Well, I did something last night that I shouldn't have. I thought long and hard about it and knew that I would probably regret it, but I did it anyway.
I brought home a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken - Extra Crispy - for dinner.
I know, I know. And the fam wasn't too impressed either (my husband didn't even eat). But, in my defense, I am 9 months pregnant and have been in bed for the last two days with Braxton-Hicks contractions, nausea and headaches. Due to those factors, I stand by my decision. Here was my thought process on the whole debacle:
I need to make dinner tonight, but we don't have any food. I haven't showered and I probably won't and a quick trip to the grocery store requires a lot more effort now than it used to. And then, we won't get home until about 6:00, and Jackson will be starving and cranky. And if I cook anything, we're looking at 6:30 or 7:00 before it's ready. So if I get out of bed now, that's a solid 3 hours of movement, which is the most that my body has done at one time in the last 2 days.
So, fast food it is then. Ugh. What do I want? Chicken. Yes, chicken sounds good. KFC. But what is that commercial I always stick my nose up at? That KFC commercial where the teenage boy thanks his mom for the wonderful dinner when she didn't lift a damn finger to cook it and they're all actually eating garbage? Yeah, I'm about to be that mom. Can I handle that? Can I swallow my pride and do the exact same thing?
Screw it. It's dinner. I make the decisions, and I'm not feeling well so that's what it is. Although, it would be fairly easy to make. I have potatoes and a very quick and handy mac & cheese recipe, and I even have frozen biscuits. All I would is chicken. Oh, and cheese. I forgot, we're out of cheese. I wonder what kind of breading I should use? I'd probably need to get something for that too. And how long does it take to bake chicken like that? Hmm.... so I know I could make this and it would taste better, be healthier and cost less than going to KFC. But then I'd need to go to the grocery store... (refer to the first paragraph and re-read, as I then proceeded to go over the entire conversation again in my head....)
Well, now that I've spent 20 minutes laying in bed thinking about dinner, I don't have any time to make it. KFC it is then. If they don't like it, they can find something else to make. I'll eat it.
So I pick up my son and pull into the KFC drive-thru and order a bucket of chicken. I have to wait. And traffic is horrible, so cars are lined up everywhere. And I hate traffic. And lots of people. And Jackson is very cranky and screaming in the back seat. And people are driving like idiots. And I realize I have officially become sheltered and could never live in a city with a population larger than 80,000. And I am happy about this fact.
Anyway, we get home and I throw a drumstick on a plate for Jackson. He proceeds to pick it up and bite off the end and I quickly realize that my 3-year-old doesn't know how to eat a chicken drumstick. This strikes a little bit of pride in me because any chicken he's ever had has been boneless, skinless, cubed and baked in some way. Score one for me.
My husband then enters the room, looks at the red bucket on the table, and asks what's for dinner. I point to the red bucket. He is confused. He asks again, what's for dinner, so I point to the bucket again (I am eating after all and trying to teach my son not to talk with his mouth full). He makes a face and walks away.
As I'm sitting there, biting into this chicken, I taste the grease, and it's gross. But, I keep eating because I'm hungry and 9 months pregnant. I didn't eat very much, and neither did Jackson. My husband didn't eat any of it and later that night, asked me again what I made for dinner. I reminded him and conceded that yes, it wasn't a real dinner and listed my reasonings for making the choice, then invited him (in a very polite way, of course) to cook dinner anytime he wishes.
I thought about this all night and realized a few things:
1) It will be a very very very long time before I buy KFC for dinner again. But, it does in a pinch.
2) I could make it, and it would be very easy. And so I will redeem myself with a baked chicken dinner this weekend (after we go to the store).
3) I have spoiled my family with home-cooking to the point where a bucket of chicken for supper is simply unacceptable. They would much rather eat my cooking. This little fact makes me extremely happy and makes me feel much appreciated.
4) I am not a horrible mother or wife for bringing home a bucket of KFC for dinner. I don't remember the last time I ate at KFC before then, and it will be a very long time before it happens again. But it will happen again, and I will not feel guilty and my family will either have to suck it up or learn how to cook.
5) I am a very good cook and my family showed their appreciation for this, even if they didn't intend to.
So tonight, breaded baked chicken, homemade mac & cheese and mashed potatoes - from actual potatoes and not a box. Take that KFC.
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