A Week of Money: Where I get a grip, finally.

DAY ONE

??:?? — Hmmpfh!? … A foot smacks into my face as he wiggles around in a circle trying to get comfortable.

6:20 a.m. — Baby Bun slept in!! And “through” the night! Sort of. I feel rested anyway. That’s good enough.

6:29 a.m. — I feel 3 huge pimples coming in, the painful cystic acne kind where it just stays underneath your skin and aches… and I immediately regret having stuffed my face with 6 slices of pizza at Baby Bun’s friends birthday party along with goodness knows how many cupcakes. I can see why parents get fat, it is from all these darn celebrations!!!

6:49 a.m. — I make tea, get organized and chat with my partner.

8:08 a.m. — My partner heads off to do errands after hooking up the new Bose sound system he bought for the living room, and organizing the cables so they’re neatly tucked away.

8:38 a.m. — I wash all the dishes from 3 days ago while Baby Bun names flags on his iPad and asks me for help with some names.

9:38 a.m. — I finally finish everything and leave most of it to dry on the counter. To basically make up for the fact that I am now working and have zero at-home time to do all of this stuff, I have just adjusted the schedule. Now laundry gets done twice a week instead of 3 times (usually in a panic as I realize Baby Bun is out of underwear or socks), and dishes only get washed every third day at best, instead of twice a day. I have given up on keeping a super clean minimalist kitchen in lieu of personal free time.

9:48 a.m. — I think about logging in to blog and get stuff done. I do it, and start on a post for the following Monday from one of my Ask Sherry posts.

10:18 a.m. — Baby Bun squeals that he needs to go to the bathroom. I drop everything and go with him.

10:19 a.m. — He wasn’t *ahem* pointing down, so the pee goes up like a fountain ALL OVER THE BATHROOM. Literally. I groan internally but keep it together as not to upset him. If I scream and react badly, he gets very upset, so I keep calm and say it’s no big deal, the pee went everywhere like an elephant fountain!

10:22 a.m. — He watches as he is sitting on the toilet, as I mop everything up, and re-wipe everything again to disinfect.

10:23 a.m. — I wash my feet in the sink because I of course stepped in it.

10:25 a.m. — I hear sounds of poo-ing. I ask him if he pooed. He of course, screams: “NO!“… I wipe his bum anyway, before pulling him off the toilet, knowing he is just being obstinate.

10:27 a.m. — I suddenly spot something brown fall as he is jumping like a kangaroo and getting his new, dry underwear, and realize it isn’t a piece of a soap nut like I had been hoping, it’s POO I missed when I was wiping (it is hard to make a child lean forward to properly wipe their bums).

10:23 a.m. — I very quickly grip his shoulder to stop him from jumping, but I am too late. He jumps IN THE REST OF THE POO AND SMEARS IT ALL OVER THE FLOOR.

10:25 a.m. — Want to die. DIE. DIE RIGHT NOW. RIGHT THIS SECOND.

10:27 a.m. — I command him to stay still while I take control of the situation. He’s giggling at the poo smeared all over the floor and on his feet.

10:47 a.m. — I cleaned him up, clean the bathroom floor, disinfect everything, and now, feel like taking a shower and eating cake.

11:02 a.m. — I go back to the laptop after excessively washing my hands, trying to finish my post for Monday and plan my day out today, before realizing I have to also buy at least 10 more tickets for the metro.

11:18 a.m. — I complete my list of things to get done:

• Buy a new lunch bag
• Mail package to my friend & my aunt
• Buy a new swimsuit for Baby Bun
• More metro tickets
• Letter tray for the front hall closet (I need it for envelopes)
• Return sunscreen I bought (I don’t use it, and I will get $17 back)

11:28 a.m. — My knee is acting up again, and for some reason, I cannot bend it. I can’t put pressure on it, and it is if I sit for too long of a time with my knee bent, that it starts to seize up. I wonder if I should go see a doctor for this.

11:58 a.m. — I start creating tutorials for my aunt to learn how to use her new tablet I bought for her. The best site I found so far is this one GCF Learn Free, and it is very clearly explained with great pictures especially for the elderly. I copied the entire thing and just cut out areas I knew she wouldn’t bother with like Themes and Signature. I also added some of her personal information in there like her email address.

