Taking Luke out for dinner

My little Angel

We have definitely entered the toddler years. There are a few things that I can expect when taking Luke out to eat: he will be loud, he will make a mess, and he will be unpredictable. I have friends that just don't go out to eat with their kids for these very reasons. That being said this is my criteria for the dining establishments we go to:

• Fast- the longer we wait the more likely Luke will have a total meltdown. If a meltdown occurs we normally get looks of sympathy (from other parents) or looks of concern (because we're probably abusing him).
• Noisy- or as I call it kid-friendly. At this age there is no reasoning with him to stay quiet.
• Cheap- I'm pretty frugal already but there is no point in taking Luke into an expensive restaurant when there is a chance you might have to leave mid meal.
• Prep Luke before we go: if he is tired or super hungary, he will be a nightmare in public. Naps, early dining, and snacks are a must!
  

With this in mind, we went out to eat last night. Old Spaghetti Factory was having a special for there 41st anniversary; salad, bread, pasta, ice cream, and beverage for about $5! Super Score! However there was a wait to be seated, 35-45 minutes! Normally this would be a deal breaker but my cheapness won out. Luke wasn't doing well with the wait and wanted to run into the bar, the dining area, and outside... were ever he shouldn't be. So my bright I idea was to take Luke to the McDonalds Playland across the street. Alan was nominated for the task and took him out to the car. This is how it went down:

Luke: "bye-bye?"
Alan: "Yes, bye-bye" Thinking he would be excited about this.
Luke: "NOOOOOOO!!!! NO BYE-BYE!!!"

Then he started squirming to get down, not caring that he is 6 feet off the ground. Alan said that the people walking near by looked at him like he was kidnapping Luke. When they got to the car Luke made up his mind that he was not getting in and started kicking and holding out his arms so Alan couldn't get him in. At this point Alan gave in and turned back. Luke was very happy about this.

Luckily the hostess seated us very quickly after they came back.