Windham, New Hampshire – I had many good ideas for celebrating Mother’s Day with MIL, but Daddio vetoed them all.
Fine. She is his mother, after all, so he should do what he wants.
So today we drove up to New Hampshire to celebrate Mother’s Day (albeit a few days late) the way Daddio planned it.
I have to hand it to him: MIL was thrilled and the boys had a great time.
First stop: Park Place Lanes for candlepin bowling. It’s not Sacco-Bowl, but it is a place where the twins are allowed to roll balls, knock things down and run around. And yes, they put bumpers in the gutters so the twins (and their mother) have a fighting chance. Quote from Twin V today: “I do a little dance because I knock over some pins!”
Bowling does not always hold the twins’ attention for very long; but we recently watched Curious George do it, which seemed to spike their interest level. (If the monkey does it, it must be fun.) Also, I think the twins are actually getting stronger, so it takes five minutes instead of ten for their ball to reach the pins. This means they are more likely to actually see the pins fall over, which must be gratifying.
Second stop: MaryAnn’s Diner in Derry for lunch. This fun 1950s-style diner is a great kid restaurant, as service is fast, the booths are big and the decor provides many distractions. The diner fare is really well done: I highly recommend the specialty sandwich “Pink Cadillac.” (It’s a reuben, and it was delish.) Speaking of Elvis’ car, the place also has a couch made out of the back end of a pink Cadillac, which was a useful play space and diversion for hungry kids waiting for their burger.
Last stop: Johnson’s Highland View Farm for ice cream. They serve Richardson’s ice cream, which is excellent. But they also have goats, sheep, horses, turkeys, geese and chickens running around. And a gigantic bull. So everybody can hang out with the farm animals and expend every last ounce of energy before the long sleepy ride home.
Now, if your MIL does not live in Windham, New Hampshire, you might not be inclined to make a special trip with your children to go bowling and eat at a diner. But if you did, I guarantee, it would not be the worst day of their lives. Or yours.