Tag: McDonald’s

Brief Life Update

This week, while it has been nice to have some new features to post here, I feel like I haven’t really told you what’s been up our way. It’s been a pretty busy week or so.

I had the chance to spend the day with my daughter this week. We went to lunch at McDonald’s (her choice). We went to one of the big public libraries that we had never been to before. They had all kinds of cool things for the kids to play with there. I could hardly get her to leave so we could go to the Children’s Museum.

At the Children’s museum, we did our normal stuff: the big water table, the indoor treehouse, played on the indoor ambulance, and went down the big slide. We took a detour and walked through another part of the museum which has old cars, old uniforms, an army tank, and other neat stuff. She was really fascinated by the cars, an old sled, and the old logging stuff.

We had a couple nice days where we got to sit outside and play. Both kids were excited to get on their scooters.

Daisy was loving playing fetch with her ball. I swear, she could play this all day. The school kids who play ball on the baseball diamond behind our house must have fouled a couple into our yard, because Daisy was chewing the cover off a couple of them.

She eats everything! Sam made the mistake of leaving one of the canvas laundry bags that hangs on our hamper on top of Daisy’s cage while we were gone the other day. We came home and that dog pulled the whole thing (including the metal rods) into her cage and chewed/ate it! Urgh!

It was actually nice enough last weekend that I was able to mow the grass for the first time. I am overdue to change the oil on my riding mower, so I hope to be able to do that before the next mow. It’s probably a guy thing, but I love the look of a fresh mowed lawn (even if there are spots because of the moles!).

The kids and I got to sit down and watch the new Bluey episodes. There were three of them – the third one being a “bonus” that no one said anything about. This little cartoon is something that I absolutely love. The extended 28 minute episode was to be the Season 3 finale and it was just amazing. It was so well done.

My buddy from work has a little girl and I was asking him how she was doing. He was talking about how they watched the new Bluey together and before we knew it, there we were – two grown men – talking about how great the show is. We joked and said that the show is an adult cartoon that kids can watch, too. It isn’t odd for my wife and I also find ourselves talking about the show.

The biggest thing from this week is that we took Andrew in to get more genetic testing. He is still having some issues and they wanted to dig a bit deeper. They are thinking there is a possibility of Muscular Dystrophy. Nothing is 100% yet, and we are certainly praying about it. We’re hoping that the results will help give us a few more answers and some direction.

I guess that brings you up to speed. Thanks for reading.

I Smell Like a Shamrock!

Ok, to be fair, I don’t know what a shamrock smells like. I tried to look it up on Google and got answers like:

  • “…the fresh scent of lush, green hills kissed by a sparkle of sunshine…”
  • ” …shamrock’s smell like freshly poured Guinness, of course!“
  • “…Shamrock kinda just smells like dirt and grass…”

For some reason or another mint is commonly accepted as the smell of a shamrock. This could be because of the color green or the Shamrock Shake at McDonalds! I really don’t know.

Anyway, conversations at work one day led to talk of they types of soap people use. (Yeah, we have some real brilliant chats at work!) Someone mentioned these huge bars of soap from Duke Cannon. I was unfamiliar with it, and a bar was given to me. The thing is HUGE!

It is like 2 and a half bars of soap.

As the packaging suggests, it really is a “Big Arse Brick of Soap!” I had to laugh because my one coworker told me her husband uses it and he loves it because it smells good and lasts so long. She said that he gets the charcoal soaps. Why anyone would want to smell like a barbecue is beyond me, and at the same time, why would anyone want to smell like a shamrock shake? My one buddy said he gets his at the Hardware store! “It’s right up front by the register!”

So I took this “brick” home and I have used it a couple times now. It actually lathers up pretty good. It smells good. It doesn’t leave my skin dry like a lot of bar soaps either.

I also like a company with a sense of humor. The limerick is often associated with the Irish. No surprise that there is a limerick on the side of the box –

I was happy to read that a portion of the sales of this soap goes to benefit US Veterans. My dad and my Godfather both served in Vietnam. I have many friends who have also served this country and any company that supports our veterans is ok in my book!

