I anticipate that the bulging of my little townhouse won’t last forever, so I am trying to cherish and enjoy it. I imagine that the day will come when what now seems like a rather tight fit will seem huge and like “too much” space. These days, I never know whether I will be feeding myself popcorn and orange juice in front of an old movie, or a half-dozen starving, strapping teenagers!
Yesterday evening, I walked into my house to find the living room literally stuffed with teenage boys—okay, there were only three of them but when you take into account that 15 and 16-year-old boys are the size of grown men and have the activity level of, well, teenage boys—you can imagine how daunting it can be. Add this little group to the “regulars” who actually live at my house and as I stood in the kitchen, exhausted after a long day and faced with making dinner, I wondered what and how I would feed all those bodies!
Never mind that they had all been eating and drinking nonstop since they arrived at the threshold to my house after school—it was coming on to dinner time and while they are old enough to try not to assume that dinner would be offered, I’m old enough to politely offer and invite them all to stay for supper.
So, what did I make you ask? Well, a huge pot of homemade potato cheese soup and a loaf’s worth of grilled cheese sandwiches. It turned out to be perfect for a blustery October night and everyone got filled up with hot food while this single mom didn’t have to stand in the kitchen for two hours or break the bank. Believe it or not, there was even enough left over for me to have soup for lunch today.
While I would have been happy with a hot bath and a granola bar after such a wearing day, I realized as I finally sank into bed that I was even happier with a house full of hungry teenagers actually thanking me for “dinner.” Besides, there’s a 30% chance I can get that soaking tub tonight…
Also: Celebrating Little Victories and Advancements