Our household is a bit of a zoo when we travel. It's never carefree and guaranteed not to be boring! Everything takes planning, which has its pros and cons.
Take a dinner outing for Tim's birthday. We head to Peter and my favourite place ever - Red Robin. Also, Tim gets a free birthday burger. We arrive at the restaurant with Adelaide, Me, Tim, Peter, Mom, and Grandma. That's 1 infant who babbles in her own language, 1 senior who doesn't speak English, and 1 person with special needs who has limited vocabulary.
It's a weird train to go to the table as the waiter/waitress walks WAY too fast. Tim can walk faster than Grandma but slower than Peter. That leaves P to go to the table making sure Tim is following him while mom is making sure Tim isn't gagging (if he's forced to walk too fast or smells something weird, he gags) and I'm following behind while making sure Grandma's not lagging too much.
We settle into the table, though this takes a couple of attempts. Does P sit next to me and help me hold Adelaide or does he go next to Tim so that mom gets a bit of a break. Does Grandma sit in the booth where she has more room or out on the edge where there are people coming in and out. Do I sit in the booth with Adelaide so that she's in a protected corner or do I sit on the outside so I can walk with her in the CuddlyWrap? Does Tim sit in the booth so that he doesn't run away or does he sit on the outside so he has easy access to the washroom?
Time to order, what do we order? We all don't eat too much so we should share the burgers. Who should share with whom? Peter and Grandma can share the spicy one. Me and mom can share one while Tim gets one to himself. Or, Tim and mom can share and I get one to myself. After figuring that out, the poor waiter has to come over and know that 2 burgers are to be cut in two, maybe some fries are changed to salads...
Once we have our food, eating commences. Mom is trying to keep Tim clean since he tends to not focus while he's eating. P's trying to give Tim new experiences so he's trying to let Tim eat on his own. It's a constant balancing game on mom and P figuring out what Tim can/cannot do. I'm either trying to eat my burger or keeping Adelaide from grabbing my food. Sometimes she gets handed off to another adult while I snarf food down. Grandma doesn't like cheese or meat too much so she's yanking her burger apart and giving it over to P's plate. A lot of reaching across the table happens in all directions.
We finish up and prep everyone to leave the restaurant. Some need to go to the washroom, others need help with their jackets, while others will help carry bags that we've brought in. Finally our little windy train leaves the restaurant - usually together and in good spirits.
Going out may be a bit of a hassle but we all enjoy our time together and we're getting to know each other as a family. Next trip is Disneyland - minus Grandma, she doesn't want to do the walking. Now we gotta plan as this trip is Adelaide, Me, Tim, Peter, and Mom. There's possibly 2 baby carriers, 1 stroller, 1 wheelchair, 2 large luggages, and 2 backpacks in this mix. This circus is ready to go!
1 comments:
That doesn't sound hectic or crazy. Actually, it sounds desirable. As long as people aren't arguing with each other, I'm generally okay. I hope my own family outings are as interesting as yours in the future.
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