Save. Spend. Splurge.

A Week of Money: Where I get my 6th cold of the season…

Side note: You would think all the bacteria and viruses would have already made their rounds in my body, but apparently not all of them have had a go… SIGH.

DAY ONE

??:?? — Little Bun squeals.

??:?? — Little Bun squeals… again.

??:?? — We all wake up freaking exhausted from the time change. It is EARLY for Little Bun and he turns over with his face buried in the pillow saying he is grumpy and wants to sleep more. He is so cute I can’t help but hug him and kiss him. It is adorable how grumpy he is right now.

6:00 a.m. — I get up and blearily get ready for work… my partner makes a tired joke about being late for work which I don’t get so I give him a blank stare and don’t respond. We are all brain dead.

6:10 a.m. — I pull on my silk blazer vest and Little Bun chooses from my antique jewellery box a rose gold Wanderlust ring and I show him the matching bangle.. he makes me wear those and the Kate Spade Métro “words watch” where the numbers are spelled out in English.

6:30 a.m. — I do LookBook with him, drink some milk and coerce him into going to school by promising stickers there.

6:44 a.m. — We leave the house, I’m carrying my purse, his winter gear, our two lunches and extra tea I bought over the weekend for the office and this baby asks to be carried!!!!!!

6:46 a.m. — I tell him gently that Mommy cannot carry him now but once the bags are all in the car I will carry him into his seat (which I do).

7:24 a.m. — At work after I drop him at preschool I manage to tie up a loose end that had been evading me.. honestly it was open as an issue for months but something else kept popping up that I had to take care of in its stead.

8:33 a.m. — A colleague pops by and asks if I want to join him for pho… I’m so tempted!!!! I brought my lunch but I could really do with some hot pho with this cold I’m battling. See these pills? Pop ’em like candy.

9:45 a.m. — I go out for a walk, and I happen to see his friend’s father dropping her off, and I exclaim in happiness because Little Bun has missed her so much.

11:24 a.m. — In the end I skip yoga and go for pho. I take the Large bowl (they confirmed TWICE with me that I meant to take the LARGE), and then watch in amazement as I actually do eat it all (but I leave the Soup).

12:32 p.m. — We pay and I just dump all my change from my sales into the bin to give a nice tip. $16.50

12:40 p.m. — I go and check for Japanese cheesecake but they don’t sell it any more at the pastry shop so I need to find another vendor. Sob. At least I have spare candy in my desk if I am really in need.

12:45 p.m. — Back at the office I have 15 minutes so I do some Duolingo.

3:08 p.m. — My brain is dead. I manage to go through a few things before my brain gives out and I just do Duolingo and drink tea.

4:21 p.m. — I grab Little Bun. His friend came back, and he and her were SO HAPPY playing together at preschool, even the educators noticed it. They’re both quiet, but they seem to talk to each other in a secret, introverted language. I think it is adorable. My partner is a grump and thinks she is bothering him. I think they love bothering each other.

4:58 p.m. — At home, I get suckered into buying another app for Little Bun because he is so cute and wants to learn more words. $16.09

5:15 p.m. — We eat his snack from school he didn’t eat there (he prefers eating it at home with me) by sharing a banana and eating orange wedges, and then I activate my two new credit cards. I signed up for Rogers Platinum Mastercard and MBNA World Platinum. Both come with a fee, but the rates seem very good considering they charge a fee.

  • Rogers, charges $29 a year, but the first year is free (YAY!) and gives you 4% back on all foreign transactions, and 1.75% back on all domestic ones.
  • MBNA charges $128 a year, but the first year you get 10,000 points which more than covers the $89 fee, and leaves you with $11 (backed by TD Bank)

I will try both cards and see which one I like, but I suspect with my spending rate, I would be best with Rogers, as .25% is not that big of a difference to pay an extra $100 for a card a year. Plus, Rogers is the ONE card I can use for everything that doesn’t charge me forex fees and gives me 4% back. SWEET RIGHT? I’m glad I got pushed into re-thinking about my credit cards & fees I pay…

5:55 p.m. — I organize my posts and week of money. I need like.. 2 days to catch up.

6:12 p.m. — I feed Little Bun soup and do math with him (upon his insistence)..

7:42 p.m. — I help my partner pick out a possible gift for a niece — I suggest a watch, and show him my entire collection:

He thinks maybe the Rosefield with a leather strap would be the best choice. Something minimalist and classic.

7:46 p.m. — Little Bun gets antsy and I get him ready for bed.

Spent: $32.59

DAY TWO

??:?? — I hear my partner get up and I just lie there in bed trying to sleep.. It isn’t until I realize that I should probably get up early and get ready sooner, than I stumble blearily into the bathroom and say: OH NO!! .. It’s already past seven. Really for us, it is six, but the time change is throwing all of us off.

