Save. Spend. Splurge.

Week of Money: Where I am kind of exhausted from having fun

DAY ONE

??:?? — I wake up very tired. I still haven’t recovered from the trip and while I had fun, I’m getting to old to stay up so late.. and wake up so early.

6:09 a.m. — I cuddle and kiss Little Bun and then I get ready for work.

6:30 a.m. — My partner hands me a lunch — I told him not to make me one this week because I wanted to lessen his work load but he did anyway..

6:40 a.m. — I get Little Bun dressed and start drying his clothes. He loves his new shirts but says: No Mommy! These are SUNDAY train riding special shirts. Not for preschool. For the train only because they’re special. I guess he has a sense of “special” clothes for special occasions and regular stuff. Have no idea where he could have learned that from… honestly, because I wear fancy things to buy groceries. LOL.

6:55 a.m. — He points to the peach mochi I bought as a treat for us, and wants “the pretty red present!” Buy I tell him it is for tonight.

7:25 a.m. — We get to preschool and his face crumples. He starts crying and I have to hold and cuddle him while he sobs into my shoulder and asks for Mommy.

7:30 a.m. — The educator takes him gently in her arms and I make a quick exit. Later, she tells me he stopped crying immediately.

8:00 a.m. — I get to work and it is non stop until lunch. I work so much that my appetite is gone.

11:34 a.m. — I walk out to take a break and return my partner’s shoes. They pinched in the right foot and I told him to never keep shoes that pinch out of the box. You’ll regret it at the price he paid. His face fell but he knew I had major shopping experience especially with high end stuff.

11:56 a.m. — I walk up the hill and pick up a Thai Basil smoothie. Meh. It doesn’t knock my socks off. $7.69

12:00 p.m. — I head back to the office and am back to work (super tired)….

1:14 p.m. — After a meeting, I crack open my lunch my partner packed and it is a surprise!!! Grilled lemon grass chicken with vegetables on brown rice. It is DELICIOUS. I email him a compliment.

2:34 a.m. — I get back to work, then have another meeting.

4:00 p.m. — I leave and pick up Little Bun who is busy stacking clothespins on top of each other. He is too cute for words. He finishes his towers and then we head back home.

4:23 p.m. — At home he wants the mochi again but I say it is after soccer, TONIGHT.

5:07 p.m. — I start on the dishes — my partner washed half of them to make it through the 2 days but there were still a ton to wash.

6:25 p.m. — I feed him soup and then we get him dressed for soccer. He is beyond adorable in his outfit.

6:45 p.m. — They leave and I take a break and try to organize. I go through my NYC photos and forget to upload them to DropBox.

7:24 p.m. — My partner and Little Bun come in and he says he wasn’t having as much fun as before… he really wanted to be home with his bumblebee finger puppets. Oh well. Apparently they did exercises today and he did well, jumping in and out of the ladder laid on the grass to learn how to be nimble.

8:00 p.m. — We eat a mochi each and then we get ready for bed with his stuffed animals.

8:47 p.m. — He INSISTS he needs 4 math equations before sleeping. O_o

8:50 p.m. — I take out the math pad and he and his little stuffed toy pretend to flip the pages and then choose numbers to add and subtract.

9:12 p.m. — Bedtime for real now.

Spent: $7.69

DAY TWO

??:?? — I wake up tired. Still tired from the fun..

6:00 a.m. — We start getting ready.

7:59 a.m. — Pre-school dropoff is fine.

8:08 a.m. — I start working and am absorbed into my work.

11:34 a.m. — I slather my skin in sunscreen. Face, legs, arms… I DO NOT want to burn OR tan as I am getting laser hair removal on my legs.

12:00 p.m. — We all meet in the lobby and I hand my friend $20 (it’s $10 per class but I only had $20 so I paid in advance for the next week). $20

12:08 p.m. — Yoga in the park. I really. really.. hate the sun. I end up with the sunniest spot and another woman later tells me she hated her spot because of the shade. OMFG. WHY DID WE NOT SWITCH.

1:02 p.m. — Yoga over, I feel great. There were a lot of people watching (umm hello lunchtime), and a few colleagues walked by and pretended to

4:56 p.m. — I open two more small pieces of peach mochi to eat, and Little Bun eats his, insisting he wants to hold it in his two hands alone. I savour mine with small bites, and as he finishes his mochi, he points up at me and says oh so sweetly as only children can: Mommy? I want to share..???? …. OMG!

