Week of Money: Where my car conks out on me

DAY ONE

??:?? — I’m awake. Can’t sleep. Stupid mini nap yesterday killed my night sleep.

5:48 a.m. — My partner gets up to shower. Little Bun is still asleep but I get up before him because my partner wakes me. I start on tea and my skincare routine, getting ready. I hope he won’t sleep in until 7:30 like the last time!

6:02 a.m. — I get my lunch, my partner thoughtfully grated the carrots for my salad, and cut up an avocado with some tomatoes for it. Nomz. My partner has been on a salad making kick lately and I’m excited with his creations.

6:15 a.m. — We chat in the morning and I find out my friend is visiting at the same time my partner has a birthday dinner planned. EMERGHERD. This is stressful. WHY is my life so empty and void of social engagements and the ONE TIME I have an actual friend I miss dearly coming over to visit, he also has an event that is a major thing for him!? WHY!?!$?!!

6:22 a.m. — I decide on a plan and propose it later to him (basically it’s to cut my visit short, bring my friend over for the dinner to hang with Little Bun and me, so they can have a nice dinner together alone to chat, then I’ll drive everyone home after Little Bun knocks off to sleep at night).

6:48 a.m. — Little Bun is up as I’m putting on my makeup (perfect timing), and I grab his milk and finish my face.

7:02 a.m. — I then try to coax him to get dressed and only manage to dangle “you can have Mommy’s secret iPod that you deleted my life from once, if you get into the car and go to school”. I let him watch videos of himself all the way down to the car, then strap him in a and drive to preschool.

7:22 a.m. — At preschool he snags a snack with raisins in it (OMG FORBIDDEN FOOD.. So yummmy) and eats it while kissing me goodbye.

7:45 a.m. — At work, I work until 11:30 without a stop. Literally NO STOP. I have 7 projects on the go and I’m in charge of all of them. I have two back to back meetings and get assigned one more. Yay. I don’t mind because I like working and I like keeping busy.

8:27 a.m. — A fellow consultant stops by and says they have all been asked if they are available to be extended but not confirmed individually, and that worries me. What about me? I ask my company and they write back saying they’re meeting the Director this week and I’ll get to meet my representative as well. Hope this is good news.

9:54 a.m. — Another colleague drops by and thanks me for the cake pickup, his family devoured the whole thing in one shot. LOL.

11:21 a.m. — I jet off to yoga after sending out a flurry of 4 emails (all loaded with work of course), and stretch it out. My costume is going to be something good I hope, my manager is coming as a construction worker (LOL), as he already has the hat and boots from work. He just needs the plaid shirt he says.

1:35 p.m. — After yoga I’m back and eating lunch.

2:00 p.m. — Fire drill! Yes. Love these.

2:02 p.m. — While I’m out I also get news that the Director loves my work and wants me to stay another 6 months. Beautiful!!!! Got lots to celebrate this weekend. No shopping though, I already pre-shopped for this extension. 😉 I show it to my consultant colleague and she gives me a face because SHE hasn’t been individually confirmed or extended…. and I have. Like immediately. But I think it’s because the Director really, really, really, REALLY likes me. And I deliver.

3:00 p.m. — Fire drill over, we all shuffle back into the building.

4:22 p.m. — I get to work and don’t stop until everything is cleaned and done.

4:40 p.m. — I snag my Little Bun and we head home.

4:50 p.m. — WHAAAAT minimal traffic!?!? This is a GREAT DAY.

5:02 p.m. — Uh Oh. Little Bun conked out on the way home, but only for 5 minutes. I don’t bother waking him until I get prepared and organized and schelp my bags up while carrying him with the other arm. Yep. Parents DO IT ALL.

5:22 p.m. — He’s awake now. I give him milk, tuck him in, and start a load of laundry.

5:37 p.m. — Then I start on dishes.

5:46 p.m. — My partner comes home and has to leave for a work thing in half an hour. He checks his handiwork (he has more work to do tomorrow), then dresses again and leaves.

6:32 p.m. — Dishes all done, air drying on the counter, I start the second load of laundry and toss the first into the dryer.