7:15 a.m. — The good news is that we slept at the “same time” last night around 8-ish (which would be 7-ish in previous time), and we woke up an hour later, which means everyone got a more solid sleep all around. I feel a little more rested but then my body kicks in and I feel exhausted again. I really need to sleep. Sleep, uninterrupted, and not sick…

7:22 a.m. — I quickly rush to get ready, thanking my brain for having laid out my outfit the night before, and I let Little Bun sleep as long as he can while I wash my face, and put on makeup.

7:36 a.m. — As I am doing my eyeliner, I hear him wail… and I joke to my partner that this is the “siren call of the Little Bun”… the morning wakeup if you will. He laughs.

7:42 a.m. — My partner is staying home today because he’s got a cold and he has more liberty to stay home when he’s sick. We both think Little Bun is staying home too, but when I go and gently ask him (as he is drinking milk in bed), whether or not he wants to stay at home with Daddy or go to school with Mommy, he chooses SCHOOL immediately.

7:43 a.m. — Little Bun has missed his little friend terribly from the last week (I think she was sick..), and so now he wants to go back and play with her as much as possible. I feel like as this is his first friend that he has made on his own and not parentally-imposed just because we happen to have kids around the same age, I want to ask the parents if we can keep in touch and maybe do playdates afterwards. They seem like nice people, and I want him to keep his friend, because once she leaves in September, he will be all alone again.

7:45 a.m. — I ask my partner to make his lunch, I don’t even have time to do a LookBook with him, but I manage a shot of my necklace today (<3 a gift from a reader I helped — Leaving a toxic work environment for a 6-figure job), and we head to preschool/work.

7:52 a.m. — Traffic is crap. It always is, an hour later… that’s why I like getting there early, no traffic and no nonsense.

8:12 a.m. — I drop him off at preschool, he loves his “”treat”” of raisins (I told him it was Tuffly Day and there was a treat at school), and I head into work.

8:27 a.m. — Everyone thought my son was sick and I was home today, but I said no, we just slept in… which means I kind of can’t go out today because not only do I have an emergency to fix before the cutoff time just before noon or else the customer screams, but I also have to stay in longer so I can leave earlier… I don’t want to abuse any  “my son is sick” card…. I don’t do that now, and I will never do it, but it is something I’m very aware of that is a Mommy Penalty but a Daddy Bonus when a parent stays at home to care for their children, or leaves early to do something child-related.

9:35 a.m. — I get a few emails sent out waiting for responses, and then I put on headphones to concentrate, and try to complete all of my tasks.

8:40 a.m. — Maybe I’ll stay home tomorrow. I’m really coughing hard and not feeling well. Maybe not. I have to get stuff done and it’s easier in person.

10:27 a.m. — I eat my lunch early, and go downstairs to wait. This process we have is so top heavy with approvals that a 10-second edit to a file that they asked for, takes 2 hours to go through the VP approval cycle and sign off. GRRR…

11:34 a.m. — I’m waiting at my desk, but once it hits noon, I’m out to work on blog stuff. I’m really annoyed with their process. People aren’t at their desks when it’s a critical time for everyone else, and we’re all waiting on ONE PERSON to help ALL of us. WTF kind of dumbass backwards process is this? And they aren’t even there, being a major bottleneck.

11:37 a.m. — I munch on my maple candy. At least I have sugar. It doesn’t help my immune system but I’m a lost cause for this winter/spring, I suspect. I wonder if I should take a walk to get some air… and deposit the $100+ I have from the sale I made last week

11:59 a.m. — I head out to work on my laptop. DAMN IT ALL TO HELL. 10% battery life left and I forgot to charge it before I left. WTF. FML. I guess I’ll be doing a lot of RSS Reading, Instagramming and whatever on my iPod instead. I can’t even leave for yoga, I have to stay in until THIS THING GETS RESOLVED AND NO ONE IS AROUND TO RESOLVE IT. WTF. WTF WTF. I should just cancel on yoga. I will do that if at the end of March I don’t go often enough. I’ll do a pay-as-you-go instead.

12:22 p.m. — I do what I can on my laptop while waiting for someone to DO THEIR JOB so I can continue, and I read a book. I eat half a tub of yoghurt, and I can see two guys sitting there side-eying me in disbelief that I can just chow down on 400 calories as a snack. STFU… I can feel you judging me…

1:02 p.m. — Oh good. Someone woke up and did their job. I quickly make a few changes to the presentation and upload it to the shared drive.

1:22 p.m. — I keep working, and someone calls me with a little innocent question…. that sends me down a rabbit hole for 2 hours.

3:00 p.m. — Meeting time. I wish I brought a massive tissue box with me. My nose is running and I have nowhere the put the dripping snot. Ugh… I’m an idiot. NEVER go into a meeting without tissues. In fact, all companies should make tissue boxes MANDATORY in all meetings rooms. It’s just gross without…

4:07 p.m. — Meeting over, I still try to make some headway on this other project but .. eff it. I’m too tired. I’ll do it tomorrow.