4:57 p.m. — I look at him sternly (as sternly as I can LOL), I tell him that no, this is Mommy’s mochi, and he already had his. Mommy didn’t get to share his, so he doesn’t share mine. He looks up at me and points again, trying to climb me like a koala, saying: Share? SHARE? WANT TO SHARE???…and I pop the rest of it in my mouth like the monster that I am.

4:58 p.m. — We still have two left for tomorrow and we’ll eat those together. I would normally give it to him but then I thought about it being a bad example that he can eat his stuff and then expect to get more.. he should understand he has his own share and he has to stick to it.

7:54 p.m. — Time for bed.

Spent: $20

DAY THREE

??:?? — I am tired. My brain is still a bit woozy from motion sickness.

5:50 a.m. — Little Bun doesn’t want to stay at home. He wants school. SHOCKER! I am surprised.

6:33 a.m. — I am bit sore from yoga yesterday, so I am moving super slowly. I pick out a pretty yellow dress and remove the belt, putting on my own obi belt instead. I LOVE this dress. I know it sounds stupidly simple, as it’s just a ponte midi tank dress, but it is so elegant and the colour is of sunshine.

7:09 a.m. — We’re out the door.

7:22 a.m. — Drop off is fine. Little Bun looks at me and says sadly his friend (this little girl) has not been in for a while…

8:08 a.m. — At work, I get tons of compliments on the dress and the belt. I’m not feeling great though..

9:23 a.m. — I’m going to go home early I think.

10:45 a.m. — Oh great. The electricity just went out. JUST AS I WANT TO LEAVE.

11:37 a.m. — I leave anyway, and head home.

12:08 p.m. — At home, I pass my partner as he is leaving. I wave to him, and he turns around and comes back.

12:15 p.m. — We head out together to spend the lunch talking.

12:28 p.m. — He heads into Apple and picks up Apple TV for the World Cup that is starting.

12:56 p.m. — We stop by a bakery, and I buy a little lunch for later on, and we both eat a croissant each. $10

1:30 p.m. — I pick up ALL the mail downstairs — we had THREE boxes full of packages, and 3 more waiting at the concierge. All the shopping of my partner — overalls for the farm activities this summer, a new monitor for the World Cup, and belts..

1:34 p.m. — I get to work.

4:09 p.m. — My partner goes and picks up Little Bun and I keep working.

5:29 p.m. — It is raining so no soccer today. They stay at home.

6:03 p.m. — I feed Little Bun his vegan soup and rice.

6:23 p.m. — He plays with stickers and has the cutest running commentary to himself about how these stickers go here, and “Ooo! I love cherries! Cherries are yummy. Cherries go here then.. Let’s try some music, I love playing music. Let’s take the piano sticker and put it HERE.

7:56 p.m. — We get ready for bed, and he rambles on about stuff that I can’t even remember about – just talking about the animals and the buses and how they go here and not there. We had a little situation with him missing his baby hedgehog (honestly I think he stuffed it in a basket somewhere and now we have no idea where it is), and I make a point to have the Mommy Bee finger puppet be the one to dress him for bed.

9:05 p.m. — Bedtime.

9:15 p.m. — Awake.

9:30 p.m. — Awake again.

10:15 p.m. — He wakes up every 5 minutes – 10 minutes just rolling around whining. UGH.

Spent: $10

DAY FOUR

??:?? — I wake up T-I-R-E-D. The rain and the whole drop in the pressure of the atmosphere is also not helping.

6:10 a.m. — I start getting ready for work. I put on my gorgeous separates I picked up at MM Lafleur and am blown away at how beautiful the ensemble is. It is PERFFECT. Literally sexy yet appropriate for the office. I am so in love with it.

7:49 a.m. — At preschool, dropoff is great and he is happy. I still have a headache from the drop in the atmospheric pressure, so my migraine is not going away.

8:08 a.m. — Work.

12:08 p.m. — I finally break for lunch.

12:28 p.m. — Back to work early, I have a playdate today so I’m leaving early.

12:56 p.m. — They finally realized that I need help and they are looking for someone to help me out, project-wise and company-wise.

3:32 p.m. — I leave early and pick up Little Bun for the playdate.

4:16 p.m. — OMG! BANANA BREAD! SHE BAKED! Little Bun and I, scoff them down like piglets. I take a decaf cappucino which I love now at her place, and Little Bun has milk.

6:00 p.m. — The boys played SO WELL together, I’m so happy .. they’re finally becoming friends and I snap photos of them hugging each other.

6:04 p.m. — Back at home, I take a long shower.

