Week of Money: Time for a Consulate Visit
DAY ONE
??:?? — We wake up. I am tired. Little Bun had FOUR NOSEBLEEDS LAST NIGHT. I had to try and stop the bleeding, half dizzy/groggy and then also soothe him because he was freaking out. I was rubbing his back, and talking softly to him, giving him kisses and trying to get him to calm down.
7:00 a.m. — Feels like eternity. He was screaming last night.. I am sure everyone woke up.
8:22 a.m. — My partner gets us all up and ready to go to the Embassy of France to get the papers for Little Bun. I wearily put on clothes and try to look presentable.
8:51 a.m. — CHANGE OF PLANS!?… Grrr… I am perfectly made up, my hair is finally cute, I feel like a million bucks and now he says we will go TOMORROW? This better not be day of perfectly applied makeup.
8:51 a.m. — We head out to get some pictures (passport) photos of Little Bun made. I think my partner is also suffering from brain tiredness or amnesia because I don’t question the point of it until later. If we needed passport photos for a French passport, they aren’t the same size requirements as the Canadian one. Ughhhhh brain not working….. $29.31
9:15 a.m. — We see these buildings on the way and they’re gorgeous.
Some architecture in Toronto is beautiful, like this new walkway between a mall and a store:
10:22 a.m. — I go and return a blender for my mother — about $847 — and we spend the gift card on buying other things instead. We pick up towels, platters, dish towels and all the things she actually NEEDS for the home (not just fancy wants like crêpe-making machines and all these fancy gadgets..). Spending that much money was difficult to be honest with you, we were scrambling to find stuff we would want and actually use. I’d much rather have had the money but we lost the receipt.
11:10 a.m. — My partner drops by a mall. He is looking for shoes. And is very particular. This could take forever. Now I know how men feel when they are shopping with their partners, because I was sitting there scrolling through my phone tiredly, while entertaining Little Bun. I prefer shopping alone or only with one, or two girlfriends, MAX. I warn my partner he is really cutting it close to lunch and nap time with Little Bun because we promised him we’d go on the subway today… and I AM TIRED. VERY TIRED.
12:05 p.m. — Home. I hustle to get food for him — my partner ends up making pasta and cheese and Little Bun refuses to eat it because he is being a BUN and waiting for the fruit smoothie to be made (my partner is on a fruit smoothie kick this week to cleanse his body), and wants to eat strawberries instead of pasta. I force him to eat a few more bites because I know he will be really hangry if he doesn’t when we go out after his nap.
12:56 p.m. — Down for his nap. Finally. He was squealing: I WANT TO BE COLD!!!! C-O-L-D (yes he spelled it out for me just in case I didn’t get it).
1:29 p.m. — I watch episodes of Elementary, and wonder what I would look like as a blonde… I download an app and try it out. I think I’d look interesting at least.
1:40 p.m. — I buy these Jessica Simpson Annida heels. I like the studs on them, and they are CLEARLY inspired by the Valentino Rockstud line. I tried the Valentino Rockstuds in person the other day and am THRILLED I did not buy any because they are extremely uncomfortable and painful to wear, even in block or low heels. Very stiff leather, the straps cut into your foot. These Jessica Simpson knockoffs however, which are not Fake Valentinos (what I won’t buy), are very comfortable, stylish and were only $60. Score.
1:53 p.m. — I also buy these sneakers for my workout plan this September. I want to start doing more cardio and lose about 5-10 pounds to firm up, plus take up kickboxing.. I’d love to learn that and do THAT as a cardio class rather than run in a treadmill or take stairs (boring). Kickboxing sounds useful. Total for both shoes is $131.40
2:34 p.m. — Tell me again why I love succulent plants? They’re so cute.. and small and you can get cute planters for them!
3:04 p.m. — We take Little Bun out for a little jaunt. Except we changed our plans, I was going to take him on the subway downtown, and in the end, my partner wanted to visit the outlet stores to see if he could find his shoes. I have to explain to a freshly-napped Little Bun this whole change in schedule, and he looks at me in despair, saying: But Mommy.. YOU PROMISED… .. My heart breaks. I KNOW I promised. I tell him that I know I promised, but we are changing the schedule and can he go along with this and tomorrow we will do the subway? I talk very very fast, and he ends up agreeing after a little pout.
