Week of Money: Where I get the shock of my life from Little Bun

DAY ONE

??:?? — Why is this child waking up so early all of a sudden? I am drained, and tell him I need at least until 6:30.

6:45 a.m. — I log in and start working.

10:08 a.m. — For a short break, I take Little Bun out for the morning to pick out a present. As we are crossing the street, my hat blows off my head, and I am flustered. THEN I SEE HIM RUN INTO THE STREET IN FRONT OF CARS saying “MOMMY I GOT IT, DON’T WORRY I WILL HELP!“… and I just… freak. I run out, grab him drag him back, with the hat, and I almost burst into tears. I tell him repeatedly to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN IN HIS LIFE even though he wants to help me, because NOTHING is worth his life. Absolutely nothing. I can buy another hat, but he is precious. I can’t even breathe, my heart is pounding. I am just so thankful it wasn’t busy, and everyone SAW what happened and sort of didn’t move at all (all the cars), and I am so happy and relieved it was early enough that no one was around.

I half blame this on myself in the sense that we take him out, but not often to just walk around and be aware of surroundings in a busy city. He’s used to being in parks, in relatively safe areas, or at home, and he has no sense of danger or observational skills.

I make a mental note to take him out WAY more often, in busy city streets, so I can keep driving home the points on how to stay aware of cars, and be safe.

10:45 a.m. — In the car, I turn around again and tell him that I SAW him being helpful, kind and nice. I told him I appreciated it, I thanked him but to NEVER EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN. I told him to leave it to adults, and just get somewhere safely if anything happens like this again.

11:30 a.m. — Present picked out, we are home, eating lunch and I am logged into a call, on mute, eating in front of my laptop. $90.65

3:05 p.m. — He wanders over to me and turns pink, about to cry. I ask him what is going on, and he tells me that he doesn’t feel like the next project I gave him, was going to be easy. I tell him he has FIVE weeks to do it, and it’s all about him, AND it is only one Cover page, Intro Page and 3 content pages. No ending required! One page less! .. He tells me it looks like it is always so hard at the start, and I tell him it is exactly why I am assigning projects every month, so that he becomes so comfortable with it, that he thinks – I GOT THIS. It’s to build his weaknesses up, not to overly strengthen where he is already strong…

5:12 p.m. — Dinner, dishes and we hang out on the balcony afterwards, painting on it in chalk. I bought a set of 48 colours so we could really draw amazing, nuanced images.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed.

Spent: $90.65

DAY TWO

7:30 a.m. — I log in and start working.

9:25 a.m. — I run out for a quick errand. As I am walking back, I notice this amazing garage in Montreal. Wow. I have to explore this neighbourhood more often! It is STUNNING, the work they did.

9:55 a.m. — Home, having deposited a cheque (no idea why the mobile cheque deposit systems are all down; all the banks are having issues so I had to go in-person this time).

4:40 p.m. — I log off for the day.

6:25 p.m. — Little Bun is HARD at work finishing his project for me. I did give him creative / artistic ideas / direction, and then he ran with it. I am still not sure what the line is between helping too much versus guiding them to do what they want.

My mother used to struggle with this when we were younger, I could see it in her face when she would make suggestions on what we could do, creative ideas and so on, but then she’d get a hold of herself and backtrack and say – WHATEVER YOU WANT IS FINE. It’s just an idea. A suggestion. You do what is best – because she never wanted to be the reason we got a bad mark because of something she suggested. I can see myself mimicking her now, as a parent.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed.

Spent: $0

DAY THREE

7:30 a.m. — I log in and start working.

8:008 a.m. — NO MEETINGS THIS MORNING? Amazing. I grab Little Bun and ask him to please present his Periodic Elements project. The only criteria were a Cover Page, Introduction, 3 Content Pages, Ending. The topic was Periodic Elements and he could choose to do ANYTHING on it. Choose an element, choose 3, talk about it in general and all the different groups…

He apparently spent the past 2 weeks thinking of WHAT element to pick as there are many, and finally settled on Arsenic as his main one.

Here is how it turned out:

*Spelling mistake – I told him it was IM-POR-TANT… and he made a note.

 

Please note the “Its forms” rather than “It’s forms”, which is a common English mistake. I told him once about this common mistake, and he has never gotten it wrong since.

I also begged him to please use a ruler and sort out the layout of the page first, before he started. This is much better than his first Endangered Animals project (shown here) where it was really all over the place, but it still isn’t great:

He was so creative with the POISON angle and title!

Please note the middle two images areL BROCCOLI with arsenic. And the same image is there as BROCCOLI without arsenic, to illustrate how you cannot tell it is there at all in food if you plan on poisoning someone.

 

I also told him to please not use slang in projects like “tryin'” or “tell ya”, because it is fine to speak, it isn’t proper to write it.

I particularly loved his ending:

“Basically don’t do anything with it unless you’re a scientist or making car batteries or just eating rice… because….. Arsenic + Person = DEATH” … LOL

I was also appreciative of the NUMBERED pages (he did this one on his own, please note how his Introduction tried to draw you in to tell you where to look for the facts, like FUN FACTS on Page 4).

4:50 p.m. — I log off for the day. This is a chill-ish week. People are starting to go on vacation.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed. He has been getting ALL THE WORDLE words, even PRIMO the other day, and I have been left in the dust so far.

