Well it's been an interesting couple of days.
We were supposed to have heard back from our landlord Tuesday on how his "discussion" with the Trolls went. By 8pm we still hadn't heard from him and suddenly music started blaring from the basement. We have NEVER complained about noise. We have made a point to be extremely tolerant as we know our household is not always quiet with two little guys running around (mind you, we limit this potential noisiness to a couple hours a day between arriving home from work and bedtime at 8pm). Anyway, the music started and then we could hear they had a group of people over. It was clear that there was drinking involved. As the evening progressed, it got louder and louder. Thankfully the boys are sound sleepers. I have NO idea how they stayed asleep.
After gritting my teeth for several hours, I went to bed with earplugs in at 11:30. Super Husband stayed up. At 1:30am they all piled into their bathroom (directly under our bed) and started smoking. Aside from the smoke that wafted up we knew this because they had a LOUD discussion about smoking and how they "didn't fucking care" about the fire hazard or health issues. The music finally subsided after 2am.
Super Husband was beyond furious. He announced the next morning that he was calling the landlord directly and to start searching for a new place to live.
So on my scheduled day off I searched for rentals and made an appointment to see a house at 6pm.
Super husband called me to report at lunch that he spoke with the landlord and that he had apparently spoken to them the day before. Super Husband gave him the update on the party/actions from the night before and he indicated that he was going to tell them to leave.
Well it's about time.
Because we are not ones to go with out a backup plan, we kept the appointment to see the new place.
I really wish we hadn't.
The damn thing was AWESOME. It would be perfect for us. I will not torture myself to recount all the details but it really was a great house. In fact, we loved it so much we were ready to tell our current landlord to refund our deposit and December's rent and we would be out by January 1st.
Would you believe that when Super Husband called landlord to give the update he was actually pulling into our driveway to evict the Trolls?
We were stuck in an impossible position. We were FINALLY getting what we wanted after months of complaining and begging for help at the exact time we found the perfect solution.
So there we were. Stuck between a rock and a hard place.
In the two minutes we had to call the shots we told landlord to proceed with the eviction. We felt that we owed him to stay and commit to seeing our lease through if he was finally kicking the Trolls to the curb.
So the Trolls have apparently agreed to vacate as soon as they find a place. They have been instructed to look as soon as Christmas is over and be out ASAP.
The whole thing is bittersweet. I'm THRILLED to have an end in sight (though I will believe it when I see them leave) but at the same time I am really sad about losing out on the new place.
Jeesh...am I EVER happy? (I can hear Super Husband saying this even if it is just inside his own head). In reality...he's secretly bummed too.
December 22, 2011
December 20, 2011
Oh! I Almost Forgot!
How silly of me! In all the commotion with the Trolls I forgot to mention....
The dryer belt broke again!
Fan-Fucking-Tastic, I say!
Do I sound sarcastic? Good. I meant to.
The dryer belt broke again!
Fan-Fucking-Tastic, I say!
Do I sound sarcastic? Good. I meant to.
The Non-Update Update
Well so far I have nothing to report on the Troll situation.
Sunday we went out for the afternoon (to brave shopping the last weekend prior to Christmas) and came home to the place smelling once again like an ashtray. In yet another fit of anger I promptly called the Landlord. I demanded an update on the situation. The update is no update. He promised that he would be doing a face to face visit with Mr. Troll himself Tuesday. That would be today. He is supposed to get back to me afterwards.
So....what will this visit achieve? That's the question we are asking ourselves. I preume nothing. My intuition tells me that I will get a follow up call at some point to say that the Trolls claim they are not smoking anything in the apartment and to give them another chance. Essentially that's what has been happening every time we complain.
At this point, Super Husband and I will make a decision. Do we stick it out or do we go back to the Landlord and ask him to allow us to "break" our lease out of compassion?
The bottom line is something needs to change because the current situation is not working. We are not willing to subject our children to this health risk and plus....it's making us crazy. Being at home is a constant stressor. I feel so much better when I leave and can literally feel my blood pressure skyrocket when I get back.
Fingers crossed that a freaking Christmas Miracle happens today!
Sunday we went out for the afternoon (to brave shopping the last weekend prior to Christmas) and came home to the place smelling once again like an ashtray. In yet another fit of anger I promptly called the Landlord. I demanded an update on the situation. The update is no update. He promised that he would be doing a face to face visit with Mr. Troll himself Tuesday. That would be today. He is supposed to get back to me afterwards.
So....what will this visit achieve? That's the question we are asking ourselves. I preume nothing. My intuition tells me that I will get a follow up call at some point to say that the Trolls claim they are not smoking anything in the apartment and to give them another chance. Essentially that's what has been happening every time we complain.
