Day 1108 - Eating Out

As part of our on-going remodeling nightmare, I have had to take the kids out to eat practically everyday. I have probably visited every kid-friendly restaurant up and down the boulevard for the past week: California Pizza Kitchen, Corner Bakery, Noah's, Poquito Mas, Islands, IHOP, and Hooter's. You'd think by going out all of the time, the Ichikawa family must be gaining quite a bit of weight. But I have found it to be the opposite. Going out to eat everyday with three year old twins is a great cardiovascular workout for the parent.

Each day our remodeling has been delayed, I cringe at the fact that I have to take the kids out to eat. Before kids, eating out was a treat. You don't have to cook or do the dishes, you're served, and you could occasionally eat drunk if you wanted to. But with the kids, it is one hell of a chore trying to keep the meal from falling apart if you're by yourself.

There are three things that I have realized through the course of the week about eating out with the kids:

1) Circular tables are the best. If you sit at a circular table, you have easy access to feed and clean the kids. Booths are no good because either one kid ends up sitting by themselves or both kids sit together which can be even worse. Square tables are also not as good because it is harder the reach the kids. Although the one good thing about square tables is that it's easier to change a soiled diaper on one...despite the stares of management.

2) Why are crayons round? Crayons can occupy a kid's attention for an appropriate amount of time at a restaurant. But why can't they give out crayons that are shaped like a triangle or square? I end up spending half my time picking crayons off the ground because they keep rolling off the damn table that is balanced precariously by a folded up piece of napkin.

3) Check the bottom of the table at a mall's food court. There are certain things I do not pay attention to because as they say ignorance is bliss: Lisa's weight, Lisa's weight, and stuff underneath tables. I was at a food court for lunch enjoying the Italian cuisine of Sbarro's, when I noticed Andrew intensely occupied underneath the table. When I bent over to see what he was doing, he found an example of chewed gum pointilism. I titled it A Tuesday Afternoon at the Island of La Westfield Mall.