6:45 p.m. — Out of the shower, I slather my skin in cream. It feels so good… I also end up accepting an offer on a Lenox skirt in blue in a size 4, for only $175 instead of the retail price of $495. SWEET! I have the pink version in a size 6 but I had the waist taken in. The 4 should fit perfectly. $235.93

6:48 p.m. — I need to do a new MM Lafleur set of reviews. All my purchases are amazing and so luxurious…

7:00 a.m. — Shenanigans until bedtime. Literally, SHENANIGANS.

9:21 p.m. — I am so tired, but Little Bun insists on two books. I manage to only read one long book and wheedle him into reading a shorter one so we can get the eff to sleep.

Spent: $235.93

DAY FIVE

??:?? — I wake up tired. And it’s late. I half stage whisper ask my partner what time it is. He tells me it is 6:30.

6:25 a.m. on the dot — Little Bun wakes up immediately, checks the clock and squeals: IT IS NOT 6:30! It is 6:25!!!

6:26 a.m. — I thank him, and then kiss and hug him.

6:27 a.m. — He drags me out of the bedroom with all of his might and squeals: TODAY! TODAY WE SHARE A WHITE PEACH MOCHI WITH MOMMY! …. LOL This is too adorable.

6:28 a.m. — We first, eat a banana together, and then he very gently takes the white peach mochi (the last one in the box) and I help him unwrap him, and feed him little bites. Mid-way through, he eyes the mochi, looks up at me and says: Mommy! It’s your turn! It’s Mommy’s turn. and … this just melts my heart. That my baby would willingly share one of his most favourite, delicious treats he has ever had in his life with his mother because he wanted to share it with me — literally share every bite. I take a tiny, tiny bite and give him the rest, kissing and hugging him, telling him how generous and kind he is.

6:29 a.m. — I grab his milk and he washes all that sugar down. 😛

7:09 a.m. — After Look Book and dressing, I am out the door “late” today.

7:24 a.m. — This guy in a Porsche almost rams into my car because he assumes the whole parking garage is just for him. He gets mad at me and gestures me out of the day but he is an idiot, GO AROUND ME, you have lots of options, I DO NOT. He gets all frothy and worked up in the car. On the way out, I ask my friend who manages the building who that idiot is, and he whispers that he is actually the president of some company here. LOL. Whatevs. STILL AN IDIOT.

7:40 a.m. — OH CRAP. I forgot to leave the phone at home today!

9:19 a.m. — After my meeting and a tea, I rush back out in the car and return the phone to my partner.

9:50 a.m. — Back at the office, another meeting.

12:28 p.m. — Meeting finally over, I take the metro and end up returning all this stuff at The Gap and at The Bay for my partner.

12:51 p.m. — I treat myself to some Ben & Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake and eat it all the way back to the office. $4.80

1:34 p.m. — I flop down in my chair, and then.. meetings. ALL DAY. MEETINGS ALL DAY.

3:34 p.m. — Finally out of my meeting, I leave early. We have so much to do but I am tired and I really don’t have any more brain power left.

4:00 p.m. — At home, I see Little Bun is still napping but as I walk in, he wakes up, rubs his eyes, rubs them again, then with this massive grin, runs out and gives me a huge, long hug and a kiss. I love this child so very much…. I hand him his after nap bottle of milk.

4:23 p.m. — World Cup fever is starting, and apparently they watched all the games together today.

5:24 p.m. — My partner suits up Little Bun and takes him to the park to play and tire him out. YAY.

7:12 p.m. — They come back from playing, and my partner makes a small little tomato and parmesan pizza. YUM.

8:45 p.m. — Time for bed. I get him ready, we read books and do about 25 math equations (not on the math pad as a difficult one), but still.

Spent: $4.80

DAY SIX

6:00 a.m. — Little Bun and I wake up at the same time. I feel more refreshed but still tired …

6:09 a.m. — My partner starts on the World Cup match and I set up Little Bun in the bedroom with his videos and Lizzie the Dog (he loves her).

6:57 a.m. — I make some tea after doing my skincare.

7:11 a.m. — I read this article about how Sex and the City ruined a journalist’s life, and all I could think was: If you could imagine that a television show is reality, you have no one to blame but yourself. That sounds harsh, but if you look at your bank account and are making $50 a week, or $200 a month and living off food from dates…. GET A GRIP, GIRL.

7:24 a.m. — We go to the bedroom and play with math cards.

8:15 a.m. — My partner heads out to do groceries and errands. I start on the dishes and Little Bun watches “Google” (youtube videos)

9:13 a.m. — Dishes done, I try back on all my MM Lafleur pieces for the post to review all of them in detail. I LOVE THEM.

10:25 a.m. — I go and sit with Little Bun, unable to watch the match because he wants me beside him. I make notes on my ToDo app instead.