At this point, Super Husband and I will make a decision. Do we stick it out or do we go back to the Landlord and ask him to allow us to "break" our lease out of compassion?
The bottom line is something needs to change because the current situation is not working. We are not willing to subject our children to this health risk and plus....it's making us crazy. Being at home is a constant stressor. I feel so much better when I leave and can literally feel my blood pressure skyrocket when I get back.
Fingers crossed that a freaking Christmas Miracle happens today!
December 15, 2011
Livin' the High Life
Okay. I do feel like a bit of a complainer as of late. But really, if I didn't have this crazy stupid stuff going on I would have nothing to talk about.
I think it's fair to say Super Husband and I are very nearly at the end of our rope with our living situation. Namely, the Trolls Downstairs.
The good news? They've finally stopped banging on the ceiling.
The bad news? They have not stopped smoking. In fact, they've kicked it into high gear. Now we not only get to deal with second-hand cigarette smoke but with weed as well!
To make a long story short, Super Husband smelled weed last week. He went and did a walk around of the house and saw nobody outside. He left it at that. A couple of evenings ago, he smelled it again. Again there was nobody outside. Then yesterday morning he went to drop off the latest gas bill to them. When he opened the storm door that goes downstairs to the apartment he was hit with a wave of weed. They've been smoking it in the house.
In an apparent episode of VERY bad timing, the landlord called me this morning to check in.
Let's just say I wasn't in the mood to be nice.
By the time the conversation ended, I had given him an ultimatum: get rid of the Trolls or we are leaving. End of.
I've given him three days to figure out what he is going to do and call me back.
This is going to get interesting....
I think it's fair to say Super Husband and I are very nearly at the end of our rope with our living situation. Namely, the Trolls Downstairs.
The good news? They've finally stopped banging on the ceiling.
The bad news? They have not stopped smoking. In fact, they've kicked it into high gear. Now we not only get to deal with second-hand cigarette smoke but with weed as well!
To make a long story short, Super Husband smelled weed last week. He went and did a walk around of the house and saw nobody outside. He left it at that. A couple of evenings ago, he smelled it again. Again there was nobody outside. Then yesterday morning he went to drop off the latest gas bill to them. When he opened the storm door that goes downstairs to the apartment he was hit with a wave of weed. They've been smoking it in the house.
In an apparent episode of VERY bad timing, the landlord called me this morning to check in.
Let's just say I wasn't in the mood to be nice.
By the time the conversation ended, I had given him an ultimatum: get rid of the Trolls or we are leaving. End of.
I've given him three days to figure out what he is going to do and call me back.
This is going to get interesting....
December 7, 2011
How to Make a Memorable Impression in the Boardroom
And I don't mean in a good, career-building kind of way. But then again, I bet you already knew that would be the case by virtue of the fact I'm writing about it..
Yesterday morning was a brutal one. In fact, yesterday as a whole wasa piece of crap challenging.
Buddy has decided that life is simply too boring when you do things like listen or be cute and say sweet things. That is SOOOOO yesterday. Today is, apparently, time for a bit of a shake up. It's interesting to see just how much a few extra tantrums, meltdowns and diabolical freak outs can shake up an otherwise mundane day!
By the time I got the boys to daycare yesterday I was ready to snap. Or make an emergency trip to the LCBO. I pulled myself together and went in to face a day of nonstop stress at work.
Well, about 45 minutes into a meeting I casually glanced down and realized there was something poking out of my collar. What the fuck? At this point I have 4 other people staring at me in either pity or horror, not sure which but I guess it doesn't really matter.
I reach down and pull out.....
.....a pirate-themed washcloth.
Complete with skull and crossbones.
I have two little boys - what can I say?
I actually thought the whole thing was quite humorous. Thankfully I wasn't presenting to senior management!
The day continued in this fashion. Buddy tantrumed the whole way home and then I got an email from the cake lady who I ordered Little Man's Birthday cupcakes from casually letting me know that "oops" she "overbooked". Sucks to be me.
The 5 places I've emailed so far are totally booked up and unable to take on the order.
I guess this is a reminder as to why I usually do everything myself.
People Suck.
Yesterday morning was a brutal one. In fact, yesterday as a whole was
Buddy has decided that life is simply too boring when you do things like listen or be cute and say sweet things. That is SOOOOO yesterday. Today is, apparently, time for a bit of a shake up. It's interesting to see just how much a few extra tantrums, meltdowns and diabolical freak outs can shake up an otherwise mundane day!
By the time I got the boys to daycare yesterday I was ready to snap. Or make an emergency trip to the LCBO. I pulled myself together and went in to face a day of nonstop stress at work.