12:16 p.m. — I break for lunch which ends up just being some old pieces of bread from yesterday. I’m waiting for my partner to come home, he always brings a lunch….

12:56 p.m. — Baby Bun goes down for his nap after a lot of protesting.

12:57 p.m. — I log back in to continue working on those tutorials for my aunt.

1:52 p.m. — I finish the Gmail and Chrome tutorial and print both of it to mail to her later. I need to figure out how much postage costs, but it should be cheap. I mustn’t forget a card, and maybe an updated picture of Baby Bun. I make a note to print a couple shots of him.

1:57 p.m. — I quickly get dressed and go out to get things done. I look at the grey skies and wonder if I should even bother going downtown today.

2:18 p.m. — I finish mailing off packages and the tutorials. I can’t believe it was $20 just to mail some papers to my aunt. Ridiculous. $32.25

2:22 p.m. — I decide against going downtown. I go to return some sunscreen instead because the preschool found the one I had given to Baby Bun on his first day. -$19.53

2:32 p.m. — I hem and haw over going to pick up some sushi like this because I skipped lunch today.

2:48 p.m. — I decide to just save the money.. for now. I head to the library to scam free wifi and blog to get caught up. I am almost scheduled to the end of August right now, the rest of the months above are completely booked save for the Fridays….

2:55 p.m. — I start blogging and blogging and blogging. I haven’t replied to comments in over a month, so I start with that.

4:15 p.m. — I try and power through the end of it, and finish watching the rest of Modern Family. Addicted. I feel a lot more relaxed though.

4:45 p.m. — I get back into the house and Baby Bun is all smiles, but turns very wild / active when we are both at home together, not when it is just one of us or the other. It’s like together, we are his Kryptonite to act badly. I only got this done on my list:

• Buy a new lunch bag
• Mail package to my friend & my aunt
• Buy a new swimsuit for Baby Bun
• More metro tickets
• Letter tray for the front hall closet (I need it for envelopes)
• Return sunscreen I bought (I don’t use it, and I will get $17 back)

5:35 p.m. —  My partner and I blow up at each other.

5:36 p.m. —  He is yelling at me because “I am raising Baby Bun to be terrible and to scream, because I am screaming and setting the example”, to which I screamed back: “You’re doing the SAME THING, you’re screaming at him which is causing me to stress out to try and get him to calm down, which causes me to scream at him because my nerves are frayed!!”..

5:37 p.m. —  Yes folks, this is what parenting is. It isn’t all rainbows and sunshine because I have been yelling myself hoarse lately because my child just WON’T LISTEN TO ME. This is not an isolated incident either.

5:38 p.m. —  I scream back at my partner that ALL MOTHERS will tell you that their kids just DO NOT listen to their mothers. Specifically their mothers, not their fathers. If their fathers raise the voice, they listen, but when their mothers try to talk to them calmly, repeat it, explain things, bla bla bla, it ends up being a screaming match. You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t, so I don’t really need my partner yelling at me to tell me it is my fault for screaming so much.

6:01 p.m. — For that matter, I explain to him that we are both at fault but he just doesn’t get that it isn’t me either. Baby Bun doesn’t listen to me because I am his mother, UNLESS I YELL. And when I yell, everyone gets upset and angry, most of all me, but NOTHING WORKS DAMN IT!!!!!!!!

6:07 p.m. —He also doesn’t help by constantly trying to reprimand Baby Bun for stupid, useless things that don’t matter. Baby Bun is not a robot child, and as a result, he is GOING TO ACT OUT. All of this is making me very stressed, which is why we reached a boiling point with each other. It was bound to happen. We weren’t sleeping.

6:28 p.m. — We settle into a mutually agreed, stony silence after yelling at each other, and take a bite of the food. It is none of our faults. We are both tired, stressed, sleep-deprived, and we are both causing each other to scream more because we are both snapping faster than usual.

6:37 p.m. — We’re about to get ready for bed, and the ritual is to get him to go pee before sleeping (so he doesn’t do it during the night and/or wakes me up for it). We try to get him unsuccessfully to do so, and he just screams “NO PEE”.. but then he gets naked, and wants to go to the washroom. It is FRUSTRATING. It happens every single dang night.