11:46 a.m. — He gets bored of not having Google so we go out to the living room to watch the match.

11:59 a.m. — He throws a FIT and won’t let us watch the previews or any info about the match, screaming that he doesn’t want soccer, bla bla bla.

12:02 p.m. — I lose it. I just lose it, haul him kicking and screaming off to the bedroom where he bursts into even more tears and I wait until he calms down, and try to explain to him calmly what I expect from him as good behaviour. Each time I try, he screams over me and starts yelling louder. Wash, rinse, repeat until he listens somewhat and then I cheer him up with some puppets and making funny stories. I explain to him he has to stop doing that and wait his turn.

12:30 p.m. —  He is FINALLY calm. I tell him he has to be a good little boy. He squeals (softly) that he is a BABY not a boy. I tell him he has to be a good baby then. Storm over, we go out to the kitchen to eat pizza.

12:52 p.m. — We watch the rest of the game, eat pizza and then I get going to run my errands, get my nails done, and do my underarms for laser hair removal. (YASSSS!)

1:45 p.m. — Traffic was horrific. I get through my appointment and go boldly with a new nail colour that is pinker than what I am used to. I may go for magenta next time… $201.43

2:33 p.m. — I drop by this super cute shop and pick up a deodorant sponge and some underarm shields out of curiousity for sweat because I am a truly Sweaty Betty. $27.02

2:47 p.m. — I go to a kid’s store and am suckered into some books for Little Bun. $12.58

3:15 p.m. — I head back into the car, and run over to pick up more udon noodles (we’re almost out). $53.30

4:05 p.m. — I can’t find the yoghurt, so I head to the market.

4:32 p.m. — I find the yoghurt at the market as a treat for my partner for this weekend, and head home. $5.79

4:50 p.m. — I head back home.

5:14 p.m. — Little Bun runs into my arms, and we cuddle and kiss. I start on laundry (drying it), and I vacuum the entire apartment.

5:36 p.m. — My partner heads out with Little Bun to go play soccer with him and spend time with him. I LOVE THIS. I LOVE THAT HE IS DOING THIS without my prompting. This makes me such a happier partner that he sees the results of how much better and calmer I feel when I get a break.

5:48 p.m. — I eat the pizza left for me.

6:44 p.m. — Ooo. Peckish. Time for some noodles.

6:49 p.m. — My noodles go with this sauce I created — B12 yeast mixed in with some sesame oil and soy sauce. BEST FLAVOURING EVER.

Spent: $300.12

DAY SEVEN

6:40 a.m. — We all wake up “late” at 6:40 but really tired because Little Bun had to pee in the middle of the night so it killed our slumber. It is terrible but sometimes I wish he would just pee in his pull-up so I can sleep… all I can think is that “This too shall pass” and I’m happy he is so conscious of his body. There is a bright side after all…

6:56 a.m. — We get up together and I wash my face and get ready.

7:03 a.m. — I email a collage I made for my partner of him and Little Bun.

7:35 a.m. — My partner and I get into a little tiff (sleep deprivation will do that to you) about Little Bun not cleaning up before he goes. I tell him that his approach is too harsh and he has to soften it to not seem like he is yelling at him but asking him. Little Bun is also distracted with the games on the “TV” on playing with previews and takes longer than usual to listen to me.

7:47 a.m. — 45 minutes later for a 5 minute task, we are on the way.

8:14 a.m. — I’m planning on going to a few stores today and then the train in the afternoon but I’ll be driving to park close to the metro instead of taking the bus and risking another bout of motion sickness.

8:23 a.m. — Little Bun and I head out the door to give my partner some peace to watch his games (they only come every 4 years) and to cook.

9:20 a.m. — My neighbour the other day sometimes grates on me. So I was talking about the games happening this year and how my partner is all excited about them, even planning out how and when to watch them. She looks at me all smug and says: I’m soooooooo glad my husband is not into sports at all. …. I mean, WTF.

9:21 a.m. —  First of all he only watches these things every 4 years and what is the point of even saying that to me? Her husband is gone half the time working when he doesn’t even need the money (they’re super rich) and she is pretty much a single mother 75% of the time and for no reason. She says it is his “passion” — working and I think the games are my partner’s passion — he grew up watching them!!!

9:22 a.m. — I’d rather have my partner at home 100% of the time and “gone” or distracted every 4 years for a few weeks than half the time. Whatever. I bit my tongue but… sometimes you know… Maybe I’m being sensitive but it irked me. You tell me, readers.

