“i thought you said you were going to make brownies,” the youngest one remarked.

“thank you for reminding me,” i replied as i quickly grabbed my diet hot chocolate & headed straight to the kitchen.

brownies are the last thing i should be eating as this five-day nanny stint comes to a close, yet i feel like baking some sweet treats is the least i can do for three young ladies who have been the best behaved munchkins in all the land.

between all the running around, the movie theatre meet-ups, the take out pick-ups, the early morning wake-ups, the multiple coffee pot fill-ups, the few & far between sisterhood fighting break-ups, & the multiple personality switch-ups, these girls have been fabulous to watch.

my job, here with them, is easy- as long as i wake up on time, entertain them throughout the day, occasionally feed them, & make sure the house is standing in one piece, i’m good.

i’m reminded of this ease of living as i think about going back to work tomorrow afternoon. 

(it’s the oddness of hours, the uncertainty of a growing future, & the constant thought sitting in the back of my mind that i am not actually utilizing my degree ((mainly those two letters that casually sit behind my signature)))

the thing is, when i’m here, surrounded by three brilliant & creative minds, my other life doesn’t matter, nor should it. 

when i’m here, all that matters is that they’re safe, that i check the locks before bed-time, that i am the first to exit into the garage in case a hairy scary man is lurking, that i have the pantry stocked with propel waters, goldfish crackers, oreo cookies & dark chocolate covered acai berries, & that i drive carefully, no matter the destination.

though i did recently question whether or not i’ll be asked back due to a recent trip to the grocery store where i looked at the girls & said, “can we just check out what y’all are holding right now? do you really think your mother would approve of your not so healthy choices?”.

that was when they quickly replied with the best answer possible, “that’s why you’re here! she’ll never know.”

& that’s the beauty of it all.

when i’m here, i can step away from my life, if only for a few days, & they can do the same.

it’s a trust in one another & it’s a pretty luxurious escape…

…full of late-night laughter & surprise adventures & varied entertainment & before bed-time thick, decadent, triple chocolate ghiradelli brownies & whatever other secret behaviors occur along the way…

after all, she’ll never know.

(photo taken during last friday’s after-school pick-up rotation)