A Week of Money: Where I spend over $10,000 in a morning

DAY ONE

??:?? a.m. — “MOMMY.. POTTY”…. #%(#*%()#%* … and I take him to the bathroom. At least he wakes up for it but NO MORE WATER past 8 p.m. even though he throws a fit for it. SO TIRED.

6:16 a.m. — Baby Bun wakes up and is already a monster. We have have some strong words before he calms down. I’m tired. I snapped a lot quicker than normal.

6:26 a.m. — I quickly remember to make up the shopping list for my partner, for vegan burgers again this week, some radishes (have a craving for them) and the crisp green apple smoothie.

7:06 a.m. — I spend the next hour checking emails, and reviewing my To Do list with all the notes I made and haven’t cleared yet.

7:16 a.m. — I check out designer Mara Hoffman having discovered her name from a magazine I was reading in the doctor’s office, and fall in love with her wild, abstract, geometric prints, particularly in this dress. She also makes swimwear but I only really like wearing a modest retro boy-leg cut that is a one-piece (so I can swim in it without falling out).

7:18 a.m. — I look at MiracleSuit swimwear and realize it is meant for super busty women to make sure their swimsuit holds them in securely, not my kind of twiggy body type. I love their ruched black swimsuit though… It is basically swimwear + shapewear all in one. I spy another one I like, this cobalt blue one with a gorgeous ruched front for stomachs.

7:22 a.m. — I finally log off (after noting that I have to bring my own travel mug out today) and decide to vacuum the entire apartment today, hand-wipe the edges where my partner made a dusty mess and start a load of laundry.

7:25 a.m. — The load of laundry is in and started (kitchen towels).

7:28 a.m. — I start hand-wiping the edges because I should wait until at least 11 a.m. before I start vacuuming as not to disturb the neighbours.

8:28 a.m. — The entire apartment is done. Baby Bun is loving that I am on the floor scrubbing like a maniac, he thinks it’s a game.

11:08 a.m. — My partner comes back with the groceries and we have a nice quick lunch. I plan my escape.

11:18 a.m. — My partner casually mentions that we ought to do the taxes today, there’s only a week left to file. Crap. He’s right.

12:32 p.m. — I hustle Baby Bun down for his nap while we finish up the taxes. I stop in the doorway and surreptitiously watch as he slowly opens and closes his eyes, drifting off to sleep all on his own. I secretly fist pump to my success at getting him to sleep on his own now. Whenever I stop patting him bum to sleep, he says sweetly: “That’s it….All done! No more Mommy patch* Baby Bun.. bum..” (Patch = Pat) .. it’s really adorable when said with a toddler lisp.

12:45 p.m. — Taxes are done, and I alone owe a little over $10,000. Guess I’ll have to sell some investments to clear that. Grr. I knew it was coming but.. I also didn’t you know? *sigh* I hate doing taxes so late in the month but my slips never come in until April 1st, and I have to have my partner’s info in before the software calculates the final amounts owed. He’s the real procrastinator here! I’ve been done since April 10th. $10,603.96

1:08 a.m. — Dressed, red lipstick on today and on the bus! $2.25

1:15 p.m. — On the bus, I spy the gas price at $129.9/L (which is $4.91 per U.S. gallon, for your reference) and feel rather good about taking public transportation. Surely it is cheaper than anything else.

1:22 p.m. — We pass by two young guys with their faces COVERED in tattoos. They’re fascinating, and one of them catches me staring at him. I guess they like the attention, it’s pretty eye-grabbing. Reminds me of those tribes in the jungle you see on documentaries that mark their faces.

12:12 p.m. — I go into David’s Tea to pick up my free Tea of the Day cuz it’s Earth Day.

1:25 p.m. — I spend the next while wandering around in a daze, just soaking in the feeling of people. I like being with people but not talking to them if you know what I mean. I like feeding off the energy of others doing things which sounds kind of twisted but it is nice to have that kind of adult interaction and confirmation of human life without actively doing it. I guess that’s extroverted.. in an introverted manner.

2:13 p.m. — I check the price of the GlaxalBase cream which is $27.99 at Pharmaprix plus 15% tax. Gah. Expensive. Online it is $25.99 plus taxes. If I can’t beat that price, I’ll buy it online.

