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Monday, June 13, 2011

Happy Meal Trauma

An exciting development happened a few years back.  A McDonald's was built just minutes from my house!  I was pregnant at the time and wanting to inhale McMuffins, so I was giddy to have closer access to my craving.  

We still go through the drive-thru at least once a week occasionally.  I always make the kids get apple dippers and usually white milk. That makes it healthy, right? 

It's the toys that cause our trauma.  Here are the last two adventures:
 
Incident #1
My three-year-old, Mase, and my five-year-old, Evie, got these flapping bird Happy Meal toys.  They weren't the most impressive prizes I'd seen.

After lunch I was cleaning up.  My one-year-old, Dax, was demanding my full attention, crying at my feet.  I noticed one of the birds laying on the counter, still in it's package.  So, of course, I opened it and gave the  bird to the baby.  Worse mistake ever!

I suddenly hear a large bird-like squawk from the corner of the room.  It was my stasher, Evie. "Mom!!! You opened my bird.  Why did you do that?!?  You know I didn't want you to do that!" she cries.

"Sorry.  You didn't put it away.  I didn't know it was yours."

"It was on the counter. Why did you open it?  Why!?!"  At this point I normally would have had her calm down or go to her room, but we had to go pick up her sister from school.

I was trapped with my daughter's wrath.  "You need to go to your room because you opened my toy and you used my reindeer cup last week."

"Oh, definitely.  I will go to my room.  You just need to make sure to change the baby's diaper and put him down for a nap, and help Dani with her homework, and you need to read some books to Mase."

There was a long pause.  A hint of a smile.  "Yes."

She had forgotten about the bird by the time we got home.  He is now "missing".

Incident #2
Mase had Evie's most precious zooble (round bird-like creature) Happy Meal toy and wouldn't give it back.  Evie attempted to make a trade with a muscle guy.  Mase took the muscle guy, but decided to keep Evie's toy also and ran.  

Squawking Evie was chasing Mase around the living room.  I started chasing Evie.  It was quite a spectacle, over a Happy Meal toy?

Sadly, this toy is also no longer with us.

I've heard that some people are petitioning to have McDonald's get rid of their Happy Meal toys.  And miss out on these memories???  Never.


Grateful Mom Goal of the Week:  No McDonald's this week.  Maybe Chick-fil-A.  Their toys are not so coveted.

 An extra note:  My little red-headed Evie is one of the sweetest squawking girls you will ever find. 

Labels: ,

posted by Grumpy Grateful Mom @ Monday, June 13, 2011   32 Comments

32 Comments:

At June 13, 2011 at 9:12 AM , Blogger LA Botchar said...

We need to build a bigger house just to hold all the Happy Meals toys around here!! It's terrible because it means we go quite a bit - but this is a small town and there isn't anything else besides pizza and Kentucky Fried Chicken. But with 3 kids -- it adds up! Plus, I usually get a happy meal too because it is smaller portions. Oh, the fights that have broken out in this home over whether mom will request the girl toy or the boy toy. Oh yes, I am loving it. LOL

 
At June 13, 2011 at 9:16 AM , Blogger Liz Mays said...

I haven't seen the toys lately, but there have been a few that were coveted over here. That Dalmations collection was awesome! Remember that?

 
At June 13, 2011 at 9:21 AM , Blogger Vivian said...

LOL....As weird as it may seem I'm not a McDonald's mom at all...didn't grow up with it so very rarely take my kids there. (I don't think they like me very much for it) but hey like you say there is Chick-fil-a just down the street. I can't stand my kid's, specially my 5yr old son's, drama, screaming and craziness when he gets a repeated toy or a toy he doesn't want (like the bird last week...)what's up with that bird?????

 
At June 13, 2011 at 9:22 AM , Blogger CaffeinatedOCMommy said...

My Dear GGM, McD's has taken over our diets at one time or another, all across this great nation and beyond... who can resist their french fries? And then there's the Happy Meal drama that comes with? It's as American as apple pie! Mmmmmm, apple pie turnovers... quick, get me to a drive thru... Cups Up! xoxo

 
At June 13, 2011 at 9:40 AM , Blogger Isabel said...

Lol! So funny! Like how you handle Evie's outrage in the first incident.:)

 
At June 13, 2011 at 9:45 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Cracking me up again, as always. Hugs!

 
At June 13, 2011 at 10:03 AM , Blogger m&msmommy said...

Too funny!

Thankfully Mia is to young to care about what toy her brother gets in his Happy Meal, but I know those days are limited! :) And then I'm sure she'll want the toy he gets in teh "Boy meal" and vice versa! :) No one is ever happy! ;)

 
At June 13, 2011 at 10:44 AM , Blogger Jessica said...

I love that she tried to put you on timeout. I would glad go too.

 
At June 13, 2011 at 11:18 AM , Blogger mrsmarkdave said...

Oh my. Lucky for me, I was (and still am) the youngest and nobody ever wanted my toys. My oldest sibling is 11 years older, my second oldest sibling is 9 yeas older, and my next is 4 years older).
I still have my Berenstein Bears and Muppet Babies Happy Meal toys. I remember the dumb ones and how I loved them at the time, and some of them that weren't so dumb I wish I still had.
My favorite (other than the Berenstein Bears) was when the Happy Meals came in plastic tugboats that also came with stickers you could put on them. I played with them in the tub and the stickers didn't last too long.

 
At June 13, 2011 at 11:47 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah, I remember coveting my McDonald's toys from my sisters...they mess them up somehow! Ha!

 
At June 13, 2011 at 12:05 PM , Blogger Irish Italian Blessings said...