6:15 p.m. — I drop by Saks off Fifth and pick up two sunglasses I THINK would be similar to the actual Céline pair I want but won’t pay $700 for. I will try them on later to see if I keep them. $398.50
6:22 p.m. — LOL at these sneakers popping up everywhere at $600 a pop. They’re designer used.
6:29 p.m. — Meltdown. We found a park at that spot, and it was a GOOD park with a slide. He obviously wanted to stay there all day instead of go with adults to stores looking at stuff he doesn’t care about. *sigh* He started screaming, kicking, crying, wanting to go “180 degrees back” (yes seriously, he said that)…
7:30 p.m. — Home. He is still upset about the whole schedule change, the park yank … and my parents end up distracting him with a bingo ball roller with numbers while I take a shower.
8:22 p.m. — I am puttering around, organizing, trying to remember everything I have to get done before I go, and setting up plans with people.
9:40 p.m. — Time for bed.
Spent: $559.21
DAY TWO
??:?? — Nosebleed. He is screaming, kicking me, and I am trying my best to help but OMFG… I am losing it. I manage to stop the blood but then it drips on his pillow and he screams like he has been stabbed. He won’t sleep on the pillow now. I have to flip the pillow over to hide the stain.
7:50 a.m. — Off to the Consulate. We are ON THE SUBWAY and he is finally happy.
9:33 a.m. — Bien sûr, I have to take an appointment with them to even talk to them because … it is France. And nothing goes right the first time. It did not say that on the website and then we realize later it was because we were on a Mac with Safari, and they only have the sites loading proper instructions for Windows with Internet Explorer. *facepalm*
9:50 a.m. — I am tired already. I stop by a Starbucks to get a drink, and of course, all the machines are down, luckily I can scan my card.
10:11 a.m. — Of COURSE my favourite ring broke. This day is just getting better. /sarcasm I put the pieces in my bag to fix later.
10:16 a.m. — Cool bathroom.
10:24 a.m. — On the ride home, my partner mentions that it would be a good idea for me to get my papers for France too, but to do that we have to get married. We’ll sign the papers in Montreal, for our Plan B Evacuate Canada plan (not that I think this will ever happen, but just in case). If this happens, I am keeping my last name.
10:47 a.m. — This girl’s outfit is NOT my style at all but she was perfection from head to toe. From the vintage feathery top to the high-waisted shorts, the mules…. gorgeous. When I stare at someone like a creeper it is because I think they are very beautiful and/or their outfits are. Usually both. I am not a creeper! I just want to know what you are wearing! I basically burn the image of their clothes into my brain to use for inspiration later.
11:25 a.m. — Home. I quickly feed Little Bun his vegetable stew because he is refusing to eat the pasta. I toss the pasta in the garbage, something went wrong with it, and he NEEDS TO EAT or he will be a Grumpy Bun. After lunch, I hustle him upstairs to go down for his nap. I don’t care if it takes him 2 hours, I NEED A BREAK. I am tired from yesterday, and tired again today.
12:25 p.m. — I make myself a quick vegetarian lunch of boiled eggs, salad and rice with miso paste. I can eat anything with miso paste on top of it.
1:01 p.m. — I think he is finally napping, all the bouncing and jumping around upstairs calmed down.
1:17 p.m. — I try on the glasses I got yesterday. I am certain I will return both, they aren’t what I want. *sigh* I should have purchased those Céline sunglasses I tried on in NYC but I was trying to save money and be cheap. Now I want them. *face palm*.. I should have listened to my shopping instincts.