I think I will try out another scent when this one is gone. This one may not be for me …. it says so on the label:

No Shake For You!

After I took Ella for bloodwork recently, we drove thru the McDonald’s.. I had promised her a Happy Meal for lunch.

Now, I rarely eat at McDonald’s. If I do, I might get a Fish sandwich. I’m just not a big fan. However, I’m a sucker for a Shamrock Shake!

After ordering her lunch, I asked for a Shamrock Shake. It was 11:45am. Lunch time for the most part, right?

The lady on the speaker replies, “I’m sorry, sir, but we are unable to make shakes at this time as we are cleaning the shake machine.”

It’s at this point that all the jokes about the shake machine at McDonald’s come to mind. The Shamrock Shake IS your big promotion right now. All the TV and radio commercials sing the praises of the “minty goodness” that is the Shamrock Shake! Can someone explain why they choose the lunch rush to clean the machine? I mean, the place is open 24 hours. Why isn’t someone cleaning it at 2am?!

Sigh. Maybe next time.

Christmas 2022 – A Look Back

Hello, my friends. When I last blogged, we were gearing up for a big snow storm. While we didn’t get as much as they were saying, roads were still dangerous and as a bonus we got our white Christmas. I had to laugh at something I saw on Facebook, and had to share here. This pretty much sums up every winter storm forecast here in Michigan:

Snow was to move in on Thursday night and into Friday morning. Many patients called to cancel their appointments that night, so because of low volume, I got to stay home. It was nice to have extra family time. It is very rare to get that time.

I had already taken Friday off. Usually my boys will come over and spend the night and we do Christmas Eve morning as our “Christmas.” Because of the storm, we decided it was best to postpone things until the Monday after Christmas.

On Christmas Eve night, we usually go to Crossroads Village and do the drive through light display. It’s not too far from us and it is always a beautiful sight. On certain nights, you can board the train and see more lights, but the drive through is neat because you get to go through the little village. They pipe Christmas music through the speakers and every thing is just beautiful.

We got the kids dressed and ventured out. It didn’t take long to see just how bad the roads were. We hadn’t been out since the storm, but the roads were just awful. We take many back roads to get there and the wind was blowing across the fields and made the roads solid sheets of ice. It was actually pretty scary. I would have kept driving, but Sam told me to turn around and go back home. That’s what we did.

Earlier in the day we made cookies for Santa. Ella told Sam that Santa should drink milk from a “fancy” cup, so we put it in a wine glass. A few years ago, Sam’s sister Grace (who passed away earlier this year) made a Christmas plate. We have decided that as part of our Christmas tradition, Santa’s cookies would always be put on on that plate.

We placed the cookies on the plate and started to get things ready for the rest of the evening. We had to get the kids in their Christmas pajamas, they had to brush their teeth, and Santa had to get ready to build some stuff. After walking to the living room to gather up a few things, I walked back in the kitchen to see Andrew standing on Ella’s step stool – eating Santa’s cookies!!! Smart kid!

Once the kids were in bed, I went to work. I only had to put together a couple things, and I love being Santa. Ella got a Frozen Castle (she calls it the Elsa and Anna castle) and Andrew got a vacuum (he is all about the vacuum when we clean). They also each got a book from Santa and the rest of the gifts were from mom and dad.

It was nice to see the tree lit, with presents under it, and the baby gate out of the way!!

Honestly, I anticipated that Ella would be the first one up on Christmas morning, but instead, it was Andrew. We actually had to go in and wake Ella up. She seemed uninterested in getting up until we reminded her that it was Christmas and Santa had come.

Andrew loved his vacuum and played with it all morning. It was a hoot to see him “cleaning” the rug!

Ella loved her princess castle and when she got a princess dress, too, she had to put it on!

She was so into it and had all her princesses playing on the castle. I was lucky enough to capture this very cool picture of her playing –

I just love it! She had no idea I was taking this.