4:25 p.m. — I get back on the bus to come back home. $2.25

5:29 p.m. — We settle down for dinner. Dinner consists of watching my partner make said dinner, and chatting through it, and Baby Bun learning to sit patiently until it is time to eat. It is very hard to tell a toddler he can’t eat all the bread before the food arrives, but we are trying to teach him about the importance of a (slow) dinner together.

7:19 p.m. — I wash all the dishes (tomorrow is Cooking Day and I like having a clean kitchen for my partner to move around freely), and I go to take a shower.

7:45 p.m. — Out of the shower and slathered in cream, I settle down to read to Baby Bun and then ask him for a “Mommy Break” so I can read my own book. Baby Bun seems to understand this concept because he says as he is pointing out everything: “Baby Bun Book…. Mommy Book… Mommy Break.”

8:45 p.m. — My partner and I have so much fun chatting while Baby Bun plays with trains around us (and I am half reading), that we don’t even realize it is almost 9 p.m. at night. We quickly turn off the lights and everyone goes down to sleep.

Saved: $0

Spent: $4.50

Going to pay: $10,603.96 – on taxes *sob*

DAY TWO

6:06 a.m. — Baby Bun. Up and early. At least he didn’t squeal much last night but he really glued himself to my back and snored into my ear all night. It’s cute… and not cute at the same time having a snoring Baby Koala stuck to your back.

7:06 a.m. — I hear my partner stirring and getting up so I start putting away the dried dishes from the night before which I avoid doing early on so I don’t wake him. The kitchen is pretty clean for cooking now except for a bowl and 2 empty tea cups from my morning teas.

7:13 a.m. — My partner gets out and starts cooking.

7:36 a.m. — I check my emails and get a message from super sweet (and stunning) Kristen who bought my Toronto Landscape scarf ($55 USD free worldwide shipping included)! <3 to Kristen.

8:01 a.m. — I review through the taxes again and print everything and start matching everything together, ready to mail. I also move the money from my savings account (have to sell investments) to cover this.

8:41 a.m. — I tell Baby Bun we’re going to the park and he excitedly runs through the apartment trying to rip off his clothes in the process for his outside shirt, and pants.

9:11 a.m. — At the park, I decide to take him all the way to the other bigger, more fun park. We walk the entire way there and he loves it, gripping on to my hand.

9:21 a.m. — I meet up with a mother I met last summer and her husband, and we chat a little about parenting and how no one really talks about how gat damn sleep deprived you are. I told them 5 years of being a zombie is ahead of most parents, and she said ruefully that she thought by 12 months it would be over. I LOL’d.

9:51 a.m. — Baby Bun is starting to get feisty and not listen to me when I tell him NOT to throw sand around, and I bundle him up, make him say good-bye and frog march him home. He bursts into tears and starts pulling away from me.

9:53 a.m. — We stop to dry his tears and calm down on a bench, and I lecture him the entire way home telling him he has to behave or else I can’t bring him out any more.

10:31 a.m. — We finally make it in, and I strip him down, get him into house clothes, do the same for myself, and lunge for the lunch my partner made.

10:51 a.m. — It isn’t enough food. I cut up an avocado.

11:06 a.m. — Still not enough. I peel a banana for each of us.

11:36 a.m. — Finally satisfied, Baby Bun and I settle down to read books and chat with my partner as he irons all of his shirts.

12:06 p.m. — Baby Bun is shuffled off for his nap.

12:07 p.m. — I spend the next hour having a nice leisurely adult chat with my partner and we talk about average debt and the way people spend money. We both agree it would be really nice to be able to see people’s budgets each month living around us, because we’re super nosy and curious about how they afford all of that.

1:16 p.m. — My partner heads out for the afternoon.

1:18 p.m. — I try to settle in to blogging but can’t muster the energy, so I just aimlessly listen to videos in the background and browse the web, going through my Feedly RSS reader and reading articles.

2:18 p.m. — Baby Bun comes out with all of his hair mussed up from his nap, blinking like an owl. It’s really adorable, his after-nap look. We cuddle on the chair and I smother him in kisses before giving him his afternoon bottle of milk.

