SAY IT ISN'T SO!

Many people who hear me on the radio have heard me say Boston Market is a weekly stop for me and the boys when my husband is working late. Whether dining in, or getting takeout, the boys LOVE Boston Market. A normal conversation before dinner goes like this, "Boys, your night to pick, where do you want to eat?" Most kids would pick McDonalds. Maybe even pizza. Not mine. They often skip finding fries in the bottom of the sack for a big slab of meatloaf and buttery corn. Mini cornbread loaves? Skip 'em. They don't like them, and would rather substitute a side veggie instead. What's wrong with them? Don't they know Mom would like some chicken nuggets dipped in honey every once in awhile?

Kidding aside, I go to bed knowing the kids got the next best thing to home-cooking. So, imagine my shock when I pulled my car up to the drive-thru speaker to order one family-size meatloaf to go (hold the gravy!) and found our favorite Boston Market was...closed. Not closed for the day. CLOSED. A note on the door thanked patrons for their business and stacks of chairs could be seen piled high inside the darkened windows. WHAAAAT? Say it isn't so! We drove 15 minutes across town to the next-closest Boston Market. I saw the sign and breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, a familiar feeling came over me when I pulled into the lot. More stacked chairs. Another note thanking customers. And two hungry boys in my backseat. What is going on? This is a family tradition! I need notice so I can break it to the kids gently! Aaaaghhh!

Somehow, we survived. We found a Fazolis, I wiped spaghetti mustaches off their mouths and I spent the rest of the night looking up a good recipe for meatloaf.