My point exactly.

So last Friday I took a vacation day, partly to get over my horrible start to the week and partly to have some good house-training time with the puppy.

Crowbar, nearly 5, had his own tough week. For a couple days in a row, his best friend wouldn't let him be Batman. The kid insisted that Crowbar leave the lead superhero duties to him and instead offered him the role of Robin, Batman's trusty sidekick and ward.

Crowbar, unwilling to be a 4 year-old's ward (good boy!), resigned to play house with the girls, where he was perfectly content to assume the role of family dog. (Go figure.)

Anyhow, when Friday finally rolled around, Crowbar looked up with his bright blue eyes and asked if he could stay home with me. There was no denying that he'd earned it. We both had. So we both stayed home to lick our wounds and recharge with a three-day weekend.

Out on a quick run to the store, we decided to catch lunch.

"Where should we go?" I asked, knowing the only answer a kid under 14 could possibly offer.

"McDonald's," he said, right on cue.

"It'd be nice to get something healthier. I don't want anything fried today. It's not good for our hearts."

It's not that I'm anti-McDonald's. We go there often enough that I have loads of cheap plastic toys laying around, waiting to be stepped on.

"Aww, Mom!" He pitched into a fit. "You only want to go to restaurants," he spitted in disgust.

"McDonald's isn't a restaurant?"

"No. It's got a drive thru -- and toys. I don't want a restaurant. I want McDonald's!"

In the end, his wails were met with disappointment. I opted for a local deli where they have neither a drive-thru or toys.

Mom 1, Crowbar and the McDonald's Corporation 0.