4:15 p.m. — I grab Little Bun. He was so pleased his friend was here today, and she brought her favourite stuffed toy that he really likes to play with, so that they could play together nicely. <3

4:56 p.m. — At home, our bread mould finally arrives WITHOUT BEING BROKEN. Hallelujah! FINALLY. They broke 3 moulds before sending us ONE that was whole. WTF right? What a waste of effing money because of a lack of foresight. This is close to the kind of crap I have to solve at work.

5:32 p.m. — I shower and Little Bun videos himself in the bathroom on the iPad as I wash my day out of my hair. I LOVE a good warm shower…  I know it is terrible on my skin and eczema but I dun care.

6:00 p.m. — Out of the shower, I do all the dishes and dry them.

6:34 p.m. — I wonder if I should make noodles to eat. I kind of don’t have an appetite (I am clearly sick)… but I should eat.. right? Maybe just a warm cup of milk and a banana.

6:44 p.m. — I finish going through all my card statements. I have now… 8 credit cards. One is being deactivated at the end of the month, and I ordered 2 new ones to put on trial (first year is free of fees). I suspect I will end up keeping the Rogers Platinum card because it returns 1.75% on everything, but also 4% on foreign transactions and NO forex fees. It’s the do-it-all-card… and my partner is on my Tangerine Mastercard which I only put parking fees on and let him use for everything else.

7:02 p.m. — I lie down with Little Bun and my partner in bed to do math. He’s sick but he had a nice, pleasant day at home alone without Little Bun. He is in good spirits.

7:42 p.m. — Oh yeah, the sweater rehab worked like a charm. I may do it again to pull the hem down a bit more so it covers half my bum rather than just sitting on top of my hips (preference), and stretch out the chest a bit so the arms are not so tight, but  it worked WELL! I put it on the same bathroom mat so you could see how much I managed to un-shrink it and stretch it out by a few inches:

Now the sweater touches both ends of the mat, and the arms are longer too.

7:53 p.m. — I’m hungry. I feed Little Bun and make noodles with nutritional yeast.

8:34 p.m. — Bedtime. Little Bun protests it.. but goes down. And asks: No more pat, Mommy…. which is bittersweet for me. I love that I don’t have to do it, but .. I already miss it… sort of. Not really. Yes. A little.

Spent: $0

DAY THREE

??:?? — We wake up and I am at least not a full hour late.. I am “on-time” having slept “early” last night but Little Bun wakes up “on time” this time, at around 6:30 which is his normal time.

7:24 a.m. — I get ready having laid out my outfit from the night before. The secret I have been doing is that the pants I have been wearing from the night get before have been reused in outfits for the week because I am getting lazy and bored. Black pants daily, skinny black pants, and a different top. I don’t care any more for this week because I’m tired and I just want to get out the door and get to work and get this week over and done with.

7:26 a.m. —I hand milk to Little Bun, who is really annoyed and grumpy at having woken up but also the fact that my partner is showering and he doesn’t like the bright light coming in from the door.

7:34 a.m. — I don’t even have time for warm milk, but at least I remembered to charge up my laptop so I could work during the next day.

7:37 a.m. — I get to the bathroom, wash my face, notice a bunch of dark dry spots and a new pimple appearing (GREAT ANOTHER ONE…) it’s because my skin is so dry and I put on moisturizer but since I also do oil, it makes my skin totally really acne-prone because I am trying to heal two things at once but my skin is acne prone.

7:46 a.m. — I also manage to get Little Bun to do a LookBook with me because we have a bit of time, and we head out of the door before his father manages to get out of the door and dressed.

7:58 a.m. — I grab his lunch, remember mine (it’s so heavy this week with yellow peas and pasta that I find myself really unable to eat most of it.. which is both good and bad. I guess I am not as interested in the meal).

7:59 a.m. — I’m toting 3 massive bags — a purse, two lunches and my laptop, and Little Bun in the elevator after getting out, bursts into tears as he gets to the car, and just plants his feet like a stubborn mule, sobbing red-faced and screaming: “NO SCHOOL TODAY“.

8:02 a.m. — I try to calm him down, but I have no idea what brought it on. He is pink faced, sobbing, really in tears and upset. His day is just not going well and I understand it. I am feeling a bit down myself with the sore throat issues happening from last night.

7:04 a.m. — I know he woke up “early” and lost an hour of sleep (this is our normal SNAFU), but he was so excited to go to school yesterday but today, he is just losing it. I can’t even convince him to go with his friend, and I have to wheedle hm into the car with a treat. This is NOT going to become a habit to treat him when he is not listening to me, and I needed to do it because I had a weak moment and did not want to deal with a toddler’s meltdown / loud response.

7:08 a.m. — I decide on a croissant for him because it is only once in a while, less than 2 weeks since he had his last treat. He nods, sadly, tears spilling down his cheeks, smiling a little now, but just.. really not happy at having to go to school.

