{Eating Out With Twin Two-Year-Olds }

I had a message last night asking how we take our two-year-old twins to a restaurant.  Instantly I was taken back to June of this year. School let out and we took off the next day for our big family vacation. Now it had been almost a year since we traveled long distance with the kids. We usually travel through the night but this year we decided not to.  I had not done my 'homework' for traveling with two-year-olds. I didn't know a thing about busy bags or that I should pack play dough for playing with at the table. Trying to stick to the no electronics at the table was enforced but boy did I want to whip them out!  There was no fun being had at our table unless of course they were eating.

With being a larger group it took us longer to get our food. We took Landen and Caroline outside to do a seventh inning stretch, we fed them small snacks or held them off as long as we could so they would want to sit and eat. But let me tell ya something. Their bellies fill up quicker than my husband orI could   eat. We had plenty of moments of being embarrassed and many meals that aren't remembered because we shoveled so fast.

If we do go to a restaurant we try to do it either after their nap or well before. I do like to wipe down surfaces so I always have Clorox wipes for on the go. I also use the throw away placemats you can get from Target or Kroger. It has a picture search and find that is nice to do with them but it allows for me to cover/clean an area fast! It also makes clean up a breeze.

I now have busy bags for L&C and I have found that stickers and a sticker book/paper is the best at keeping them occupied-we may come out with stickers all over us but we count it a good day if we all ate together. I pack a small tub of play dough that I can toss at the end-I don't feel like harvesting germs..and no I'm not a 'germ freak.' There are cars and a little egg similar to a potato head they love to play with. I also pack water and a snack or two. If they are thirsty and were at a busy restaurant I can at least keep them happy until we get our food or until we've been waited on. 

Bottom line of going out these days- it's nerve racking! I don't know about you, but I feel like our kids are so unpredictable. You just never know what's going to happen from minute to minute. One may get upset and the other will decide to follow suit.  Or one throws a tantrum and that's just it..this is why you always get the check right away-there is no need to indur any extra pain! 

I'm thinking maybe next year when it's time for our family vacation we will try again-possibly before so we know what we're getting into..I figure it's gotta be better than right now! And anyways, our kids are probably doing us a favor keeping us away from restaurants..saving us calories and money ;-) 

Keep Calm and Mommy On!

Xoxoxo

Danielle