Spent: $0

DAY FOUR

6:00 a.m. — I AM OFF TODAY. AND TOMORROW. I lie in bed, trying to snatch up more bits of sleep but Little Bun isn’t having it.

12:22 p.m. — Nonsense chores all morning. I go through my closet and remove even more items that I can fit into but won’t wear because it is too work-related. Who knows if I will ever go back to the office. This is all so up in the air now.

3:25 p.m. — I order a cashmere blanket to use for sleeping. I am upgrading, because I have been sleeping with my pashmina the past few days to test it out, and I love it. The cashmere blanket I got, is simply stunning. It isn’t too fluffy or light, like a pashmina, it is a thicker, tighter weave, dense and wonderful and SO INCREDIBLY SOFT. It is expensive to be sure, but worth every penny. $402.50

6:35 p.m. — Dinner, dishes and laundry. Three loads. I have been putting it off. As Little Bun is folding he looks like he’s about to start grumbling and I EYEBALL HIM SO HARD. He clams up quickly.

I definitely am not the type of parent who does not have a firm authoritarian grip on their child. It isn’t the same as being controlling/strict, it is more like – I am the parent, we can discuss things, but ultimately, I decide, and I am in control because you are right now, too young to decide for yourself.

I am their parent, not their friend. I am he can count on, he will always have my support, love, and I will ALWAYS help him and give him the best advice I can. But I am not his friend. And I will not tolerate slacking in the home especially since it is part of his duties as a member of this house.

That being said, that is why with the tone of my voice, a look, and a gesture, he knows immediately what is up, and when he might need to straighten up and be careful.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed. HE GOT THE WORDLE AGAIN. This child.

Spent: $402.50

DAY FIVE

6:30 a.m. —  OFFFFFF!! I do banking, notes, and so on, and I plan on taking Little Bun out to the park.

8:08 a.m. — At the park, we hang out and he finds rocks to fill a hole with. He also starts randomly searching for bits of garbage and recycling so he can go and put it in the garbage.

*Little Bun finding a piece of garbage and getting so excited*

OH MY.. OH MY MY MY MY! Mommy is it okay if I put this plastic bottle in the garbage please?

Me: Yes it’s fine. *makes a mental note to buy gloves for this purpose or a garbage pick / gripper, so we can do this as an activity more often*

I think it would be a fine idea to go to a local park, search around for garbage, or go walking and pick up garbage to clean up the area in the neighbourhood.

(Also. Who’s kid says – “OH MY” these days) He has a real penchant or need to clean things up. He is still innocent and not quite numb to it, so it would be nice to nurture it. Maybe we could join a garbage picking group.

12:55 p.m. — Down for his Quiet Time / Nap after lunch.

7:25 p.m. — We sit outside on the balcony and read books, and talk, while looking at the scenery.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed.

Spent: $0

DAY SIX

7:50 a.m. — I take him out again to the park. He is in visible distress seeing garbage in the parks, so I let him pick and clean up the area around the playground at least, so that (in his words) “It is clean for all the babies!!” Everything and anyone is a baby these days to him.

11:08 a.m. — Back at home, he’s happy but exhausted, playing in the park, digging up rocks like an archeologist

12:22 p.m. — After lunch, I search out how to use the Brock Magiscope I bought, without the stand, and just with the tube itself and the magnifying glass..

Considering their website is the seemingly only place left to buy these things, I am surprised at how terrible it is. No explanation whatsoever to non-scientist types like myself, and no help in understanding “Oh you need this tube with this, to be able to see this”, or “here are the combinations, and what 40X versus 100X looks like”

4:12 p.m. — Oh the markets. I can’t even look at my portfolio. We are back to 2021 levels now. We watch a few shows together – Little Bun is eager to watch everything from Hoarders to Four Weddings…. I tried to watch Extreme Cheapskates and got ill watching it.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed.

Spent: $0

DAY SEVEN

6:50 a.m. — Tomorrow it’s back to the grind. We have been going out on the weekends to try and enjoy the summer as much as possible. It is much harder during the winter because of all the extra gear, so I am heading out almost daily to enjoy as much of it as possible.

12:04 p.m. — Lunch time at home, and I am drained. Little Bun, even though we spent the day together, says very eagerly: MOMMY. Can we have some Mommy Time? … I’d like to spend some time with you.

Me: WE JUST HAD A WHOLE MORNING TOGETHER. Okay. Fine, just before Quiet Time (though he has been napping a lot), what would you like to do?

We end up playing Stuffie Adventures and reading a chapter book together. He is so sweet, he reads it out to his Stuffies and then asks them: ANY QUESTIONS?

And he responds back for them sometimes, like

Stuffie: “What does CONSTRUCTION mean?”

…and I either I answer it, or I let him answer if if he knows the question. He is shaping up to be a very good carer / educator.

But children will drain you. Drain you to the bone and take the entire ounce of energy you have. Which is why I like going to parks with him. I can sit there, enjoy peace and quiet while he comes up with adventures and digs for things, to find treasures, rocks, and ways to help the animals like collecting acorns for all the squirrels into one spot.

5:45 p.m. — I go through all of the things I’d like to get done / to do before we leave for our vacation. In the background, I am watching Architectural Digest and come across this $23M home. I mean, it’s spacious and nice… but it doesn’t feel like a home. More like an office.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed.

Spent: $0

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