Ok I TOTALLY remember fighting with my sister over McDonalds toys. As if there was some higher power, I ALWAYS got the boy toy and she would never ever let me have the girl toy. I can't wait till Kaylin gets her first McDonalds toy :)

 
At June 13, 2011 at 12:36 PM , Blogger Jaclyn M said...

This just makes me want to go to McDonalds. On that note have you tried the new sweet chili dipping sauce? Yum!!!! Dinner on the way to class ;)

 
At June 13, 2011 at 12:41 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh I loved your stories! Your children sound like a hoot. :)

 
At June 13, 2011 at 1:38 PM , Blogger Tatiana said...

Her trying to put you in time out cracks me up! I would gladly go in time out nowadays. Thirty minutes of alone time in my room sounds heavenly!

 
At June 13, 2011 at 4:14 PM , Blogger Janette @ The Johanson Journey said...

Number 1, I am a daily drive thru customer during my current pregnancy. I'm not afraid to admit it. And those dang toys!! I swear!! The memories are worth it... and who comes up with those things anyway? They are usually trash as fast as I can sneak it past my son..

 
At June 13, 2011 at 5:05 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would happily take a time out in my room :) Ha ha.. Luckily, this first time we made it through the drive thru, the girls got the same toy. What are the lucky chances of that!!? I counted my blessings because I know it won't happen again!

 
At June 13, 2011 at 7:35 PM , Blogger Mrs E said...

is it sad to announce we have the SAME toys you just wrote about? the flapping bird, the zooble and the muscle man. Or should I say men... muscle men.

ugh...and the muscle men keep finding their way to the outside of my bathroom door. Ouch!

 
At June 13, 2011 at 7:40 PM , Blogger Sandra Tyler said...

That's too good -- I would give ANYTHING for someone to tell me to go to MY room! My best friend told me about when she was growing up, her mother used to do just that; she'd go to her room to read a book every day, and just tell all four kids to leave her alone. Can you imagine us over-anxious parents in this generation leaving our kids to fend for themselves? Even just in the other room?

 
At June 13, 2011 at 7:56 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

That is a hilarious story! It makes me kind of sad that I don't know what these creates are...my kids have outgrown the Happy Meal. Wait until the day that you get all girls toys or all boys toys and you don't realize until it's too late.

 
At June 13, 2011 at 8:23 PM , Blogger Karen Greenberg said...

This makes me SO glad I was too much of a cheapskate to buy the Happy Meals. I know, I'm a really bad mom.

 
At June 13, 2011 at 8:26 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Oh my!! such tragedies!!! Ahaha
Love that she wanted to put you in time out!

 
At June 13, 2011 at 8:27 PM , Blogger Jen said...

Oh my gosh...we try so hard not to go to McDonalds all the time...but i just love the fries!! And the toys get thrown away after a week at my house.

 
At June 13, 2011 at 8:38 PM , Blogger sarah said...

I've thrown away many a Happy Meal Toy (sometimes I've even had to 'hide' it in a dirty diaper or two). And I'm loving that Evie was going to send you to your room! Winning! ;)
Speaking of, I think I'll send myself to time-out. Been a long day... :)

 
At June 14, 2011 at 12:34 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

I love this story!!!! You always have me in stiches and I love how you handle your children!! I love that she told you to go to your room, that is priceless!!! You are so right, wouldn't it be cool if we could?!!! Thank you for another great peice!!!

 
At June 14, 2011 at 6:56 AM , Blogger Liz said...

Dontcha just love when you do something so vague as open a toy yet it incites a riot?!? Like, how could we moms have done something so heinous! :)

 
At June 14, 2011 at 11:18 AM , Blogger Just A Normal Mom said...

I can totally picture that! I'm so glad I'm no longer cleaning Happy Meal toys out of the bottom of toy boxes. Now to get rid of the last of the "Teeny Beanies" they gave out way back when....

 
At June 14, 2011 at 11:44 AM , Blogger Jenny Lynn said...

Awe,The drama of the Micky D toy's. As we call them here. I got so tired of it. I stopped buying happy meals. Benefit from that was not only no more drama, I saved money.

 
At June 14, 2011 at 1:36 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Great stories! I'm not looking forward to the day Mags & Jess.start fighting over the toys. It will happen because Mags LOVES those damn thing (just like I did ).

 
At June 14, 2011 at 10:56 PM , Blogger NonDomesticMama said...

Ah the happy meal toys. Sadly my oldest "child" aka my husband is highly addicted. Anytime a superhero set comes out I know we will all be eating happy meals until he completes his collection. The kids get the left over toys. Soon they will be old enough to catch on to his scheme. My daughter might even start to realize there is a girl toy option!!!!

 
At June 15, 2011 at 9:02 AM , Blogger LBB said...

Thanks for reminding me that I am not alone!!

 
At June 17, 2011 at 5:57 PM , Blogger Rachael M said...

It's hard for me to imagine kids fighting over the toys they put in Happy Meals these days-- because those things almost always seem so lame, to me. I think the toys were WAY better when I was a kid. My almost-five-year-old has tried to request better toys, and once left one at the restaurant because he didn't like it at all! I always wish they made them out of recyclabe plastic. I imagine that landfills are just FULL of kids' meal toys... and will be for eons!

Also, have to say, I, too, love that your daughter wanted to put you in time out. Classic!

 
At July 3, 2011 at 12:47 PM , Anonymous Ruth said...

My kids love their Happy Meal toys, but after a few weeks, these toys go "missing." Do they remember them? I doubt it. And there's always another Happy Meal to satisfy a new China-made, plastic toy craving. Oh, and I hope Mc'D's doesn't get rid of those toys! What would childhood be without them?!

 

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