Love for the Little Guy

I know some stay-at-home parents who would rather not attempt to brave public places with two youngsters in tow. There's the constant danger of an unpredictable meltdown in the grocery store check-out, the need to maintain a heightened sense of "potty radar", and the sacred nap-time that is not to be altered or messed with. Us, we've never been slaves to nap times, for better or for worse. We go places we want to go, when we want to go there (within reason). Sadie and Amelia have always been cooperative car and stroller sleepers and are no worse for wear. I admit there are times when I question why I attempted this errand or that with the kids, but for the most part, I'm glad I'm not on house arrest 5 days a week. We have to get out and about to maintain sanity. There are places to go and people to see.

But the other day, for reasons unknown, I thought to myself "I think it's time Sadie had a Happy Meal." Go ahead and judge. McDonald's is disgusting. But I figure most kids are eventually going to have an experience with a mcnugget and a playplace, and the first time might as well be under my supervision. Kind of like when you drink alcohol underage for the first time, some parents offer up their liquor cabinet just so they know the shenanigans are taking place as safely as possible under their own roof. So we went to McDonalds. The playplace was in a separate room all together, one with some of the poorest air quality I have ever experienced. Zero ventilation. It smelled like a cross between a locker room and a Diaper Genie. Hand Foot and Mouth disease was practically visible on the tube slides. Sadie declined a play. I breathed a sigh of relief. We wasted no time getting out of there once the Happy Meal was consumed.

Thank GOODNESS, on days where we need to get out somewhere, thank GOODNESS for places like Drumroaster Coffee in nearby Cobble Hill. We live in a fairly rural area and the pickin's are slim. I miss living in Vancouver where there are SO many unique little cafes and eateries to choose from. Sadie refers to Drumroaster as the "Robot Shop" because there's a metal sculpture of a robot creature outside. Inside is a funky, family-owned, CLEAN coffee shop with character and pride. They roast their own beans and build their business based on exposing the industry involved in this process. It's kid-friendly, design-minded, and flavour-focused. And I like their packaging so much that I even keep the empty bags of coffee beans when we're done with them.

The girls and I are so grateful for places like this. More accurately, I am so grateful for places like these because they keep me from going crazy at home and the girls are grateful when I don't go crazy at home. An extra strong espresso (last time I had a triple-shot), minus the infectious diseases on Monday afternoons that are never-ending? Yes, that sounds about right.