6:57 p.m. — I take a shower to calm down from everything.

7:14 p.m. — This Aquis hair towel has significantly cut down on my hair drying time to where it is damp and will air dry in half an hour or less! I’m quite pleased. I don’t sleep with a sopping wet head any longer.

8:57 p.m. — “Work tomorrow“, is what I think, as I fall asleep.

Earned: $0

Saved: $19.53

Spent: $32.25

DAY TWO

??:?? — Baby Bun. I don’t even know what body part it is but it’s small and slightly sweaty. It’s on my face though. Feels like a bum. I gently slide him off me.

??:?? — He tries to slide back on me, and sleep on top of my legs, with his head on my stomach. This is NOT COMFORTABLE.

??:?? — I rudely shove him off and quickly pat his bum to get him back to sleep as he sleepily squeals a protest: “SLEEP MOMMY. SLEEP MOMMY!!!!!!!” (Sleep ON Mommy he means)

6:28 a.m. — I look at the clock and think: YIKES! I quickly finish making my tea, drinking it, and start getting ready for work.

7:59 a.m. — We’re on the way to work / school now. I repeat each time to him, every day, that Mommy works, and Baby Bun goes to school. He seems to get it, and then loses it when he’s there.

8:05 a.m. — Baby Bun drop off.

8:28 a.m. —I quickly spy on Baby Bun with the preschool webcam. He looks happy enough. The sobbing kills me in the morning but then he is okay.

10:18 a.m. — I am trying to plan where to take my parents when they visit.

10:28 a.m. —I take a look at the menu for a recommended restaurants and realize it is pretty heavy on the meats. I was hoping for lighter, seafood fare as a nice place to take my family when they come up to Montreal. Right now, I am just going down the list of restaurant suggestions of different cuisines to try:

• Imadake
• Chasse et Pêche
• Chao Praya
• La fillette
• Joe Beef
• Au Pied Cochon
• Le Serpent
• Papillon
• Cafe Ferreira
• Toque

10:38 a.m. — The menus are all pretty pricey for the most part, with main dishes running anywhere from $25 – $50 a plate, PER PERSON. I am not sure I want to go THAT fancy because it may not be worth the value for what you’re getting. I think my parents would be happy with just a really solid meal like at Five Guys, but I want to give them something very Québécois which is making me lean towards Joe Beef or Au Pied Cochon for that reason, price notwithstanding.

10:48 a.m. — I close the window and get back to work. I’ll look at it at lunch.

10:58 a.m. — I struggle for the next 15 minutes, Googling how to create accented characters for typing in French. I’d like to type MORE in French but when you don’t have a Mac keyboard, it is not as easy. I figure it out for Microsoft Office, but it doesn’t seem to be the same thing using other programs. ARG. I decide I’ll just keep a text file with accents on my desktop & do a copy and paste.

12:08 p.m. — I break for lunch.

12:10 p.m. — As my food is heating up, I iMessage my friend who is dealing with a lazy latcher (newborn), and give her all the advice the 3 lactation consultants gave me. I try my best to calm her down and tell her to BREATHE and to not be a crazy Alpha Mom like I was when Baby Bun was born. I try and get her to see the bright side of things, but I also mention that the first 3 months of a newborn is probably the worst and best things you’ll ever experience in your life. I loved having Baby Bun, but I hated the newborn stage, and it is 3 months of torturous hell of not sleeping well, and being exhausted all the time. Lately, the exhaustion on my end comes more and more from Baby Bun just NOT LISTENING to me unless I raise my voice and yell at him.

12:56 p.m. — I finish my food in between messaging my friend, and head back to my desk.

2:32 p.m. — I’m in a meeting and all I can think is: Man this is painful. I wonder if it’s just the stress or people not understanding both languages perfectly, but this is just taking longer than it should. Why can’t they see what is going on? Why are we arguing about stuff that doesn’t even matter or exist!? ARG.

3:04 p.m. — I get out of the meeting half an hour later, which really should have only taken 2 minutes in normal human time.

