Worth it?

This weekend my little sister and my sweet niece came into town to visit . One of our most favorite things to do when she lived here was go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, sit and chat over coffee and yummy biscuits. I have always been there with babies...babies, who are quiet and don't play with knives. This visit was different with a baby, toddler, preschooler, and a kindergartner. They are independents... Hard to keep strapped down.

So as tradition would have it, my sister requested to go to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast yesterday morning. We woke up around 8 but in this house you can't just get up and go any more. Bitty Tiny has to be fed, diapered two or three times, dressed (once if we are lucky), big kids have to get dressed and pottied. Getting Dillon's socks and shoes on, that's always an adventure. That could be it's own post! By the time we actually left it was an hour and a half later.

The entire morning little Dillon talked about how yummy his pancake was going to be. We got to the restaurant and seated very quickly considering it was a Sunday morning. Got everyone sat and food ordered. Shortly after that this sweet "empty nester" couple was lucky (i use the word loosely) enough to get seated at the table next to us. They sat beside each other...who does that? Maybe they never had kids...

Our quaint breakfast tradition turned into quite the entertainment. From the playing with butter knives to the putting of feet on the table, to the refusing to eat the much anticipated food...from all of them, we were a circus act. My sister and I were up and down, a constant barrage of "No, stop, sit, don't do that!" " Please eat!!!!!" Sound familiar? To anyone with kiddos, this should be a frequent occurrence or maybe it's just us.

As we were waiting not so patiently for our absentee waitress to bring boxes for the un-eaten food, the couple looked over at my sister and I and said, " Do you ever ask yourself, is it really worth it?"

Was it? Over priced coffee and cold eggs for the sake of arguments and tradition?

Yes, I got to share a parenting moment and experience raising kids with my baby sister, absolutely, it was worth it!

To those of you with no kids, or kids have long since been gone, please be sensitive. We parents, too, long for a meal or shopping experience in peace and quiet. It will come one day, but for now please be patient with us sleep deprived, stressed, and loving every minute of it parents!