Well, about 45 minutes into a meeting I casually glanced down and realized there was something poking out of my collar. What the fuck? At this point I have 4 other people staring at me in either pity or horror, not sure which but I guess it doesn't really matter.
I reach down and pull out.....
.....a pirate-themed washcloth.
Complete with skull and crossbones.
I have two little boys - what can I say?
I actually thought the whole thing was quite humorous. Thankfully I wasn't presenting to senior management!
The day continued in this fashion. Buddy tantrumed the whole way home and then I got an email from the cake lady who I ordered Little Man's Birthday cupcakes from casually letting me know that "oops" she "overbooked". Sucks to be me.
The 5 places I've emailed so far are totally booked up and unable to take on the order.
I guess this is a reminder as to why I usually do everything myself.
People Suck.
December 1, 2011
6 Month Update
Well, well, well. It's hard to believe we have been living in our crazy tiny rental for (almost) 6 months now. That means we are half way through our initial intention of one year.
It's safe to say it aint happening.
We knew that months ago and that's okay. As long as we keep ourselves focused and have a "plan" in place, it's okay.
So....here's our current, slightly revised plan.
1. Remain in our rental (or possibly another rental if the situation with the Trolls downstairs doesn't improve) for another 1.5 years.
2. Pay off all or almost all out debt. Not a small feat!
3. Buy a home in Markham. Why Markham? Because the location is good. It's close to the city and Super Husband works there. Housing prices are WAAAAAY lower than the city and the schools are ranked highly. It also means we can stick with one family vehicle which is super important to us. Two cars = far too much unecessary expense!
4. We like it there. And we have friends there :)
So. How do we change our situation between now and then? Improve cash flow (insert sarcastic laugh here). But seriously. Up to this point, we have not make many significant financial advances since selling our house. The money that we ended up with from the sale of our home went to credit card debt. We have been making at least minimum payments on all credit each month since then and not incurring new debt which in itself is a huge win but it mainly appears as though we are "treading water". That part sucks and makes me want to throw a tantrum that could rival my three year old. But it gets better. Eventually.
1. In April of 2012 I am due to get a decent bonus payout. We plan to pay off the car with that and eliminate $427 in car payments each month.
2. In June 2012 Little Man will be 2.5 and move to the Preschool room in day care. Yippee....that will save about $250 a month.
3. Also in June (ish) we are expecting a really good tax return (thanks to a move >50kms to my office and the fact we have reciepts for lots of daycare dollars)!
4. In August we will eliminate Buddy's day care fees. We pre paid his last month up front and he will be starting school full time in September. That gives us $950 per month back. Granted, we will have to pay for some level of after school care but it will be significantly less.
5. All the savings from points 1-3 above (~$1,600 per month) will be applied to our existing debt load. Once we reach a "comfort point" we can then start saving a lump sum for a down payment.
It's a long, slow process but if I keep focused on the end result, I find it manageable.
It's safe to say it aint happening.
We knew that months ago and that's okay. As long as we keep ourselves focused and have a "plan" in place, it's okay.
So....here's our current, slightly revised plan.
1. Remain in our rental (or possibly another rental if the situation with the Trolls downstairs doesn't improve) for another 1.5 years.
2. Pay off all or almost all out debt. Not a small feat!
3. Buy a home in Markham. Why Markham? Because the location is good. It's close to the city and Super Husband works there. Housing prices are WAAAAAY lower than the city and the schools are ranked highly. It also means we can stick with one family vehicle which is super important to us. Two cars = far too much unecessary expense!
4. We like it there. And we have friends there :)
So. How do we change our situation between now and then? Improve cash flow (insert sarcastic laugh here). But seriously. Up to this point, we have not make many significant financial advances since selling our house. The money that we ended up with from the sale of our home went to credit card debt. We have been making at least minimum payments on all credit each month since then and not incurring new debt which in itself is a huge win but it mainly appears as though we are "treading water". That part sucks and makes me want to throw a tantrum that could rival my three year old. But it gets better. Eventually.
1. In April of 2012 I am due to get a decent bonus payout. We plan to pay off the car with that and eliminate $427 in car payments each month.
2. In June 2012 Little Man will be 2.5 and move to the Preschool room in day care. Yippee....that will save about $250 a month.
3. Also in June (ish) we are expecting a really good tax return (thanks to a move >50kms to my office and the fact we have reciepts for lots of daycare dollars)!
4. In August we will eliminate Buddy's day care fees. We pre paid his last month up front and he will be starting school full time in September. That gives us $950 per month back. Granted, we will have to pay for some level of after school care but it will be significantly less.
5. All the savings from points 1-3 above (~$1,600 per month) will be applied to our existing debt load. Once we reach a "comfort point" we can then start saving a lump sum for a down payment.