3:18 p.m. — I’m in another meeting and it feels like the same crap. People are arguing over things that don’t matter and frankly, WHO CARES. Let’s focus on what we DO need to know, and get it done. I calm myself, and remind myself I am a New Sherry at work, the one that stays Zen, and bottles up her frustrations at inefficiency inside, and defers to everyone else around her for little petty decisions that don’t affect her work. Ommmmmmmmmmm. 

3:22 p.m. — Ommmmm.

3:48 p.m. — Ommmmmmmmmm.

3:55 p.m. — OMMMMMMMMMMM. I SAID. OMMMMMMMM.

4:15 p.m. — OMG. WHAT I NEED IS CAKE. Screw this “Omming”.

4:20 p.m. — Before I leave for the day, I try to log in on my iPod and try to buy a couple of things online but the internet works against me. Just as well. I’ll wait until I get home and have a laptop. It’ll be easier and faster.

5:00 p.m. — Baby Bun pickup. He runs into my arms squealing happily.

5.35 p.m. — HOME.

7:37 p.m. — “Do you need to go pee?”, I ask Baby Bun? My partner asks him as well. He keeps screaming “NO! NO NO NO NO NO!” but then, after about 2 minutes of losing it, he screams: “GO PEE!!!” UGH. I know they are asserting their independence in deciding when to go, but when they’re dancing around and squeezing their legs together, YOU KNOW THE POTTY DANCE WELL. You even sometimes do it yourself as an adult. Kids.

8:07 p.m. — Bedtime for me. Not sure what the other two are doing. I close my eyes and only wake briefly to pat Baby Bun’s bum to sleep.

Saved: $0

Spent: $0

DAY THREE

??:?? — Baby Bun shifts, whines, and gets his bum patted back to sleep.

6:08 a.m. — I go to find my bus pass and am in a panic. I flash back to when I last used it (on the bus home) and realize because I was dumb, it may have fallen out of my pocket while I was with Baby Bun on the bus. I swear up a blue moon (internally).

7:39 a.m. — After frantically searching through my bags, my old outfit from yesterday and turning the entire apartment inside out, I’m resigned to pay in cash for my bus fare today. I am going to be super late.

8:08 a.m. — I get to the bus and scour the seats in frustration. $3.25 (instead of $2.25)

8:18 a.m. — I hop off at work, get in, Google where to cancel my metro card and get a new one (I registered the old one) and realize I need to show photo ID IN PERSON at the station. WTF. ARG. I can’t just call them.

8:19 a.m. — I realize I am still valid for my 2-hour transfer if I am quick enough to get to the metro in time to take the train. I beg my manager for leave and he lets me go get this mess sorted out.

9:39 a.m. — I speed walk to the metro station (20 minutes away), berating myself over and over again for being SO STUPID AND CARELESS, and take the train to the Customer Service stop. $0

10:02 a.m. — I arrive at the station, take a number and am called up within 10 minutes to explain my plight. I pay for a new card but my old tickets (worth about $60) get transferred. $6

10:10 a.m. — I’m about to leave and I remember to ask for a courtesy ticket. He makes me show him my old ticket that I used this morning (presumably to come to the station to get a new card) and he issues me a courtesy one. I’m glad I’m quick enough to ask for one rather than to pay twice!! $0

10:12 a.m. — I quickly rush back to work and consider stopping at Starbucks to get a chai latte but decide against it because I also STUPIDLY in a rush to get out, forgot my lunch and my snack. I need to buy something to eat today so I don’t want to make it worse.

10:35 a.m. — I’m finally at work and I slump into my seat, exhausted. The emails have poured in all morning for an issue we are having and I start trying to sort out the mess of people replying, All Replying and not attacking it in a logical manner to fix the issue.

12:08 p.m. — I work non-stop and finally get things going off to different folks. I check the time and pop out for takeout lunch around the corner.

12:28 p.m. — I eye the selection and take a salmon and polenta dish, a mushroom risotto and a slice of almond cake. Don’t care. Am eating my pain. $32.31

12:38 p.m. — On the way back I wonder if I over indulged by getting TWO lunches but decide I sort of needed to eat my feelings today. Just can’t make it a habit. I have been pretty good since I started working… I ought to make a rule that I can only eat vegan when I’m out so that it makes it harder to indulge.