3:05 p.m. — I start cleaning up and tidying the place, washing the remaining dishes and starting another load of laundry. I tell Baby Bun we’re going to the park even though I feel a wave of dizziness coming on.

3:45 p.m. — Finally at the park, the sun grates on my nerves and I wish I had worn a hat. I play with Baby Bun and make sure no one runs him over, and make sure that he lets other littler kids go and is patient. He isn’t an aggressive child, more passive, and I tell him he is being good for waiting and watching out for the other smaller kids.

5:05 p.m. — I get him back inside the house, and lie down with him to read books.

5:15 p.m. — My partner comes in with some bread with various toppings for dinner, and we eat the leftover pasta with it. He hasn’t been cooking different dinners much lately, he is just too tired, but I don’t mind because it means less washing up as well. We are in a lazy rut right now.

6:05 p.m. — Done with dinner, and we are deep into a conversation about the elements of nature influencing personalities and a French philosopher who theorized about it, in the meantime, making sure to give Baby Bun a serious tickle so he laughs so hard he can’t breathe.

8:11 p.m. — We all finally settle into bed after Baby Bun gets his requisite book reading from Mommy and Daddy.

Saved: $0

Spent: $0

DAY THREE

6:26 a.m. — Baby Bun is sound asleep. He ate like a fiend yesterday for dinner, stuffing his face with olive bread and creamy pasta so it is no wonder he is passed out in a stupor of full bellied happiness. Plus we also gave him a GOOD tickling for half an hour last night which I am sure put him in a good mood.

6:36 a.m. — Spoke too soon about that sound sleeping. Baby Bun is up. At least the tea is made. You know, every time I leave the bedroom he wakes up 10 minutes after I leave… Must have some sort of sixth Mommy sense. “Mommy is gone! Where is she?!?” My partner says he would make a great bodyguard for me. 🙂

6:39 a.m. — Unsurprisingly as he ate so well the night before, he doesn’t even ask for his milk.

7:16 a.m. — I realize I have a free Starbucks reward so I decide to take Baby Bun out on an excursion by bus and metro to get it for the morning activity.I’ll cook tomorrow instead. To spend only one ticket as a round-trip, I need to be back within 2 hours and not use the metro or same bus twice. I plan out a complicated route of a bus and metro combination, while swinging by the Starbucks near the end.

8:01 a.m. — I pack super light and feel free. Baby Bun has his underwear bag and I only bring keys, my wallet, gloves, lip balm, iPod Touch and a handkerchief. I wish I could be more like this when I go out but it is hard with a toddler.

8:05 a.m. — I feel pretty pleased with our spontaneous trip, and Baby Bun will have a solid half hour or so of riding and watching trains at the interchange station.

8:12 a.m. — I step on a snail and feel bad. A crow judges me by cawing. Dang. The crow is pretty insistent.

8:15 a.m. — The crow is still cawing, and I suddenly recall the email last night from my mother who is worried my aunt who lives alone is dead because she hasn’t heard from her in months, and packages she sent are coming back undelivered. I’m not superstitious about crowd being harbingers of death but I shiver anyway. I can’t stop thinking about it the entire day.

Update: She was robbed, beaten, left for dead in winter, and put into an insane asylum. Am dealing with this now.

8:45 a.m. — We finally get on the bus to leave. $2.25

9:01 a.m. — NOBODY is happier than Baby Bun on the bus. He is observing everything quietly, I am telling him about things and when he wants to know something, he points to it and says “Ehh??” and makes me tell him what it is. At least he has a curious nature.

9:31 a.m. — With all the traffic from morning rush hour, we get to the metro later than usual. I make a note that we will only have 45 minutes of train watching before we have to get going and back on the second bus to grab my free Starbucks reward, then go home.

9:33 a.m. — He is in heaven. He’s watching all the trains go by, and is so excited! I’d like to make this a weekly thing with him, and it’s fairly cheap if I just stick to the roundtrip one-ticket ride schedule.

10:01 a.m. — I hustle him on the train and tell him it’s time to take the bus to go home.

10:05 a.m. —While on the train, a young college-aged guy is smiling at Baby Bun and loving his curiousity. He gives him a high-five, they shake hands, he makes funny faces at him, and he just can’t stop staring at Baby Bun (in a non-creepy way). This guy probably really loves kids, and/or has nieces/nephews he misses and hangs out a lot with. I can usually tell when people are being creepers and this guy is just being super sweet.

