Nobody Puts the Feldmans in a Corner

Last night, we decided to take our kids out to dinner with us on our usual "date night."  Our son had just been diagnosed the day before with strep so rather than risk infecting his grandma, we took the pair out with us to somewhere new.  One of my mom friends recommended this Westchester restaurant on her website so I figured, even if we had to drive 40 minutes to get there, it still would be worth the trip.

When we arrived, we were told there would be a 35 minute wait, even though I had called earlier and they said we wouldn't have a problem getting in.  And so, while the kids whined about the fact that they were "starving," we took a seat near the bar and ordered a pizza while we waited to be seated.

After about 45 minutes had passed, the hostess finally came over to get us and pointed to a table that was a few feet away from where we were sitting.  At first, we figured if the kids made noise, that spot would be perfect, but then reality set in.  Every time someone opened the door, we'd instantly feel a 20 degree drop in the room temperature. Then, it took about 10 minutes for the waiter to come over and take our order and when I asked for a chardonnay, it took him another 30 minutes to come back and inform me that they had run out of the wine he had recommended.  Annoyed, I ordered a diet coke - which didn't arrive for another 20 minutes.

But the most aggravating part of the evening was the bar scene.  If you plan to take your kids to a restaurant and they seat you next to a bar and there is a long wait for tables, expect to start feeling incredibly claustrophobic when the crowd starts spilling over to your table.  As dozens of people entered the bar, I watched as two women inched closer to where we were sitting.  At one point, I think my son got slugged in the head with a handbag and we would have offered them an appetizer if someone had finally brought some food over to us.   And as the bursts of cold air, lack of a beverage and overcrowding situation worsened, I went ballistic and was ready to bolt.

My husband then complained to the hostess for sticking us in the worst corner of the restaurant and when he told her we'd like to take our check and leave, she called over the manager and he instantly found us a table inside.  As fate would have it, the table was next to another door which opened continuously and caused a draft every time someone opened it, but at least it was away from the bar scene.  

My whole beef about the evening was a simple one - why do restaurants discriminate against families?  I mean, I wouldn't want to eat at a place where there were screaming kids around who were causing a scene, but my children have been trained to be well-behaved since we eat out all the time.  I've had it with the poor service, putting us in a bad location and the obliviousness of other people who have no problem standing within two inches from our table while they're waiting for their own.  

So what's our takeaway from this experience?  Don't trust other people's restaurant recommendations? Don't bring your kids to a restaurant that's not kid friendly?  Suck it up and deal with poor service?  Or just eat at home?     While we may not dine at that restaurant again, what we do know is that if we ever get faced with a situation like this again, we will make one major request:  nobody puts the Feldmans in a corner.

THE DUDE RANCH

I can't remember the last time I visited a dude ranch. Wait. I can remember. It was high school, 1984. It was the dead of winter and I didn't go near the horses or the bunny hill. So imagine my surprise 23 years later when my husband announced he wanted to give the dude ranch circuit a whirl with our good friends Dave and Alicia and their seven year old son, Carter. We loaded the kids up in the car, and off we went to what I have now discovered is nirvana for the the nine and under set...Rocking Horse Ranch.

I had visions of the place being totally dilapidated and reeking of manure and when we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. The manure scent only permeated my membranes if the wind blew in the wrong direction and the ranch, seemed surprisingly updated. They even had some animatronic bear playing a guitar in the gift shop. Plus an indoor and outdoor pool with a water slide, rock climbing wall - which my daughter couldn't get enough of, an outdoor bounce house (which Carter used to set a world record - 1000 jumps in under 10 minutes), water skiing, banana boat rides, game room, fishing, shuffleboard, kayaking, corny shows, and best of all...the Fun Barn - which had an indoor bounce house, another rock climbing wall and the craziest climbing structure you've ever seen where kids can shoot at each other with foam balls...need I say more?

But the best part of all didn't take place on the horses - since mine kept on stopping to eat a bush, slosh through some manure scented mud (eew) or swat some flies; it didn't happen at the pool where I got to read and relax and watch my daughter zip down the water slide at least a dozen times; it wasn't at the cheesy magic show - it happened when I strapped on a pair of water skis and managed to not only pull myself up but I cruised around the lake for what seemed an eternity. You see, the last time I hopped up on skis, I was 15 and was a CIT at Camp Algonquin. That summer, I learned how to water ski for the first and last time since my momentary blaze of glory around the lake was quickly extinguished when I wiped out and the wake went right up my tush. After that day and the fact that the motor boat crapped out and no one bothered to fix it the rest of the summer, I pretty much hung up my skis and never ventured out again...that is, until this weekend.

My husband was pretty much stunned at my high flying water ski performance and is now ready to rent a lake house so we can spend the summer recapturing our youth. Even my daughter was shocked that I could ski - but not to be outdone, she managed to get up on the skis the first shot and even scaled the rock climbing structure and rang the bell. That's my girl!

So all in all, while I usually enjoy a nice Cape Cod or Caribbean vacation, our side trip to a dude ranch was actually one of our best trips in years. The kids had a ball and surprisingly, we did too. So from Jamaica, to day camp, to Block Island to the Hamptons, we ended our summer on a high note with a high flyin' dude ranch adventure. Nothing like a weekend surrounded by nature, good friends and water rides to put everything in perspective and make us realize that it is actually fun to act like a kid again.

To take a peak at the very first video I've managed to create from the pix I took with my iPhone, then click on the link below and enjoy! Happy Labor Day!

Destination Disney...what to do...what to avoid!!!

