I Pay My Children

We have too many toys. Way too many. I am embarrassed when people come over. They are everywhere. I spread them out so people can't see them all in one place. The worst toys we have are the crappy McDonalds Happy Meal toys. They are the worst. The kids never play with them. They have a pieces to them and they are always on my floor. I was going crazy because I hated these toys so much. For those of you without children or those of you who are better mothers, you will say to yourself "then don't go to McDonalds, woman." I try. I really do try. But the real world creeps in now and then and we go.

I came up with a plan to rid my life of those pesky toys. It is working and I'd like to share it with other mothers battling this evil. I pay my kids to skip the Happy Meal. Yes, for every Happy Meal they skip, they receive one dollar. If they don't order a drink and order water, they get another dollar. So, I order a large order of nuggets, large fry, two waters and we are all happy. It works most of the time but if they see the toys at the restaurant, it is less likely to work. In the van to go, they have never taken the Happy Meal.

Here's the catch. We made special McDonalds banks and decorated them. All McDonalds money is theirs. They can buy whatever they want with it at Target. So far, they have bought Star Wars toys. That works for me. They have learned to save up for something big. If I can teach this to my kids over time, I will be a happy woman. I am already a little happier that it has been a long time since a McDonalds toy came into our house.