Travels with Charlie

So OK, it's not the book by Steinbeck (which is one of my all-time favs) for several reasons, not the least of which is that the book title is actually "Travels with Charley" (note spelling difference) and that the "Charley" in question is a gentleman standard French poodle and not a tow-headed, four-year-old boy. Highly recommended reading, though, especially if you love Steinbeck. Anyway - Kiddo and I had a date last night. We spent the first 40 minutes or so shopping for a new pair of pants for Mom (that's me...) because I am in desperate need of pants for work that not only fit, but that look professional. Then we went to the Olive Garden for dinner. The Olive Garden was a story in and of itself. We waited for 20 minutes for a table for two, ordered our food the second we sat down, the waiter spilled my Coca-Cola upon delivery, didn't leave straws (or, as Kiddo would say "Strawl"), and then delivered an slightly under-cooked little pizza and a slightly overcooked Garlic Chicken con Broccoli (my fav!). Spilled soda never got cleaned up, extra napkins never arrived, straws we acquired from another server, and we actually only had about 5 minutes to eat our food. Kiddo, thankfully, had filled up on salad and bread sticks (yes, he eats and likes salad) so missing out on his pizza wasn't a huge deal. Also, I wasn't too concerned about him eating all his dinner because it was a night that was supposed to be fun and easy for him, and not stressful for either of us. Therefore, forcing him to eat his dinner was not on the agenda. We got the bill, paid for our dinner, and were at the theater with five minutes to spare. Of course, there's 20 minutes of previews so again...not concerned. We saw Wall-E...and it was fantastic! Kiddo and I shared popcorn and he got his own fruit punch. I, of course, enjoyed an ice-cold Coca-Cola. The theater chair kept folding Kiddo up inside it so he sat on my lap for a majority of the movie. But, the movie kept his interest and he didn't squirm or get bored or have to go to the bathroom. He did, though, say to me, "Mom, I'll be right back." "Where are you going?" "I'm going up there!" he said with, pointing to the top of the theater and grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "Um...I don't think so, bud. Why don't you stay here with me, OK?" I suggested. "Ok. This is a good movie, Mom! I'm glad we came here." After the movie was over, we headed over to the World of Wally because I promised him he could have a new Doodle Board. (He suggested we get one for Little Bit, too, so she doesn't use his...which we did, but we got her the smaller version of his so there would be no fighting.) It was a great night, and though he fought me a little bit when we got home and he had to go to bed, he was so knocked out within 30 minutes he was snoring! I don't think he moved all night because he was in the same position this morning as he was when he fell asleep. I think Kiddo and I will have to do "Date Night" more often. Kiddo told me he loved me without any prompting and let me tell you, that made my heart soar! TTFN JMS