Mommas Gotta Eat her Egg!

I'm stealing from another writer this entry (with permission) because I think her "Egg" story completely exemplifies why I created SadieDey's Cafe in the first place:


"I remember a therapist, who also happens to be my Step Mother, telling
> me a story once. She said, “There was once a mom who had one egg and
> three children to feed. Do you know what she did?”
>
> “Split it 3 ways and feed her hungry children?”
>
> “She went to her room, locked the door, and ate the egg.”
>
> “Ugh, what a horrible story. The mom locked herself in with the egg?
> What did she do next, eat her children?”
>
> “Jenny, what is the matter with you? The kids need the mom more than
> they need the egg. If she takes care of herself she can better take
> care of her children. She could have split that one egg three ways and
> then passed out and then what would they have?”
>
> “Scrambled eggs?”
>
> “You’re missing the point.”
>
> Here of course is the point, which is easier to impart than to accept.
> Taking a break from being a mom doesn’t make you a bad mom. You are
> other things… a wife, a daughter, an (insert profession or hobby
> here,) you need to give yourself the freedom to be those things as
> well. Sometimes “selfishly” taking care of yourself makes you a
> happier person and therefore a better mom.
> I know, the theory sounds so obvious, it need not be stated and yet I
> know only a handful of people so evolved as to live by it. I am
> working on becoming more evolved as we speak, I am ignoring my son,
> who is begging me to play Wii so, I can finish writing this blog...
> sorry gotta go it’s my turn to virtual bowl."
>
> http://www.thesuburbanjungle.com/guilty


Susan Older-Mondeel is the founder of SadieDey's Cafe, a play cafe in Oakland, CA . Sue wanted a community place where she could enjoy her children and enjoy herself, preferably with a strong coffee in hand. Where was this common ground for children and the weary adults who love them? Well it was in her head and in her heart and now at 4210 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland CA. Check it out at http://sadiedeyscafe.com/or call 510-601-REST (7378) SadieDey's Cafe-You've gotta eat, Kids gotta play!

12/30/10 Momma Sue's Weekly SPIN Vlog

SadieDey's Cafe is going on Vacation Too!

Hi Folks,

It's summer and many of you reading this have just come back from,or are preparing for, some much needed R&R. Vacations allow us fun, adventure, some rest (unless you decided to take the kids that is :) and sometimes even a fresh perspective and renewed energy. Well we've decided our 3rd baby needs a vacation too.

Brian and I have decided to take some time this summer to spend with our own Sadie & Dey as well as to take a fresh perspective on SadieDey's. We plan to work on a new FASTER and still yummy menu, we want to install some new toys, get a fresh coat of paint, and basically give her a good freshening up before cold weather is on us again.

We know that this will disappointing for our loyal summer patrons, but we hope you will support us as we continually improve our cafe and try to make sure every visit is better than the last. We will stay active on our facebook page as we keep you up to date on progress and we will be sending out a survey soon so that you can have a say in what improvements would make you the most happy. Every person who participates will get a FREE one month Family membership for your valuable feedback.

We will return this Fall, renewed, rejuvenated, rested, clean and yes, even more fun.

Sincerely,

Sue, Brian, Sadie and Dey!

Friday July 16th will be our final day that we are open to the public till the Fall. Admission is FREE all day and we'll be serving up sno-cones and fun. Please come join us for SadieDey's Bon Voyage party.

The cafe will still be available for parties and any special events or classes. Please call the hotline at 510-459-3811 or email me at party@sadiedeyscafe.com.

All memberships will be pro-rated and all punch card expiration dates will be extended. All already scheduled parties will proceed as planned. Please email me at sue@sadiedeyscafe.com if you have any other questions that I have not addressed.

Please don't let me get a pie in the face! (only 6 days left)

There are some people who have no problem asking someone for a 45 min. ride to the airport, for a loan, to help move, or a last minute babysitting favor. I am just not one of those people. I can't think of anything worse than asking someone with little or no time to spare, to give me some of theirs.

Being an entrepreneur means you gotta ask a lotta favors and I'm always wonderfully amazed by how generous people are when I essentially "Hit them up" for something I might need. For that I am always thankful. Whenever someone asks a favor of me I try to remember how many favors helped me get SadieDey's up and running.

Well its contest time again which means it's "need" time again too. As a small mom-owned business, winning these contests helps us advertise our unique cafe, so more and more folks like you will find out about us. It's one of those times where I hate to ask but, well, I gotta.

Here's the lowdown:
We are nominated for the Baylist Best Family Restaurant Here:
http://baylist.sfgate.com/sadiedey-s-cafe/biz/162039

And for Bay Area Parent here: http://budurl.com/bestofbay2010

Here are the categories we'd like to win:

Out and About-Best Indoor Playspace (2009 winner!):SadieDey’s Cafe

Parties-Best Place to Throw a Kids Party: SadieDey’s Cafe

Shopping -Best Family Restaurant: SadieDey’s Cafe

Don't forget that if I lose "Best Indoor Playspace" I will be getting a nice chocolate pie in the face, but please do not let the joy of seeing me getting a face full deter you from giving us your vote :)

Thank you for your support, and send me an email if you would like to remind me to vote for you too.
Sincerely,
Momma Sue
sue@sadiedeyscafe.com

Susan Older-Mondeel is the founder of SadieDey's Cafe, a play cafe in Oakland, CA . Sue wanted a community place where she could enjoy her children and enjoy herself, preferably with a strong coffee in hand. Where was this common ground for children and the weary adults who love them? Well it was in her head and in her heart and now at 4210 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland CA. Check it out at http://www.sadiedeyscafe.com/ or call 510-601-REST (7378) SadieDey's Cafe-You've gotta eat, Kids gotta play!