12:58 p.m. —I warm it all up and start eating, and I realize the risotto is actually vegan! They used almond milk, it is delicious. The salmon was good too but I forgot that I don’t really like polenta. The cake ends up being too sweet and I regret the choice. However, at least I know the food is good here. I make a note to come back, but for the risotto only. That was good.

1:26 p.m. — I finish my lunch and take a piece of cake back to my desk to continue working while I eat.

1:28 p.m. — I rush on a bunch of documents they want for this afternoon and I end up finishing most of what I needed to, and start assigning tasks to other people to complete. I know it is the weekend but we are on a tight deadline.

1:44 p.m. — I sit back and take a sip of water, then realize I can’t leave at my normal time today, I got in late by at least an hour so I need to make up for it.

5.35 p.m. — I go to pick up Baby Bun (finally) an hour late from my normal time, almost when the preschool closes and his face is bright pink with red eyes from crying, tears streaming down his cheeks. I hug him tight to my body and try to soothe him.

5:37 p.m. — I feel like the worst mother ever right now. They tell me he has been crying for an hour for me, thinking I forgot about him As we are talking, he sniffles and puts his head onto my chest and hugs me tight. I feel terrible.

5:42 p.m. — I dry his eyes, kiss his cheeks and explain that Mommy had to work later and I was sorry I was late. I vow to try and not screw up and lose things again. I hate making my baby cry like this, especially when it isn’t his fault, but mine.

5:47 p.m. — We go into a nearby cafe and I buy him some biscotti to share. $3

5:57 p.m. —He feels better now that I’m with him, but is now hassling me “Bis-tee? Bisck-tee??” (Biscotti) .. I should have never introduced him to it 😛 But his father does make a very delicious almond biscotti which I think may be something he plans on making before our trip, as a vacation snack.

6:47 p.m. — We are home late, and I explain to my worried partner why we are so late. He sort of had an idea because he saw me frantically trying to find my pass this morning.

7:57 p.m. — Bedtime. I’m really tired. Psychologically and mentally. I only just remove my makeup with a makeup wipe and half-heartedly try to put on some serum, but give up and just go to sleep without washing my face or doing anything.

8:37 p.m. — I try to force Baby Bun to sleep and realize he must have had a VERY LONG NAP today because he is fighting me hard.

??:?? p.m. — Finally. He’s down. My partner and I talked for at least half an hour so it must be past 9 for sure. I am going to pay for this tomorrow.

Saved: $0

Spent: $41.31

DAY FOUR

??:?? — Don’t even. I don’t even know why he is screaming and I don’t care. I hold him tight and try to soothe him.

5:18 a.m. — Ugh. I really needed that extra half hour he sleeps, even an hour. I am SO tired….

5:28 a.m. — We quietly make tea and log in to look at the map of the world and flags together, as I name off the countries.

6:08 a.m. — I start getting ready for work and let my now-awake partner take over as much as I can as I put on my makeup and choose an outfit. I am so tired I can’t even decide what to wear.

6:58 a.m. — We’re out the door.

7:48 a.m. — Baby Bun drop off. He sobs of course. I am resigned to my fate, and wave brightly as I run away and escape to work.

8:08 a.m. — I flop into my chair, my manager is not in yet. I put everything away and start working.

10:18 a.m. — I get an email from preschool saying Baby Bun has an outing to go to if we choose to send him. It is and additional $40 for a morning at an art workshop. I decide against it because he is right now too young to appreciate or care about these things. When he is older, maybe 4 or 5, we will start sending him on these trips. For now, I’d rather not spend the money until it is something he will remember and care about. I do make a note to start explaining art and to bring him to a museum perhaps.

11:02 a.m. — Work.

12:26 p.m. — I grab a few minutes for lunch, heat it up and go back to my desk to work.

1:12 p.m. — I finish my lunch, and continue working.

4:25 p.m. — I leave early for Baby Bun pickup. I worked through lunch and nothing is pressing.

5:05 p.m. — We’re home in record time, all the stars aligned! I drop off at the park to let him run around. As we do so, my partner pulls past us, slows down a little, and waves. Baby Bun grins and waves back, and we both go to the park together while my partner goes home presumably to continue painting the apartment.

