Why Your Next Meal Should be a Happy One

I have driven passed Ronald McDonald Houses my whole life and never really understood them until our Annie came along.

In case you don't know, the goal of Ronald McDonald Houses is to provide a home-away-from-home for families whose children are hospitalized. Can you imagine if you had to drive 2 hours or more to the nearest hospital where your child was hospitalized? Many families simply don't have the resources to rent hotel rooms for weeks at a time. That's where RMH's come in.

We got a chance to tour the RMH at Rady Children's Hospital recently when our pediatrician held a Christmas bash for all his "special needs" patients. It. Was. Awesome!

Our photos won't do RMH justice so you should just take a moment and visit their website. RMH's are largely funded through the sale of McDonald's Happy Meals.

Here are some random pics from the Christmas party at RMH:

Annie with Dr. Pickering - one of the world's greatest pediatricians:

Annie saw this fountain with a mirror behind it and her eyes lit up:

Annie got to visit Santa and the photographer burned all Annie's photos to a disc for us for free!:

Then Annie got to go into a room that was piled 4-feet high on all sides with toys. She picked out a Cookie Monster:

There was a band, cookies and punch and all around good vibes every where. Naturally, Ronald himself showed up and treated everyone to a few magic tricks. Annie had a blast!

But back to that Happy Meal . . . now that I understand what an AMAZING service RMH provides I am far more likely to hit a drive through and order a Happy Meal for myself (on the few times I go to a McD's) instead of a mongo-burger meal. I figure I am getting my McD's fix, I am eating a smaller helping and I am helping out a worthy cause.

So make your next meal a Happy one. Somewhere the family of a sick child will thank you.

http://youtu.be/QlBha7AKGt4