Out and About. Sort of.

When 10:00 a.m. hit and Bon had only napped for 20 minutes, I knew I'd never make it until bedtime with everyone alive unless we got out of the house. Where can you take an infant with little patience for running errands, a casted boy who hates to shop and a girl who thinks shopping is a vocation?

T-A-R-G-E-T...Target!!!

Target, bless them, has giant carts with benches on the back for big kids. Perfect for The Gimp since he shouldn't do too much walking in his walking cast. He wasn't thrilled to go but the lure of picking out items to put on his Birthday Request List was too strong for his deep-seated shopping aversion.

Natalie was ecstatic. Clothes! Dolls! Backpacks! Candy! So much to see, so much to beg for!

Bon was ambivalent about the whole thing. That's how she rolls.

We made it through the trip with no tears and not too much pleading. Bonus: We ran into one of Jack's former teachers and she told us that her nephew, Jack's classmate this past year, is going to the same kindergarten as Jack. Score! J is a sweet child with a temperament similar to Jack's and both boys were happy to hear that they will be at the same school. (Fingers crossed that they end up in the same classroom. 1:3 chance!)

Unable to face yet another PB&J for lunch, I got cocky and decided to treat us to Macaroni Grill for lunch. We had the world's slowest waiter but it was fine, just a helluva lot longer than I would would have liked. Bon ate her sweet potatoes like a champ, sucked down a bottle and enjoyed people-watching. Nat tore up her salad like Peter Rabbit on meth and Jack drew an elaborate picture on the paper tablecover with one hand while using the other to devour a whole loaf of bread. (He is sooooo my child.)

The looks I got when we walked in were classic, ranging from shock at the sight of a mother ambitious enough to take 3 little ones to lunch on her own to annoyance at the sight of a mother thoughtless enough to take 3 little ones to lunch on her own. Well, that last crew can EAT IT because my babes were awesome. Nothing new there. The Biggies have been dining out since before they were old enough to chew. They love it, they know how to behave and they know that if they misbehave, they will be restricted to eating at home exclusively for a long, long time. Bon doesn't know the rules and doesn't care so with her, it's all about timing it right and provide enough distractions to keep her happy and focused on me.

I practiced my Hindu goddess acts where I sprout enough arms to feed myself, feed the baby, cut the kids' food and wipe everyone's mouths without breaking a sweat. Exhausting but oh-so-worth-it. Whole wheat penne arrabiata is to die for! Major bummer though -- MG took a bunch of choices off of their "create your own pasta" entree so I was denied buffalo mozzarella and roasted red peppers. That's okay, these days I'd eat shoe leather and like it if someone else cooked and served it to me.

We won't talk about how I had to change the baby's diaper in the bathroom (a first for me with any of my kids and one I don't want to repeat) and realized the travel wipes were still in the car in the Target bag. Hey, nobody's perfect.