April with Henry

Due to another busy week including some business travel for me, Dinner with Dad once again got pushed off to Sunday.  Being the last week of the month, it was Henry's turn again.

Henry had been saying he wanted to go to Red Lobster but as we were driving there, he started to waver and was considering other possible options but he stuck with Red Lobster.  Well when we got there, we found out the wait was 45 minutes.  Well that was enough to push Henry to option #2 which was Denny's.

Off to Denny's we went.  Denny's is usually our favorite place for breakfast for dinner, however being that it was Sunday, we already had our big breakfast today which is our custom after Church.  So Henry and I discussed other menu options at Denny's outside of breakfast foods.

Well it ended up being a chicken night for both of us.  First we had onion ring appitizers and then it was Chicken Nuggets for Henry and the Hickory Grilled Chicken Sandwich for me.  We were both good with our menu choices and felt like it was just the right amount of food - usually when leaving Denny's we are over stuffed.

Conversation with Henry tonight focused on travel, then school and churh and then sports.  On the travel side, both Henry and I would like to go to Washington DC.  Neither of us have ever been there.  As far as school and church Henry shared with me his process for getting through different challanges as he grows up.  I can't quite repeat the whole process but basically he looks at each challenge as a step that he needs to climb and there are many parts of taking a step - picking up your foot, raising it, extending it out, etc.  I thought this was very profound for a 9 year-old.  Regarding sports, we went over the finer points of his basketball game. 

After dinner we stopped at Kohl's to pick up some new Sodastream bottles and then headed home.  For some reason we decided to speak like British people joking about Wisconsinisms as we drove home.  It was a strange conversation but sometimes it's fun to use your imagination and it had both of us laughing.  Then home for a bit of Wii and call it a night.

Dinner = $22.49.  Time with Henry = Priceless!

A special post - April with College Friends

Ok this is not exactly a Dinner with Dad post, but perhaps an offshoot of Dinner with Dad - Dinner with Friends.

A few days ago I got a call from one of my UW-O college friends Deb who was getting some of us together for a dinner.  I was happy to get the invite since I only seem to get together with these good friends a few times a year.  Last night the dinner happened with me and six of my college friends.  Sidenote - Lisa was going to join us but could not tear herself away from the Scrapbooking event that she was at - this is one of her favorite things to do so I was good with batch'in it.

We got together at Roma Lodge - which was good for me since this is very close to home.  Before dinner conversations centered around getting updated on each other's lives and the lives of our kids (and grandkids in my case).  A few of my friends commented on enjoying reading the Dinner with Dad blog and asked if this dinner could make the blog.  I said sure why not - it is not exactly a Dinner with Dad but it was Dinner with me and this could develop into a whole other tangent - Dinner with Friends.  We all agree every time that we get together that it is too long in between times that we see each other - maybe we need to start a Dinner with Friends blog?????

After a few cocktails, it was on to dinner.  I once again went with eggplant, several had the Filet Mignon, Russ had the ravioli.  Of course each dinner included a salad bar and an Italian side dish - mostaccioli, meatballs, angelhair, etc.  I could tell by the conversation, by the satisfied looks and by the inability to rise from the table after dinner that everyone loved their dinners and had plenty to eat.

After dinner we had some after dinner drinks and more conversation.  Most of the gang had Brandy Alexanders but Chuck and I stuck with the Spotted Cow.  Conversations morphed from updates on current life to several stories that started with "Remember that one time when we..."  All I can say is that it is a good thing that our offspring are obviously smarter than their parents because we did some crazy things and thankfully lived through it and got our acts together at some point (kind of).

Thanks Deb and Russ for getting us together teaching us the secret handshake to get into the Roma back room.  It was fantastic!

Pictured from left to right - me, Russ, Chuck, Cathie, Deb, Kathy and Da Mose.

Dinner = $120 + Drinks - gotta love Roma - great food for 7 for $120.

Time with great friends = Priceless!

April with Brittany

We are on a compact schedule this month it seems.  This is Dinner with Dad #3 in 8 days and due to scheduling conflicts Henry has decided to move his up to Monday next week so that will make it all 4 in 12 days - I love it!

Like Joe, Brittany decided to repeat her choice of March.  We once again went to Chipolte.  And just like I commented with Joe, I am good with this repeat because I definitely do like Chipolte and am happy to come back.  I had a chicken burrito and Brittany had some veggies in a bowl thing.  Also a little hint - their Margaritas are fantastic.

