A drive-thru getaway

Bring the bubbly, fluff the pillows and draw the drapes: I’ll read The Skimm while I nosh blackberry crepes and read Yelp reviews for Barrio (fusion tacos), Barbettte (classic French), and Piccolo (Italian small plates). No concern for time, I’ll comment on Instagram, tweet at friends, and get down-right lost inside Aziz Ansari’s Modern Romance. My breakfast-in-bed session only ends when it’s time for a dip in the jacuzzi tub loaded with Lush bath-bombs. Hello, vacation!
Hey mama, do you have dreams of lounging lazy in bed? A Saturday morning void of cries and diapers and feedings, and overflowing with free-time and room service? If yes (and I’m guessing yes), I have the solution for you: the bells&whistle drive-thru service at naptime.
So it’s not exactly a luxury getaway, but it only costs $9.91 (if you order extra sauce like I do) to eat your meal nice and slow (like the days of old) while listening to Serial, calling your sister or, because it just might be necessary, responding to week-old emails.
Y’all, I’m a little in love with the drive-thru service in Minneapolis. Max naps from 9-11 every morning, and then we venture out to storytime or kiddyrock or splash-pad for action and movement and good-times (critical for preventing cabin fever in a state better known as Mega-Snow-Duh). My bean spends the afternoon hours exploring, splashing and
wiggling, and then he sleeps-it-out when he gets into his car seat. Max is asleep at last, and I’m behind the glorious wheel: Where to go, and what to do? And HOORAY!
“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest.” —Ernest Hemmingway, A Moveable Feast
That quote might seem a little outta nowhere, but I feel about car naptime the way Ernest Hemmingway feels about spring in Paris.
With Max asleep and a car full of gas, my only problems are deciding which drive-thru to visit, where to park my car (people watching by 50^th and France or a lakeside view at Harriet?), and whether I want to troll RentTheRunway for a bachelorette dress or watch an episode (or two) of “Homeland.”
If you’re looking for your own car-getaway afternoon that feels like a luxury breakfast-in-bed morning, then I have three tips for you:
1.     Prepare for mealtime. Little one could nap an hour or two, and that means you can eat without sharing or stopping. You could be like me and research drive-thrus, or you could be healthy and financially savvy by packing a lunch.
2.     Bring entertainment. I’ve always got my Kindle, phone and a charger in my diaper bag. If you’re into knitting or crosswords or something non-tech related, bring that. The car is your very own fun-zone during naptime.
3.     Let friends know you’re free! For reals, I oftentimes drive to my husband’s work to share a picnic-style meal in the car. Who needs to celebrate Valentine’s Day when you’re regularly eating Chick-fil-A in the Jeep?