5:25 p.m. — We finally leave to walk home.

5:47 p.m. — We’re home and dinner is waiting for us on the counter. I wash our hands together, and strip off his outside clothes, and dress him in a t-shirt. I do the same for myself.

6:17 p.m. — My skin is breaking out again, probably from stress and bad eating habits. I need to stop giving in to my food temptations when I am stressed.

7:27 p.m. — I spent the last hour doing puzzles, reading, making up games and stories with Baby Bun. Now I want a break.

7:37 p.m. — I escape into the shower.

8:37 p.m. — We get ready for bed, I am frantically trying to finish 32 Yolks by Eric Ripert, a great, engrossing food biography of the chef of Le Bernadin in NYC.

I wish we had eaten there when we lived there. This poor guy is young but has completely white hair from stress, I think. He is always one of my favourite judges on Top Chef, along with Bourdain, Ted Allen, and Hugh Atcheson for humour potential.

Saved: $40

Spent: $0

DAY FIVE

6:08 a.m. — I wake up thinking that spending that time with Baby Bun exclusively on the weekend was a good thing because he is less clingy this week (all things considered) and feeling better, it seems. He still wants me to do everything for and with him, but it is getting better. Baby steps.

7:55 a.m. — Baby Bun is already protesting as I take his hand and firmly walk him through the doors of the preschool. He is screaming: NO MOMMY WORK. MOMMY NO WORK. NO WORK MOMMY…. in all the ways he can with his limited vocabulary to get me to understand he doesn’t want me to work.

7:57 a.m. — I spend a few minutes parroting back to him in proper words (parenting-book style): You don’t want Mommy to go to work? You want Mommy to stay with you and stay at home? He sniffles “Yes”, and clings to me like a koala, but I tell him very firmly that Mommy had to work because if he liked going on the metro, it isn’t free and Mommy needs to make money to pay for all of that.

7:59 a.m. — He screws up his little face and tried to understand the concept, repeated it, then burst into tears again when I try to leave but at least the seed is planted. I can’t help it. He has to learn somehow. It breaks my heart but I am not going to stay at home to cater to his whims.

8:19 a.m. — At work. Working.

9:16 a.m. — I check on Baby Bun via the webcam and see him playing happily.

12:56 p.m. — I end up getting to lunch late, I was in meetings all morning. This is so frustrating to have the same gat damn daily meeting and gather everyone in a room when it could be done over the phone in 2 minutes.

1:12 p.m. — I wolf down my lunch. I want to leave earlier today.

3:12 p.m. — I check on Baby Bun via the webcam and see him having a snack. He looks happy. Whenever it is time to eat something, Baby Bun is guaranteed to be the FIRST ONE in his seat, waiting for food.

4:45 p.m. — Out the door, I speed walk to the preschool.

5:01 p.m. — Baby Bun runs towards me, thankfully tear-free and we hug. He tugs my arm hard as if he wants to run away from the preschool. I sigh internally. This is going to take a good year of getting him used to the routine.. I hope he is still having fun even while screaming all morning.

5.35 p.m. — We’re hoooommmme.. and hungry.

5:37 p.m. — We both wash our hands and try to decompress.

6:07 p.m. — Nomz.

8:07 p.m. — Bedtime. At least for me.

Saved: $0

Spent: $0

DAY SIX

6:28 a.m. — He surprisingly slept quite well last night. I’m thrilled. We hang out together as a family before everyone heads off to work and school.

7:19 a.m. — We’re already out the door and on the way there in a leisurely manner instead of rushing.

8:08 a.m. — He still sobbed when I left, but apparently it only lasts 2 minutes. They really know how to get you right in the heart, these toddlers.

9:18 a.m. — I work.

12:16 p.m. — Lunch time. I spend the time chatting with another colleague.

1:12 p.m. — Back at my desk, more work.

3:45 p.m. — I check my emails and realize that what I ordered from a store shipped the WRONG ORDER and I need to fix this. I email them, and ask them to send me the right one this time.

4:15 p.m. — I get ready to go home, cleaning up my desk for the weekend, making sure I haven’t forgotten anything, and making sure all my loose ends (email-wise) are tied up.

4:35 p.m. — Out the door early. Everyone leaves early on a Friday especially if it is sunny and beautiful outside.