7:23 a.m. — I drop off and pick up a croissant for him, a pain au chocolat for me, and a chai latte with a meatball to add to my lunch. Maybe I need meat. $13.46

7:39 a.m. — I head into the office, traffic is bananas, at least the garage doesn’t fill up until 9 a.m. and I manage to get into the office at a “decent” time, about half an hour late.

10:12 a.m. — At work, I work until our meeting where basically the head lead is suggesting that all the consultants are going to be gone sooner or later, and now they want me to TRAIN THEM on what I have developed as a deep expertise over 10 years? LOL. ALL THE LOLZ….. They are starting from goddamn zero, blank, and they want to be experts in what I know in 10 years, by end of the next month. LOL…. (Read: how to train someone without losing your job) ….Ridiculous.

10:12 a.m. — Anyway, I try not to lose my cool, but clearly not able to mask my look of incredulity, I say, look you need to walk before you can run and then we can talk.

10:20 a.m. — By the way, all projects will be delayed by at least 3 times the time if they expect me to also train them on basic concepts and start from ground zero. I mean.. FOR REAL. This is not part of my job description.

10:49 a.m. — This is just not possible in the time allotted and if they want it, I’m going to do it, but then each project is not something that is the same as before… it is not something easy. *shrug* I kind of find it disrespectful that they think they can learn my job in such a short amount of time on top of everything they’re doing and to retain all of the information.

11:15 a.m. — I head off to warm up my lunch annoyed, eat my purchased meatball and then toss the rest of the lunch. Zero appetite. I eat my yoghurt.

12:08 p.m. — After lunch, I head back in and work until the end of the day. I got in late but I leave anyway at the same time because I’m braindead and useless after 2:30 each day, give or take.

2:09 p.m. — OMG people wear the shortest minis at work.. there is a time and a place and it is not at work that you show off your legs. I should know. My legs are one of my favourite features and they stay COVERED to the knee because it is WORK. Not a CLUB.

2:39 p.m. — I write out my work list to do and know that I have a FULL DAY ahead of me tomorrow. I’m on about 4 different projects and I have to keep organized or else I’ll lose it. The reason why consultants are so popular is because we are actually more permanent than permanent people. We will never leave as long as you keep paying us and we enjoy the work environment. On top of that, we’re usually niche experts and we really try our best to do our best, which……. is part of being a consultant who is paid by the hour and knows it.

4:10 p.m. — I leave, grab Little Bun who rejects the apple slices as “not a real snack”, and we head home.

4:50 p.m. — At home, I start a load of laundry after we check the mail (our new daily activity).

6:12 p.m. — I feed him soup, he asks for noodles after and I make a slurry out of B12 nutritional yeast, a few drops of soy sauce, a teaspoon of sesame oil and mix it on top of the soba noodles. DELISH. A few scallions, some veggies and this is very, very yummy.

6:46 p.m. — Toss laundry in dryer.

7:01 p.m. — I get a break as Little Bun hassles his father for double digit math in his second language and I check on all my credit card bills and notices.

7:43 p.m. — I then get ready for bed, put away the dried laundry. Little Bun protests bedtime but then I promise “Mommy Train” which is a duvet cover over my legs and he goes “up” the hills (I use my knees to lift him), down, then around, sideways, etc… he loves it when I tell him we have arrived and he has to say what métro station it is (McGill! Atwater!, etc).

8:19 p.m. — We do TWO hard math equations then it is bedtime.

Spent: $13.46

DAY FOUR

6:00 a.m. — I wake up, my partner is staying home again today but Little Bun asks to go to school.

6:04 a.m. — I get ready, feel like my skin is acting up (I KNOW. All that processed chocolate is crap for my skin. I know, I know……)

6:27 a.m. — I choose a random outfit of a top I want to wear and a faux suede skirt instead of the printed one that would match. It goes well together. I find it hard to pair these suede neutral sage green and taupe skirts with tops so I’m glad to find a combo that works. I think it would be better in summer though, without the mandatory tights and boots. I make a mental note to try it again when it is warmer.

6:48 a.m. — I head off to work with Little Bun in tow.

7:11 a.m. — At preschool we say goodbye and then I head to work.

11:48 a.m. — The flow of work doesn’t stop until lunch and I had to tear myself away. I take a break but keep checking work emails so it was a waste really ..

12:15 p.m. — I eat my lunch with faux chicken tenders but no yoghurt because I feel strangely full.

2:28 p.m. — I get back to work and don’t stop until I take a break to go to the bathroom. I take another mini break on the benches before my last conference call of the day. I swear these things are going to kill me.

3:01 p.m. — Ugh. My makeup is terrible today. I feel sick and terrible so no wonder my face looks it.

3:05 p.m. — Back to work and on a call.

4:13 p.m. — I leave and pick up Little Bun. He eats his orange wedges on my lap and then we head home.

4:24 p.m. — At home, we check the mail, and I take a shower.

5:08 p.m. — Shower done, I chat with my partner while he watches educational nursery rhymes on Youtube. We’re bad parents who need time to talk and relax without a screaming child.

6:30 p.m. — I share a banana with Little Bun and he gobbles down more oranges.