It's a long, slow process but if I keep focused on the end result, I find it manageable.
November 29, 2011
And That's Why I look Like Shit Today
There are oh so many things that people forget to tell you about being a parent. Before becomming a member of this so-called club, you (or maybe just me) think that yes, it will be a lot of work but ultimately I can "figure it out". This is true, however, there are some things that are part and parcel with being a parent that I (selectively)? overlooked.
One of these things is that fact that I look like shit more often than not.
Some days, I might even smell like shit or have shit ON me. Thanks to one of my children.
Today I look and feel like shit but consider myself lucky in the sense I'm not full of it.
Friday night marked the start of a series of "bad nights". Buddy woke up with a nasty cough. I crawled in bed and lay wide awake as he tossed, turned, thrashed and coughed. Perhaps my over-tiredness is the reason I fell down the stairs the following day resulting in a painful bruised welt. I look like I have been a victim of domestic violence, I'm sure! Looking like shit.
Yesterday I got the dreaded call from daycare. Buddy has a fever. Come get him. Now.
After an afternoon of nurse duty (poor Buddy) we geared up for the night. Super Husband agreed to take today off so he was taking the night waking shift. Buddy woke every 10-30 minutes all night. At 4am Super Husband tagged me to take over out of shear exhaustion. I spent the next 2 hours laying wide awake as Buddy thrashed, kicked and coughed. Dragged my butt up for work, looked in the mirror and confirmed my suspicions were bang-on: Wow. I look like shit.
I pray that Buddy is on the mend. I feel so bad for him. Secondarily, I feel bad for Super Husband and myself.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a shit free day :)
One of these things is that fact that I look like shit more often than not.
Some days, I might even smell like shit or have shit ON me. Thanks to one of my children.
Today I look and feel like shit but consider myself lucky in the sense I'm not full of it.
Friday night marked the start of a series of "bad nights". Buddy woke up with a nasty cough. I crawled in bed and lay wide awake as he tossed, turned, thrashed and coughed. Perhaps my over-tiredness is the reason I fell down the stairs the following day resulting in a painful bruised welt. I look like I have been a victim of domestic violence, I'm sure! Looking like shit.
Yesterday I got the dreaded call from daycare. Buddy has a fever. Come get him. Now.
After an afternoon of nurse duty (poor Buddy) we geared up for the night. Super Husband agreed to take today off so he was taking the night waking shift. Buddy woke every 10-30 minutes all night. At 4am Super Husband tagged me to take over out of shear exhaustion. I spent the next 2 hours laying wide awake as Buddy thrashed, kicked and coughed. Dragged my butt up for work, looked in the mirror and confirmed my suspicions were bang-on: Wow. I look like shit.
I pray that Buddy is on the mend. I feel so bad for him. Secondarily, I feel bad for Super Husband and myself.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a shit free day :)
November 11, 2011
Take A Guess
Remember how I posted last month about what was keeping us busy? You might recall Item #4 on the list:
4) Fixing the fucking dryer. It's broken four times since we moved in. FOUR! And we've only lived in the house for four months.
Guess What?
Well if you guessed wrong you have problems as it was more of a rhetorical question. Yes, of course the damn thing broke again! So we are now fixing it for the FIFTH time. Well, technically it's the fourth time Super Husband is fixing it as the first time it was the landlord, but anyway. It still sucks ass.
So that would be Five times in just under 5 months.
Let's start taking bets. What's your guess on the date of the next breakage??? Winner gets nothing but the glory in knowing they are clairvoyant.......
Humor me. I need it.
4) Fixing the fucking dryer. It's broken four times since we moved in. FOUR! And we've only lived in the house for four months.
Guess What?
Well if you guessed wrong you have problems as it was more of a rhetorical question. Yes, of course the damn thing broke again! So we are now fixing it for the FIFTH time. Well, technically it's the fourth time Super Husband is fixing it as the first time it was the landlord, but anyway. It still sucks ass.
So that would be Five times in just under 5 months.
Let's start taking bets. What's your guess on the date of the next breakage??? Winner gets nothing but the glory in knowing they are clairvoyant.......
Humor me. I need it.
November 3, 2011
I Have a Hobby!
And no, it's not tormenting the downstairs Trolls. Actually, yes it is. I'm not going to lie. But aside from that I have ANOTHER hobby. This hobby is productive and good. It makes me feel like I'm a Domestic Goddess!
I finally (after months of moaning) purchased a sewing machine.
And now.....I'm in a Machine Quilting Class!
If I wasn't in a class there's no way it would ever get done because "I don't have time" but because I'm competitive and cannot stand to feel like I'm losing the "make a quilt competition" I am good and try to do my homework :)
I will update this post as I make progress on my piece ofcrap art.