10:07 a.m. — He reaches into his bag and pulls out something, but hesitates. I suspect he wants to give Baby Bun a gift and doesn’t have anything on hand, or and maybe he thinks as a mother, I’m going to disapprove of gifts of any kind from strangers.

10:10 a.m. — He makes up his mind and asks me with his eyes whether or not it is okay to give Baby Bun a Papermate pen. Baby Bun lights up at the pen and reaches for it, and I smile and mouth “Merci” (it is hard to hear on the train). Baby Bun grips it in his hand and grins, and I gently put his new gift into his jacket and have him wave “Bye” to his new friend and thank him for his gift. I keep the pen and make a note to write about it in Baby Bun’s Chronicle (a journal I keep about memories of his life).

10:12 a.m. — I can’t stop thinking that some people are really sweet and react in such a wonderful to children and it makes such a big difference knowing and focusing on the good in people rather than the bad. It’s just a pen, but it isn’t, you know?

10:33 a.m. — I get my Starbucks free reward and save myself $5.69 because IT WAS FREEEEEEEE. MMm…. it tastes better when it’s free. I drink it and savour the hot peppery burn of the chai on the back of my throat. SO GOOD. $0

10:43 a.m. — On the bus and just in the nick of time. I make it within the 2-hour time window and it is just another transfer for the ticket. Sweet! $0

10:45 a.m. — An old Chinese couple get on the bus with a heavy load, and look very tired. I struggle internally whether to get up and give them the seat (I have Baby Bun on my lap), and risk falling down with a toddler as the bus jerks around. In the end, I offer anyway and they point to Baby Bun and shake their heads “No thank you“. I try to insist but they won’t have it.

10:47 a.m. — WHY IS NO ONE ELSE OFFERING THESE PEOPLE SEATS? There are at least TWO young adults sitting by the window who could easily get up and let them have the seats. What is wrong with them? Ugh.

11:13 a.m. — I wanted to take Baby Bun to the park but decide not to because he’ll go down for his nap at noon and he still needs to eat lunch. I tell Baby Bun that we’ll do the park after his nap if he behaves. /ominous Mommy voice-over

1:00 p.m. — Everything from last night and this lunch is washed and drying on the counters, Baby Bun is in the bed napping and I am watching Castle re-runs.

2:03 p.m. — I should probably do the laundry. I make a note to do it after Baby Bun wakes up.

2:05 p.m. — Speak of the devil. He thunders out, sleepy and happy and I give him his milk and start a load of laundry before giving him a snack and going to the park.

3:15 p.m. — This is the time we actually make it out of the house to get to the park because you always remember something else you need to do before you go, or they get distracted with a toy while waiting for you to gather everything to go out. I manage to get everything into the dryer with Baby Bun’s help before we leave.

5:15 p.m. — Back from the park, we wash our hands and I re-check my emails and see a massive set of mini tasks to complete because I have been procrastinating on them. Ugh. I vow to do three of them tonight.

5:45 p.m. — I clear off 5 of the tasks and feel accomplished. They were small things, like cutting Baby Bun’s nails (and mine), sewing a button back on his pants, etc.

6:15 p.m. — I lie down and make Baby Bun play his Mommy Reading Mountain game again (where I am a Mountain, obviously.. and Baby Bun runs a train up and down my body while I read).

7:03 p.m. — I sneak into the shower after telling Baby Bun to run off and play with his father. Ahh.. sweet.. steamy.. warm shower time. I don’t love having Baby Bun in the bathroom with me if I can help it because he likes to open the door and release all that warm, sweet, comforting steam. Drives me mad. Then you have to step out, frozen and grumpy.

7:25 p.m. — I read a book to Baby Bun and then foist him off on his father to read and play while I read my book. I never actually get the FULL hour of reading as it may seem because halfway through the page, I am always interrupted by a certain little someone stepping on my stomach with his tiny feet or trying to “Mommy Tunnel” between my raised legs, or asking to go to the bathroom. Still, I try.

8:15 p.m. — I am putting away my book, and Baby Bun crawls into bed, hassling me for a book again. I tell him firmly “NO” and we all go to bed.