6:37 p.m. — I finally sit down for a break to check emails. I was going to call my mother today to help her with a computer thing but she left me two voicemails (home and work) and I don’t need to help her any more.

6:40 p.m. — I make a cup of tea and work on fixing my broken links on the blog.

7:00 p.m. — I start putting away the other load of laundry, and dry the rest, then lie down to read.

7:25 p.m. — Hungry. Made 3 eggs to eat.

8:07 p.m. — Got Little Bun ready for bed and conked out beside him after reading to him, and explaining the outside.

Saved: $0

Spent: $0

DAY TWO

6:10 a.m. — I wake up as Little Bun is wiggling and trying to sleep on top of me (a sign that he is not sleepy any more), and ask him to ask my partner to get his milk. He giggles and runs off squealing: “Miiiillllllkkkkkkkk!!!”

6:15 a.m. — I lay there until he gets back and when my partner comes in, I ask him what time it is. “6:15”, he says. I groan and get up.

6:20 a.m. — I start my tea, decide to put the dishes & laundry away when I get home and then I get ready.

6:30 a.m. — I feel as slow as molasses … tired, and fatigued. Nauseous from yesterday.

6:10 a.m. — Little Bun finishes his milk and squeals for videos of himself. He turns on the laptop for himself and logs in and starts up Picasa with all the videos (YES. MY BABY knows how to do all of this).

6:40 a.m. — I get my makeup and clothes on and warn him that he has one more video and it is time to go.

6:55 a.m. — He squeals in protest for school and I just tell him there are treats there. If he wants a treat he has to go. I’m out of ideas.

6:59 a.m. — I get him dressed as he is watching a video (cue another tantrum and outburst), and then manage to get him out the door only after I make the mistake of opening the door by myself and not letting him do it. “Delete Mommy! No Mommy! Do by self!”, he says indignantly, saving me away (translation: Mommy doesn’t open the door, Little Bun does it by himself).

7:25 a.m. — At work I basically work until I have to go to yoga. Honestly. 8 projects on the go! I have no time to think and I have to be detailed and awesome. The good news is that the Director signs off on 4 of my proposals and compliments me saying: “Thank you for the detail and organization.” I reply back (after some deliberation): “You’re welcome. Anything to make your workload easier.” … which is all about sucking up for sure (I am SHAMELESS) but also the truth. I try not to make things difficult, vague or complicated because it just annoys everyone. I’m also a great  consultant and it is nice when people see the difference. Especially if they are the ones deciding to keep you on for longer.

10:10 a.m. — I love how I send out emails and they come back full circle to me. Nonsense. No one is organized here. I wish I could just fix all of their documentation.

11:30 a.m. — I go to yoga and then come back as it starts to rain really badly. Dang!

1:45 p.m. — I get in, eat my lunch and start working. I don’t stop until Little Bun and I have to leave.

4:00 p.m. — I leave early. I’m tired, nauseous, it’s raining cats and dogs and I just want to go home and sleep.

4:45 p.m. — OMG. WHY THE EFF WON’T MY CAR START!? OMG. My horn is just randomly beeping as I try to turn on the car, the lights are all going weird… it’s all black. OMFG. OMFG.

4:50 p.m. — Hustling Little Bun back up to the lobby, I frantically try to dial my partner who has probably left early and for the day. EFF ME. It’s also raining like crazy.

5:11 p.m. — I manage to get a ride from a colleague with Little Bun (they even had a children’s car seat!!), and they take me all the way home. HOW NICE ARE THEY? I almost weep with relief. It is pouring like mad outside.

5:35 p.m. — I get home and quietly panic. What do I do? Wait until tomorrow and take a chance it’s a battery and call CAA to ask them to come replace it? Go back tonight and wait for an hour until someone comes to help me, then drive home? I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and I have to drive to it, or else take the bus for an hour. OMG.

5:37 p.m. — I pray for my partner to come home ASAP.

6:02 p.m. — He comes home and calms me down saying that going now would do nothing, I can go tomorrow and he can watch Little Bun at home to lower the stress. <3

6:22 p.m. — We eat a small little dinner while I fret about my car inwardly and try not to outwardly show it.

6:55 p.m. — We finish dinner and I start on dishes.

