Babysitting II

I took my bath, packed my hair into a messy bun and threw on a sweatpant and a jacket. Most appropriate for the weather, and of course most appropriate to run around if need be. There are three boy toddlers in my living room. The athletes in them are definitely at their peak now.

I went to the kitchen to prepare snacks for them. I know they said they were not hungry, but they are toddlers. They would not pass anything sweet, and their luck is that I have a sweet tooth too. So, there were a lot of sugary snacks in my refrigerator.

I poured some popcorn into a bowl and kept it in the microwave to warm a little, while I poured some orange juice into some disposable cups. There was no way I would allow them to make use of glass cups. I don't have the money to replace broken plates or cups. When I was done pouring the drinks I brought out some chocolates and after arranging everything on a tray I went back into the living room.

Good, they were still engrossed in the cartoon they were watching, except the youngest, which I didn't find, good thing I have sweatpants on I'm ready to run track today. I set the tray down and invited them to eat which of course they did

" So much for not being hungry" I teased the both of them with a friendly smirk.

"What is your name," I asked the eldest

"Peter," he replied

"And you?" I asked the second eldest

"Paul," he said

"That's some strong Christian parents they have got there," I said to myself.

"What about your brother? What is his name and where is he?" I asked Peter

" Noah," he said

"I am surprised his name doesn't start with the letter P," I said out loud.

"OK, where is Noah?" I asked again.

"I don't know," he replied

"He likes to move around a lot," the second toddler chipped in, which resulted in a smile from me.

"OK, enjoy," I said and went to look for him.

I did not have to go that far. Noah had found his way to the kitchen, while we were in the sitting room. He was trying hard to open the fridge.

"Hey little man, " I said as I picked him up.

I opened the refrigerator and then bent him a little to pick what he wanted.

My eyes widened at how wrong I was on the sweet tooth judgement when he went straight for the bottle of red wine, instead of all the chocolates scattered in there.

I beat him to it and chuckled lightly. Then, I picked a chocolate and closed the fridge.

Thank God he didn't cry, because I hate babies that cry. I tore open the wrapper of the chocolate and then gave the fresh chocolate to him.

I'll have to keep an eye on him for the rest of the day, I thought. He was already curious about the wine, and something tells me he'll be going back for it just like any typical toddler.

We went back into the living room and joined Peter and Paul to watch 'Angelina Ballerina' that was now showing on jimjam.

They'd cringe at this when they grow up, I thought, and it brought a smile to my face.

When the show ended, another one started. This kept them occupied, singing along to the theme song of most of the shows that came on. I couldn't help but smile at the memories from my childhood when Petra and I would watch Nickelodeon till it was dark, and then mum would make hot chocolate for us before we retired for the night.

Thankfully Noah was fast asleep on my body and the popcorn had long finished.

I carefully dropped the sleeping toddler down on the sofa, packed the empty bowl and cups then went to the kitchen to prepare lunch

I warmed the leftover pasta and some chicken nuggets then I arranged them on three plates.

This was because I learned a trick about feeding toddlers, which had to do with food arrangements.

I served the food on the dining table and then called them to eat. I had to wake Noah up too.

I tried to feed him, but he proved that he was big enough to handle a fork. So, I allowed him to feed himself, which he did after staining his clothes and the table.

When they had finished eating they went back to the living room to continue watching their cartoon while I cleared the dishes and took care of Noah's stained shirt.

By 3 pm Mrs Christopher had come back from the market. Instead of allowing her to stress herself to come to my house, I took the toddlers to her house.

"Thank you so much, Willow," she said, hugging me.

"You're welcome ma'am, it was fun having them over and they were good children," I said returning the hug

"Oo yes they are..you should stop by sometime when my son is around I'm sure he'd like you," she said,

She never misses an opportunity to tell me how much of a good girlfriend I would be to her son.

"Thank you, Mrs Christopher, but we've had this conversation several times. I'm not ready to be in any relationship, " I said with a soft laugh.

"Never say never," she said, and then she laughed too.

"Goodbye Ms Willow," the eldest and the second eldest said in unison

"Byeee," I said with a cheeky grin.

Noah had run into the house, the moment he arrived here, he was probably somewhere playing with his toys.

"Bye Mrs Christopher," I said to her as I stepped out from her porch

"Have a nice day," she replied with a smile.

Since there was nothing to do at home I picked up the novel I had been reading for a while.

I continued to read until it was 5 pm then I prepared for work.