Family Adventures: Turning Eight

Today is my daughter's birthday. She, like her mother, is an early riser. We knew she would be anxious to open presents so we told her she could wake us anytime after 6. She made it to 6:45. After she opened the presents we told her we would do whatever she wanted for the day. Naturally, she wanted to stay home and enjoy her new loot, which meant hanging out in her room reading. It seemed a fitting end to what has been a quiet, rainy holiday weekend for us.

But I have stumbled upon what I believe may be the key for getting my family out of the house, even when we'd all just as soon laze around in our pajamas. My Wife suggested we go out for a birthday lunch, Our Girl's choice. On the way to the restaurant, My Wife pointed out the orchard where we'll be picking apples soon and the notices for upcoming church dinners. The message - intended or not - was pretty clear: if you really want to get us out, the promise of food is a powerful lure. It's like planning college study breaks all over again!
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Our Girl chose Joyce's Noodle House, our family standby for Chinese food. The main draw for her was the fortune cookies. It was a good choice for a special occasion, but too expensive as a regular weekend excursion. My ideal outing is one that costs us little to nothing and eating out isn't exactly economical. But if pastries and hot chocolate are what it takes to get us out of our lair in January, I say it's worth it. We agreed that lunch is probably the most cost-effective meal at a restaurant so I'll keep my eye out for the best place for an affordable Sunday lunch - something other than McDonald's (aka The Scottish Bistro), that is.