Restaurants and Kid's Meals

As a former waitress and cocktail server throughout four years of college, I remember what it was like to be in the restaurant industry. I always tip well, stack our dishes to make bussing easier, and take extra care to tidy up the table if Emma has been messy. Even though it's part of their job, more clean up for waitstaff means a longer turnover time which equals less tables and less tips.

And as a former server, I am also aware of certain wording that should be used when talking to customers. Case in point: Jason, Emma and I were out for dinner a few nights ago. The restaurant did not have a kid's menu printed, but the waiter spouted off our choices - the usual Mac and Cheese, chicken fingers, cheese pizza, etc. As we mulled the choices, he proceeded to ask what drink he could bring Emma while we were thinking. We asked for half lemonade/half water, which was brought out in a tiny kiddie cup. Jason and I always order water at restaurants, and that's what Emma has as well, unless her meal comes with a drink.

Fast forward to the end of our meal. The bill was brought out, with a $2.50 charge for the half cup of lemonade. One of my biggest annoyances is when servers word things during their table spiel to trick the customer into thinking they are already getting something, when in all actuality, additional charges are racking up.

My husband gave the server a heads up for future tables (he was in training). He simply said, "Oh, sorry. We charge for our kid's drinks." At which point Jason replies, "Well, I usually tip 20%, but most of that went towards a watered down lemonade." After running our credit card at the full amount - then hearing us complain -another server brought over an amended bill.

Now, I'm usually not one to make a big deal over things like this, but I'm frugal when it comes to saving money, even if it is $2.50.

What do you think? Do you have a restaurant experience that's similar, or does this kind of thing only happen to me?

Nursery Inspiration: Blue | Gray | Yellow

Today's nursery inspiration comes from the free printable we posted a few days ago. Blue, yellow and gray has been a popular color palette lately and it would be the perfect combination for any new baby girl OR boy. Enjoy our picks!
 

1. Lamp - Pottery Barn Teen
2. Frame – IKEA | Print – Jack & Emma Blog
3. Curtains – Crate & Barrel
4. Glider – Wal-mart
5. Pillow – Anthropologie
6. Quilt – Target
7. Crib Sheet – Target
8. Wall Shelf/Hook – Land of Nod
9. Crib – IKEA
10. Rug – IKEA

{free printable} Nursery Art

I just recently finished designing a baby shower invitation with a blue/grey/yellow color palette. I love those colors together, so designed this nursery print based on that invite. It would look great in any little boy or girl's room!

You may download and print this PDF for your own personal use. The file is 8″x10″, so it will print on a regular letter size that you can then trim down to frame. I recommend using white card stock for printing.

Jack & Emma Printables are free to print for your own personal use. Have a suggestion of something you'd like to see? Email us at jackandemmablog(at)gmail(dot)com.

1000 Words

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh?" he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you.”
  ~ A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh ~

Toddler Activity: Packing Peanuts & Boxes

Emmalyn and I have a bit of routine during the week. I pick her up from my in-laws after work, around 5:30. We go home and spend about 30 minutes playing before dinner time. I'm constantly on the look out for games that are a change-up from her everyday toys. We got a package in the mail a few days ago, so I saved the big box full of packing peanuts.

At first she took the peanuts out one by one and placed them on the outer flaps of the box.

Then it was on to putting the peanuts into the different size boxes.

I brought out some big kitchen spoons and we took turns "stirring the pot". She used the spoons to put the peanuts into the different size boxes.
 

My favorite part about this activity? It was free! It kept her busy and she was able to work on her sorting and fine motor skills, plus there was very little clean-up when we were done.

Do you have any favorite activities for your toddler?

DISCLAIMER

Always supervise your child during activities, especially when they involve small pieces. Please use your own judgement in choosing activities that best meet the capabilities of your child.

Birth Story: Emmalyn

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the blog?
Email us at jackandemmablog(at)gmail(dot)com to submit your story!

November 14th, 2010
It was a Sunday morning. Jason decided he was going to play a round of golf with his buddies (one last outing before baby). I wasn't due until November 23, but I had a feeling that the little one was going to come early. My mom had me two weeks early, and even if that's not hereditary, it was still something stuck in my mind.

My lower back had been aching for a few days. Nothing too bad, but just a constant lull. I chalked it up to the fact that I was lugging around 35 extra pounds. I mean, my ankles were swollen, my toes looked like sausages, my wedding rings didn't fit --throw a back ache in there and it's called the third trimester.

So, while Jason headed out to play golf, I plopped myself on the couch with a heating pad on my back. I napped on and off all morning and into the afternoon. When I woke up from my nap at 2 p.m. (still on the couch), I called my parents in Wisconsin. They were visiting my grandma with my sisters and brother-in-law. My grandma got on the phone and started asking how I was feeling, how the baby was, etc. When I told her my back had been hurting, she said, "Oh, that could mean you might go into labor soon!". After chatting for a bit, I got up to go to the bathroom. As I waddled walked into the kitchen, I peed my pants. Okay, I DID NOT pee my pants, but it sure felt like it! So many thoughts going through my head...Did my water just break?? Is this how it's supposed to feel? Shoot, Jason's not here. I don't have contractions. Am I supposed to have contractions? Did I just pee myself? Do I call my doctor?

