Lunchtime

Lunch is late today.

Ellie napped for 3.5 hours this morning, fighting a fever and runny nose.  I finally woke her up at 1pm to eat lunch, and I hope that she'll sleep again this afternoon.  Usually her second nap starts about now.  We'll see.

I stand in the kitchen, unloading the dishwasher as I watch the girls eat.  The kitchen is so small that I can pretty much put everything away without moving my feet.  I reload the dishwasher with the dirty dishes from the sink (and the dishes that didn't get clean the first time around), and wonder how in the world a family of 4 needs the dishwasher run every single day... sometimes twice.  Kind of embarrassing and wasteful.

The girls are eating leftover rice and beans, and apple slices.  I keep a close eye because I'm paranoid about choking.  George Strait music is playing on the computer speakers.  I glance at the clock for probably the 8th time in the last 30 minutes.  Garrett left for work at 7am yesterday morning, and 31 hours later is still not home from his shift.  I was expecting him home 2 hours ago, so I'm anxious, but in some ways it's easier if he's not home.  When he gets here, he'll need to sleep and I'll have to keep the girls quiet which is not a fun (or easy) chore.

I eat a sandwich... turkey, lettuce, pickle, avocado, red onion, tomato, homemade hummus, on a toasted whole wheat bagel thin.  Delicious.  It's even better with red & yellow & orange peppers but we're out.

Abby finishes her lunch, so I give her a pudding cup with express directions please do not give any to Ellie - she needs to finish her lunch first.  Thirty seconds later I glance at the table, and both girls have pudding-covered lips, giggling.  Ellie has a plate full of apples that will not get eaten now, and Abby is spooning another large helping of pudding into Ellie's mouth.

After lunch we will read some books, straighten up the house (a chore that is never done for long), and hopefully run some errands once Garrett (and the car) is returned home.  A typical lunchtime here.