We were invited to Sam’s folks for Christmas dinner, which is always nice. My mother-in-law always puts out a big spread with ham, turkey, scalloped or potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and a ton of desserts. My nieces and nephew were there, so the kids all got to play together. It’s always kind of crazy with all of Sam’s siblings there, so I neglected to get any pictures.

Andrew gave us a memorable moment while we were there. Sam’s folks have one of those thin Christmas trees. Andrew, of course, is always curious. While my back was to him, he grabbed something on the tree (probably the string of lights) and started pulling. Naturally, the entire tree came crashing down on top of him!! When I turned around I couldn’t even see him! Thankfully, only one ornament broke. That boy is something else!!

I’m not sure when we left but it was later in the evening and Sam and I were talking about being a bit hungry. We decided to be like the Christmas Story family and we ordered some Chinese food and grabbed McDonald’s for the kids. As crazy as it sounds, we may need to do that every year because it was delicious.

On Monday, the boys came over in the morning. I made up some chocolate chip pancakes, sausage links, eggs, toast, and coffee for me. Ella and Andrew don’t see their big brothers often enough, but they seemed glad to see them.

My dad and Rose came over a bit later and I was glad that my dad got to see all his grandchildren. He brought Ella a Little People Barbie apartment, which is huge and now serves as a “neighbor” to Elsa and Anna’s castle. He brought Andrew some waffle blocks and a bowling set. The boys are older now, so the each got an envelope with cash, much like his mother (my grandma) used to give my brother and I.

As crazy as it was to get everyone together, I am so glad to have gotten this picture with my dad, Rose, and the kids.

As I stated in my Facebook post, it is never long enough when we get together, but I do treasure the time with them.

I am so glad to have had time with my wife, my children and my dad over the holidays. God willing, we will all be able to do it again next year.

Now I Never Have to Go There

In a recent conversation with my brother, I was informed that Starbucks does not have their Egg Nog Latte on the holiday menu this year. This was a major disappointment. In all honesty, it was the ONLY reason I ever ventured out to Starbucks voluntarily. I suppose in the fall, I might go there for a Pumpkin Spice Latte’, but I can get those at other places. The only place I could get the Egg Nog Latte’ was Starbucks.

In doing a quick search of the Internet, it seems they pulled it off them menu at some point last year. When they announced their holiday items this year, the Egg Nog Latte’ was absent. The articles I found were about how angry customers were that it was not on the menu.

I guess there are plenty of people making a big stink about it on the various social media sites. There are sites and campaigns calling for the return of the beloved drink, but I highly doubt it will return. It’s kind of like when a radio station fires a favorite personality – no matter how many people call, picket the station, or say they are boycotting the station – they aren’t coming back.

Good riddance, I say. I hated paying so much cash for the delicious drink anyway. I have always felt that Starbucks was overpriced and that their coffee tastes “burnt.” I would probably be able to do a quick Google search for an “Egg Nog Latte'” recipe online and it would be cheaper to make at home. As a matter of fact, I think that is what I will do.

Please don’t tell me that McDonald’s got rid of Egg Nog Shakes. I would really be upset about that ….

The Heart of the Matter

Andrew and I were up extra early this morning. We had to make the hour trek south so that he could get his echocardiogram. His sleep doctor wanted to be sure that his heart was ok. Obstructive Sleep Apnea can cause big heart problems, and since his apnea is severe, she wanted him checked out.

He wasn’t too happy to be up at 5:30am, but he did fall back asleep on the way down. I knew when he woke up he’d be hungry and I gave myself plenty of time to stop to grab him something to eat before the test. He sat on my lap in the parking garage eating McDonald’s hotcakes until it was time to go in.

Anytime I have every had to have some type of test done, I am usually waiting in the waiting room for a bit before they call me back. I was surprised that we barely had time to sit down and they called us back to the prep room. There, they weighed and measured him and let me finish filling out paperwork. It was less than 5 minutes and they came and took us back to the echocardiogram room.