The Joke's on ME this year

After last years infamous Chuckee Cheese April Fools Day joke, which included a carefully crafted newsletter account of how we were installing video games, a deep fat fryer and Mother & Daughter pole dancing lessons, we had hate mail for weeks, 20 percent of our newsletter subscribers opted out permanently (never getting the follow up joke reveal btw) and ironically I never felt so loved or appreciated for my efforts.

The more hateful the letter the more I knew I had hit a nerve and that we provided something so special that the idea of selling it out, created absolute mayhem. I even had some fans writing me nasty letters in the morning, only to follow it up with a "Thank you for the best laugh I had all day", both at me and themselves for falling for it.

This year I had to do something to get another laugh. Well, there were a lot of laughs for sure, but they were all at me and my realization that no one knows the name of our cafe!

Here was the plan: I called my buddy Ron, who owns Play Cafe, and asked if we could switch shirts for April Fool's and greet everyone with each other's cafe name. I giggled all week just thinking about the confused faces, the laughs, the "Where am I, I thought I was meeting my mom's group at SadieDey's" moment.

We donned our shirts and readied the camera hoping to capture the looks. First customers arrived. "Welcome to Play Cafe, where the little kids Play...." NOTHING. Second customer, third, 4th, 20th-still nothing. I get on the mic and say very loudly, "Thank you so much for joining us at Play Cafe today!" By now Brian, and Jo are laughing their butts off at me. No one is laughing cause no one is getting it. I might as well have said "Welcome to Good Vibrations, can I interest you in some sex toys today?" I had the new gal, Shangra, go over to Nigel's table who has been coming since we opened. She said "Welcome to Play Cafe" and he said "Thank you so much." sigh.......

By the end of my shift one of our regular gals got it and played along (thanks Nes). My guess is that more people got tricked, but between wrangling small children, trying to inject caffeine, and get themselves settled, our clientele just does not care or notice what we are called. Is there a playground? Is there Coffee? Is there Food? Can I sit down for a moment and gather myself? Great! Call yourself whatever the hell you want, just STAY OPEN!

OK, Done! :)

Sincerely,

Sue

Susan Older-Mondeel is the founder of SadieDey's Cafe, a play cafe in Oakland, CA . Sue wanted a community place where she could enjoy her children and enjoy herself, preferably with a strong coffee in hand. Where was this common ground for children and the weary adults who love them? Well it was in her head and in her heart and now at 4210 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland CA. Check it out at http://www.sadiedeyscafe.com/ or call 510-601-REST (7378) SadieDey's Cafe-You've gotta eat, Kids gotta play!

My miracles of Life

Before you were conceived,(I kept the pregnancy test business IN business every month for almost a year!)AND, I wanted you. Before you were born (I had unrelenting morning sickness for 8 months) AND , I loved you. Before you were an hour old, (I ate a Huge platter of fettuccine Alfredo & a 2 liter of coke while you nursed the entire time) AND This is the Miracle of life. Put this on your status if (your are exhausted!) AND you have children you love more than life itself..

Susan Older-Mondeel is the founder of SadieDey's Cafe, a play cafe in Oakland, CA . Sue wanted a community place where she could enjoy her children and enjoy herself, preferably with a strong coffee in hand. Where was this common ground for children and the weary adults who love them? Well it was in her head and in her heart and now at 4210 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland CA. Check it out at http://www.sadiedeyscafe.com/ or call 510-601-REST (7378) SadieDey's Cafe-You've gotta eat, Kids gotta play!

A Gift from SadieDey's to get you through the Rainy Days

Berkeley Playhouse Presents Singin' in the Rain at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, March 6 - March 21. Go back to the magic of 1930's Hollywood with one of the most funny and upbeat movie-musicals ever made. With high stakes, big egos and unforgettable show tunes, this fun, fast-paced comedy will have you rolling in the aisles (along with the movie cameras!) And when it comes to singing and dancing in a rain storm, you won't believe how classic Hollywood will seduce your imagination.

With a witty script, lots of acrobatic antics and clowning, and show-stopping songs such as "Make em Laugh" and "Moses Supposes his Toes's are Roses", Singin' in the Rain is the gold standard in family musicals!

SadieDey's members and customers get 20% off tickets to Singin' in the Rain- save $3.60 - $5.80 per ticket! Go to BOXOFFICE on the Berkeley Playhouse website at to purchase and type the passcode: TALKIES at checkout!

Susan Older-Mondeel is the founder of SadieDey's Cafe, a play cafe in Oakland, CA . Sue wanted a community place where she could enjoy her children and enjoy herself, preferably with a strong coffee in hand. Where was this common ground for children and the weary adults who love them? Well it was in her head and in her heart and now at 4210 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland CA. Check it out at http://www.sadiedeyscafe.com/ or call 510-601-REST (7378) SadieDey's Cafe-You've gotta eat, Kids gotta play!