5:05 p.m. — We’re home in record time. My partner isn’t even home yet. We get undressed from our outside clothes, wash our hands, and I hand Baby Bun his afternoon milk.

5:35 p.m. — My partner comes in the door bearing a baguette under his arm and some chicken gizzards to grill, some red peppers, tomatoes and zucchini. YUM. I love grilling in the summer.

6:37 p.m. — I start on the dishes from the past 3 days (yeah seriously, they’re all in the sink and we had to eat bread off the counter), not wanting to have a huge sink to wake up to, tomorrow on the weekend.

7:27 p.m. — I finish the dishes while watching more TV episodes with my beloved wireless headphones on. This is the only “me” time I get, and I like to relax with TV while doing something productive (dishes). Win-win I say.

7:47 p.m. — I spend time slowly drying every plate, trying to finish an episode of Modern Family.

7:57 p.m. — I end up hanging out with Baby Bun reading, doing puzzles…

8:07 p.m. — I lie in bed and chat with my partner while cuddling Baby Bun and playing games.

8:47 p.m. — Everyone in bed. Sleeping. I hope.

Saved: $0

Spent: $0

DAY SEVEN

??:?? — No idea why I am awake. Baby Bun is sleeping like a rock.

6:28 a.m. — He bounces on me, waking me up after I drifted back to sleep. I cuddle him and we go for milk.

7:09 a.m. — I make tea and drink it. Mmm… It’s nice just to have a cup of creamy tea in the morning.

8:08 a.m. — My partner starts cooking while I work on trying to get all the laundry done. I forgot to do it all this week and it has piled up. I throw everything in and set the timer on my iPod.

8:18 a.m. — I finish making a list of things to do today, while Baby Bun bounces around me.

8:21 a.m. — I decide to take him out for a train ride and to watch things happen in the station. $2.25

11:02 a.m. — We finally come back just in time for lunch. $2.25

12:08 p.m. — Baby Bun goes down for his nap early, talking excitedly in short word bursts about what he saw — the train, the bus, the signs, etc. He’s too excited to sleep, but just talks to himself as he dozes off.

12:09 p.m. — I log in to work on the blog. I schedule more posts and consider taking a break from these Week of Money posts until I get back from vacation. I will be gone for almost a month, and that’s 4 posts, with each post taking at least 3 hours to write (12 total hours…)

1:34 p.m. — Baby Bun thunders out like a baby rhino from his nap, rubbing his eyes and grinning at me. I grab him, hug his warm, slightly sweaty after-nap body and he demands milk. Yes, demands is the right word because he never ever just asks for it.

2:18 p.m. — We head out to the park to play and get super tired again so that my day back at work is not some exhausted ghost of a mother trying to sleep through the night.

2:58 p.m. — I spy a mother (?) with her face very obviously done up with surgery, wearing makeup and Lululemon gear with a Louis Vuitton bag. She isn’t working out (who runs with a LV bag?) but she also isn’t running errands (at least, not that I would ever be that well-dressed and head out in yoga gear), and she has no yoga mat. I wonder what she’s doing at the park. She can barely smile with all the Botox…

5:05 p.m. — Back from the park! We eat some grilled zucchini (YUM) and chicken and then Baby Bun runs off to “play flags”.

6:37 p.m. — I finish the dishes and washing up the entire kitchen.

7:08 p.m. — I quickly log in to do some quick emailing and Skyping with my mother, and I spy the most amazing flats. I SAW THEM on a friend so very long ago (at least 7 years ago), and it is like they have called my name to buy them. I have always, ALWAYS wanted a pair like hers.

7:18 p.m. — I hem and haw. Then decide not to. *sigh* I hope I won’t regret this. I want to wait for a deeper sale.

7:27 p.m. — I am trying to finish reading my book but can’t get through it with Baby Bun squealing beside me. We end up just playing together until it’s time to sleep.

8:17 p.m. — I pat his bum to sleep and he sleeps like a rock.

Saved: $0

Spent: $4.50

IN SUMMARY

I’m exercising my muscle to not shop again. This is helping. I had let it get flabby in the past 2 weeks but I need to breathe in some wardrobe zen.