7:13 p.m. — I get peckish. I want noodles again. But Little Bun is not hungry for his soup… so I make noodles anyway, and feed him some. I may rehab my other black turtleneck this weekend or stretch out my other one again to make it a length I want….

8:08 p.m. — Everyone is ready for bed.

Spent: $0

DAY FIVE

??:?? —  Little Bun wakes up telling me the following narrative: You stepped on your favourite 4! [ I immediately assume he means the numbers carpet in the preschool that has a hopscotch design of numbers 1 to 9 that kids can jump on and sit on ] …You also stepped on 23! You are not 23! You are 4! So you stepped on 4. [Remember he is saying “You” to mean “I” as he is still confused about this]…

??:?? —  I nod sleepily and validate all that he is saying “Yes baby, you stepped on 4.” And “No baby, you are not 23. You are 4 years old.

6:04 a.m. — I try and get him back to sleep and he sobs and starts screaming: YOU ARE NOT SLEEPY!!! I very gently, and calmly tell him not to yell at his Mommy and he just needs to say nicely: Mommy, I am not tired please. And it is over. He nods and lowers his tone of voice… until he gets too excited again of course.

6:08 a.m. — I grab his milk and lead him back to bed by his hand. I sleep-cuddle him while he is drinking his milk. After he is done, he squeals and hands the bottle over.

6:12 a.m. — I get up reluctantly, put the bottle away, and then head into the bathroom to dress and get ready for work.

6:20 a.m. — I change my outfit completely. I had planned on a cobalt blue plaid top but change into a bright pink one instead to suit my mood. I want to go to yoga today, I feel FINE for the first time in days, even though my ears are totally plugged and congested.

6:38 a.m. — Time for some milk.

6:45 a.m. — We do selfies, and my LookBook.

6:58 a.m. — I get ready to leave after saying goodbye to Little Bun and grabbing the Amazon package to mail off today so I can get back about $600 in refunded money, but Little Bun doesn’t want me to leave, but I explain it is Daddy Home day, and he nods, then cries and goes to play with his father after a big hug and kiss.

7:25 a.m. — I head into the office, resist the urge to buy a chai latte, cake and a breakfast sandwich on the way to work at a local coffee shop along the way (I will buy some chai syrup this weekend and create my own frothy milky foam at work and ELIMINATE this need to buy outside drink and food or at least make it cheaper to do so because I suspect I am not staying at this contract any longer, I don’t really want to actually…), and I start working.

8:40 a.m. — I take a break to talk to a colleague I haven’t seen in a while (she has been sick with the flu), and we catch up on stuff. She basically tells me all the gossip that has been happening and as a result, I don’t want to stay any more. I’ll stay it out until the end of the contract but I am actively looking to leave now. This is not my gig if they are going to treat people like this, just because I am a contractor and not an employee. I don’t appreciate this division and lower-than-human-treatment and I am out the minute I find something.

9:12 a.m. — I grab a tea with the team, and then I start work.

10:30 a.m. — I am going to stop working like crazy and killing myself on what I am doing until I have time to find something better. I really feel the tides turning. Not cool.

11:50 a.m. — I end up going to yoga, but still feeling stuffed up and a bit fatigued. I make it in, slowly make my way to the mat, and from the start and at the end, I’m lying down on the mat (I know it looks rude, but I really .. I really need to lie down and rest).

1:40 p.m. — The class was good, and then I head back to eat my lunch.

1:48 p.m. — As I am heating it up on the NORMAL setting, I go to grab my veggie chicken tenders, and the BOWL HAS SPLIT IN HALF WITH SO MUCH HEAT that everything is just burned to a crisp. I am shocked. I could have started a fire but this was not something that I had ever experienced before. WTF. Luckily only 2 people were there, and a guy helps me move this boiling hot, broken, ceramic bowl (*sob*.. $14 and so pretty), into the garbage. WTF. I feel stupid. And sad. My lunch is now very sad, and I have lost my appetite.

2:18 p.m. — I head downstairs to continue working, and I am encountering lots of issues today, but no one wants to work on anything, saying that they’ll get to it later… so I message one of the Directors and he immediately gets someone on it ASAP. Sometimes you need to toss your weight around a little…

2:45 p.m. — I finish up with my work, concentrate on what I need to complete, grab a cup of tea, and put my lunch in the compost. No appetite. Tired, fatigued.. I am going to have to resist getting sushi tonight… but I really want it. No. Must strengthen resolve. Tighten belt. Already ate out twice this week — pho early in the week and then that treat day with Little Bun .. NO. NO. Must not waste money. 🙁 … NO.

3:26 p.m. — I mention to people that I want to leave and they’re all sad… We’ll see what happens in a few months. Who knows, maybe I’m making a mountain out of a molehill. They really do need me, I want to stay, I like the job and the money, and it is just the slight way I am being treated that I am not loving but maybe it’s something they’ll have to learn.

