Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3!

Today was a special day.  Miss G., Mr. B., and Mr. A. all had the opportunity to dine out for the first time! We needed a "test restaurant," as the kids seriously need to work on manners and appropriate public behavior.  In July, the whole family will be attending a semi-formal 50th wedding anniversary party in honor of my parents. The event will be held at the fancy-shmancy La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California... and we certainly want it to be a memorable occasion---but not memorable because of embarrassing reasons, if you know what I mean! 

So today, we descended upon the victim:  Red Robin.  We were very smart to choose a quiet time of day for our first dining out experience.  It was a good move.  The kids didn't have to wait too long, and they weren't overly hungry.  Red Robin also had crayons and coloring pages for the kids.  Awesome!

I prepped the kids thoroughly before entering the doors.  We hit all the top "usual" offenses, including:

• No yelling
• No hitting
• No burping
• No other purposeful air emissions
• No getting up and running around the room
• No crying, whining, or pouting
• No throwing food at the table or at anyone in the room
• Try to chew with your mouth closed
• Try new foods, even if it's one bite
• Keep your voices at the table
• Say "please" and "thank you"

The kids ordered chicken nuggets, french fries, and milkshakes.  Of course, we knew Asher would find the milkshake offensive, but he still wanted to try it.  He hated it.  The waitress, being eager to insure them a positive first dining experience, was quick to offer a fruit smoothy.  Ahhh... success!  He thought it was pretty awesome, although he could only drink a small portion of it.  

All in all, the french fries were the biggest hit!  D-Man got to eat all of the leftover chicken nuggets, so that too, was a big hit.  

We were in and out of Red Robin in under one hour.  That was when I could see the writing on the wall... the wheels were beginning to come off...  the yelling and arguing was about to start.  Praise the Lord, we made it out of there!

Incredible though it may be, we had no spills, no crying, no whining, no pouting... nothing negative to report!  I stand in awe of these kids!  They really stepped up to the plate and did a great job displaying the manners they've learned and demonstrating some understanding of social appropriateness.

Great job, guys!  Mommy is very proud of you!