Here's my fabric:
I've now gotten to the point where I've cut it, made my strips, and am sewing my 9 squares together.
UPDATE: 11/07/2011
Yahoo for progress :)
I've been busy trying to catch up on the class I missed while away in Vegas so I'm now at the point where I've sewn all my 9 box squares, pressed them and have figured out how they will all piece together! Now I just need to actually sew them together (each of the 9 squares to one another) and I've got the front of the quilt done.
I finally (after months of moaning) purchased a sewing machine.
And now.....I'm in a Machine Quilting Class!
If I wasn't in a class there's no way it would ever get done because "I don't have time" but because I'm competitive and cannot stand to feel like I'm losing the "make a quilt competition" I am good and try to do my homework :)
I will update this post as I make progress on my piece of
Here's my fabric:
UPDATE: 11/07/2011
Yahoo for progress :)
I've been busy trying to catch up on the class I missed while away in Vegas so I'm now at the point where I've sewn all my 9 box squares, pressed them and have figured out how they will all piece together! Now I just need to actually sew them together (each of the 9 squares to one another) and I've got the front of the quilt done.
November 2, 2011
How We *Almost* Hired a Murderer.....
Drama seems to be the name of the game around our parts lately. Not for lack of trying to AVOID it....it just, well, finds us.
Super Husband and I came to realize we are in very, very bad need of some quality US time. Not just us barely conscious in front of the TV at 9:30pm when the kids are *finally* asleep, but rather some time separate from our roles as mommy and daddy. After more than 3 years of parenthood (and having two babies in 15 months) we are ready!
So? On to the next challenge! How the heck do we do that?
We are pretty self sufficient with the boys. We rarely ask the family for help as they are all busy with their own lives so we started to ask around. I asked at day care. No leads there. Friends came up dry and having only lived in the area a couple of months we haven't got any real connections. So now what?
Well I did what any mother in 2011 would do: Place an ad in kijiji :)
It's astonishing the responses that you get.
Super Husband and I sat down together after the first day to sift through the 30 or so responses we got and make a short list.
Our favourite was from a mom who wanted us to drop our children off at her place (location = Jane & Finch...the ghetto of Toronto) to be entertained by her FIVE children! Why? "cuz my kids like 2 play with yours". Oh my. That one didn't quite make the cut.
We did get some very decent responses and made a short list. From there we Googled the names to see if anything interested came up. Yes, we are sneaky that way. We are talking about our prized posessions (and yes, at their tender ages, Buddy and Little Man are absolutely our posessions thank you very much)!
Anyway, one of our short listed candidates came up with a match on a news article. Someone with that very name was arrested and charged with murder. We laughed about it and decided that it was likely NOT the very same person but we agreed that we would meet her and ensure that she did not match up with the picture from the news article :)
So I emailed her back and she responded right away and was super excited to come meet the boys. She had good availability and couldn't wait to meet them.
Perfect.
She asked if there was anything else she needed to do prior to the interview and I replied that we would like to verify her ID (I want to make sure I KNOW the ID of the person I'm leaving my kids with ahead of time).
Well guess what happened next?
I got a response saying "something has come up. I cannot commit to this at this time".
Huh.
That's odd. Ten minutes ago your were over the moon about the opportunity.
Kinda makes us think she might be a murderer, after all.
Amen to Google!
In the end, we contacted a lady in our neighbourhood that had responded and she is lovely and the kids think she's great. She came over and they loved her instantly. We did a trial outing where we went out for a couple of hours and returned to them playing happily with her and her 11 year old daughter.
So we do have a babysitter! And she's not even featured on America's Most Wanted!
Super Husband and I came to realize we are in very, very bad need of some quality US time. Not just us barely conscious in front of the TV at 9:30pm when the kids are *finally* asleep, but rather some time separate from our roles as mommy and daddy. After more than 3 years of parenthood (and having two babies in 15 months) we are ready!
So? On to the next challenge! How the heck do we do that?
We are pretty self sufficient with the boys. We rarely ask the family for help as they are all busy with their own lives so we started to ask around. I asked at day care. No leads there. Friends came up dry and having only lived in the area a couple of months we haven't got any real connections. So now what?
Well I did what any mother in 2011 would do: Place an ad in kijiji :)
It's astonishing the responses that you get.
Super Husband and I sat down together after the first day to sift through the 30 or so responses we got and make a short list.
Our favourite was from a mom who wanted us to drop our children off at her place (location = Jane & Finch...the ghetto of Toronto) to be entertained by her FIVE children! Why? "cuz my kids like 2 play with yours". Oh my. That one didn't quite make the cut.