4:10 p.m. — I mail off that Amazon return. I’m expecting about $600 back, then I can get the balance off my credit card after the refund goes through….

5:23 p.m. — I’m at home, face washed, dressed in loungewear, still tired, fatigued, hungry from not really having eaten all day (no appetite), and my partner goes out to grab dinner. I hope it is not just salad again. Sad face. 🙁

5:48 p.m. — Little Bun begs for Google (to watch videos on Youtube, educational ones on colour and numbers)… I give in.

6:14 p.m. — My partner is home and gets dinner ready. A salad again but he added tomatoes so I am not as sick of it.

6:54 p.m. — I leave the dishes because my partner starts yelling at Little Bun (and me for letting him) stand up to eat rather than sit in his chair, and Little Bun, being a little boy, CANNOT SIT STILL. He is moving, getting up and down, running around the apartment, coming back for eats, etc…. Cue 25 minutes of ear splitting shrieking and crying against my chest as I just sit there, mouth shut and take it because you can’t get through to him when he is screaming. My partner is furious, saying “he’s going to whack is head on the marble counter one day and it will all be over, in only 15 minutes he has banged his head, his shin, his knee…“… What can I do, really? This is my life. I’m tired.

7:16 p.m. — I manage to get Little Bun to agree to “Mommy Colour Train”, which is just me making him spell out how to spell colours…. or really, he says a colour and I have to spell it if it isn’t easy.

7:50 p.m. — Bedtime. I grab his stuff and try to get him ready, and then he just goes wild, playing with his father and doing math before bed.

8:45 p.m. — I get yelled at again by my partner who is irritated I suggested he do subtraction with him because now Little Bun wants “SUBTRACTION IN NOT ENGLISH!???!!?” just before bedtime, getting him “riled up”…. to which I retort back: SO WORK ON IT THEN. He isn’t learning anything new with you.

Spent: $0 – AMAZING. I pat myself on my back. I GET A STAR. A big one covered in chocolate.

DAY SIX

6:00 a.m. — OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! Little Bun slept pretty well all night and I wake up having rested. Of course, he woke me up early, so that sucks… but at least I slept pretty solidly the whole night like a rock. My cold is slowly disappearing so that’s good too.

6:05 a.m. — I cuddle, kiss and chat with Little Bun and rub and pat his hair…. I love doing this in the morning. Then I get up and grab his milk, and stop for a potty run on the way back (although he INSISTED I put the milk BACK in the fridge, THEN take him to the potty, THEN go get the milk from the fridge and go to bed so that the morning routine was not disturbed. I was not having any of that, so I told him “tomorrow morning”.. and luckily he slept fairly well so he didn’t make too much of a fuss, just loud insisting.)… he also asks me to “Mommy not go out today..”.. but Mommy has to get stuff done and this is HER TIME OFF, so.. No can do, baby.

6:23 a.m. — After his milk, I hustle him out of the bedroom and he wants the iPad to do dinosaur matching so I hand it to him and make a bowl of matcha tea.

7:00 a.m. — I am working on stuff and I am trying to get my day organized.

7:16 a.m. — I log off, and I talk to my partner about my work troubles. This is not a nice turn in the tides, and I am pretty sad about this whole business. I thought I could be happy and stay here for a while, but now with these new managers trying to prove that they can cut costs and “get rid of these pricey consultants” (who by the way, have an expertise so THEREFORE ARE PRICEY FOR A REASON), or at least “get the bang for their buck” by trying to get me to teach everything I know when that is not what they hired me for and it is also NOT MY JOB…. (LOL. ALL THE LOLZ..)… it is weighing on my mind.

7:25 a.m. — I remind my friend about our call in the afternoon during Mommy Time Off. I’ll chat with her, talk about work woes, hang out.. you know. Get some friendly input and criticism from someone who doesn’t even know WTF I do.

7:59 a.m. — I start on the dishes while watching the finale of Top Chef, which by the way, Google totally ruined for me this morning when I was on it. THEY TOLD ME WHO WON IN ADVANCE. Sigh… I watch the show anyway just to get an idea of what they made. The right person won based on the feedback, but I feel sad that the other one didn’t… No spoiler alert here.

9:05 a.m. — Dishes washed, dried, and Top Chef over, I work on the blog .I am scheduled until the first week of May, so I can breathe a sigh of relief but I’d like to get a couple more weeks in before I take a breather. It is good to know I can bust it out when I need to.

9:06 a.m. — Little Bun is occupied so I start on an episode of Ozark… I stop it and switch to Sherlock because.. I cannot deal with a new series.

11:23 a.m. — While doing that, I manage to schedule more posts and finish up some banking all while Little Bun is watching shows about colours. He discovered YouTube and is now obsessed.

12:08 p.m. — I head out for the day. I’ll be calling my friend later, so I pack the pot to return. Little Bun stands at the door and says: Mommy? Mommy Want to Hug and Kiss Mommy Goodbye?? …. and he waits until I am ready, then hugs and kisses me goodbye. WHAT. A. CHILD. It is days like this they make your heart melt. He runs off and plays with his father.

