Blended Family

Pippa

Lin and I ran errands together Sunday afternoon while the little kids were still away.  They needed some more clothes and basics like shampoo, diapers and wipes.  We'd also decided we needed to be better about meal-planning.  I'd planned out a week's worth of lunch and dinners and had written down all the ingredients.  Lin pushed the cart and read off what we needed as I picked and chose.

"A bag of frozen peas and frozen corn," he read out as we reached the frozen section.  I surveyed the selection and found the store brand bags, then tossed them into the almost full cart.

"Should we get Green Giant?" Lin asked.  "Isn't that healthier?"

I gave him a look.  "Lin, they're the same.  You're paying extra for the brand name."

Lin shrugged and accepted my answer.  He'd done the family shopping before and had spent over $200, mostly because he bought brand name food instead of the store brand alternative.  Thank goodness he had me.

I saw Lin grab a bag of Pizza Bagles and I wondered whether they were for him or the kids.  They weren't on the list.  I didn't say anything I we picked up the last couple items, then went to the checkout counter.  We both helped unpack the cart and the worker scanned all our items.  Our total came to just over $150.

Since we had so many bags, we hailed a cab to get home.  Elliott was still on the couch, stuffing his face now with Cheetos.

"Will you come help please?" I asked him as Lin and I set the bags on the counter.  He reluctantly stood and helped unpack and put things away.

"Have you gotten a start on your homework?" I asked him as we finished.

"Nope," he said unapologetically.

"Why don't you start now.  You still need to get those grades pulled up," I reminded him.  He hated me nagging him but I had to.  Steven sure didn't.  I was all the heavy.

"Mom, would you quit reminding me?" he groaned rudely.  "Jesus."

"Hey!" Lin gave my son a look and Elliott looked a bit stunned.  I was a bit stunned myself.  We'd been living together for a couple weeks now, but neither of us had corrected each other's children before.

Elliott sighed and grabbed a Vitamin Water from the fridge.  "I'll get started on biology."

"Thank you," I told him as I started to organize the pantry.  Call me a control freak, but I liked to have things in a certain order.  All the soups were separated from the canned vegetables and others.  Grains were grouped together.  Snack foods grouped together.  Elliott at least was used to my organization.

"Is he at his dad's at all this week?" Lin asked, pouring himself some water.

"No, Steven's going on a business trip.  He'll be here until next Sunday," I reported, moving around some cereal boxes.

Joey walked out in running shorts and one of her practice soccer jerseys, looping her hair up in a ponytail.  "I'm going for a run," she told her father.

"Okay," Lin said.  "Have your phone?"

She pulled up a shirt sleeve to show a workout band with her iPhone attached.  Joey took off as Lin as I settled on the couch.

"I wish Elliott was half as motivated as Joey is," I said, plopping down.  Lin smirked a little.

"She has her own challenges," he mused, taking a gulp of water.

"Yeah?  How so?"

"She gets too intense," Lin said, rubbing at his eyebrow with his thumb.  "Gets worked up about things.  Sometimes she doesn't know when to stop."