2:33 p.m. — We head out for the afternoon, walking around and taking the subway. Nothing much in particular, just checking out plates, glasses, etc. How rich people shop for plates versus how WE shop for plates. LOL See below:
3:30 p.m. — We buy a set of plates for my parents’ house. They have nothing so it is annoying to eat and cook there. $192.60
7:20 p.m. — We head home. We have dinner, my mother made a great roasted fried fish and rice, and Little Bun is ON ME like a dog, trying to get the food. He can’t even wait, and I am removing all of the bones out, making him a huge meal, with some veggies on the side. He gobbles it all up, and then I get to eat. Parents always eat AFTER their babies because they need to be fed and taken care of first. Sacrifice, I really get it now, because I was hangry but I fed my baby first.
10:06 p.m. — We play with blocks, he practices piano (he has songs he can play and sight read actual notes now WITHOUT the letters, progress…) and I am teaching him the bass clef.
Spent: $192.60
DAY THREE
??:?? — Tired. I am not sleeping well, my knee is killing me.
8:25 a.m. — I make an appointment with a physiotherapist, I am limping and unable to walk, this is really getting bad.
8:40 a.m. — I bid on and finally buy this Lululemon pleated back top I have been eying. $45.68
This would look so good with leather pants, that new leather skirt I got, jeans… it is cool but also neutral. Very sculptural.
7:59 a.m. — I make breakfast for Little Bun, and eat after him. He is in a mood today. A foul one.
9:12 a.m. — In the car, I had dropped off quickly to see what the rates were to post a letter and he LOST HIS #%*(#% IN THE CAR. Crying and screaming, and that continued for a good 20 minutes in the car until we threatened to go home, and he finally calmed down.
10:05 a.m. — We head into the store and pick up a book for Little Bun with a gift card called Big Cities with tons of flaps. $0
10:47 a.m. — We wander around the mall, and Little Bun jumps on ALL the shadows/lights, and rolls over the benches.
10:15 a.m. — Little Bun in one store, almost makes me burst into tears because he has been so contrary all day. Everything I said, was met with a “NO”, and he kept whining, and squealing, and wanting to ride escalators instead of letting us run errands. We can’t play all day, I tell him, we have to also get things done, and he was bursting into screaming tears. I was semi in control and somewhat calm the beginning of the morning, but 4 hours of this attitude is really stressful especially starting in the car on our way to the mall.
12:08 p.m. — I head off to my knee appointment after lunch. I need this break. You have no idea. I am so frazzled right now. He only does this to me, he doesn’t do it to my partner because he wants to be with me so much, all the time, and he knows he can be his worst with me and I will never ever stop loving him no matter what. *sigh* This is both gratifying and aggravating.
1:15 p.m. — After she helps determine that I probably tore my meniscus slightly and she loosens up my knee, I am able to walk normally again. I am beyond thrilled. WOW. I book another appointment and another with a doctor for x-rays to see if I will need surgery, as we don’t know the exact cause — floaters in the knee or that I tore it and it has to heal. $113
4:10 p.m. — I go and have oysters with a friend. We eat 100 of them, about 50 each PLUS a few prawns. We are pigs. We had TWO of these platters below. Yes, just two of us. $77.61
8:25 p.m. — I am home now. I managed to convince my friend to buy an 8-cup instapot as she plans on renovating her kitchen and won’t be able to use her stove or place very well, and this is a perfect appliance to help see her through.
9:40 p.m. — I make plans, and make notes to myself. I have a lot I want to do when I get back to Montreal, and things I want to finish here as well.
10:17 p.m. — Bedtime. Little Bun has been playing with his grandmother, and I am SO PLEASED he is talking to her and interacting with her, and articulating what he wants so clearly. She is thrilled beyond belief at how good he is. I am just happy I get a break finally, when I definitely did not get one in Europe when I visited my in-laws. That was hell, frankly. At least here with my parents, he is entertained by other adults and we BOTH get a mental break.
Spent: $235.68
DAY FOUR
??:?? — I wake up tired but happy. I am heading off to lunch and the whole day with my girlfriend hitting up outlets and shopping, hanging…. I will get my break, so I am looking forward to it.
