Easy outing

Now that I've been on my own for a little while now, I'm starting to discover what kinds of outings work for the three of us (me, Tobey, Eli) during the daytime and what doesn't.

The most high maintenance outing that I do alone with the kids is going to the park. Gotta have snack, water, the right clothing for hot-in-the-sun or cool-in-the-shade temperatures. Make sure we've got the sand toys and slather on the sunblock. And make sure I've got the single stroller in the trunk and a Baby Bjorn for the baby when he's done with the stroller. We would need to go at the right time of day, not in the hottest time of the day if it's hot out, not too late in the day if it's cool. I have enough energy to be able to follow Tobey around, the kind of energy I didn't have one morning when I ended up just going to dim sum with Pora/Dan. And if I have to nurse at the park, I need to be prepared for an uncomfortable nursing session sitting on the grass or on a park bench.

So contrast going to a park to a dim sum or restaurant outing which I think is the lowest maintenance. Since Eli nurses (i.e., I never forget his food) and Tobey eats table food and drinks out of normal cups, there's hardly a thing I need to prepare when heading to a restaurant. No need for snack and no need for sunblock. Just the diaper bag staples of wipes/Purell (and even if I forget those, I can wash Tobey's hands in the bathroom) and possibly some emergency toys/books if he finishes early.

I guess the city girl upbringing still runs in my blood. Last week we went to Angel Island with our neighbors which was even higher maintenance than a park because we also had to bring our own picnic lunch. When leaving the house, I mentioned to my mom how sometimes a whole-day outing like this is kind of "ma fan" (a hassle) and she wholeheartedly agreed. Now I know where my tendencies come from.