Saved: $7.94

Spent: $2.25

DAY FOUR

7:12 a.m. — Baby Bun SLEPT IN. SLEPT IN. LIKE REALLY SLEPT IN. I wake up completely refreshed and not at all tired, but as the day wears on, my body gets even more fatigued because the more I sleep, the more my stupid body wants sleep and thinks it’ll be normal to sleep until 7 a.m. again like old times, pre-Baby Bun. LOLZ.

7:32 a.m. — I consider taking Baby Bun out to the park today and check the weather. Uh.. no. Not going out. It’s cold and looks rainy. I’m staying in where it’s warm.

7:37 a.m. — I start cooking my vegan burgers.

8:17 a.m. — I finish in under half an hour. Everything is in the oven and the rice is cooked. Cooking vegan is so easy and using the blender as a food processor lately is what has really saved me chopping time.

9:17 a.m. — Patties done, and all the dishes are also washed (I hate leaving a dirty kitchen for the afternoon).

9:32 a.m. — We spend the rest of the morning playing on the floor with letters while listening to music from my laptop (my songs, not his nursery stuff). He loves this song the best and wants it on repeat the whole morning, and he asks “Music? Music?” instead of wanting to watch any videos.

9:55 a.m. — We break for lunch and Baby Bun eats his lunch while I eat the fresh patty with rice and some fresh radishes.

10:27 a.m. — We both finish eating and I take him back out to the park again but for a short period of time because I want to be back in time for his nap.

11:37 a.m. — Back in, I get myself situated for his nap (read: Get a few Werther’s caramels out) and we colour on scrap paper until nap time.

12:37 p.m. — Baby Bun goes down for his nap. He is so compliant and sweet lately, it is hard to really get angry at this child as he is so sensitive. He has a good heart. I pull his bottle out of the fridge to warm up on the counter so that we don’t have to microwave it.

1:07 p.m. — I sneak back in to check on Baby Bun and see him sleeping like an angel. I can’t help it, I snap pictures of his sweet little face. He will be my baby forever but he won’t be a little boy for long, he’ll grow and grow into a teenager then adult so right now I am just soaking up all the toddler hugs, cuddles, snuggles, and kisses I can get.

1:55 p.m. — I can feel that Baby Bun is about to wake up so I wrap things up.

2:37 p.m. — The weather doesn’t look that bad outside, so I decide to take him out to the park, warmly bundled.

3:26 p.m. — I find the podcast from Terry particularly compelling this week, it is called Guys & Dolls (it has two parts) and it is about how gender stereotypes (pink for girls, blue for boys) translates into big bucks for marketers. I knew this already but I love hearing the research and some retail examples that show the unfairness of the “Pink Tax”. Part two of that podcast is here.

3:28 p.m. — LOVE that Wing Chun (Bruce Lee’s way of fighting) was developed by a nun. 🙂

4:07 p.m. — We get back in from our long walk and play at the park, and I start another load of laundry. My partner did the linens the other day, along with the towels so he does about 1/3 of the household laundry out of fairness.

6:37 p.m. — DADDY!

6:45 p.m. — We settle down to a quick dinner.

7:37 p.m. — I leave the dishes for the next morning. Am too lazy. I decide to read my book instead.

8:37 p.m. — BEDTIME!

Saved: $0

Spent: $0

DAY FIVE

6:07 a.m. — I decide that I should start thinking about what else to pack for our trip to Europe so I can take photos for the blog. I already listed out my clothing here.

6:08 a.m. — I scrap that after reading that my aunt who is in her 80s, was beaten, robbed, and left to die in the wintry cold with no coat shoes or socks. She suffered frostbite and is now in an insane asylum put there by her stepson. I’m crying.

11:57 a.m. — The whole morning sort of passes in a blur. I’m feeding Baby Bun and all that, but I am just so stressed about my aunt. I don’t even know what to do, I feel helpless. I offer to go down there to help without realizing that I don’t have my passport and not only that, who is going to watch Baby Bun? My partner has to work. Baby Bun naps.

1:07 p.m. — I don’t feel like I am in the mood for anything. I just watch videos numbly.

3:17 p.m. — I take Baby Bun out to the park to get some fresh air and to try and not think about this and stress out.

