How Wendy's Drive Thru Changed My Life

It was one of "those" days. Well, now that I think about it, it was like every other day. I was tired, the kids were hungry, I hadn't been grocery shopping recently, and there was nothing in the pantry or fridge that could be fashioned into something worth eating. I really wanted to just grab something fast and easy, and head home.

Wendy's shares a parking lot with the drug store I had to visit, so I gave in to the temptation of hot, fast, cheap food ready and waiting for me at a miniature window. We NEVER eat fast food. Not the burger joint fast food. So I thought this would be like a "treat" for the kids. I tell them we're getting Wendy's and ask if they'd like (I'm throwing up a little in my mouth right now) a chicken nugget or cheeseburger meal. Looking back it seems like a form of child abuse.

So what did the kids do? They cried! They begged and pleaded with me to NOT make them eat that food. At first I was annoyed. I mean, that is unheard of. Kids that don't want chicken nuggets, fries and a cheap plastic toy that never even makes it out of the backseat? Preposterous! So, frustrated, I asked what they would eat. They begged for sushi. Sushi is the treat they get for being good during a trip to the grocery store. Then it hit me. I realized that all of my efforts to raise healthy eaters had paid off. So we hit the Hy-Vee next door that has excellent ready made sushi rolls in the deli case.

They picked out some California Rolls. Brown rice, seaweed, crab meat, avocado, cucumber. Super healthy, super delicious foods all rolled into neat little bites. Each kid then picked a fruit, and we checked out and headed home. So the "fast food" meal ended up being sushi rolls and fruit salad. And they were tickled pink about it. As was I. I still got off easy and didn't have to cook or dirty a dish. But most importantly, my kids' health was not compromised to accommodate my lazy mood. My kids taught me a lot that day. It was then that the ninja was born.