Well since I last had Dinner with Brittany, she has gotten some big news.  Brittany has gotten engaged to her high school sweetheart Vince and I am very happy for the two of them.  So with work, school and now wedding planning going on Brittany is very very busy.  We found out that we have a similarity in that we both appreciate down time and when a week is booked before the week starts it becomes tough.  Both Brit and were in the middle of one of those weeks.

One other thing I noticed about our conversation was that even though she has all this going on in her life, the first thing she asked me about was my life and how my week was going.  As I was driving to our dinner date I was thinking about all things I wanted to ask Brit about regarding her life and then she turns it on me and gets me talking about my life - very nice.

Dinner = $19.92.  Time with Brittany = Priceless!

April with Joe

Well after a slow two weeks, things have picked up in the Dinner with Dads.  Sunday night was Joe's rescheduled night.

Joe came down late afternoon and we had the first repeat restaurant so far and that was fine with me.  For the second month in a row we went to Infusino's.  I would love to try other things on the menu but I can't seem to stray away from my favorite Eggplant Parmigiana - maybe I will try something next month ;).  Joe definitely tried something else and went with the Seafood Platter.  I loved my dinner as usual and took half home for Lisa (she loves it too).  Joe put down the Seafood Platter, some soup, fries and a baked potato - hungry man I guess.

Going out on Sunday evening always seems to be quite a slower pace which is nice.  Conversation was relaxed and we hit our our usuals of work and politics.  Joe is working a lot of hours and has not had a chance to do much else.  He is keeping a good attitude about it and is planning to possibly take some time off in the summer after earning some savings and some vacation days.  Perhaps we could do a Dinner with Dad at Summerfest???

Came back home and Joe joined Henry and I in a game of Monopoly.  Joe and I made an early game trade I got States Avenue and he got Park Place.  We had Henry just about out and then I hit Boardwalk wiping me out first followed shortly thereafter by Henry.  Nice win Joe.

Dinner = $28.28  Time with Joe = Priceless!

April with Sara

It has been a while since a Dinner with Dad date.  Last one was the the 4th week of March with Henry.  Since then I had a Dinner with Mom and then a week off because Joe wanted to reschedule due to the fact that we were out of town last weekend which when his dinner would have been. So.....

The first Dinner with Dad for April was with Sara.  First choice for location was either of the new restaurants in town Texas Road House or Red Lobster.  However, just like last month - these two restaurants are still very new and obviously the place to go so very crowded (so much for "times are tough").

So we went with option three which was Buffalo Wild Wings.  I either had never been to Buffalo Wild or it's been a long time.  Thursday is of course "Boneless Thursday" so we both partook in the special.  The only difference was that Sara went with the mild sauce and I went with the medium - which made my head all sweaty.  I think we a both a bit wimpy on the spicey tolerance.

Conversation was great.  Even though Sara does come to the house quite often, it felt like it had been a long time since we last chat.  Sara is working on getting her date for her CNA test and looking forward to that.  She also moved from the upstairs flat in their house to the downstairs flat and are helping the landlord with upkeep and looking for a renter for the upstairs.  It is good to see the constant movement towards her improving her financial situation and career development.  As I told her one step at a time but keep stepping.

Dinner = $27.95  Time with Sara = Priceless!

 

First 3 Months Update and a Challange to Dads and Moms

Three months into Dinners with Dad I have to say I am loving it!  As I have told many of you, this is the best gift that I have ever given to ME.  I have re-connected or connected better with all 4 of my kids and feel like I have something with each of them that I did not have before this started.  Thank you very much Joe, Sara, Brittany and Henry and also a huge thanks to my great wife Lisa who is 100% on board with this whole idea.

Between the blog posts here, my facebook updates and just everyday conversations, I have gotten many comments about this being a great idea and something they or their spouse would like to do.  My guess is that some others may have already started having Dinners with Dad or Dinners with Mom.

I would like to hear your stories and will start adding Guest Stories.   I have added a form at the top of the right hand column for you to submit your stories.  My hope is that this turns into something that many families are doing resulting in many great stories. 

Many studies have been done that prove how important time with your "kids" is - no matter how old the "kids" are.  Also, there is nothing like a one on one dinner with your child in the middle of all of our buy lives.  So go out and dine with your kids and share with the world.  Who will be the first guest post???????