We did get some very decent responses and made a short list. From there we Googled the names to see if anything interested came up. Yes, we are sneaky that way. We are talking about our prized posessions (and yes, at their tender ages, Buddy and Little Man are absolutely our posessions thank you very much)!
Anyway, one of our short listed candidates came up with a match on a news article. Someone with that very name was arrested and charged with murder. We laughed about it and decided that it was likely NOT the very same person but we agreed that we would meet her and ensure that she did not match up with the picture from the news article :)
So I emailed her back and she responded right away and was super excited to come meet the boys. She had good availability and couldn't wait to meet them.
Perfect.
She asked if there was anything else she needed to do prior to the interview and I replied that we would like to verify her ID (I want to make sure I KNOW the ID of the person I'm leaving my kids with ahead of time).
Well guess what happened next?
I got a response saying "something has come up. I cannot commit to this at this time".
Huh.
That's odd. Ten minutes ago your were over the moon about the opportunity.
Kinda makes us think she might be a murderer, after all.
Amen to Google!
In the end, we contacted a lady in our neighbourhood that had responded and she is lovely and the kids think she's great. She came over and they loved her instantly. We did a trial outing where we went out for a couple of hours and returned to them playing happily with her and her 11 year old daughter.
So we do have a babysitter! And she's not even featured on America's Most Wanted!
November 1, 2011
Love Thy Neighbour? Not So Much!
I think we are at the point where it is fair to say we have a hate-hate relationship with the people living in the apartment downstairs.
Yesterday, Halloween, was the crowning glory of exchanges we have had with the trolls from down below.
*Sigh*
So exhausting.
I'll back up. We signed our lease at the same time the people below did. Let's refer them to Mr. Troll (the dad) and Miss. Troll (the 20 year old daughter). I mentioned (asked) at least three times before signing the lease if the landlord, his wife or the estate agent involved anticipated there could be any noise issues seeing as we have two young children. The answer each time? Nope. It will be juuuust fine. Okay - I raised it. I did my due diligence. Right?
Well The Troll Family moved into the basement apartment in April. We were not taking over our lease until mid May (but not moving in until mid-June). Prior to moving in I received a call from the Landlord giving me "full disclosure" that Mr. Troll had been caught red handed smoking in the apartment. He was told that was inexcusable and that he could only smoke outside. Fine.
We moved in and at first it was okay. We were very careful about ensuring the boys were not being overy noisy or making excessive noise. Fine. Well, then we started noticing the apartment was smelling like smoke. A lot. Complained to landlord who warned Mr. Troll again. Got better for a bit then smoke smell returned. When I complained again, Landlord notified us that Mr. Troll was unhappy with the noise levels coming from us. I agreed we would continue to work on "being quiet" although we do have two young children.....
Well fast forward to Thanksgiving weekend. We had been dealing with a new exciting side effect: Pounding on the ceiling. Apparently when we are "too loud" the adult thing to do is wail on the ceiling (our floor)! Who knew?!? We tolerated it a few times but then it started happening All.The.Time. Even while we were seated at the table eating dinner. No running, playing or yelling involved. Grrrrrr! I lost it and called the Landlord....AGAIN. Said enough was enough and if eating dinner at 6 pm is a problem what the %$#* were we supposed to be doing? Landlord called The Trolls and told them pounding is not the way to deal with it, and to come talk to us directly. Finally, he came over and there was a not so great exchange which resulted in him "threatening" to break lease and leave. Ummmm.....is that a real threat? Promise Jackass?
The pounding had since subsided. Until yesterday. I got in early from work with the kids (at 5pm) to get them ready to go out for a fun night of Trick or Treating. We weren't even home 10 solid minutes when he was wailing on the ceiling. Our table was bouncing from the vibrations. Let's just say I lost it. I pounded right back and promptly called the Landlord. Gave him an earful to say the least and let him know that if this was not rectified we would be leaving. Super Husband walked in during the exchange and said he would go talk to them.
This is where it gets interesting.
Now, Super Husband is not a real confrontational type of guy. In fact, he is the nicest, most down to earth person you will ever meet. Normally. He is definitely better qualified to deal with The Trolls than I am. Because I would surely go ballistic all over their faces.
So Super husband goes over and knocks on the door. Nothing. he knocks again, louder. Nothing. Then he can hear an exchange inside. Arguing about who should answer the door. He pounds on the door a third time, his blood pressure climbing every second.....
Finally, the door opens and Mr. Troll stands there, arms crossed, still in pajamas (I've only seen him out of pajamas once - at the lease signing, but I digress).
Super Husband: What is the issue?
Mr. Troll: The fucking pounding that's been going on all day
Super Husband: Is that right? We left the house at 7:45am and came home at 5:00pm. How is that possible? And why are you pounding on the floor?
