant with a suitcase-sized arsenel of things to occupy them. It's freeing.  It's great.

Of course, my butt and my jeans are none too happy. Have you see those portion sizes?!

So tell me, what's your "Restaurant Lifestyle" right now? Do you go to "grown up restaurants"? If so, do you bring your stash of magic toys? What are they?

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