Last week, Steve and I enjoyed the company of three granddaughters for 8 full days.  WE LEARNED A LOT!!!  On Thursday, Steve was working at a vet clinic all day, so the girls and I had a chance to eat out and shop at a leisurely pace.

We started with breakfast at Mia’s Cafe in Madison.  Mia’s is open Monday – Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  We arrived about 9:00 a.m., and the dining room still had plenty of diners enjoying breakfast with friends.  I was very pleased to see a Kids Menu which included a large pancake and bacon or sausage for only $2.50.  The girls were delighted when their meals arrived and the pancakes had Mickey Mouse ears!!!  I ordered a couple of a la carte items, and we left spending less than $20.00, including their chocolate milks.  Score!!!

Interior of Mia’s.

Mia’s has lunch and dinner specials (a meat, 3 vegetables, cornbread or roll) for $9.99.  There are 4 meats to choose from and at least 10 vegetables. The restaurant is clean, and the service is very friendly.  I think you’d enjoy giving it a try.

Bethany ate the WHOLE thing!

We had very few items on our must-find list, so we merely strolled the aisles of Toys-R-Us, imagining what they would buy if they had all the money in the world.  Bless them.  I got some good ideas for future birthdays, and they helped me select several additions for the toy closet in our house to be shared by ALL the grands.

Next, we headed to Barnes and Noble Bookseller at Bridgestreet in Huntsville.  I seriously believe they could have stayed for hours.  We found our way to the children’s section, they made themselves comfortable on the carpeted floor and started looking and reading.  How nice that this area also provides chairs for weary parents and grandparents.

Our next stop was to a large Target store with the specific goal of buying a gift for an upcoming baby shower.  Once again, their opinions were invaluable.  I was so impressed that the girls weren’t begging and whining the whole time.  They truly appeared to enjoy looking at the merchandise on the shelves at an unhurried pace without thinking that everything they saw had to be purchased and taken home RIGHT THEN.

By the time we left Target, we were hungry again, so we made our way to Fulin’s Asian Cuisine in Madison — in the same parking lot as Target.  They had their hearts set on fried rice.  Once we sat down, though, and looked at the Children’s Menu, they spotted Sweet and Sour Chicken and decided to give that a try.  Again, the Children’s Menu was affordable — all items were only $5.00.  The 3 girls shared 2 plates of the chicken (which has now become one of their new favorites — could it be that sweet, red sauce?), and we all shared a very generous serving of chicken fried rice.  So, once again, we didn’t have to spend an exorbitant amount, and all of us were comfortably full.  Thanks, Fulin’s.

From an adult perspective, Fulin’s has an extensive selection of Chinese and Japanese dishes with many varieties of sushi, sashimi, soups and noodles.  There is another location of Fulin’s in Decatur at the Target Shopping Center on Point Mallard Parkway.

Hot and Sour Soup at Fulin’s — nice and spicy.

Children’s plates for only $5.00.

Remember that the portion of chicken fried rice is very generous.

2 fortune cookies in one package HAS to be lucky. Right?

Just as another FYI — the next night before we saw “Cinderella” at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, we ate a quick supper at Blue Plate Cafe on Governor’s Drive.  They, too, have a Children’s Menu with some great options for under $5.00.  As a grandmother of 12-almost-13 grandchildren, I am very grateful to restaurants who offer discounted and smaller meals.

Have you found some good suggestions for restaurants (other than fast food places) where you can feed several children reasonably and happily?  I’d love to hear about them.  Please share.