5:18 p.m. — I lie down and read to Baby Bun to distract myself.

8:35 p.m. — Bedtime.

11:07 p.m. — I wake up, my stomach in a ball of knots and can’t go back to sleep.

1:09 a.m. — I wake up again and can’t go back to sleep.

Saved: $0

Spent: $0

DAY SIX

6:09 a.m. — I wake up exhausted from not sleeping the night before, stressed, fatigued, and start Googling the resources for legal aid, elderly aid in her county/state, and the lowest cost of living cities in the U.S. that are in warm areas.

8:09 a.m. — The morning passes by with me working through the list of low cost cities. I narrow it down to a city, and start looking for housing within her budget there.

10:19 a.m. — I cross-check two potential listings with safety zone checks, accessibility to public transportation, and grocery shops because she will not have a car. I am working on a very tight budget for her.

11:15 a.m. — I break for lunch and feed Baby Bun and myself. He is a trooper, playing by himself with crayons and coming up with his own games while I Google and call with a calling card. I may have to add more minutes to my phone this month, which will be another $20.

12:01 p.m. — Baby Bun naps.

1:35 p.m. — I call more locations and have to take a break not to cry on the phone when I explain the situation.

2:15 p.m. — I have a plan in place and I feel much better. Baby Bun wakes up and I take him to the park to get outside after I put the dishes away.

4:55 p.m. — I get Baby Bun home, and we do shared reading together. He is really starting to impress me with his word retention.

6:19 p.m. — My partner is home and we talk and rehash our day while playing with Baby Bun.

7:55 p.m. — Bedtime.

Saved: $0

Spent: $0

DAY SEVEN

7:12 a.m. — Baby Bun REALLY slept in but it is no surprise because I really ran him hard yesterday, making him walk and run and climb at the park.

7:16 a.m. — I start making the teas. I have to go to my appointment for bloodwork today with my partner working from home, so I decide I’ll take the bus because I don’t want to try and hunt for parking. It will also give me time to check that thrift store again for that game to make more letters for Baby Bun.

8:14 a.m. — Yeahh.. I’m not going to make the bus. I’ll wait for the next one in another 45 minutes, enjoy my tea and get ready leisurely.

8:17 a.m. — I have decided to start wearing concealer and blush on a daily basis if I am going out as a minimum. If I look well rested and fresh it will probably help my attitude and outlook. I thought I didn’t like the Makeup Forever HD microfinish concealer but in the end it is quite perfect.

The blush I’m trying to use up is the Tarte Amazonian Clay in Exposed, almost still with their perfect original pressed design (barely used). I ponder tossing my Benetint liquid blush because it is too pink and hard to wear…

8:36 a.m. — I kiss Baby Bun and escape. I can’t believe this is now a highlight, getting to go out alone without a toddler attachment. OMGOMGOMGOMG.

8:45 a.m. — Settled on the bus. $2.25

8:47 a.m. — I see a girl taking a selfie of herself with duck lips. I’ll bet you she is going to hashtag it #wokeuplikethis #blessed …#Blessed or #SoBlessed is overused on Instagram. I am going to start using it ironically.

9:05 a.m. — Traffic!!!!! The bus takes forever to wind through the cars. The bridges and highways here in Montreal are THE WORST. I’m glad I left early.

9:37 a.m. — I am way early so I head to a cafe and troll Facebook and look at people’s posts and feel slightly bad about being a deadbeat, unsociable parent. We don’t have close friends or our family nearby, so we never really do much for birthdays or events. We always just do intimate family gatherings where it is just me, my partner and Baby Bun. Is that sad? We’re happy though, so.. who gives a %#(%. Then I stumble upon a site called Loyal Loot from Canada and immediately covet their reclaimed wood log bowls which look SO PRETTY.

…and this very whimsical “Monsieur Dressup Coat Hook“. How cool is the design?

9:42 a.m. — It seems very normal these days to have cleaning people come in once a week or monthly. For some reason, I feel very odd about this. On the one hand I am a huge fan of saving time by paying someone to things you don’t want to do, but on the other hand, I feel like it’d be a waste of money for me. I think about my apartment and think that I don’t really do that much to clean it except really go to town every two weeks or so. I mean, either I’m a pig or I am lazy, or a lazy pig, but it doesn’t seem to be THAT dirty even with a toddler that I would need a cleaning person. I will say that we tend to be pretty clean folk and we don’t wear shoes in the house for instance.