I got a towel. I wiped the floor. I laughed because I remember months before telling Jason that he wouldn't have to worry about cleaning up if my water broke at home. That I would take care of it. Now here I was, taking care of it. I laughed again when I remembered that my mom's water had broken in the kitchen of our old house when she went into labor with me. Now I know THAT is not hereditary, but is it ever ironic or what?

I went to the bathroom. I sat on the toilet. I called my neighbor, Jenny. She'd had a baby 5 months earlier. She'd know what to do. She answered, we talked babies and labor for a few minutes. She offered to bring me over some spaghetti (I was planning on laboring as long as I could at home). I called my parents, who had just left my grandma's house. They almost didn't believe me--I mean, I had just talked to them ten minutes ago and I wasn't in labor then!

I called Jason. His golf game was done and they were all at Beef O'Brady's eating wings and watching sports. I told him that my water had broken for real and the baby was coming. He was practically running out the door before I could finish my sentence! Beef's was only a few blocks away, so he was home in less than five minutes.

I called my doctor. Since it was a Sunday, the office was closed, but the answering service paged him and he called me right back. I told him everything that had happened so far and he said, "Well, it sounds like your baby is on her way!" He was on call that day/night, so he was at the hospital anyway. He said he'd see me later and to call if I needed anything else.

Since my contractions hadn't started, I decided to jump in the shower and get the rest of our hospital bag ready. We had been mostly packed but there were a few last minute items I needed to pack last (iPod, contact case, camera charger, phone chargers, etc). At about 5:15 p.m., the contractions started. At first they felt just like cramps. Okay, I've been having those for the past 15 years of my life and they weren't so bad. They were pretty far apart and not very strong. I wandered the house doing various things for the next 30 minutes. At 5:45 p.m., I told Jason we should head to the hospital.

We stopped at McDonald's on the way so Jason could get some double cheeseburgers (I guess he didn't get to finish his wings earlier). I got an ice cream cone. As we drove to the hospital (about 15 minutes away), the contractions were about 5 minutes apart and getting progressively stronger. I threw my cone out the window about half way there because I couldn't eat and concentrate at the same time. We finally made it to the hospital. Jason parked and grabbed our bag as I waddled out of the car. We walked through the ER on our way to the 4th floor. I had to stop and take a few breaks to breathe, leaning against the walls, the elevator, Jason. They buzzed us into to triage and we made our way to the nurse's station. By this time, the contractions were coming like rapid fire. Did I even have a break to breathe? It didn't feel like it. Meanwhile, the nurse is looking for me in the computer. Come on...I pre-registered like they told us to in our labor classes so that I could AVOID the delay. "Oh", she says, "What was your birthday again? I typed it in the wrong spot. No wonder I couldn't find you." SERIOUSLY. I can't breathe and you want me to remember my birthday and tell you? Vocally?

She finally found us in the system, printed our paper work. Another nurse came up to me and asked me a few questions, including if I thought I was in labor. Yes. If my water had broken? Yes. The rest was a blur. I just wanted a room. I needed to sit, to lay down, anything except stand hunched over a nurses desk in the hallway. By this time it was almost 7. They got us a room and nurses were bustling around getting everything ready. It was surreal. I almost didn't believe it was happening. We were getting so close to meeting our daughter!

When they checked me, I was 5 cm dilated and the contractions were less than 2 minutes apart. I felt good about the amount of time I had labored at home and the nurse's seemed surprised that I was that far along. Jason helped me get through each contraction, telling me when it was close to being over while watching the monitors. Then he went to the bathroom to throw up. Guess the cheeseburger and wings didn't go over so well. Then I threw up, thinking about him throwing up. I felt a lot better after that.

 Originally I was going to see how I could do without an epidural. Breathing, concentrating....I tried. It was too much. I wasn't getting a break to even breathe. At this rate I didn't know if I'd be too tired to push when the time came. So, I opted for the epidural. It was about two hours before the anesthesiologist was available to put it in. I guess I was at the bottom of the request list. It definitely gave me some relief for a couple hours. Our hospital visitors were even able to come in and chat with us for a while. My in-laws, brother-in-law Jeffery, and friends April, Doug, Zack and Amber were all there. Jason was texting updates to my family in Wisconsin.

 At about midnight I was ready to start practice pushing (which just means that the doctor is not in the room), so it was just my labor nurse and Jason. I pushed for about 40 minutes. At this point, the epidural was gone, but I didn't care. I wanted to meet my daughter. The doctor came in shortly after and we knew baby Matthews would be here soon! I pushed for 40 more minutes. I don't even remember the pain, but I knew it hurt. Pushing was the only thing that was going to make it stop though, so I kept going. Suddenly, the head was out and with one more big push, our daughter was born! It was Monday morning at 1:55 a.m. on November 15, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs 9.7 oz and was 19 inches long. Simply perfect.

 She was placed on my belly and we locked eyes. I was in love. The nurses took her to the warming table to clean out her mouth and nose, since there had been meconium in the womb. My doctor asked them to lower the side of the bed so I could see our baby. She was so beautiful!

 We all took turns holding her. Everyone who had been in the waiting room came into the L&D room to see our daughter. She didn't have a name yet. We were still undecided. But it was now 3 in the morning. The name could wait. She wasn't going anywhere.

 Welcome baby girl. We've loved you for so long. We can't wait to begin our life with you.
Love, Mommy & Daddy