At four-thirty sharp, the rumble of the bus rattles the windows, the doorbell chirps, and the kids are home from school. You walk out of the kitchen to unlock the front door and the timer on the microwave beeps six times. Then the water in the pot boils over on the stove; you swing open the front door for the kids and hustle back to the kitchen to pull the boiling water off the burner. The water is ready for the raw noodles now.
“Mom, look what I colored at school today,” Katherine comes stomping into the kitchen with a large piece of yellow paper fluttering in the air. “It's a giant sun,” she exclaims with a grin reaching from ear to ear.
“Wow, Honey,” you reply. “That sun is so bright, it lights up the whole kitchen.”
You pour the hard spiral noodles into the boiling water, and then remember to take the beans out of the microwave.
“Mama, I'm starving,” Jake whines. “Can I have a snack before dinner is ready?” You open the stainless steel refrigerator door and open the bottom left drawer for the bag of carrots and broccoli.
“Can I please at least have some ranch if I have to eat vegetables?” Jake asks.
You hand him the ranch dressing and turn to stir the spiral noodles that are now much softer, and realize the water is ready to be drained from the pot. Steam pours from the top of the pot as you walk over to the sink and dump the spiral noodles into the yellow strainer.
Katherine and Jake are chasing each other around the living room; Jake has the remote and Katherine is tired of watching Transformers. As you are pouring the steaming water into the strainer, you hear a tumble and a thud, then a burst of screeching tears. You try to pour the water faster so you can go care for Katherine in the living room, but some noodles splash out of the strainer and steaming water lands on your wrist. “Ouch,” you mumble under your breath.
Before walking out to the living room, you pour in the cheese packet, small blob of bu*ter, and a little bit of milk. You give it a good stir, and let it all melt together to make a thick, cheesy sauce for the soft spiral noodles.
“Alright, you two. I don't know what happened out here but Jake, you need to apologize and Katherine, you need to wipe your tears because dinner is ready,” you say sternly.
The apology is given, the tears stop, and the small family of three makes their way to the round kitchen table to enjoy the macaroni and cheese with green beans for dinner on another hectic Wednesday evening.