If you've just read my Role Mommy Confession about my recent trip to Disney World, I also wanted to offer some Role Mommy tips to surviving Disney so that you don't have to suffer on any lines or get stuck eating fast food every single day of your visit. So without further ado, here are some Role Mommy Disney Do's...

Disney Do's...

1. Do make time to see the shows at Disney. These are Broadway quality productions with special effects, amazing singers, costumes, you name it. My personal favorite this time around was the new musical: "Finding Nemo" at the Animal Kingdom park. Close second was the "High School Musical" pep rally at MGM where my daughter got the chance to dance with the performers (along with about 100 kids too). There's also a great show at the castle by Magic Kingdom, plus parades galore in every park. Both MGM and Epcot have great evening shows and Magic Kingdom has a terrific fireworks display and parade late at night too.

2. Do get fast passes for everything imaginable. Now the only problem is you can't get two fast passes for two rides at the same exact time. So, if you're travelling with a group, decide which of you really want to go on one ride and who is willing to go on the other one. If you opt to go on standby, if the line looks short, beware! Usually, when you get inside, the lines whip around and around and around and it'll take you at least 45 minutes to get on the ride.

3. For kids 10 and under, Do go on Splash Mountain, It's A Small World, the Peter Pan Ride (my son's personal favorite), Pirates of the Caribbean, the Kali rapids ride in Animal Kingdom, Aladdin's magic carpet ride and any other ride in Magic Kingdom that is far away from the flying Dumbo...most of the rides further back in the park (aka. Aladdin are an exact replica of Dumbo, so walk a little and you'll save time on the line).

4. Do go on the Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom (I believe it's Frontier Land). We had a fabulous guide named Lindsay who let our daughter drive the boat...look her up when you get there - she'll be glad you did!

5. Do go on the Animal Kingdom safari - the animals are amazing and the ride is a lot of fun. If you're pregant, you can't go because it's a bit bumpy but other than that, it's a blast.

6. Do go on Soarin' in Epcot - but we didn't since the lines were too long...we were told it's beyond amazing so if and when we do go back, I'll give that one a shot.

7. Do make reservations far in advance if you want to attend a character breakfast. Our personal favorite is the Donald breakfast in Animal Kingdom although our friend Shari, who is quite a Disney connoiusseur swears by the Chef Mickey spread.

8. Make sure you make a reservation in advance for the Hoop de Doo review...I'm sure I spelled it wrong, but it's a lot of fun. Another fun dinner locale - the Prime Time cafe in MGM - a throwback to the 50's with waiters and waitresses who make sure you mind your manners while you're eating in their kitchen! Another decent restaurant with a great view of the parade...Tony's Town Square in Magic Kingdom - located right when you walk into the park.

9. Make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes and make sure the kids hit the bathroom before you get on a line for a ride (especially Pirates of the Caribbean - there's nowhere to relieve yourself unless you let your kid tinkle in a fountain...no worries - I was tempted but didn't do it).

10. Make sure you don't overschedule your day. You can attempt to do 3 parks in one day but you and your family will be basket cases around dinner time. You're better off doing one park for the day and perhaps dinner in another park.

Disney Don'ts...

1. Don't select the Disney dining plan unless you've read the brochure for the dining plan cover to cover. I pretty much used up all our dinners in the first two days because I didn't follow directions. Also - I didn't really want to have dessert with every meal so I could have done without the extra five pounds I'm now packing from that dining decision.

2. Avoid the standby line for any ride that looks empty but then has a location where the line keeps whipping around and around and around and you never really know when the actual ride will start. The Kali rapids and Pirates of the Caribbean both fit the bill on that one. Kali rapids has a fast pass, Pirates, I believe does not but it is worth it to ride - it's amazing.

3. Don't do fast food every day. If you're going to have McDonald's french fries during your stay...and it is tempting because there are fries in many locations, limit yourself to 2 servings for the entire duration of your visit. Your hips will thank you when you return.

4. If you're travelling with little kids, don't take them on the Snow White ride...it may look cute, but it's pretty scary.

5. Don't walk around the park without a cell phone or walkie talkie. If you lose your group because they've wandered off to a character signing and you're too busy getting a fast pass, if you don't have a working cell phone, you're out of luck.

6. Don't try to get an autograph from the Disney Princesses in toon town...if it's Spring Break...you'll be there all day. Instead, make a reservation at Epcot at the Storybook Princess castle in Norway...the princesses will come to you and you'll be eating at the same time. If that's not easy, I don't know what is.

7. If you're on the lookout to get an autograph from Mickey don't do it at Magic Kingdom - the best place to find him is at MGM - down by the Little Einsteins and JoJo's circus, Mickey has his own room where you can get his autograph and not have to wait for hours for it.

8. Don't buy your kids a present every time they see a store. That's where I went wrong. Every time I bought my son something he kept wanting more. He then started making deals with his grandparents and his aunt...got to the point where he came home with a suitcase full of stuff...that he'll never play with and I'll have to store somewhere in the basement.

9. Don't expect your kids to love everything. If you like scary rides, they might not. So if you're hankering to go on the Tower of Terror, split up and get your fast pass while your little ones head off with their grandparents to get some autographs.

10. Don't go to Disney World on Spring Break!!!! It is the most crowded time of the year. Even though the weather is beautiful, the crowds are insane and will add to the stress of the trip. Pick an off season and your Disney adventure will truly be the stuff that dreams are made of.

So that's the 411 on my Disney adventure...hope these do's and don'ts help if you're planning to pay a visit sometime soon. To return to Role Mommy, Click Here.