7:37 p.m. — Dishes done, everything put away, I roll and put away all of my things, rolling each matching top to each matching yoga pant and a little towel. I’m ridiculous I know, but I do this and then I bring all of them to the office and grab a new outfit when I need it.

Saved: $0

Spent: $0

DAY THREE

6:00 a.m. — I wake up stressed AF on how to handle this car situation. I get dressed, don’t bother with tea and just bolt for the office.

6:57 a.m. — I JUST miss the bus. WTF? They didn’t even stop for me!

7:02 a.m. — On the bus, finally. $2.25

7:40 a.m. — I get in, dump my stuff and call CAA immediately who sends a person within 20 minutes.

7:45 a.m. — Getting into the CAA truck, I rip my skirt. DAMN IT.

8:00 a.m. — They get to my car, and … the effing thing TURNS ON WITHOUT EFFORT. Whaaaaaaaaat??!?!??!??????? Is this going to happen again next time? How do I fix this nonsense? I may need to increase the timeline on my new car budget. I am stressed. If the car system itself is going (electronics and messages) I AM NOT REPLACING THIS CRAP.

8:12 a.m. — The parking guy (so sweet), comes over and helps me try to diagnose the issue. He says it is the battery but my battery seems fine but who knows.

9:34 a.m. — Arg. I spend the whole morning occupied with this then planning a budget for a car. How am I going to pay for this? I’m glad I’m still working at least. The parking guy comes over again and helps diagnose my car saying he thinks it’s the battery, but when I go to start it up later, it says 14.7 volts which means it was NOT drained or it would have been at 2 volts. This means something else is happening. I need a new car.

11:22 a.m. — I work until yoga time and bolt. I need to leave early for another meeting, have time to eat lunch and then brush my teeth. First impressions matter. I also need yoga very badly today.

12:03 p.m. — At the studio I pick up a super soft sweatshirt for sleeping to replace my now shrunken, hole-filled sweater. Had NOT planned on shopping but it is a really nice sweater. I like supporting small businesses anyway and they’re so sweet here. $46.56

1:15 p.m. — I leave yoga as quietly as possible halfway through, fix my makeup and the jet back to the office.

1:30 p.m. — At work, I wolf down my lunch then go to a meeting.

1:45 p.m. — This guy is Late. Like 10 minutes late, no text no email… I have no idea where this guy is. As I am waiting, I see more sales reps come by to pitch to the manager, and man they sent some really good looking reps. Like .. model-esque. This guy is really beautiful and I do not say this lightly. What they don’t know is that she’s tough AF and you will need to know your stuff to get through to her, this won’t soften her at all.

2:00 p.m. — He shows up almost half an hour (!!) late (a pet peeve of mine) and then we start chatting. It goes late as he tries to get some info out of me on a previous client and tells me that this particular client like… REALLY loves me. “Sweet”, I’m thinking, “cuz Momma needs a new car!!!!”…. he buys me a chocolate milk in place of a coffee for all my info on who to talk to. $0

2:34 p.m. — I get to my desk and don’t feel like working. I feel sluggish and tired and cannot sleep. This car thing, trying to get organized for this weekend which will be filled with lots of things to do… I’m all over the place and exhausted.

3:30 p.m. — I leave earlier for my dental appointment and to charge up the car battery which seems very sluggish and unhappy. When I get near the dentists’, I circle the block a few times looking for a parking spot and end up finding one near the dentist while charging my car.

3:57 p.m. — On the way there, I see a cop aiming a radar at the cars coming down, and then he suddenly gets in as I pass and starts up the car. OMFG. WAS I GOING TOO FAST? I was just following the bus ahead of me!!! *cue instant stress and panic*….. I CANNOT HANDLE GETTING A TICKET RIGHT NOW. I will burst into tears.

4:02 p.m. — I watch him nervously in the rearview mirror and see him turn off. Fine. Good. I breathe. Phew.

