Chuck o Rama

 We had one of those crazy weeks where it seemed like every night either Brad or myself had other commitments, so by Friday night, we really wanted to get out of the house and do something as a family.

Brad thought it would be good to take the kids to the park so they could get some exercise.  It started out with a lot of crying (Gabriel was not in the mood to try out his "new" shoes) and ended with some crying,(Gabriel falling off the swing) but we had some good times in between. 

We told the kids we wanted to take them out to eat, and they were so excited since it doesn't happen very often.  But they had more expensive ideas in mind than we had budgeted for.

We've had two free kids meal passes to Chuck O Rama for quite some time, and when I was looking through our bag of coupons, the kids got really excited about the idea.  I was a little less excited, being that I am not a big fan of buffets for various reasons.  I hadn't been there for quite some time, but I calculated in my head what I thought it would cost and we gave the children several different options of places that would fit in our budget.

Chuck o Rama was the most expensive option, but it was the one Noah was the most excited about.  He seemed almost immovable in his choice.  We finally decided to stop at the restaurant, let the kids look at the buffet and see if it was even what they were thinking it was, since neither Amalie or Noah had ever been there before. (I think Noah had a friend who had gone there and loved it and was basing his fantasies off of this one comment)

Well, upon getting inside, I realized it was a lot more expensive than I had thought, and already having taken money from our trip budget, I didn't think it was wise to spend even more.  The kids walked around, looking at the buffet, their excitement growing.  Amalie had been dying to go to a bakery after watching "Cake Boss" with me and was excited to try the array of desserts they had.

Back in the car, I explained our situation about the budget, explaining that I was already using some money from our upcoming trip fund to pay for the meal, and I didn't want to spend any more of that money since we would need it for our trip.  Brad and I once again suggested other great alternatives, but Noah had his heart set on Chuck o Rama.  I wanted to make them happy, but I had an uncomfortable feeling about going over budget.   Noah, who is our super frugal boy, and hardly ever blows his money on food or candy, asked if he pitched in five dollars and Amalie pitched in one dollar if we could go.

We decided that yes, we could if that were indeed the situation, and after making sure that was really how he wanted to spend his money, we walked in.

I felt a little bummed that we didn't have enough to just pay for the whole family, but it was fascinating to me that it meant that much to Noah.  He is so wise with his money, it was a monumental sacrifice.  I wondered if he would feel it was still worth it afterwards.

It was an absolute pleasure to watch the children.  Just thinking about their faces when they saw the selection of drinks and desserts brings a smile to my face.  They were in heaven.  Their faces showed such delight. They had an amazing time.  And when I asked Noah if the five dollars was worth it, it was a resounding, "Totally, yes."

Noah is a lot like I was as a kid in that he wishes we had more money to do more fun and exciting things, to have a bigger house, etc, etc.  But the funny thing is, he doesn't realize that if we did, he would find no more delight in it.  The fact that we don't go out and do this stuff all the time, makes it an absolutely exciting treat when we do, and they are so appreciative.  It's so fun to see.