Mr. Troll: Because you've been making noise all day. Make your kids wear slippers.
[Really.....the guy cannot be reasoned with. He's a complete idiot]
Super Husband: Actually, they DO wear slippers.
Mr. Troll: You're a fucking Goof.
[Ummm...yes....that's what this grown man said]
Miss Troll: Just fucking go away.
Yes, really. This is what we are dealing with. They are all class.
DH stormed back in and was so angry he was about to have his head explode.
Two minutes later, guess who's at our door? Miss Troll! How nice! All sweetness and sunshine asking how we can sort this out and saying how sorry she is that her dad is a "hot head". Are you kidding me? Freak more like. It was all I could do to not tell her to stick it where the sun don't shine.
In the end I told her to ensure there was no more smoking and called the Landlord back to let him know what happened. Advised him that if this doesn't get better NOW that one of us has to go.
And that's where it was left.
We had to then put on happy faces for the boys and go trick or treating. They had lots of fun, but I doubt we will ever fondly look back on Halloween 2011.
FML.
Yesterday, Halloween, was the crowning glory of exchanges we have had with the trolls from down below.
*Sigh*
So exhausting.
I'll back up. We signed our lease at the same time the people below did. Let's refer them to Mr. Troll (the dad) and Miss. Troll (the 20 year old daughter). I mentioned (asked) at least three times before signing the lease if the landlord, his wife or the estate agent involved anticipated there could be any noise issues seeing as we have two young children. The answer each time? Nope. It will be juuuust fine. Okay - I raised it. I did my due diligence. Right?
Well The Troll Family moved into the basement apartment in April. We were not taking over our lease until mid May (but not moving in until mid-June). Prior to moving in I received a call from the Landlord giving me "full disclosure" that Mr. Troll had been caught red handed smoking in the apartment. He was told that was inexcusable and that he could only smoke outside. Fine.
We moved in and at first it was okay. We were very careful about ensuring the boys were not being overy noisy or making excessive noise. Fine. Well, then we started noticing the apartment was smelling like smoke. A lot. Complained to landlord who warned Mr. Troll again. Got better for a bit then smoke smell returned. When I complained again, Landlord notified us that Mr. Troll was unhappy with the noise levels coming from us. I agreed we would continue to work on "being quiet" although we do have two young children.....
Well fast forward to Thanksgiving weekend. We had been dealing with a new exciting side effect: Pounding on the ceiling. Apparently when we are "too loud" the adult thing to do is wail on the ceiling (our floor)! Who knew?!? We tolerated it a few times but then it started happening All.The.Time. Even while we were seated at the table eating dinner. No running, playing or yelling involved. Grrrrrr! I lost it and called the Landlord....AGAIN. Said enough was enough and if eating dinner at 6 pm is a problem what the %$#* were we supposed to be doing? Landlord called The Trolls and told them pounding is not the way to deal with it, and to come talk to us directly. Finally, he came over and there was a not so great exchange which resulted in him "threatening" to break lease and leave. Ummmm.....is that a real threat? Promise Jackass?
The pounding had since subsided. Until yesterday. I got in early from work with the kids (at 5pm) to get them ready to go out for a fun night of Trick or Treating. We weren't even home 10 solid minutes when he was wailing on the ceiling. Our table was bouncing from the vibrations. Let's just say I lost it. I pounded right back and promptly called the Landlord. Gave him an earful to say the least and let him know that if this was not rectified we would be leaving. Super Husband walked in during the exchange and said he would go talk to them.
This is where it gets interesting.
Now, Super Husband is not a real confrontational type of guy. In fact, he is the nicest, most down to earth person you will ever meet. Normally. He is definitely better qualified to deal with The Trolls than I am. Because I would surely go ballistic all over their faces.
So Super husband goes over and knocks on the door. Nothing. he knocks again, louder. Nothing. Then he can hear an exchange inside. Arguing about who should answer the door. He pounds on the door a third time, his blood pressure climbing every second.....
Finally, the door opens and Mr. Troll stands there, arms crossed, still in pajamas (I've only seen him out of pajamas once - at the lease signing, but I digress).
Super Husband: What is the issue?
Mr. Troll: The fucking pounding that's been going on all day
Super Husband: Is that right? We left the house at 7:45am and came home at 5:00pm. How is that possible? And why are you pounding on the floor?
Mr. Troll: Because you've been making noise all day. Make your kids wear slippers.
[Really.....the guy cannot be reasoned with. He's a complete idiot]
Super Husband: Actually, they DO wear slippers.
Mr. Troll: You're a fucking Goof.
[Ummm...yes....that's what this grown man said]
Miss Troll: Just fucking go away.
Yes, really. This is what we are dealing with. They are all class.
DH stormed back in and was so angry he was about to have his head explode.
