Sunday with My Crew + a "Family Restaurant"

Life isn't terribly exciting these days but I almost prefer it that way for right now. We have been going out for late lunches on these past few Sundays, and it's been my favorite part of the weekends. The lil spud has been very well behaved and more importantly, predictable lately. This makes for a less stressful trip out into public and we are able to enjoy behaving like normal human beings. We hit the road on Sunday and it took us a couple of tries to find a place to eat, go figure. Our local brunch place, apparently, only has two high chairs, one of which was in use and one of which was broken. Next. We then went to the British Beer Company. Much to our dismay, there was live music. We suspected that live music and a 9 month old, would only fly for a short period of time before a possible meltdown might occur. Next. Chili's. This may not have ever been our first, second or even third choice but we got a taste of what a family friendly restaurant is all about (no, really) and why these requirements are a fit for our new life. Plus, "Extra Extra we enjoyed ourselves!"

Before we had the baby, there were no limits to eateries and this was fantastic. Now, like many other things in our seemingly restricted existence, we have to think about things before doing them. Gah, it's so irritating! In any event, some things I will now make note of before choosing a dining option for my small family?

• High Chairs...there were plenty of high chairs. Note to self, check "new" restaurants before heading out. High chairs are now a must. Like, where else would our child sit?
• Casual Atmosphere...I mean, really casual.... This is good because we make a mess. My child eats puffs, yogurt melts, mushy foods and purees. Yeah, it's not really conducive for keeping it clean. At a family restaurant, you don't really have to worry about making a mess. There were kids having a playful fight with fries when we walked in. We were golden.
• A Bar...OK, so Chili's is not a hidden gem of a restaurant but they have a bar. We ordered drinks. Husband even got a margarita. Alcohol. Good. Alcohol.
• Understanding Waitstaff. I have never been a waitress but I can imagine that you see a family with kids come in and you think to yourself, Oh Brother. A server who jumps right in, tells you how cute your baby is and brings you sides of avocado for your kiddo's lunch is the kind of person I want to share my lunch with... and will always get a deserving tip.
• Willingness to bring small sides of mushy food. Our small child ate avocado. It was a hit. We were only charged .79 for it. Later in life, this child will eat me out of house and home so I should appreciate the cheap meals now.

Did I ever think that I would be writing a blog post about Chili's and how it made me come to the realization that I need to think about family dining? Nope but here is my new life, where thought has to be put into decision making, more than ever. This might not have been the most exciting Sunday ever on record but it was a pretty perfect day date with my two guys... and that's what makes me happy.

What did you do this weekend?