7:20 a.m. — My partner makes early pizza for breakfast because I am leaving early for my lunch, a Filipino feast called Kamayan. I AM GAME! Still full from all the oysters yesterday though. 🙂
8:59 a.m. — I bid on and buy this gorgeous Jinx cuff for $18 plus $13 shipping. I LOVE the graphic look of it so I am willing to bid a bit more. Originally $78… $31
8:59 a.m. — My partner heads out to run errands quickly. He wants good speakers for his computer upstairs that are portable. I am going to get ready and leave when he gets back. Little Bun has his grandmother free to entertain him, a piano, and that new Big Cities book, plus a new app I bought for languages.
9:56 a.m. — I take the car to save my knee, and LOVE that I have my own car to get around in this city unlike the last time when I felt a bit imprisoned without my own transport.
12:05 p.m. — Lunch! A kamayan feast. I only really liked the pork and skewers with rice, to be honest. The rest of the food was a bit bland, and I only realized a bit too late that I really hate tilapia (I forgot).. $24
Meal laid out, and you use gloves on your hands to eat:
1:45 p.m. — I spend the entire day with my friend shopping. We use up all of our energy at a store liquidation and I pick up a few items for dirt cheap. $70.16
3:25 p.m. — Cute rainbow dress. Perfect for Pride!
4:16 p.m. — Losing steam right about now. I have no more energy, but find a pair of Prada sunglasses at $150. It is a good deal, but I am so spoiled by secondhand shopping that I am debating whether to keep them or not. It is very hard to find sunglasses in this kind of plastic shape, rectangular, that also has nose pads, so I am really hesitant to return them. $172.44
5:23 p.m. — We head into a mall to help my friend find her purple shampoo for her blonde hair, and then we stop for a little café treat.
6:49 p.m. — Hot chocolate, whipped cream, three fruit tarts. NOTHING COULD BE BETTER! $21.30
8:34 p.m. — I drop my friend off at home, help her unload her shopping (glad I brought the car!), and then I head home.
9:20 p.m. — Time for bed. I get home, Little Bun is making “mouse soup” with my mother, based off this book Mouse Soup, which is a really fun read that has 4 stories that are fables with lessons as well. My mother has made a mouse, a bunch of papers with words like “celery” and “sea salt” on there, and Little Bun told her that “Pink is my Mommy’s favourite colour!”…when she asked him what he wanted to add to his “mouse soup”. She is a great grandmother.
Spent: $318.90
DAY FIVE
??:?? — Don’t wanna wake up. Tired.
7:40 a.m. — We are waking up later, but sleeping WAY late, like close to 10 p.m., so this is making me sleep deprived.
7:43 a.m. — I make some tea.
8:05 a.m. — My partner is cooking a huge meal of osso buco, and we have a really great lunch with a port wine sauce.
9:50 a.m. — I browse, and then list a few more items. Have to start trying to make some money back on these things, so I can buy more items, and not feel as guilty. Offsetting it, so to speak.
11:21 a.m. — My mother gives Little Bun a Buddha Board to paint on, and he is loving it. You just need water and it creates shadows on the board, that dry, and you can do more.
12:56 p.m. — Little Bun is resisting the nap. My partner ruefully says he guess he has to pull out the “Cake Card”. It is when he tells Little Bun to go down for a nap, and he will give him some cake later. He did that yesterday, and Little Bun IMMEDIATELY put his head down and was asleep in 5 minutes. My partner also jokes that the nap is for him, and he just needs Little Bun quiet which is why he has to nap too.
2:40 p.m. — I don’t really want to go out too far today, my knee is still in recovery mode, but feeling a bit better.
5:56 p.m. — Little Bun finally wakes up. The minute he is up, the first words out of his mouth is: BAKERY. … as in, “TAKE ME TO THE BAKERY NOW for my promised cake!” We’re laughing.
6:21 p.m. — We take him to the bakery, and pick up a set of 6 tarts. $8.35
6:53 p.m. — We’re home (Little Bun had to eat his share in the bakery, he couldn’t wait).
7:21 p.m. — I eat a meal of salmon and rice, and Little Bun gets a vegetable stew, and then another meal of fish and rice. He LOVES fish and rice.
