Page 135 of Just Watch Me
“Getting them ready for bed is more work,” Finlay said. “Mum helps George with his bath still, and washes his hair, and Georgia needs help too. And then there are stories and all.”
Little kids—A.M.,Zane wrote. AlsoLittle kids—P.M.
“Washing-up,” Scarlett said. “That’s almost as much work as cooking, unless you cook the way Skylar does, where she cleans things as she goes along. You have to be very organized to do it that way, though, and you probably have to have made the thing before, so you know how much time you have in between steps.”
Washing-up,Zane wrote, and under it,
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
“You should put ‘Cooking’ at the top of the other list, then,” Scarlett said. “So it’s the same.” Which Zane did.
“Laundry, obviously,” Finlay said. “And helping the little kids make their beds in the morning. And cleaning the bathroom, because Mum does that during the week, too. That’s because we only have one, plus another toilet, and they get too dirty otherwise.”
“If you’ve been in hospital,” Scarlett said, “you probably have to have an extra-clean bath, or you may get an infection. The cleaners come on Thursdays, so maybe Skylar’s bathneeds to be cleaned again on Monday? Ours will be dirty too, but we may be able to wait for the cleaners. I’m not sure.”
Zane’s marker was traveling fast now. “What else?”
“Going to the shops,” Scarlett said. “Nan does that almost every day. That’s heaps of lifting, putting things in the trolley and then carrying the bags, and Skylar’s not supposed to lift things. It’s also heaps of walking, but she says sheissupposed to walk.”
“You can order groceries online,” Finlay said, “and get them delivered to your house. I’ve seen adverts about it. If we did that, nobody would have to driveorlift things. Except that it costs more. That’s why we don’t do it.”
“And Nan doesn’t do it,” Scarlett said, “because she says she needs to see what’s in the supermarket to remember what she needs. But won’t Nan be the one going? And doing the cooking, too? And the laundry?”
“It’s probably too much to do for nine people,” Finlay said. “That’s why we had to start helping Mum at our house, because Granddad was over here all the time and she said it was too much for one person to do. And there were only four of us there. Also, Snowball.”
“Snowball?” Zane asked.
“He’s still having the cat sitter come,” Finlay said, “but he gets lonely. If we’re going to be here, I think we need Snowball to be here, too. So you should add the litter box and feeding him to the list. Mum usually does the litter box, but it’s not a very nice job. Oh—we have to mow the lawn at our house soon, too, or it’s going to get really long. I guess that goes on a different list, though.”
“No,” Zane said, “one list. OK, then.” He looked at his sheets of paper. “I’m going to put ‘Service’ by the lawn, and ‘Dad.’ That means I’ll ring them up and tell them to do your mum’s house, too, besides ours. So that one’s done.”
“Cool,” Finlay said. “That means I don’t have to do it.”
“And put ‘Nan’ by the ‘Dinner’ line,” Scarlett said.
“OK,” Zane said. “Now. Shopping.”
“I told you,” Scarlett said. “Nan likes to go herself.”
“Right,” Zane said. “For the dinner stuff. For the rest, though, seems like we could do that ordering online thing. Breakfasts and lunches for seven. Washing powder, dishwasher soap, all that.”
“Loo paper,” Finlay said. “We’re always running out of loo paper.”
“What d’you reckon?” Zane asked. “Plan on putting in an order every other day?”
“Yes,” Scarlett said. “We could start out doing that, and then see.”
“I could be in charge of ordering,” Finlay said. “I’m good at computer things.”
“But who’s in charge of fixing breakfast and lunch?” Scarlett asked. “Skylar will think she is, because she always thinks so. She was in the kitchen this morning to do it until you told her to go back to bed and cooked the eggs yourself.”
“That’s why we have this list,” Zane said. “So she can see it’s taken care of, and she doesn’t have to think of everything and give orders, or start doing it all herself. Very simple meals, I think. Cereal, fruit, toast, eggs, like that. And sandwiches for lunch? Prepared soups?”
“Mum gives us other things along with sandwiches, too,” Finlay said. “Carrots and apples and kiwifruit and grapes and mandarins, because those things are pretty cheap when they’re in season, and they’re good for you. She slices everything up, too, because she says kids eat more fruits and veggies if they’re already sliced. We could do that, and get ham and cheese and tuna for the sandwiches. Mum likes pastrami and salami, too, and so do we, but they’re more expensive. You can get ham that’s pretty cheap.”
