This post should be entitled how to get eight children to sleep late, really late in the morning!!! I have been asked so many sleep questions lately I thought I would show you exactly how we get our kids to sleep…
I just need to mention a little proviso and say that Cape Town’s beach world is divided into two: Family beaches like ours (Fish Hoek) and trendy beaches like Clifton. Well once a year we cross the social divide and head for a trendy beach. Now last year we went by yacht, which is socially acceptable but unfortunately this option wasn’t available to us and we went by car – less sociably acceptable – but who would know once we finally got to the beach!!!
Now another thing: There are two traditionally hectic beach days in Cape Town… you know the days when shops needn’t open, where locals know to stay home even if it is snowing. The first day is the day after New Years Day – we even have a name for it: “Tweede Nuwe Yaar” – or “Second New Year,” when absolutely everyone heads for Kalk bay – so did we. But this post is all about the weekend before… the other traditional beach day and that would be the day after Boxing day. Okay so I was bribed: I would drive across town and go to the beach after bed-time in exchange for supper out… Everyone was happy!!!
Here begins the “How to get your kids to sleep” part of the post… The day after Boxing Day we waited until suppertime – you know the time of day when you normally get supper together and try to get everyone to bed as calmly as possible… Well instead we gathered our sanity, hit the traffic, and headed out. We only parked about thirty kilometers from the beach (okay that would be about 2 kilometers)…
And we finally got there:
Then we let the short people play until their shadows were really, really long… (at least 8:30pm…) and then play a little bit longer…
And eventually when we could put it off no longer we headed home… and wished this one was ours!!!
Now this is what we were putting off:
Forget about the traffic, we couldn’t face the stairs!!! and then the other stairs and then the even more stairs… just so many stairs!!! But worth the sunset, not to mention a last little fatigue inducer:
And then we discovered yet another problem, in this part of cosmopolitan Cape Town the day is just beginning as the sun goes down!!! There was so much traffic we could barely move… and this is where the bribe came into play, we found ourselves at the Waterfront again… looking for food in the dead of night well about 9:30pm… And every single eatery was packed out, packed with every single tourist in Cape Town!!! So sandy footed we traipsed around looking for any spot and the only place we could find with spaces for ten would have meant we needed two or three tables widely spaced across the restaurant floor… hmmm, not a good plan!!!
And here is the time to declare I have a new favorite restaurant: Krugmann’s Grill… We read their board, we walked around and back to the board… It looked a little smart for our obviously sandy feet. But nothing ventured nothing gained… we asked if they could seat us (and I am thinking it is late, the kids are tired, they are never going to handle separate tables right now…).
Well one look at us and they offered us a private room!!! With leather chairs and glass topped tables and brilliant friendly, helpful service!!! Royal treatment I dare say!!! Past the intriguing wall of water… and waiting for our food:
The bread comes on a tray!!! Lovely!!!
And since they were so nice we had to have great big meals all round…
And we pushed two chairs together for our little wriggler!!!
That was us a family party in the dead of night, far from the madding crowds…
The food was fabulous, we left our platters clean. Everybody ate everything!!! We also left a lot of sand under the table (sorry folks). And had a fabulous time!!! If I had planned any of this it would have been a disaster – there is something to be said for spontaneity!!!
We got home well after mid-night…tumbled some kids through the shower and that was the last we heard from anyone till lunchtime the next day…
That does not work for me! My kids are up by 7a.m., generally, regardless. (Unless sick the night prior.)
Our best “trick” has been giving the kids a watch or alarm clock, setting it for 0730 and telling the kids they can’t get out of bed till it goes off.
what a marvvellous time you had; those sunsets really are worth staying up for! wish i could have joined you!
Oooh C, so many folks have told me their kids get up at 5 or 6 every morning, no matter what – nightmare!!! Mine start to surface about eight and I have one or two early risers who know to get up and stealthily read a book!!! But this outing – I guess it was the fresh air and the middle of the night meal that totally stumped them!!! And sleeeeeeeeeeppppp ensued!!! Lovely!!!
Hay Aunty Muffin!!! Yo are so right, great sunset, great fun (but the stairs!!!) and a great unexpected meal out!!! Yup a lovely time!!! Lots of love to you guys!!!
those meals look goooood! thanks for sharing your day!
Hi M, Love your blog, had a great visit there today!!! You have a great day!!!
Ha! I just read this post now when someone asked if we’d gone to Krugmann’s Grill last week because you’d mentioned it. So I came to see which post they were talking about – how funny! We had a similar experience – last year, for our wedding anniversary in Dec, we also walked around until we stumbled upon KG and their fantastic menu. We LOVED it so much that we took our friends back to it when we had a last dinner out with my brother and sis-in-law. We got the private room too – lovely! Definitely a great restaurant and GREAT sushi!
Hi T, Small world!!! We don’t do sushi!!! Not even slightly!!! Far too adventurous for us!!! But their onion rings – hmmmm!!! I hope you didn’t get sandy feet left over from when we were there!!! What they must have thought when they swept under the table I have no idea!!! Have a great week!!!