8:50 p.m. — My partner drinks some lemon juice for his uric acid in his joints (he loved his fruit smoothie diet, his joints had never felt better in his life), and I drink some water. Little Bun is on his iPad learning more words in another language.
9:03 p.m. — I offer $100 USD on some over-the-knee suede grey heeled boots. If I win, great! If not, whatever. You can only try, really.
9:41 p.m. — Time for bed. None of us are tired. We are all on vacation… But time to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.
Spent: $8.35
DAY SIX
??:?? — I wake up tired again.. Ugh.
7:20 a.m. — I get ready to go to see pianos downtown. My original budget was pretty pricey ($60,000), and now I am thinking like $20,000. Ish.
9:04 a.m. — We all leave and take the transit. My mother comes along, she’s very eager to see what I would buy.
10:12 a.m. — SIGH. I AM SPENDY. Apparently the piano I want is $45,000. OF COURSE IT IS. There is another one very similar for less money, about half, but it doesn’t sound as good. This one sounds almost like a baby grand. UGH.
12:01 p.m. — We head home, have lunch, and Little Bun goes down for his nap while I mull this over. That’s a lot of money. A LOT of money. I will wait for his quotes to come in and shop it around.
12:40 p.m. — I do my knee exercises, I have physio tomorrow… again. They really do help and I am glad I paid.
1:52 p.m. — I plan with my partner to head out this afternoon to a bookstore for Little Bun.
3:37 p.m. — Little Bun is up. He had a little cake bribe to go down for his nap. OF COURSE HE DID.
4:10 p.m. — At the bookstore, we pick up two books for him he would like. $14.96
5:40 p.m. — Home. We dropped by a grocery store too and picked up some fruit. $23.91
6:40 p.m. — Little Bun has the most amazing time with his grandmother. She takes him, and goes through books with him, they play on the piano, they match pillows up together. I am really really beyond happy at how well he is taking to her, and how they are really bonding. This is his first time really bonding with a blood relative. My partners’ side is a wash, and frankly I am in no hurry to bond with them either. My mother is really becoming close to him and this is SO GOOD. I can’t wait until next year.
8:31 p.m. — OMG. A HELMUT LANG LEATHER JACKET FOR $300!?!? .. I wonder if I can fit into a Medium. I plan on going out tomorrow after my physiotherapy and running a few of these mini errands.
9:54 p.m. — Time for bed. He is having too much fun with his grandmother who loves to feed him fish and rice (the way to his heart is through his stomach), and he doesn’t want to sleep, but I tell him a few more questions and then we all go to bed.
Spent: $14.96
DAY SEVEN
??:?? — TIRED.
7:11 a.m. — What in fresh hell.. SEVEN? … So tired. I don’t sleep enough. I must have gotten about 8 hours of sleep (solid) but my body needs 10 – 12. 🙁 And I don’t nap during the day because it screws with my night sleep.
7:59 a.m. — I get ready to head out for my physio. It is at 10 but I like getting there early, and I want to leisurely relax and have a chai latte. Or maybe not a chai latte, but just to relax somewhere and be mentally Little Bun-free.
8:10 a.m. — I head out early. I decide to NOT stop by Starbucks and to treat myself to a Chipotle lunch later that I have been craving ever since I got here. We don’t have a Chipotle in Montreal and I miss it terribly.
