Thanks, Mickey D's!

Last night was a teaching night for me, and by the time my last student left, I just didn't have the energy to come up with a dinner plan. I knew Dave would be working late, so I granted myself a night off from cooking.

After dropping the babysitter off, I made the suggestion of Happy Meals at McDonald's, which is a rare treat for the girls. Amanda could barely contain her excitement.

Now, I admit to having an ulterior motive when I suggested Happy Meals. They come with toys, you know. The last time we went to McDonald's, they were giving away "Wizard of Oz" characters with the kids' meals. I was on a secret mission to collect all of the characters, so I could amuse the girls by recreating our own little "Wizard of Oz" show during playtime.

So far, our meager collection consisted of Dorothy (thanks Jen!) - - and two of the lesser known Winky Guards. As I pulled up and scanned the Drive Thru menu, I noticed that the Wizard of Oz toys had been discontinued. Rats!

Now granted, it had been several months since our last visit, so I shouldn't have been surprised. But nonetheless, I was a little disappointed - as was Amanda, who had been speculating for the entire car ride about which character she might get. (She was hoping for the Tin Man.)

When I placed my order, I was asked whether I wanted the girls' or boys' meals. I absently answered, "Girls" and proceeded to pay for our food. Do you remember my "Daughters" post from a few days ago? The one where I described the differences in my two daughters' personalities?

Well, apparently the McDonald's employee reads my blog. When we got home, I began unpacking the two bags and passing out the food. 

In Amanda's Happy Meal, there was a Barbie figurine.

London Barbie, to be more specific - complete with a plaid mini skirt, red go-go boots and a postcard from London.

After explaining that this was not just any old Barbie, it was a special London Barbie, Amanda exclaimed,"I love London Barbie! Thank you, Mama!! Thank you!!"


Just look at that grin. In Amanda's world, it doesn't get much better than a McD's meal and a Barbie doll, all in one night. Luckily, the Tin Man was quickly forgotten.

I then looked inside Eva's bag, only to find that Eva had mistakenly been given the boys' Happy Meal. There, in the place of London Barbie's twin sister, was a black Transformer car.


As you can plainly see, Eva was delighted. McDonald's unknowingly gave my daughters the exact toy they would have picked out for themselves. (Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to "transform" the darn thing into whatever other form it's supposed to take, so Eva is stuck with just a car for now.)

After dinner, I captured this little video of Eva playing with her prized toy. (I just love the little noises she makes as she pushes her car along.)



All in all, a decent night for everyone involved...

However, I do have a small request.

If McDonald's ever decides to start the "Wizard of Oz" promotion again, will someone please let me know?

We really want that Tin Man...