12:34 p.m. — OMFG. DID I FORGET THE CREDIT CARD FOR THE RETURN?.. I am already halfway there, there is no turning back and I forgot the card for the return which means I have to do it tomorrow WITH THE CARD. I had taken out this card from my wallet because I have two new ones to use now with bigger cash back rewards, and I moved out the old card. FML. Another trip tomorrow I guess.

1:13 p.m. — I head to get some Starbucks — trying the Rooibos Latte — and I hang out watching Big Bang Theory. LOL!! This conversation made me laugh SO MUCH from Katherine about this Smiley face bag: 

http://shopstyle.it/l/B2pB

Husband: What. Is. This.

Me: A smiley face pouch! You see how the zipper is also the mouth? Do you think it’s cool?

Husband (ignoring my comment): Was this expensive?

Me: …no

Husband: Then why does it come with its own dustbag?

LOL!!!… 🙂 $5.11

3:54 p.m. — I call my friend (late) and we chat until I start making my way home.

5:57 p.m. — I finally hang up and head inside. Little Bun already ate, so my partner and I eat salads and I finish my appetizer (tomato foccacia bread)..

6:35 p.m. — I start a load of laundry, and do the dishes for tomorrow, and Little Bun watches nursery rhymes and spelling videos.

8:00 p.m. — Time for bed. I get him ready, and he fights me but then falls asleep easily.

Spent: $5.11

DAY SEVEN

6:00 a.m. — No squealing last night but I could have done with another hour or two of rest… I wake up tired. And I look it.

6:03 a.m. — After I grab his milk, I pass out beside him as he drinks it, and then I gently close the door and take him out of the bedroom to let my partner rest. He’s recovering from a cold too, no sense in the two of us being tired.

6:15 a.m. — I make some matcha tea to drink, and Little Bun plays on his iPad doing dinosaur parts matching.

6:25 a.m. — He wants to watch spelling videos now, so I log him in and he sits VERY nicely and quietly while I do my banking, organize out my budget for the rest of the year (I have decided to give myself a true, FIXED personal income aside from the business).

7:09 a.m. — My partner gets up and starts on breakfast, telling me he had a dream we lived in Paris…. 🙂

7:48 a.m. — We manage to chat a bit before Little Bun gets bored of videos, and wants to play Math with Mommy.

7:53 a.m. — I play with him, he “helps” me in the closet, I start drying my laundry from last night, and start another load of laundry — my last one for this weekend..

8:13 a.m. — My partner made croissants, fresh orange juice with honey for the adults (for our colds), and is baking fresh bread for the next day or two.

8:46 a.m. — I get him ready to head out to return that pot (FINALLY, now that I have the card and all), and to buy some more pills.

9:07 a.m. — We haven’t been out together in a while so he is behaving VERY WELL and being VERY good so that this happens again and Mommy takes him out with her. I pick up a 3-month refill on my pills. $65.78

9:26 a.m. — I return the pot. -$519.54

9:48 a.m. — I RESIST the urge to buy a Starbucks and a sandwich. I pat myself on the back mentally.

10:12 a.m. — I drop by a grocery store and pick up non-dairy milk, Starbucks chai latte “syrup” — I wish it was a real syrup and not a liquid to mix with 1:1 of milk… and some yoghurt. $23.58

10:52 a.m. — I drive to work with Little Bun to drop it off in the fridge (it is HEAVY and I do not want to carry 5 bags to work tomorrow). He is behaving well but starting to show strain from it being too close to his nap time (noon at preschool, 1 p.m. at home).

11:35 a.m. — THEY CLOSED THE WHAT NOW?.. I have to take a 30 minute detour…. gah.

12:08 p.m. — At home, a salad is ready, Little Bun eats, and gets a major boost of energy, so much so that he refuses to nap. “You are not grumpy! You don’t need to nap! NOT GRUMPYYYYYYYY“…. Umm.. if you’re losing it baby boy, it means you ARE grumpy and sleepy and need to go DOWN FOR A NAP NOW.

12:58 p.m. — I FINALLY get him down upon some promises of “hard math” after he wakes up. He drifts off almost immediately, after closing his eyes.

1:17 p.m. — A break. Finally. I log in to go through my budget and organize my life for next week… I am at about the $1800 mark halfway through the month not including my travel expenses I prepaid already. I need to keep this DOWN.

2:18 p.m. — Little Bun is up, crying from his nap, I run to him and his face is all pink and he looks just so despondent.. I whisper soothing noises and tell him: Your Mommy is here. Your Mommy is here.. *kiss kiss kiss*.. and he smiles up at me. I grab his milk bottle and cuddle him as he drinks.

3:18 p.m. — I start on the dishes and all the pots.

3:57 p.m. — All the dishes washed, and dried, I finish 1.5 episodes of Project Runway. I won’t have time to myself next week, I have to meet an old friend before she leaves to go back home to London, so I am planning a day with her next week.