9:55 a.m. — I get up to go to the clinic. People are pigs. I see a guy walking by put his can on the ground. I MEAN REALLY. Can’t we just walk to the bloody garbage can and recycle it? Are we THAT LAZY?… I always carry my garbage all around with me until I find a can to throw it away in. It’s what I was taught from a very young age, and to see other people mistreat their city streets and environment makes me quite angry.

10:22 a.m. — I get in & out of my appointment. I’m about to faint, I haven’t had anything to eat all day because of the blood work. I quickly duck into a Vietnamese sub shop for a sandwich and a piece of cake. $5.50

11:25 a.m. — I get back on the bus to go home $2.25

11:28 a.m. — This woman has a killer outfit on. I try to snap a secret picture of it, she turns her face and I realize she is in her 60s at least! GORGEOUS.

11:37 a.m. — It was 10 degrees Celsius, rainy and cold, and yet I see a woman in sandals get on the bus at one stop. O_o … then I see another girl get on the bus and she is in SHORTS. SHORT SHORTS AND A T-SHIRT. I’m completely bundled up in a Canada Goose jacket and a cashmere wrap and here these people are dressing like it is summer. Canadians are of two extremes it seems.

11:45 a.m. — This is the second time I’ve seen a person almost get hit by the bus they have just disembarked from. What happens is that the bus stop is right by the stop sign, and people get off the bus but don’t want to wait to cross (or think the bus is waiting for them), and they scurry across the crosswalk in front of the bus (literally right in front) just as the bus driver is about to gun the bus and go through as he is technically “stopped”. I make a mental reminder to never do that same mistake (and to teach Baby Bun) and to wait until the first wave of cars go, make eye contact with the drivers and then cross.

12:45 p.m. — I’m walking past the big houses and think about the people who live there. The snobbiest mothers are the ones who live in the biggest houses and feel superior to you. No joke. If they see you coming out of a semi-detached or (horrors) from a condo, they sort of don’t want to talk to you because you’re not in their circle because you aren’t in a “detached house” and therefore are less prestigious. *eye roll*.. I don’t want to talk to them either so they can suck it. The only parents who are really nice, are the fathers (all the time) because they probably feel strange being the only father there a lot of the time, and mothers who come from other areas to play.

I always thought this Mean Girl attitude would disappear as you get older and are out of high school, but apparently it is something that goes on in perpetuity. For some reason, people feel a need to feel superior to others be it by their houses signalling social status and wealth, or the cars they drive, or what you wear that has visible logos all over it, not just for the pleasure of dressing up nicely and mixing high & low (which is my motivation).

1:02 p.m. — I walk past the park and recall the time I met a single mother who adopted two kids; she said she had lived in this area for a very long time (she makes a shedload of money apparently) and that people here like to pretend like they’re rich when they’re not. I told her I noticed the same thing and suspected they were all in debt.

1:15 p.m. — I eat another lunch in the fridge, leftover pasta from a previous meal and finally feel warm and sated. I wish I could drink more cups of tea during the day to warm myself up (it isn’t the same without the tea in it), but know I have to limit my caffeine intake.

2:18 p.m. — Baby Bun comes out and we hug. He misses me so much when I am gone even for short periods of time and it is so gratifyingly sweet to have someone love you so unconditionally. I also love his mini hugs.

3:26 p.m. — We head out to the park.

5:15 p.m. — Back from the park, I settle down to “read” while Baby Bun plays around me.

6:25 p.m. — We have a dinner, something simple, and that’s it.

8:28 p.m. — Bedtime.

Saved: $0

Spent: $10

THOUGHTS

I hate paying taxes. I mean, I know it goes to make things like libraries work, but it still hurts every time I get a tax bill, although the good thing is that it means I make enough money to get taxed and the government doesn’t use it for free.

I also hope my bloodwork comes back okay.

Most of all, I am stressed about my aunt. I think I have it under control but.. you know. Let’s see how it goes.

When I am stressed, I eat. So this is not going to be good.