5:05 p.m. — I go through my appointment, my teeth get majorly cleaned. $165

5:34 p.m. — I mail off a package to a friend and pick up two boxes of chocolates, one to thank the parking guy and the other for the office for my colleagues. It is getting closer to Christmas after all. (I’m a softie..) $20.57

6:17 p.m. — At home, we have a huge, satisfying salad of eggs, rice, organic greens, tomatoes, roasted olive croutons and olive oil with aged balsamic vinegar. My partner is on a major salad kick right now and is enjoying discovering new combinations (his most surprising discovery is that he LIKES warm brown rice in a salad; he initially thought it was weird because he was only used to potatoes in salad which I find very strange).

7:15 p.m. — After dinner, I put away all of my clothes, hug my new super soft sweatshirt, toss my dirty yoga outfit into the laundry bin, and put my things away, then start on dishes.

8:00 p.m. — Dishes done, I log on to organize my life, update my budget to make sure I am tracking all my spending (looks like I will need to budget for a new car).

Saved: $23 – I wanted to buy the matching tank top too but HELD BACK.

Spent: $234.38

DAY FOUR

??:?? — Little Bun coughs and coughs and coughs. I cuddle him close and rub his back, then go get some water. I listen for the next 20 minutes worriedly, hearing a bit of a wheeze.

6:00 a.m. — I wake up and decide to stay at home with him today. He needs to rest at home.

6:42 a.m. — I watch a few YouTube videos (totally lazy now) while waiting for Little Bun to wake up.

6:53 a.m. — Little Bun is still sleeping. Must be sick. 🙁 Poor little thing. He did eat like a mini monster yesterday though, he finished my partner’s lunch and his own lunch, then ate dinner alongside us. I cuddle up in my new yoga sweatshirt.

7:02 a.m. — Little Bun is up LATE. I’m glad I am not taking him in. He is coughing like crazy, and looking not very good. Poor little baby. I grab his milk for him and start putting away the dishes.

7:22 a.m. — Time for tea. I make my first cup and plan on a second cup of matcha green tea. I still have to do my skincare routine and all that other stuff, but my main goals today are:

• Clean entire apartment – vacuum and steam mop, have guests coming
• Make my Halloween costume
• Fix ripped skirt
• Deep clean the bathroom
• Research for a new car – ugh

7:42 a.m. — I drink my cup of tea as Little Bun watches videos (our family videos). He then says: “Mommy! She is crapping!“… WHAT!? O_o… then I realize he said: “Mommy she is clapping!“.. what a difference one letter makes. 😛

7:45 a.m. — I wrap a gift I plan on giving to the parking guy to thank him for everything. He is just so nice. It’s nothing big, just some chocolates but he can eat it with his family and his son I am sure will love it. People never think about the janitors and parking guys, but they make a difference in your life.

10:11 a.m. — OH! Have to cancel yoga today. Forgot. I log on and do it.

11:42 a.m. — I have spent the last 4 hours answering emails, calling people and messaging all the while managing to take 15 minute breaks to vacuum the entire apartment, steam mop the entire apartment, and wipe down all the dust in all the corners that it couldn’t get to, AND finishing most of my Halloween costume for this Tuesday. I’m a hot glue virgin and it turned out well with me just getting a BIT of hot glue on my finger near the end when I got careless at pressing down a circle, but luckily it didn’t burn. I am covered in sweat from all this exertion.

11:43 a.m. — Little Bun runs towards me and tugs on the fridge door (meaning: “I AM HUNGRY.“) so I take out his vegan soup, and he spies my pasta, and asks for it: “SOUP WIF PASTA?!” Alllll riiiiight. I take it out and give him half of my lunch as well. The things we do as parents… my partner fed him his lunch yesterday (The WHOLE THING) as well as Little Bun’s own lunch and ended up taking a salad to work today with another lunch. We are both out lunches now for the day. I may have to go out to eat tomorrow (“oh nooooooooo…” she says, trying to hide a look of glee). I do happen to have a Starbucks Reward so I’ll use it on a hot sandwich (free!) and bring a big salad from home to save money.

12:18 p.m. — I wait until Little Bun is full from eating his lunch AND MINE might I add, and then eat my lunch box meant for tomorrow. I start a load of laundry in the meantime.

12:20 p.m. — I check on my costume which is drying from a flash of inspiration I had to paint some of it, and am pleased with the result. What else do I need to get done? Oh yea, fix my skirt. I hop on a conference call and sew up my skirt I ripped yesterday hopping into the CAA truck. I also need to make the rest of my costume (am adding a headband as an afterthought).

