The Closet Cafe

My kids are addicted to video games and I'm always trying to think of way to get them to unplug. My first clue about their addiction was when they all started to run around the house speaking in an Italian-accented falsetto. "Ima Mario!" (Super Mario Bros. for the uninitiated) They play some form of a Super Mario Bros game on the computer or on the Nintendo or on the Wii. And since we've gotten rid of cable, it's something they have been doing a lot more lately.

So last night, I decided to help them unplug and I was able to get Mia and Spencer to help me make dinner. I helped Spencer decide that we were going to make homemade pizza. (Moms are incredibly influencial when we want to be.) We got out the dough mix and some water and mixed it together. While we were waiting for the dough to rise, Spencer remembered that Grandma K had given the kids a chef's hat and apron a while back and ran upstairs to put his on. Mia ran upstairs to her room to look for hers but couldn't find it anywhere. We searched her tiny closet. Not in the toy box. Not in the dress-up cubbie. Not even on the shelf where we put her baby things that we haven't had the heart to sell yet.

As we were looking Spencer came up with the idea that we should build stairs in Mia's closet. Her tiny 1 1/2 ' by 3' closet. "Yeah! And we could put a shelf up there!" Spencer added, his excitement building.

"It could be our restaurant!" Mia chimed in. Barely started in their culinary training, my little chefs were already planning their first restaurant. We hadn't even gotten the pizza in the oven and they were making plans for table lay out, menu content and whether "bistro" or "cafe" had better commercial viability. The Closet Cafe.

We never did find Mia's chef's costume. We settled for a princess hat and a fancy necklace and came downstairs and finished the pizza. Which, by the way, was AWESOME! Healthier than takeout. Tastier and cheaper than frozen. And it was made from love. My kids, at least for an hour put down the video games, gave me a chuckle, and we all had a great time.

And even if they never open up their Italian Pizza Bistro Closet Cafe, at least they've got the wardrobe and, of course, the accent down pat.