Labor Day Low Down

John and Tommy T woke up at the butt crack of dawn to golf. Usually it is the crack of dawn - but when you get out of bed that early on a HOLIDAY - it is definitely the butt crack of dawn. I was able to sleep in (if 8 am counts). The kids and I got up and ready for our fun morning out with Shanaynay. We had high hopes of going to breakfast at IHOP - but apparently about 100 other people had the same idea....so we did what any other group of people who lack self-respect would do......we went to the Village Inn.


There is a hierarchy to the whole breakfast chain. Somewhere like Mimi's cafe would likely be on top - nice ambiance, great menu, fresh ingredients, well groomed customers, good waitstaff.






IHOP trails - still not a bad place to eat breakfast at (though you would NEVER want to venture out into the dinner menu). Usually clean, with the occasional crust found on a fork. Service is usually quick and efficient - keep your drinks filled up.




And then there is the Village Inn - which my brother John calls the "Village Tavern" because it is so dark and dingy. They used to be able to smoke in there - making matters worse. The smell of nicotine is still faintly detected after years of soaking into the vinyl booth benches.


The menu is "okay" for breakfast - but the food delivered never looks like the picture. Usually a burnt version of it. Someone is guaranteed to come with a dirty wet rag and wipe down your table before you sit down - so there is a slimy residue on your forearms throughout the meal. The menu is guaranteed to be sticky with old syrup. The waitresses think it is their job to "drop off" your food - and you never see them again. You sit and suck air through an empty straw - making as much noise as possible and STILL nobody comes.

There is a man that works FT at every Village Inn. He sits in the corner booth and coughs up phlegm every few minutes right before you take your first bite. Usually someone comes in the middle of the meal to vacuum under your feet with a roller broom. You get your check and get to go pay WAY TOO MUCH for the entire experience.



The waffle house is the bottom of the food chain. It is the equivalent of Village Inn - except your food is cooked by someone who is out on parole - and it is served by someone with an STD.

Anyway.....we went to Village Inn and it was everything we expected. No meal is complete without a spilled drink....this time it was Shannon's doing and not the children. The food took SO long to get to the table - the children began eating jelly. Shannon tried to quench her thirst with a creamer. Despite the obvious - we had a great time.

I took the kids swimming since it was the last day the city pool would be open. I counted and there were only 9 people there. It was a bit overcast and the water was freezing - with leaves floating in it. Perhaps this is what had dissuaded people :)

A walmart shopping trip was in order. We bought supplies for Bradley to decorate his Preschool bag for the first day! We also picked up some groceries for a cookout.

Later that night, we all gathered to help Boo with his bag. It was a lot of fun - but the stress of letting Bradley's "creative juices" flow was a bit too much for me. Tom had to take over control of doing the iron ons. He was so proud of his bag! The kids picked out their outfits for the following day and after a bath were off to bed. Stay tuned to see if Bradley went to Preschool easier than he goes to nursery!