9:00 a.m. — I walk into, and out of a Winners almost immediately. No need to browse, the prices are insane… I cannot stomach these prices, AND I don’t need anything. I have been really thinking consciously of my consumption and the effect on the environment, and I am trying to make a concerted effort. I did spy this super cute top though before I left. I LOVE the yellow-green against the magenta as a colour combo but it makes me look sickly:
10:24 a.m. — After my physiotherapy appointment (she gave me a rubber band exercise to do, and very kindly told me I was out of shape and needed more muscle mass), I walk out feeling much better, and with a renewed sense to lose this extra poundage and gain muscle mass. It is amazing how much you rely on your legs, and it isn’t until you lose the full use of one (my knee), that you start to realize the changes you need to make. $80
10:45 a.m. — I drop by a fountain pen store and pick up some ink for my two pens. My friend started me thinking about fountain pen usage, and now that I am trying hard to be more environmental in daily habits, I am switching to a fountain pen and ink, rather than those disposable ink pens I use. I have to make an effort to change. I buy some dark blue ink for my pens. $30
11:22 a.m. — I walk into Wilfred and almost pick up a brushstroke top for only $40, but then they told me final sale and I hightailed it out of there. It was cute, but not final sale cute. What if I wanted to return it? I don’t like final sale items unless they are DIRT CHEAP and I TRULY want them with no chance of returning. $20 yeah why not. $44? Now you’re pushing it. This was the shirt:
12:15 p.m. — CHIPOTLE TIME! I take one massive burrito and am soul-satisfied. I am good now, for another 5 years. I also splurge on a blood orange drink. $18.39
COME TO MAMA!!!!
12:38 p.m. — I take the subway home. I did stop by J. Crew to try on some things (still want that blazer but SECONDHAND..), and head home.
12:28 p.m. — At home, Little Bun is napping. I could have stayed out later, but I wanted some time at home to work on the blog, and it is perfect when he naps.
12:33 p.m. — Apparently he has been arranging my mothers’ guitar picks in colour coded order. She was highly impressed by his patience, and tenacity in getting them straight, in the correct rows, and properly aligned. It kept him busy for a good half hour, she said. My mother is the best.
12:56 p.m. — I book a teeth whitening appointment. My teeth are yellow and bothering me. I have tried at-home kits at $20 but am curious what a professional visit can do.
12:56 p.m. — Scratch that. I contacted my friend who went through this and her dentist said that the kits at home just take a longer time. You can get it done in an office in an hour, what it would take 15-20 days to complete at home. It is a lower dosage, and a longer period of time. I cancel the appointment and research prices on a kit.
1:12 p.m. — I buy the kit from Amazon only because I can use my PayTM credits ($30 worth) so it ends up costing me very little. I wrote my PayTM review in Canada here — you can use this app to pay your Mastercard to pay for utility, tax, and municipal bills!!! A GODSEND. I would have normally sent a cheque or paid online, but with this app, I get my credit card points AND PayTM credits (use my referral here for a free $10 [ PTM210713 ] …!). $6.14
2:37 p.m. — Little Bun is up, and we head out.
4:40 p.m. — Little Bun gets a lemon tart (lucky little boy!) all to himself and is in heaven. $13.50
4:59 p.m. — We head home after an almost lost-hat scare. My partner insists he gave me Little Bun’s hat to keep, and I can’t find it in my backpack at all. I am CERTAIN he did not give me the hat, as I put it on Little Bun’s head after we walked out of a store, and he never returned it. We find it 2 minutes later in HIS bag because HE didn’t remember that HE took it off and stuffed it there. *eye roll*
5:33 p.m. — Home. Little Bun doesn’t want to come home and is whining the whole way saying that he DOES NOT want that stop, and we will NOT stop at that stop to go home. I am getting mentally tired from this constant whining.
5:48 p.m. — Home. For real. He stops his whining. Guess he realized he had no choice because I used my stern Mommy voice on him and he clammed up. He has seen me blow up in public and knows what I am capable of. We have had MANY sidewalk chats about how if he wants to go out, he has to behave or else he doesn’t get to go out.
5:58 p.m. — He gets changed and washes his hands (I credit this habit of washing our hands when we come home, to eliminating about 75% of our sicknesses), and then runs eagerly down to his grandmother to play. He really is bonding with her, I am so happy. She is a lot of fun.
9:22 p.m. — I do errands online, log all of my spending on The Budgeting Tool, and then do my knee exercises for the night, feed everyone dinner, and then we all go to sleep.
Spent: $138.03
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Want more? Read all of my previous Week of Money Diaries.
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those yellow sandals are amazing! as are your new workout shoes. good luck with your diplomatic adventures!