When we first got in the room, Andrew started to cry a bit, but once he was laying down, he was ok. The technician placed three sensors on him and grabbed the ultrasound wand. She told me that the test would take about 45 minutes. That was the first time I was worried about how he would do.

Andrew is not our “sit comfortably for 45 minutes” kid. He is always on the go! I was glad I remembered to put some toys for him in the diaper bag. I didn’t need the toys right away, as he was intrigued by the ultrasound screen.

Then, as you can see in the photo above, he became fascinated by the cord to the wand. He kept grabbing it and shaking it. I tried to redirect him with toys and such, but he loves playing with cords! I’m surprised with all the movement she was able to get any type of good images, but she did.

Before she let us go, she said she was going to have the cardiologist take a look to be sure they had everything they needed. After a few minutes, she said that all looked good and we were sent home.

The biggest surprise of the day was the fact that the ordering doctor’s office called us this afternoon with the results! That has got to be a record! I have never had test results come back that fast before. We were relieved to hear that everything looks normal and the apnea did not do any kind of damage to his heart.

We’ve had so much going on, it is nice to have one worry lifted from our plate!

A Holiday I Like a Latte!

It’s a Brew-tiful day for a cup of Joe! It is National Coffee Day (Not to be confused with International Coffee Day which comes up on October 1)! Pour yourself a cup of Go Juice, Go Go Juice, Bean Juice, Brain Juice or Jitter Juice and guzzle that Java!

In celebration, many places have some National Coffee Day deals for you. Here are just a few, courtesy of USA Today:

Krispy Kreme

Panera 

Tim Hortons

  • $.25 medium hot or iced coffee all day long when you order through the Tim’s app or website.
  • In addition, Oct. 1 is International Coffee Day and Tim Hortons is offering a $1 medium hot or iced coffee during the entire month of October when you order on the Tims app or website.

Dunkin’

  • Free medium-sized coffee on Sept. 29. Customers must sign up for the Dunkin’ rewards program to claim it.

Caribou Coffee

  • $3 medium brews for Caribou Perks members on National Coffee Day. Plus, if you’re a new Caribou Perks member, you’ll get a free drink after your first visit when you sign up.

What about Starbucks and McDonalds?

Starbucks will not have a National Coffee Day offer this year. Neither will McDonalds, a spokesperson told USA TODAY on Wednesday.

Here are a few others:

Barnes and Noble

B&N Cafes are celebrating National Coffee Day with a free tall hot or iced coffee with the purchase of a bakery item of your choice.

Bean Box

Use promo code FREECOFFEE  on the Bean Box website through Oct. 1 and get a free 12-ounce bag of coffee.

Biggby Coffee

Valid on Sept. 29 only, participating Biggby Coffee locations are offering free 20-ounce hot or iced brewed coffee for National Coffee Day.

Bonus Comedy Clip

In honor of National Coffee Day – Here is the great Chris Farley

Perk up a pot today and enjoy – leaded OR unleaded.

Nice Day For A Birthday and a Half

Monday is usually my day for getting stuff done. I do laundry. I fold laundry. I load the dishwasher and run it. I pick up the living room and vacuum. I clean up the kitchen and clear the counters. None of that got done today.

My day started with getting Andrew out of bed, fixing him a bottle, and putting his helmet on. Ella was up shortly after and mom brought her home pancakes from McDonald’s for breakfast.

It is Andrew’s 1/2 birthday (he is six months old today). We measured him, weighed him, and put him in his special onesie and took our Milestone pictures. We decided to take his pictures in his helmet so we’d remember it.

Today, my oldest son turns 20. He spent the day with his friends bowling and then playing games at his house. He is usually a late sleeper, so I waited until about 11 to call him. I used video chat and when he answered he had his mask on and was obviously in class at college! I felt bad that I interrupted and told him I would call him later!

The temperature outside was about 60, so I decided to take the kids on our first walk through the neighborhood. It’s a bit different with the double stroller, but it was just perfect. We got to see neighbors outside with their kids, raking up leftover fall leaves, and just relaxing on their porches.

