So I’m a closet adrenalin junkie.  Give me a physical or mental challenge, I love to tackle it head on.  Which also means I have the propensity to get bored very easily.  So when I became a full time stay at home mom, I was concerned about not being physically and mentally stimulated enough.  Would I feel lazy?  Bored?  Would my brain go to mush? Nope. Everything still intact I believe! (I mean it’s all relative folks right).

But I do not get bored as a parent or as a stay at home mom.  How could I?  I mean come on… I actually save babies for a “living” on a daily basis (my babies, but still).  Seriously y’all, I don’t think I have felt this much adrenaline since I was a Manitou Springs volunteer firefighter.  And mental challenges?  Ummm have you ever tried to reason with a toddler?  That will send your mind into a perplexed conundrum for days.  And that whole mom brain thing?  That my friends, isn’t because our brains are dying, that is because our brains are literally filled up with all of this new information.  Don’t underestimate mom brain–You aren’t getting dumber, your brain is just losing room for minute details like where car keys are located and you know… words. Sometimes, just like a new work assignment though, you have to mix things up a bit to keep yourself engaged. For me, that means lots of outings with my less than perfectly behaved clan.

So through this whole parenting gig, I have learned a little survival skill–humor.  So when a friend texted “I feel like we should go to Uchiko happy hour… No? Am I crazy?”   (Sidebar: We will be with kids and husbandless on this venture, and the ages of our four combined kids are 3,2,9 months, and 6 months)…Three thoughts immediately pop into my head:

1. Yes.  Yes that is absolutely INSANE!
2. Hmmm… well what’s the worse that can happen?  (Lots and lots of scenarios fill my head).  I mean are kids even ALLOWED at Uchiko?
3. Whatever.  I will tip really well, and if it is a disaster it will be an awesome “What were you thinking” blog.  Hmmm… Maybe I should take the good camera… (But if it is the disaster I am expecting, I don’t want the camera to get ruined so opted out).

Well before we go any farther, let me further point out that the person we are meeting travels with two kids (On PLANES!) by herself.  That’s pretty much my biggest fear–Friend I am not worthy!  For me this proposed outing was terrifying enough that it filled me with an excitement/anxiety akin to the last time I went bungee jumping.  I prepared for the worst and brought enough cash that I could literally just throw down at the table and run out for dear life.

So the early evening wasn’t off to a great start.  I woke up a toddler and a baby from their naps.  (The ONE time they decided to actually nap at the same time ever).  Seriously who does that???  Me.  I do that.  That “don’t wake the baby” rule ended shortly after I had two children, and I realized perfect timing would never be our friend, and one is constantly being woken up by the sibling’s needs anyways.  But we made it out the door and only 15 minutes late to our planned date.  Not too bad.

So the rundown at Uchiko:

1. Number of glasses spilled: 2 (only water)
2. Kids outnumbered by parents: 2:1
3. Number of glasses broken: ZERO! (point moms)
4. Length of Stay: 2 hours!
5. Number of meltdowns: ZERO–ish* (again it’s all relative–this was a GOOD day for “us”)
6. Number of times an onlooker probably thought to themselves, “Are they crazy?”  Ummm, I don’t know… how many people were there in the restaurant?  Yes.  Yes.  That many.
7. Technology used to deter a potential tantrum?  Yes.  Yes.  It was.
8. Memories made:  So many… I will forever remember that crazy time I felt brave enough to take my children to a fancy sushi happy hour by myself.
9. Number of people that commented on my daughter’s kimono not knowing actually this was mom’s bridesmaid robe that my daughter has been obsessed with for the past month and has not physically removed from her body in over 48 hours:  10
10. Number of celebrities that commented on my daughter’s kimono: ONE!  That’s right!  Kirsten Dunst.  Whaaaat!

OK.  Yesterday was FUN.  It isn’t always.  It often is exasperatingly exhausting trying to control tiny humans in public so try your best and laugh at yourself when it just isn’t your day.  Some days are better than others.  Our children and us learn from these experiences though, and there is a HUGE learning curve, so bare with them, but most importantly bare with yourself.  And if all else fails, take up blogging because you can get some great material from the most grandiose outing FAILS.

Until next time fellow adrenaline junkie mamas!

Some outtakes: