Having spent the summer at the cottage, our garden at home has been looking a bit pathetic lately due to lack of water, neglect and energy (sounds like me on some days!). So we decided to stay down from the cottage this weekend and throw ourselves back into it to prepare for the upcoming winter. It was a glorious day for garden work and we managed to get everything done but come 6pm the family was hungry and I was too tired to cook. I suggested we pop out to a new restaurant in town (Via Mia) that I was assured was kid-friendly. We had the 17 month old, 5 year old and 8 year old neighbour with us so we cleaned ourselves off and headed out. The kids were delighted to find a Bambinos menu and quickly zeroed in on the pasta with butter and cheese - even at this age they know that as long as the ingredients are fresh - the simplest preparation can sometimes be the best! I went for a good class of Chianti and a tri coloured ravioli while hubby had the spicy sausage penne. Everyone's choice was a hit and plates were quickly emptied. In between mouthfuls, my neighbour's child was eyeing the dessert menu and remarked that he'd like to try the Speedometer ice-cream but he thought the $5 cost was too high! After determining he meant the Spumoni ice-cream we told him we'd splurge on him and order his choice. While waiting for dessert the 5 and 8 year old wanted to know why ice cream would cost $5 a bowl. So not to shrug them off I went about explaining the costs associated with running a restaurant. It turned into a great time killer and learning experience for them as we looked around the room to see what could be added into our cost. I explained costs associated with the actual food, the chef, the dishwasher, the server, the building and all the way down to the actual bowl it came in. They were amazed at all the things that had to be paid for before they could sit down to that bowl of ice cream they were now slurping down! As the owner (whom I know well) approached our table to thank us for our patronage - the 8 year old shouted out..."Hey Mike, I'd pay a million dollars for this Speedometer ice cream but if I bring my own bowl and get my mom to wash it can I get it for free?" Ah, from the mouth of babes! They might have been a bit young to understand it all but was a fun way to finish off a great Saturday - that and the Chianti!