Doesn’t it look good?

Last week I took Brian to a blogger event at the McDonald’s on Concord Pike for breakfast. They wanted to meet some local “mom bloggers” and get our opinions on some things. I’m always looking for new and fun things to do with my kids, so we went. I think McDonald’s gets a bad rap, and not entirely deserved. It’s so eye-roll-worthy to have someone (usually a mom) say “Oh, we don’t eat at McDonald’s” in such a tone. You know the tone I’m talking about. You know what? I unapologetically eat and take my kids to eat at McDonald’s.  You’re not supposed to eat there every day; it’s supposed to be  a treat or a special outing for kids. I refuse to feel like less of a parent or be made to feel like I don’t care about my kids’ health and well-being, just because we occasionally go to McDonald’s.

They wanted us to try the new Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal, but Brian and I did not. He insisted on having hotcakes and I don’t like nuts. I later learned that the nuts came separately, you don’t have to add them. Oh well. They do add fresh local blueberries to the oatmeal, and this is only available for a limited time. Sometimes I pull Kevin out of school for events like this, and he LOVES blueberry oatmeal. But it was his last day of school and a party, so I didn’t want him to miss that.

You can see all the photos here.

I learned many good things about McDonald’s while we were there. It was very interesting to talk with two second and third generation owners, about the process of becoming a McDonald’s owner. They are also improving their menu continually, and listening to customer demands for healthier and fresher options. The smoothies contain real fruit. The new oatmeal contains fresh blueberries (why it’s only available for a limited time). All the kids’ meals contain apple slices now, to the tune of 100, 000, 000 lbs of apples every year! All the eggs in the Egg McMuffins are real eggs that are cracked right there in the kitchen–not powdered or coming in a carton.

All in all, it was a very fun and informative morning. Making the right choices from the menu, McDonald’s is a place I can take my kids to eat occasionally and not feel guilty about it. In fact, we’re going this Wednesday before our library activities to use the gift card they gave us. Make sure you visit that link above to my Google Plus photo album, to see all the great pictures. I’m definitely looking forward to splurging on some Chocolate Chip Frappes or S’mores Pie when it’s available!

Follow them @McDPhilly on Twitter.