12:23 p.m. — I start on the rest of my costume, finishing the headband (would that be too juvenile?), and gluing on the rest of the pieces. Hot glue is my new thing now. I’m a PRO!

1:00 p.m. — Little Bun squeals and loses it. He is getting too tired and I forgot about his nap as I was too engrossed in finishing my costume. I quickly carry him down to bed and kiss him.

1:12 p.m. — Oo! Got my refund back on two skirts I ordered (decided only to buy one of them in the end). I feel so much better… I was a little stressed about spending so much on TWO SKIRTS, but… now I have the money back. Sweet. -$282.37

1:34 p.m. — Okay my GPS DOES work.. it is the cheap crappy charger I bought and was so excited about for $15, basically broke apart in my hands and that is why it was not charging. Argggggggggg. At least I have other spare car chargers and can use the cable for them if need be. But at least I don’t need to buy a new GPS. Phew. I have had this thing for over 10 years and I keep updating it (paid for the lifetime update package). Until it dies (literally DIES) I am not replacing it.

1:35 p.m. — I put some Crest Whitening Strips on my teeth. I know I probably shouldn’t use or wear any of this stuff (I hear it is terrible for your teeth), but I have one set of strips left and I need to use them up. As I peel off the strips, they’re almost glued to the plastic but at least they stick really well to my teeth. One hour to brighter, toilet-white teeth eh? Let’s see. I wear them as I watch The Thomas Crown Affair (SO GOOD!).

1:42 p.m. — OH #%@@@%%!!@@@@!!!!!!!&%*&^$%#$!#!@1!!!!!!! in case you can’t tell I did a major mistake and I am shaking from the stress of it. I left a pot of water boiling while I got Little Bun down for a nap and FORGOT ABOUT IT. The pot is obviously ruined, but then I PUT IT ON THE #%(#(#%#*) COUNTERTOP AND NOW IT IS ALL BURNED.

OH #@#&!$^#!!!!!!

2:05 p.m. — Little Bun is up and I hug him for some comfort whispering that Mommy made a huge huge huge mistake.

3:45 p.m. — HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID. OMG. I want to burst into tears. I’m so upset right now.

4:45 p.m. — I called my neighbour, spent the last 2 hours flipping out, scrubbing, scratching, making it worse.. oh goddamnit. I am about to burst into tears. He is going to be so angry with me when he comes home. I’m shaking. I’m literally shaking.

4:55 p.m. — I order a new pot from the store and luckily it is 20% off but it is the LEAST of my worries right now because that countertop is definitely stained with a coffee coloured burn mark. OH #^!!#@#$ $229.95

5:35 p.m. — I managed to get the stain out and now it is a light brown one but the counter top is completely pockmarked. I’m in tears and shaking.

6:37 p.m. — My partner comes home. I can’t even tell him. I hide it with a plate. I’ll tell him after he sleeps so he isn’t worrying and angry about it at night while sleeping.

8:47 p.m. — Bedtime. I explain the outside, and fall into a dreamless, restless sleep

Saved: $282.37

Spent: $229.95 – #*$&

DAY FIVE

??:?? — Little Bun wakes me up for potty.

??:?? — Little Bun wakes me up for his fever.

??:?? — Little Bun won’t stop wiggling around – suspect he is in pain, but the last time I tried to give him cough medicine, he purposefully vomited it all over the bed. Won’t be doing that again.

5:30 a.m. — I wake up feeling bad but also am exhausted and don’t feel bad. I have a major meeting today and I need to be on my A game. I’m up his insistence that “Mommy pease get up”, and am stressed AF about how to tell my partner about what I did. I’m such an idiot and he takes such good care of the place that it makes me feel even worse that I could have done such a thing. It is one thing to ruin a pot because that can be replaced but to ruin a counter? Stress…..

5:50 a.m. — I cuddle Little Bun in my arms and quietly explain the outside world and dawn and how it is working. He is adamant it is not dawn and it must be “daytime”. He is not technically wrong but doesn’t feel the same opposition to “twilight” for some reason.

6:14 a.m. — He sees me getting dressed and made up and starts squealing about how Mommy has to stay at home. He keeps holding my hand and leading me around the apartment trying to delay the inevitable. He repeats: “Mommy? Want Mommy. Mommy, want Mommy.” Believe it or not, I do feel terrible leaving him but I not only need to make money, I also need the break.

6:34 a.m. — I snuggle him and go to make tea but my stomach is in knots so I can’t even bring myself to boil water.

6:55 a.m. — My partner finally wakes up as I’m about to leave and I wait nervously for him to do laundry and then put his umbrella away. Little Bun rushes into his arms and gives him a big hug and kiss, excited to stay at home, but secretly hoping it will be also with Mommy. He is sick, so he is extra clingy today.

6:57 a.m. — I grip Little Bun tight in my arms and say quietly that I have something I have to tell him and I’m super scared. I explain that I ruined the counter yesterday and a pot, and the words just rush out as I’m shaking, tearing up and trying not to sob. I feel just so bad for being so careless. His reaction is surprise because he thought stone could take heat but apparently not that kind of heat.He touches the counter with his fingers and asks what I used to scrub off the burn and I said the green scouring pad in a super small voice. I’m immediately relieved because his reaction was better than I expected and I said I have been researching all night and morning and it is to sand the stain out then fill it with a clear epoxy. It is more work for him, for sure and I know it but I’m so stressed and now relieved that I told him.

7:02 a.m. — I leave Little Bun who sobs like his heart is breaking even though he was brave up until the part that Mommy actually leaves, and my partner gently takes him away.

7:20 a.m. — I get to work and text my friend to tell her what I did, then reply to a bunch of emails and try to follow up on everything to get things RESOLVED. I hate loose threads.

7:56 a.m. — I drop off a gift of chocolates to thank the parking guy (he wasn’t there so I leave them on his desk), and I hope he gets them and it makes his day.

8:22 a.m. — I also pull out a huge box of chocolates I bought for the office and pour it into the bowl for everyone to munch on. Everyone is appreciative as it means they don’t have to bring treats or be the ones feeding the office all the time (WTF right? Other teams should step up and have a candy bowl if they are always coming by and snatching our treats).

9:25 a.m. — I email my partner to ask how Little Bun is and he instantly replies that Little Bun fell asleep. I guess he was just as tired from last night and needs the rest, being so sick. I’m sure it is a cold. A light one. Surprisingly, I only have a mild version of it and have a slightly better immune system.

11:00 a.m. — I need to buy a lunch today but will use my Starbucks reward to pay for it after yoga.

11:34 a.m. — I head off to yoga and stop by Starbucks to check for my sandwich only to find out they don’t stock them there as no one buys them. What?!? I leave disappointed.

11:54 a.m. — At yoga my friend texts me that she GOT THE OFFER! I of course ask her to negotiate a bit more because… that’s just what you do. There is always a little $10K – $20K lying around for positions. First offers are suggestions. I’m so excited for her and cannot wait to celebrate with vegan burgers. OMGOMGOMG!!!!!! I’m beaming and jumping up and down.

1:27 p.m. — I get back to the office and people just blow up my email box with massive miscommunication all around perpetuated by ONE GUY setting off alarm alerts when they weren’t required. OMFG. I firefight the situation and calm everyone down.

2:00 p.m. — I need a facepalm emoji. Seriously, does one exist?

3:30 p.m. — Meeting. It goes into overtime and I am rushing, late to get to an appointment to look at a car.

4:11 p.m. — ARE YOU KIDDING ME? MY CAR IS DEAD AGAIN? WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS!?!?!?!!??!!??!?!?!?!

5:00 p.m. — 5 guys (one of them is my boss), and one panicky, stressed out person later (that would be me), I am finally on the way there, racing to get there.

5:30 p.m. — Appointment with car dealer who assesses my trade-in as $1700 (ugh) and I check online and see it is $3000 book value. Okay, yeah. Well.

6:15 p.m. — I leave the dealer’s, excited about a possible new car. I need my partner to give me his opinion and help me make a logical, rational one. Of course, I really just want a new car.

6:45 p.m. — I get home and my partner has my salad out waiting for me, I explain my car trouble, late meeting etc. He lets me eat alone as he gets to work finishing the apartment, his friend is coming over tomorrow for a birthday celebration. I also get to work cleaning, organizing and washing 3 days of dishes.

9:45 p.m. — We finally finish the bulk of the work. Still more to do tomorrow.

Saved: $0

Spent: $0

DAY SIX

6:00 a.m. — Couldn’t sleep last night. Nerves, stress, excitement.. it is all happening at the same time. I’m excited to see my friend as well. I need to think hard about this new car. If I get it, it means I have to really cut back on everything. I need to crunch some numbers. I guess it is doable. It sort of depends on if I can get at least another year out at this client. Wish I had a crystal ball.

10:38 a.m. — My partner and I don’t stop until we are done finishing up things, cleaning, painting, organizing, I start 2 loads of laundry, I organize my shoes, I deep clean the bathroom and kitchen, and I vacuum the entire apartment twice. I also cut my and Little Bun’s nails.

10:39 a.m. — My partner leaves to do grocery shopping, replace the battery in my old car (I AM GETTING A NEW CAR I HAVE DECIDED), and then come back in time for us to have a quick lunch and for me to go meet my friend at the station. <3

11:28 a.m. — I am about to burst out like a bat out of hell to go see her. I AM SO EXCITED.

12:00 p.m. — My partner comes home and grimly informs me that we need a mechanic to change the battery because it is buried under so much crap. I’m annoyed. He will take in the car tomorrow.

12:11 p.m. — We eat a meal of ham and bread and I start getting ready to go.

12:23 p.m. — Before I go to leave, my partner bursts out angrily as Little Bun is sobbing, clinging to my leather-clad thighs: “I am NOT watching him and doing all of this work!!”, to which I am completely dumbfounded because he AGREED that I would go out and then come back early cutting my own night short to take care of Little Bun with my friend so he could have a nice dinner with his. This was the agreement!!!! He apparently misunderstood and thought I’d take Little Bun all weekend.

12:30 p.m. — We end up compromising on my getting Little Bun down for his nap and then leaving. By the time he is up, he should be in a better mood.

12:56 p.m. — I grab my bag and leave for the bus, not wanting to chance the car. $2.25

1:23 p.m. — I head to meet my friend, and ponder over this new car I plan on buying.

1:25 p.m. — WHAT. IS. THIS. LOL! Executive Back Scratcher? Seriously? What a name for a glorified tool. I have seen people in the office use rulers to scratch their back 😛

1:42 p.m. — THERE SHE IS!! I squeal and hug her. I also hug her husband who I am only getting to know. She gives him all of his crap to carry to his friend’s place and he wants to take a metro to which I look at him and snort: “There are no escalators in metros!!!! Take a cab.” He agrees after I browbeat him (they have a lot of stuff) and grabs a cab as I run off with her.

1:44 p.m. — We talk nonstop. NONSTOP and chat all the way, as we shop the entire time downtown. I miss her like you wouldn’t believe and this is so great. We go shopping, she picks up things she likes, and I counsel her on avoiding stuff that doesn’t look as nice, etc. I just.. love spending time chatting. We talk about work, pick up a burger lunch to eat. She spends a lot however, over $400 on various stuff like some new baking dishes and a scarf, anniversary gift, etc. $14.95

4:45 p.m. — We start to make our way back to wrangle Little Bun so my friend can hang with his friend. $4.50 – I paid for her

5:15 p.m. — I stop at the bus and realize the entire downtown is blocked because of some Halloween parade. WTF? ZOMBIE WALK!? I start to panic. We rush looking here and there for the bus home and realize we need to cab it. She offers to pay as I got lunch. I nod. I’m almost in tears, I promised I’d be home by 6 p.m. and what if Little Bun is ruining his birthday dinner? OMG.

5:35 p.m. — WE FINALLY GET A CAB. We made it through the Zombie Barrier and walked a long way around to get to a place where the cab just breezes us home. $0 – My friend paid

6:07 p.m. — At home, I apologize to everyone at how late I am, everyone is understanding and said: OH YEAH! The Zombie Walk. They all knew. I had no idea. I hang out with my friend and Little Bun the rest of the night, gabbing. Little Bun clings to his father, a little upset at how Mommy left him. Apparently he slept only 20 minutes (woke up 10 minutes after I left), and burst into tears for an hour while my partner tried to cook. NOT. GOOD. I feel terrible. We didn’t plan this well. I feel bad, but we had two social engagements on the same day and she only visits ONCE A YEAR. *sigh*

6:24 p.m. — I gab with my friend the entire time, chatting about EVERYTHING. She tries on some things I bought, I showed her my Halloween costume and she gasped and immediately asked if she could steal it for her work to win her contest and I said “of course!“, and wrote out instructions on how to do it.

6:28 p.m. — We spend the next 4 hours just talking. Straight talking, chatting, gabbing, hanging out and then eating.

10:54 p.m. — Her husband’s party is not winding down, so I end up offering to give her stuff to stay the night instead. We use the same things and are the same size, so everything worked out. She calls her husband to tell him and he wonders how she is going to have stuff to stay. HAS HE MET ME? I have SO MANY CLOTHES and we use the same skincare line (Paula’s Choice by the way)…

Saved: $0

Spent: $21.70

DAY SEVEN

??:?? — Little Bun wakes up from a nosebleed.

??:?? — Now he is just being ornery and wiggling. I manage to pull him on my chest and pat him to sleep like I did when he was a baby.

??:?? — Little Bun wakes up crying for water.

7:36 a.m. — I AM EXHAUSTED. My friend for some bizarre reason managed to sleep through the entire night, only waking up at 5 a.m. because of insomnia but then she fell back asleep until 8-ish. I can’t believe it. She didn’t hear Little Bun AT ALL.

7:59 a.m. — My car won’t start. My partner heads out to buy an electric charger for the battery just to get it to start so he can bring it to a garage to change the battery to a new one. OMFG. I hate this car. HATE.

8:48 a.m. — Back up in the apartment, I make breakfast — tea and bananas for all, sorry, did not plan for a house guest, and then we gab as I do the dishes and wipe them down.

10:18 a.m. — We end up chatting for so long, that her husband takes a cab to come grab her LOL…. She would never leave otherwise, I am sure.

12:08 p.m. — They leave after a tour of the apartment and chatting a bit, and go back to his friend’s place to say goodbye and (hello for her! she hasn’t even seen them yet). I miss her already.

12:28 p.m. — We eat lunch. Leftover wings and bread. We didn’t plan for any guests. 🙁

1:00 p.m. — Little Bun protests but goes down for his nap.

2:18 p.m. — He’s up!! I start on dishes and let him watch videos of himself.

4:00 p.m. — Turns out it is the battery. My partner bought the electric charger and the car battery charges just enough to start the car to get to the garage to replace the battery completely. Thank goodness.

4:45 p.m. — We head out to the car dealership to look at cars. I’m eying the Honda to be honest, I liked their SUV’s a lot, but I am also drawn to something smaller so it is easier to handle.

6:35 p.m. — Back from the car dealership, Little Bun is being a bit of a monster so I give him some nursery song rhyme time (have been promising it all day and he never gets it), and let him watch the videos to calm down. I suggest a bath with bubbles and he bursts into tears. *sigh* We will see in half an hour maybe. Or maybe after dinner.

6:37 p.m. — I take the time to write a compliment for an STM driver. I took down the date, time and so on, and I hope it reaches him and does good for him in some way. He was so kind, and picked up the litter all around the bus he was driving rather than just scrolling on his phone. What a wonderful thing to see – proactive care and customer service. I think it is just as important to give compliments as complaints.

7:02 p.m. — We sit down to eat our dinner and talk enthusiastically about what we saw. I am the one paying but my partner has a say in reining me in before I go off the deep end and wax poetic.

7:24 p.m. — I manage to wrangle Little Bun into a bath.

7:57 p.m. — Once he is in, he LOVES IT, but it is so hard to coax and wheedle this child to be washed. I scrub him thoroughly. Who knows when I’ll next get him in here without wanting to drown myself in the tub.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime. I’m researching cars. Time got away from me.

Saved: $0

Spent: $0