Feed Me, Seymour

From here

I dreamed last night that I was grocery shopping. In my dream I ran from aisle to aisle, scooping entire sections of foodstuffs into my bottomless cart, frantically trying to keep a running mental total of what this would cost, wondering if the cashier would reject my debit card because I had overspent available funds by a factor of five, never reaching the check-out line because I remembered I hadn't even reached the cereal section yet.... It was a nightmare.

OR WAS IT?

For the past several weeks we've had Boys in and out of the house before settling into our summer residency of four. It has been amazingly wonderful, and the thrill of having grown-up kids never gets old. They are so funny! And they mow the lawn without being asked! And they laugh at my jokes! And they take their own baths!

However, they also eat and I am completely out of the habit of cooking.

It's surprisingly easy to put food on the table when Husband and I are the only full-timers at the House on the Corner. One rotisserie chicken will feed us for a main meal and serve as the protein for two more casseroles, which provide enough leftovers for three lunches, as well as the topping for main meal salads. Or if I get home from work cross-eyed from proofreading, it only takes a call to Husband for someone else to put together the salads (thank you, Wendy's, for creating the Best Salad Ever).

The Boys, to their credit, do not complain that I am starving them. They look into the empty refrigerator, hoping I will have shopped since the last time they looked in the empty refrigerator, then announce the they're going out for a snack--anyone want to come along?

This morning I was late for work because I had to run to the store for milk, and I was reminded that not so long ago my grocery list included a gallon of milk and a box of cereal for every single day of the year. No, I am not kidding.

I'll be shopping after work today, and getting into a new/old routine of actually cooking meals. I'm also starting a tally of how many gallons of milk flow through the house this summer. Want to guess many how we'll consume between now and Aug. 15? Closest guess in a comment will win a prize! In case of a tie, earliest reply wins.

And now if you'll excuse me, I need to go check my bank balance. I was warned in a dream that  not doing so could be terribly embarrassing.