5:10 p.m. — Picture this, folks…I am lying down on the bed, half dozing as he is playing around me, jumping like a kangaroo and other shenanigans. As long as he is kept busy, but really loud, I don’t give AF. My eyes are closed and I am trying to half sleep…

5:19 p.m. — Little Bun then stops, with his feet inches away from my face, and asks me for dinner. I’m so tired, I am not even thinking of the soup and pasta he has in the fridge, I just say : Ask your father.

5:24 p.m. — He doesn’t want to ask Daddy and and insists on asking Mommy. Then he says : WANT SOUP AND PASTA, and it clicks in my head that yes, I actually can get him food. So I wearily get up off the bed. I am tired..

5:40 p.m. — I get him soup and pasta, and feed him the entire bowl. At the end, he spies his father eating some pineapple chunks, and asks for it. His father tells him to finish his meal then he can have some.

5:56 p.m. — After he is done, I go back to lie down and pass out, while he hassles his father for pineapple.

6:12 p.m. — I get up and go to the kitchen after I hear him squeal : NOT HUNGRY! DON’T WANNA EAT, and I realize my partner is putting cheese on his homemade baguettes for our dinner. I tell Little Bun he doesn’t have to eat, but Mommy is hungry. He informs me that I am actually mistaken and am NOT hungry, and should come and play with him post haste. I laugh and tell him I need to eat first. He seems to accept this but then winds his body around my legs under the kitchen chair and bothers me every 2 seconds as I am eating.

6:28 p.m. — After dinner, I throw my laundry into the dryer, bring the basket of clothes to him, and he happily sorts it into piles – This goes here! This goes there! This is for Mommy (*pats my socks*), This is for Little Bun. This is still wet! I hang up his pants which are still a bit damp, to dry over night.

6:57 p.m. — I get ready for bed, try and convince him to read a few books to calm down before sleeping, but he resists me until I tell him he won’t have any books then. He asks for his dog socks (which are super cute with a white French bulldog on them) and proceeds to wear them as mittens while I change him into pull-ups and pyjamas on the bed like a baby.

7:03 p.m. — I put his little toy on the doorknob and he giggles. Little Bun wants to leave it there all night but then as I explain that it is cold and his friend doesn’t want to be there alone without his Little Bun to cuddle and hug him, Little Bun’s face crumples and he goes and grabs his toy and hugs and kisses it to comfort it from being left alone on the doorknob. He hugs the toy tight to him all night to make up for abandoning him on the doorknob. That’s right, now you know how Mommy feels when you cry ….

7:26 p.m. — I offer TWO books by holding up two fingers, and he adds another two fingers to my fingers, asking : THIS? THIS? … so I agree to 4. I don’t mind, I can’t say no when it is books and he eagerly goes to pick out 4.

8:20 p.m. — I go through the entire 4 books, and then am about to tuck him into bed, and he asks : Mommy. MATH. Want addition.

8:21 p.m. — I eye him, I eye the clock (only 8 :20), and I tell him okay, two math equations and that’s it. No more. I grab the clipboard, and we do two addition equations with 4-digits this time and I am working on teaching him to rely less on me writing down the intermediary equations like 4 + 5 = ? and to have him do them in his head and just tell me the number. I also work on showing him how you can add the first two numbers together, and then add that result with the last number instead of getting mixed up trying to do all 3 at once. So 1 + 4 + 5, you would add 1 + 4 first to get 5, and then add 5 to that, for 10.

8:37 p.m. — Math done, I tuck him into bed. As I am JUST ABOUT TO DROP OFF to sleep, I hear him bolt upright in bed and start crying : DOG SOCKS DOG SOCKS DOG SOCCCCKKKKKKKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

8:45 p.m. — I had put away the dog socks because he took them off to do math (to count on his fingers), and he actually wanted them back as mittens to wear to sleep. I decide not to try and pretend like the dogs are away on vacation visiting their cousins like I do with any request he has for a toy in bed, and I get up, really groggy and dizzy from almost having achieved sleep, to grab his socks and put them on his hands.

8:54p.m. —  He goes to sleep satisfied but I’m already predicting a hellish morning for me.

Returned: $519.54

Spent: $89.36

———-

Want more? Read all of my previous Week of Money Diaries.

4 Comments

  • Financegab

    Hi, Excellent information. Loved it. Thanks for sharing!!

  • Ishita Dubey

    Love reading your blogs. Keep sharing! Those croissants look delicious. That smiley bag is cute and I love your necklace. Bdw, I have never had matcha tea. How to make it?

    • Sherry of Save. Spend. Splurge.

      Thank you so much. As for matcha, you need a whisk or a frothing device. Some matcha powder in a bowl, small amount of hot water, and then just whisk it until it foams up, then I add milk 🙂

  • M

    Please dont publish 🙂 Hi there, would love to see you write up what your toddler eats in a day. Really interested in his eating habits! Thanks

Post a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *