4 Days!

I managed to last 4 days!!!

3 Days

I successfully went 3 consecutive days without spending a dime at work. This is BIG. I made my own tea instead of buying a latte and I brought my lunch & snacks all days.

I didn't feel deprived per se but I noticed it at lunch. I almost always eat lunch at my desk so there is a big difference between popping outside for 15 minutes to grab something and reaching across your desk and pulling a Tupperware towards you. I escaped the office today and wandered Indigo. I fought temptation and resisted buying unnecessary Hallowe'en decorations. M & I will get a little crafty and make some fun decorations for our windows & doors.

My best guess is that I saved myself at least $30. It may not be a huge savings but it's definitely a start! If I can keep this up and try to have at least 3 spend nothing days a week, I'll be pleased. We likely won't notice a huge difference in our account but at least I'll feel less like we spend unnecessarily each week.

7.5km!

I psyched myself up ALL day and pushed myself out the door once D got home from work. I took a different route so I wouldn't be able to accurately determine the distance. I was pleasantly surprised that it was 7.5km but a little bit annoyed that I didn't cross the 8km mark! Regardless, it was good to get out for a run.

Must get out again this week... at least one more time before Sunday's CIBC Run for the Cure.

Meal Plan for the Week of the 25th

And in no particular order (except for tonight & tomorrow's meals), here we go!

Sunday: Roast chicken with roasted beets & carrots and mashed potatoes. Maybe a spinach salad on the side? Or maybe I want to use up the rest of the cauliflower tonight?

Monday: Roasted carrot soup with homemade savory cheese bread. Maybe some spinach salad with this one, too?

Orzo salad with grilled broccolini & sausage

Meat pies with potatoes, cauliflower & peas

Rigatoni with zucchini, spicy sausage & goat cheese

Quinoa pizza crust with pepperoni, roasted red peppers & pineapple

Heavy on the meat and carbs this week. Sigh. Still a fatty over here.

Spending Habits...

Also, I have (once again) learned that most of my/our spending is completely out of ritual. Coffee is a ritual, lunch out is a ritual, buying books for M at Indigo at lunch is a ritual... all of these little rituals are really distractions and these distractions are not always necessary. I won't say unnecessary because I simply don't believe it (yes, there are days when I absolutely NEED that latte) but I will agree we can work on them.

Budgeting 101

D & I are notoriously bad with budgeting. It's not like we live beyond our means but we definitely life life to the fullest with our means. Yes, we contribute monthly to our RRSPs and we save every penny M has ever earned in his own bank account BUT we are damn good at spending our earnings.

I'm the one who 'manages' our money. By this, I mean I stalk (yes, literally stalk) our bank account daily, freak out about overspending in certain areas and make sure bills are paid on time and all balances are favourable. Admittedly, I like it this way but there are times when I wish D wanted to know a bit more about what was going on with our finances. You know, accountability and all that fun stuff.

When I look at what we earn and all our fixed expenses, I am continually floored by where our money goes. Yes, I know I don't NEED that $5.14 latte every.single.morning but I feel like I do in that moment. I've also slacked on taking a lunch, which means eating out (costly AND unhealthy). We tend to eat out a fair bit on weekends and with that means having a drink or two. It all adds up, right? D & I both have indulgences where we can scale back so we're working on those.

Earlier tonight, my friend told me about Mint, which is a free online program that brings all your financial accounts together in one place, categorizes transactions and sets budgets. It's safe, fun (no, really, it's fun!) and FREE. Did I mention it's free? It's so much better than a crappy Excel spreadsheet because it is live and updates every time you sign in. I set everything up tonight and I *think* I've got all our fixed expenses listed. Mint was kind enough to immediately tell me where we've spent too much money this month -- alcohol & bars (oops!), clothing (it's all for M, I swear... and he needs it... change in seasons and all) and groceries (um, yeah... no surprise).

I'm curious to see how this program works for us over the month of October and if it actually pushes us to watch our spending. By our, I mean, me. D & I have set some mini financial goals for the winter -- things we want to accomplish or do around the house -- and at some point, we need a swift kick in the butts to get on the saving train. I'm excited to use this program and look forward to updating at the end of October!

2 and a Half

We met with our SLP last Friday for a reassessment of M's speech & language to date. After almost two hours of interactive play, learning games and some subtle note taking for good measure, she looked at me with a HUGE smile on her face and said she was thrilled to tell me that M no longer even qualifies for speech therapy! She was so happy with his progress and noted that he was surpassing most of the language milestones for the 36-42 month range (M is currently 30 months).

We are so pleased with our little guy! Patience, modeling and working together constantly has paid off. Yes, I became that mum that I always vowed I wouldn't be... you know, the one saying "grEEn PePPer" at the grocery store while pointing to my mouth and repeating said word over and over. The Hanen course I was invited to participate in turned out to be invaluable because we finally figured out how M needed to learn from us. He chats constantly and we are finally having those "for the love of God, be quiet!" moments that people warned us about. It's worth it though. So so so worth it.

She wants to reassess M again in 6 months to make sure he's still progressing. She took note of some pronunciations that are typically developmental (th as d, etc.) and wants to make sure he outgrows them. If he needs therapy again, we're on their radar and will never have an issue being seen again. Phew.

The best thing about M's speech therapy is that it was almost like a parenting book all wrapped up in a fun little package. We learned so many obvious things that we'd been skipping over in our attempts to get him to communicate more and ended up learning that those same things that taught M sounds and words would also diffuse tantrums, distract from tears and get him to WANT to chat with us more.

Best ever.

Weekend Update

Despite a few little hiccups, I think we (I) managed to put together a weekend that was all about us and what we (I) wanted to do.

We left our neighbourhood and ventured to the Evergreen Brick Works on Saturday morning. We grabbed coffees & cookies, wandered the trails and cruised the Farmer's Market. This place is amazing and hands down one of the best places in the city. We had a visit from friends later and spent the late afternoon/evening walking around our 'hood.

On Sunday morning, we met up with friends at the Danforth East Arts Festival and enjoyed brunch on a patio before coming home for the afternoon. M & I both spent the afternoon napping while D went out with his dad and ran a few errands.

We ate out minimally this weekend (a rarity for us) and I managed to get ahead with meal preparation for the week. White chili, shepherd's pie, beef stew... we'll have a few meals ready to go when we get home from work. Phew.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Once again, I didn't accomplish too much around the house but we did things that were out of our routine and we did them together. Moods were good and everyone was happy. We needed it.

Weekends

A few months ago, a very wise friend gave my best friend some sage advice when she was trying to navigate a slippery in-law issue. The gist is that a person can only manage their issues and not someone else's issues or tendencies. This advice has finally come in handy for me.

D's dad has become increasingly dependent on us since his mom passed way. I get it. I really do. He's still mourning and he's lonely. He is surrounded by people all day long but immediately goes home to an empty house. A dog awaits him but it is just not the same. Sad. Weekends must feel incredibly long to him and he does his best to fill his Saturdays and Sundays with trips to places he loves, photography, visits to friends and of course, trips to the city to visit us.

I selfishly no longer think of these as enjoyable visits because I find them taxing and costly -- emotionally and financially. I like to make a good meal for him and if I have the time, send him home with some fresh muffins. I like knowing that he's just enjoyed a visit with his grandson and that together they're making great memories. I like knowing that he takes comfort in these visits and that they break up his otherwise long weekends.

But...

I miss OUR weekends. I miss being able to make plans to do whatever we like whenever we like. I miss being able to nap when M naps without knowing I'll be waking up to someone else in the house. I miss having lazy meals and not feeling like I have to put together something decent. I miss having the time.

Weekends are so short as it is and I like to cherish them. I am a creature of habit and in turn, we have become a little family of habitual creatures. We walk for coffee every weekend morning and on Sundays, oh so glorious Sundays, M & I watch Coronation Street before I disappear to the grocery store to shop in peace. I feel like everything is upside down because we're no longer just working around a toddler's nap schedule or a dog's walks but a whole other body. Someone who needs US to entertain HIM. My habits are all over the place and lately, it's made me bitter & frustrated.

Cue the advice! My friend reminded me that my FIL is no longer a guest in our home but really, he's a fixture. Yes, I can do 'special' things now and then but for now, I need to just manage and get by. If that means tuna melts for dinner instead of tenderloin and all the fixings, well, so be it. If it means ordering a pizza and sitting on the couch to eat, that's okay, too. I can't manage his neediness because let's face it, he needs us and we appreciate that but what I can do, is manage how I deal with it. We need to work around it and drag him along with our little rituals.

I can do it. I have to suck it up because this just isn't about me. Not going to lie and say I'm still okay with it but I'm going to manage it better. I'm not proud of how I acted last weekend but I couldn't help it. I'm sure this weekend will be better.

Better be because I only have two precious days off.

New Kicks!

After what feels like ages, I finally treated myself to new running shoes! My history as of late has been less than stellar but at least I can say my sneakers got out at least twice a week for bootcamp. My current shoes, Nike Vomero (for those who wonder what others like to run in like I do), were packing out and basically in need of replacement. I figure I put on at least 250kms on these puppies even though they say you can typically go 350-500kms in a pair before you need to replace. After trying on every.single.pair at the Running Room, I settled on the Saucony Progrid Ride 3 shoe. Hoping to test drive them tomorrow!

3 in 30

I've been slacking on setting challenges & goals for myself and I need to get back at it. So, 3 goals in 30 days. New monthly mantra perhaps?

What do I hope to accomplish this September?

1. I have 30 days to get out for 10 runs. Time & distance don't matter. What matters is that my feet are pounding the pavement and I'm doing something for me.


2. I need to make significant progress in M's future 'big boy' room. If I can finally deal with the closet, order the custom book shelves and perhaps, just maybe, settle on a paint colour, I'll be pleased.


3. Our grocery bills as of late have gotten out of control... again. I want to meal plan and think head in the hopes of not exceeding $130/week.

Seems easy & manageable? Hope so. Celebrate small successes and all that good stuff, I supposed.