9:25 a.m. — I take Little Bun our for a treat – croissants, and I thought I’d take him to a kid’s store later but I forgot that they all open at 10. Gah… I’ll be hanging around until then. I wish they had Early Morning Areas for kids who wake up at ungodly hours. I know many parents who would convene there often, especially stay at home ones. $10.15

9:46 a.m. — As we are getting our croissants a woman stops me and insists on knowing where I got my striped dress with the knot in front which I belted with one of my skinny MM Lafleur belts. I told her and she asked if it was this year, to. which I nodded. It is a surprisingly classic piece from a brand (Italian) that I have NEVER liked any pieces from — they were always too flashy, low cut, embellished and this was a surprising classic cut from them.

10:03 a.m. — I find a park and let Little Bun play with an orange construction cone (don’t ask).

10:09 a.m. — Suddenly I need a bathroom so we start walking to the nearest one. I love that here in North America we don’t worry about things like public restrooms being nearby and free and/or stores LETTING you use their employee washrooms. That was not my experience while pregnant in Paris that is for sure..

10:15 a.m. — I head into the washroom and touch up on my lipstick — I now feel naked without any. Who KNEW?!? I have Coola SPF 30 in Firecracker on and I layered some Tony Moly Perfect Lips Flat Bar in this gorgeous matte red on the plump parts of my lips.

10:25 a.m. — Afterwards we explore the upstairs — Little Bun discovers a ramp and spends the next 20 minutes running up and down it.

10:34 a.m. — We head into a store and I pick up some linen wide legged cropped tie pants (OMG SHOCKER) and it hits me at the ankle instead of where it should — at the calf apparently… I sort of don’t mind. It is the right height to wear with sandals and to be comfortable plus it has DEEP pockets. $100.27

11:00 a.m. — I then pick up some World Cup shirts for us. $13.59

11:02 a.m. — We head back home and Little Bun loses it because I promised him we’d go into this one store and colour but then I forgot and he didn’t remind me.. or remember until MUCH LATER.

12:14 p.m. — At home, we have a delicious lunch of quail and salad.

1:10 p.m. — I go down for the nap but Little Bun protests it for a FULL HOUR before falling asleep, exhausted from fighting the nap at 14:00

2:02 p.m. — We wake up an hour later and I still feel tired.. I need more time.

2:34 p.m. — I ask my partner if he has plans and he doesn’t, he just has the game, so I suit Little Bun up and we head out to the bus to ride the metro. $2.75

2:59 p.m. — Hum. The metro line is blocked. OF COURSE IT IS. We wait half an hour but in the meantime Little Bun is wiggling like crazy — WTF… I ask him REPEATEDLY before he finally cops to needing to go to the bathroom. The turnstile operator helps us into the private bathroom (they’re very nice to kids) and he goes.

3:29 p.m. — We then ride the train twice and stop off for one scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Butter Pecan ice cream to share. $4.20

4:26 p.m. — We go to head back home and Little Bun loses it because he wanted to ride the train longer but I am getting tired. I manage to calm him down and warn him about behaving and he stops. Sort of.

5:30 p.m. — When we get home, I take a “long” shower (a long shower for me these days is something longer than 15 minutes and alone). I feel much better afterwards.

6:11 p.m. — I am getting hungry.

6:56 p.m. — Dinner. We eat a light dinner and then get ready for bed. Little Bun makes a mess again. We clean up again, and then do some light multiplication.

7:01 p.m. — I putter around on the internet and get suspicious that someone Paypal’d me money but I don’t see it in my account. I decide to wait 24 hours before contacting PayPal directly.

7:22 p.m. — We all eat little tubs of yoghurt — yum!! And Little Bun loves his share — he is so quiet and happy when he gets this treat.

7:47 p.m. — We start getting ready for bed and I ask him if he wants books or math. He chooses math but asks very sweetly for multiplication this time not addition. I start on the 1X table and then show him the patterns for the 10X and 11X and try to just get him to understand that they are multiples. I warn him he will have to memorize them. I wonder if I should get the multiplication book of the times tables to let him memorize them.

8:56 p.m. — Time for bed.

Spent: $130.96

———-

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

6 Comments

  • Jamie

    So glad to see your partner stepping up! I’m sure its been a big help and relief. I would be irked by the neighbour’s comment but would eventually let it go, its not worth worrying about. Everyone has their interests/hobbies.

  • mia

    I wouldn’t be bothered by the neighbor’s comment. Women say things like that all the time here…the women at work like to say how lucky they are if their husband doesn’t spend all Sunday watching American football.

  • Robin Martin

    How do you get a discounted skirt – that one is beautiful 😀

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