What You Can't Do At Chuck E. Cheese.

As far as knitting goes (and as I've previously mentioned), this week was a wash. At the last minute, I was in a class for the entire week, which has only added to my workload since I missed quite a bit at the office. I tried to handle some important matters during class breaks and whatever time I had afterwards before running off to get Baby A.K. from daycare. But knitting? Too busy during the day, too tired at night.

But... I did think about knitting today. I thought I'd have the opportunity to break out Husband's socks and... gasp... talk to adults for a bit. Because, my friends, we were invited to a birthday party at...
Chuck E. Cheese.

I'm so old that I remember when this place came into being, but believe it or not, I've never actually been there. This was to be a new experience for all three A.K. family members. I knew, though, that it was a safe place for kids to run around and play while the adults... did something else. And for me, that something else was supposed to be knitting.

I know you know what's coming, so you can stop laughing at me now.

My fantasy of sitting in a corner somewhere and knitting died the minute we walked in. The place was loud, hot, and mind-numbing. The birthday party we were attending was one of, I swear, 15. One of our friends who was in attendance even commented that she'd never seen the place so crowded. Lucky, lucky us.

With both of her parents in tow, Baby A.K. picked her way through the masses of children carefully, taking it all in. Little by little, she became bolder and vaulted herself towards the games with great excitement. Although I tried to leave her in her Daddy's capable hands so I could run away screaming knit a bit, she wouldn't have it: "Noooooo, Mommy, you come, too!" At some point after cake and before the sun went down, Husband looked at his watch and said, "Did you know it's 5:30?" The birthday boy's family had already packed up their car, and no one was left from our party... except us. We gathered up our things, cashed in our tickets (for Baby A.K.'s favorite: a lollipop), and went home.

So, to sum up: when attending anything at Chuck E. Cheese, don't even kid yourself about grabbing any "me" time. Won't happen. Ever.