The Big 'M'

I'm pretty health conscious when it comes to choosing what Anna can and can't eat. In fact, we still have Valentine's candy in the cabinet that her friends at All for Twos gave us. I've never really liked McDonalds food and it certainly isn't good for you but after hearing our pastor talk about his kids always wanting to go to McDonalds for their 'happy meals', I realized that Anna is going to be 3 soon and has no idea even what a McDonalds is. I felt a little guilty like I'm a terrible mother for not allowing my child to experience a McDonalds cheeseburger and fries. It is almost like its a rite of passage or something. So anyway, Ron had to work late the other night and I packed her in the van and said, "We're heading to McDonalds for dinner this evening". She had no idea what it was asking "Mommy, Do you mean Old MacDonald's Farm?" Well, when we arrived, she didn't know what to do with herself. We threw caution to the wind and arrived without a bib or sippy cup our normal staples at any restaurant. Then I threw her for a loop when I said we could sit in the booth together -without a highchair! She looked at me like I had three heads or something. Well, we had the best time. She sat in the 'boot' as she called it, swinging her little legs, eating her greasy cheeseburger and dipping her fries in the ketchup. She thought it was so neat to drink milk with a straw and blow bubbles with it. The icing on the cake came when I told her all happy meals come with a surprise toy in them. She looked at me as if to say "It gets better than this???" After eating my cheeseburger, I was reminded why we hadn't been to McDonalds in years, but after seeing the smile on Anna's face as we walked out of there, I realized it was all worth it. I guess I'll have to introduce her soon to Burger King.