It felt good to walk. I know that walking really helped me drop some weight last year, and I hope it will again this year. I just hope Ella will allow me to push her in the stroller. She loves being able to just walk.

Andrew seemed to really enjoy being outside. I bundled him up in a sweatshirt and covered him in a blanket and he cooed through most of the walk. He started to doze at one point, but he made it through the walk taking in all the sites.

When we were walking up the driveway, my oldest called me back on the video chat. He was excited to be out of class and was going to check out the video game store. He got to see his brother and sister and couldn’t believe when Ella said, “Happy birthday, brother.”

After lunch, the kiddos napped – Ella in her crib and Andrew in my arms. Tonight is the first night he has to sleep with his helmet, so I’m anticipating a rough night. He has been doing well with it, so I hope I am wrong.

My favorite moment of the day was captured by the camera. Ella wanted to get her picture taken, too, when we were getting Andrew’s taken. So we put her in the crib next to him and I caught this magical moment….

Precious!

“Old McDonald’s”

Our baby girl can really make us laugh. For dinner tonight, the plan was to make chicken nuggets and French fries in the oven. I was in the front room and I hear the following conversation between Ella and Sam:

Sam: We’re going to have chicken nuggets for dinner, tonight.

Ella: Old MacDonald’s?

(Ella will often sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm for no reason at all. So we weren’t exactly sure what she meant … until …..)

Sam: Chicken nuggets, baby.

Ella: Chicken nuggets.. Old MacDonalds!

Sam: You want chicken nuggets from Old MacDonald’s?

Ella: Yes! Old MacDonald’s nuggets ana (and a) French fries ana apple juice ana happy meal ana toy. Old MacDonald’s!

Sam: (Laughing) You want a Happy Meal, baby?

Ella: (Repeats everything that she just said)

I start to walk into the kitchen and Sam says, “Did you hear that?!”

I told her, “There is no doubt about what she wants for dinner tonight!”

Ella: (Repeats everything again)

Sam: I guess we’re going to McDonald’s.

Me: I guess so!

“I’m sorry, baby”

There are things that you do as a parent that you hate, but you know you have to do them. With my boys, I was always the one who took them to get their shots. There is no worse feeling as a parent than having your child look at you as you hold them down so the nurse can administer the shot. You feel like you are betraying them. It is truly an awful feeling. You know that you are doing what you need to do, but it rips your heart out!

Sam has scheduled most of Ella’s shots on days that she is off work and I work. I have told her that I would take her and she doesn’t need to always be the one to do that. She says she knows, but she feels that Ella “needs her mommy” for comfort after those pokes.

So Ella is having surgery this week to put tubes in her ears. She’s had one too many ear infections and the ENT said tubes will help. Here is the catch, before she can do the surgery, she had to have a Covid test done. It had to be done during a specific time frame, in this case Sunday or Monday. Sam works both days, so I was the one who took her to have it done.

It had to be done at either the hospital or one of the hospital affiliated Urgent Care facilities. The hospital is an hour and 15 minutes from home, where as the closest Urgent Care was about 55 minutes away. So we had to schedule a Virtual Visit with a doc on Sunday, in order to be able to get the actual Covid test done on Monday.

When I arrived they told me to bring her inside, because it would be difficult to do a curbside swab on someone her age. They brought us right back to the room, and Ella began to cry before anything even happened. She’s had enough shots to recognize an exam room and was probably thinking she was getting another one.

When the nurse entered with the swab, Ella began to cry even more. The nurse told me to cross her arms and hold them with one arm. I was then to hold her head against my chest so they could do the swab. Let me tell you, that girl of mine is strong! I had a hard time holding her. She fought big time. As soon as it was all over, I held her and she gave me the “Why did you let them do that, daddy?” look. I hate that look.

I kept telling her I was sorry. It breaks my heart to see her like that. Once we left the building, I held her in the parking lot and calmed her down before putting her in her car seat. I found a light up toy and that made her smile. I was so glad her mood changed quickly. Of course, I had to treat her to pancakes at McDonalds for being so brave.