January 20, 2006
my sanity is worth $17.36
Every other Friday, my housekeeper comes and sterilizes every surface in our house. Every other Friday, Charlie and I pick Henry up at school and go out for lunch, so that my housekeeper can actually CLEAN the house without the kids messing it up right behind her. On a typical every other Friday, I either make sandwiches for the boys to eat in the car on the way to some Fun Destination (a bookstore or park, depending on the weather) or we go someplace Kid Friendly to eat (which means that I spend the ENTIRE lunch getting up and down to get drinks and straws and napkins and the actual lunch and more straws and more drinks and . . . ). And virtually every other Friday, our lunch date ends with either a potty accident or a tantrum. Sometimes both! Although I only have tantrums, just so you know.
Today, though, I decided that I wasn’t going to do that. I’m still riding the buzz of my impending date, and I didn’t want to go into the weekend wanting to smack Wade for getting me pregnant in the first place (not a good tone to set right before the date, see). So today the boys and I went to a real restaurant for lunch. And it was magnificent.
Leslie was the one who got me thinking about this. When we went to dinner a few weeks ago, she said, ‘I want to go to an actual RESTAURANT, where I can sit at the table and have someone wait on me. I don’t want to stand in line or have to go pick up my food. I want to SIT DOWN.’ And she was right–I had actually forgotten how lovely it is not to be running back and forth for a million things. She and I had a complete, coherent conversation that night, mostly because we never had to get up! Oh, and because we left the kids at home, too, but that’s a whole other thing.
So today! The boys and I went to lunch! At the real restaurant! We colored the kid’s menus and talked about how beer is brewed and how Harry Potter got his scar and what the boys want to be when they grow up (Henry wants to be a detective; Charlie is deciding between squirrel and firefighter, which is a tough choice, I know). And the boys ate! A lot! And I had a lovely petite spinach salad (served with a juicy chicken breast and a delicious vinaigrette dressing). After lunch we went to the bookstore and played with the train and read Chicks and Salsa. And, of course, we had an emergency potty trip, but unlike all those other every other Fridays when I though my head would explode, I just rolled with it. All because of the restaurant lunch.
And now I’m kicking myself for being such a cheapskate for so long and not doing this sooner. Because really, I just bought myself one more day of sanity. And a delicious spinach salad to boot!
Posted by Susan @ 4:20 pm • Uncategorized
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January 20th, 2006 at 5:06 pm, Jenorama Says:
The lesson I have learned from this is that money *can* buy happiness.
Is that right?
Have fun on yer date!!! And don’t get knocked up! (Oops, that just slipped out).
January 20th, 2006 at 7:27 pm, Felicity Says:
I love this. I take my kids out to restaurant dinners whenever I am mad at MM, which is pretty often. Fin still has a hard time sitting still and waiting but overall it’s always a good experience. I *ALWAYS* drink with meals, except breakfast…shots of tequila, glasses of wine, pints of beer…I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way I can live my life is half-drunk and medicated.
January 20th, 2006 at 8:36 pm, Andie D. Says:
Your sanity is worth whatever it takes. Absofuckinglutely!
January 20th, 2006 at 8:49 pm, L. Says:
I call the money I spend on my housecleaner my “sanity money.” My husband said, “Now that you`re not working, why don`t you clean the house?” And when I gave him the Icy Stare, he said, “What? WHAT?”
I think it entirely depends on the restaurant. Our kids love Chinese and Japanese food, so I`ve been taking them out for years. I love it that they mess up the restaurant`s floor, not mine.
January 20th, 2006 at 9:38 pm, CarpeDM Says:
I too love the sit down meals. Of course, I don’t have children but there is something nice about someone bringing me a refill and the floor isn’t sticky.
I am hoping your date goes wonderfully. You deserve it!
January 20th, 2006 at 10:32 pm, adria Says:
Can you please tell us more about Charlie’s toss up between being a squirrel or a firefighter? I just love that!
It sounded like a great lunch. I love sit down restaurants!
Have a great date night! What are you wearing?? Did you buy something new?
January 21st, 2006 at 7:27 am, kyra Says:
yippee for your restaurant lunch! we love to go out to eat although all fluffy will consume there are french fries, french fries and french fries while he sips on a glass of ketchup.
have a great time tonight!!!
January 21st, 2006 at 9:21 am, Candace Says:
I find that my kids are better behaved at ‘real’ restaurants, oddly enough. It’s like the whole vibe of the place permeates them and they act like human beings instead of the wild things they really are.
January 21st, 2006 at 2:04 pm, Jack's Raging Mommy Says:
My parents had a bi-weekly housekeeper for a while when I was younger, but my mom always made us clean the house before she came over.
I’m all messed up inside now, that I’d love a cleaning lady, but I’d be unable to actually leave my house dirty for her, which really defeats the purpose.
And props to you for having children who behave in restaurants.
January 21st, 2006 at 2:32 pm, Kristen Says:
My warning to you: lest you think things could go this well, say, EVERY OTHER DAY if you went to real restaurants…they couldn’t! I know this from experience. I think we’ve been banned from Chili’s now. We stick to no more than once a week, but a sit down restaurant *is* 1,000 times better than fast food any day, regardless of the frequency.
We also particularly like places with booths, where we can “trap” them next to the wall - chairs are too easy for them to escape from. SIGH. Why do I have to think about escape paths when I take my kids out? WHY?!
January 21st, 2006 at 2:36 pm, Susan Says:
Kristen, it’s so funny that you should mention the booth/chair thing–lunchtime yesterday, we had a booth! and all was well!
At dinner last night (yes, we ate out AGAIN! at another nice restaurant! but this time with Wade’s parents)–at dinner, we had a table! and it was hellish!
Although maybe that was too much eating out rather than the actual seating . . . hmmm. But I also prefer to pen the kids in, just in case.
January 21st, 2006 at 4:17 pm, Mary P. Says:
Booths also allow them wriggle room that a chair doesn’t. Booths are a great thing!
January 21st, 2006 at 7:00 pm, Misfit Hausfrau Says:
My daughter is an absolute angel in any restaurant. The problems are at home. Sigh!
Word verification–heljicey. I LIKE that!
January 22nd, 2006 at 9:05 am, Anonymous Says:
We live in Turkey, where they make a huge fuss over kids. So when my daughter was a baby I just decided I was going to take that at face value and always took her out to restaurants for lunch, just the two of us, to really nice places. This was back before fast food was really prevalent and there were any shopping malls, so no one really took their kids anywhere except the park. So the waiters would kind of freak. But I would just smile and spoon in the soup…You gotta live, mommas, you gotta live.
January 22nd, 2006 at 9:35 pm, MP Says:
Well, when you put it that way (”my sanity is worth $17.36″) it is so obvious. Of course you’re sanity is worth that!
I have the same gig where the cleaners come every other week but we don’t always eat lunch out. You reminded me that I should do it every time. Why pay to have the house cleaned and then not enjoy the sparkling kitchen for at least a few hours??
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:45 am, CroutonBoy Says:
I used to love the restaurants when I was a kid…the booster seats, the special treatment from waitresses, and the crayons. I can only imagine my parents reasons for taking me were the same as yours…
A squirrel, eh? I’d love to hear the logic behind that one.