Two minutes later, guess who's at our door? Miss Troll! How nice! All sweetness and sunshine asking how we can sort this out and saying how sorry she is that her dad is a "hot head". Are you kidding me? Freak more like. It was all I could do to not tell her to stick it where the sun don't shine.
In the end I told her to ensure there was no more smoking and called the Landlord back to let him know what happened. Advised him that if this doesn't get better NOW that one of us has to go.
And that's where it was left.
We had to then put on happy faces for the boys and go trick or treating. They had lots of fun, but I doubt we will ever fondly look back on Halloween 2011.
FML.
October 21, 2011
Sorry About That....
Ya, I know. I haven't posted in like....ages.
Truth be told, life has gotten in the way. You know how it is.
So here's the readers Digest version of what our family has been up to over the last month.
1) Sourcing a babysitter. Man, I could write a novel on this process. Likely it would be classified as a horror. Good news is we've found a lovely lady that the boys love. Bad news: we almost hired a murderer. Long story. I'll elaborate another time.
2) Working. My work has been MENTAL. Enough said.
3) Quilting Class. My new hobby. LOVE IT! Will post pics of progress along the way. Don't laugh.
4) Fixing the fucking dryer. It's broken four times since we moved in. FOUR! And we've only lived in the house for four months.
5) Fighting with the people that live in the basement. Oh, I could be swayed to go off on a tangent here. But I will try to contain myself. All I will say is that our recent exchanges consist of them banging on the ceiling. A polite way of saying we are too loud. While eating dinner at 6pm (both kids firmly planted in their booster seats). Screw you!
So anyway....that's life.
I promise more frequent updates.
Truth be told, life has gotten in the way. You know how it is.
So here's the readers Digest version of what our family has been up to over the last month.
1) Sourcing a babysitter. Man, I could write a novel on this process. Likely it would be classified as a horror. Good news is we've found a lovely lady that the boys love. Bad news: we almost hired a murderer. Long story. I'll elaborate another time.
2) Working. My work has been MENTAL. Enough said.
3) Quilting Class. My new hobby. LOVE IT! Will post pics of progress along the way. Don't laugh.
4) Fixing the fucking dryer. It's broken four times since we moved in. FOUR! And we've only lived in the house for four months.
5) Fighting with the people that live in the basement. Oh, I could be swayed to go off on a tangent here. But I will try to contain myself. All I will say is that our recent exchanges consist of them banging on the ceiling. A polite way of saying we are too loud. While eating dinner at 6pm (both kids firmly planted in their booster seats). Screw you!
So anyway....that's life.
I promise more frequent updates.
September 15, 2011
Up Yours, Garmin Lady!
I am lucky enough to not have to travel too much on my job but yet do have the occasional need. The best part is that the travel I do is typically for training or to attend a conference. This fall I've hit the jackpot of business travel: San Francisco and Las Vegas.
So yesterday morning I headed out to catch my flight to San Francisco. I was super excited as my company has a policy that if you have a flight lasting more than 2 hours you get to fly Executive Class - BONUS!
Well I got on the plane and settled into my super comfy seat ready for 5 hours and 26 minutes of pampering. Admittedly, it started off well: orange juice, my vegetarian meal and lots of movies at my disposal. About 2 hours into the flight the pilot came on the intercom and asked if there was a doctor on board to please identify themselves. Ummmmmm......WHY?????
Then we realized there was a big commotion in the back of the plane. All the flight staff rushed to the back. They would occasionally run up to first class to grab supplies. Sometimes a first aid kit or a blanket, other times oxygen tanks (yikes) or forms. As a result of all this, the bathrooms at the rear of the plane were blocked off and everyone was routed to the first class bathroom. So, we had a line of people desperate to pee for most of the flight. Sadly, this also impacted our snack service. I was so looking forward to my fresh baked cookie and ice cream! Boooo....
Once we finally landed, we were all told to remain until medic was able to get in and get the ill passenger off. The good news was that the man will be okay. He had passed out (migraine) and had very low blood pressure. Phew!
After that drama, I was off to collect my rental car. I went over and waited in line and naturally got the grumpiest staff member working. You know, the type that makes no effort to disguise the fact that they hate what they do for a living.
Grumpy Worker: What kind of car do you drive at home?
Me: A Volswagen Jetta
Grumpy Worker: Is an Intrepid okay?
Ugh....I hate Intrepids. No offense to Intrepid drivers but they are not my thing. But honestly....I don't care enough to make a fuss.
Me: Sure
So Grumpy Worker tells me to go outside to parking spot 123 to pick up my car. Great. Out I go. Oh yes! There's the spot! There's the car! Wait! Why are the lights on? Is a worker warming it up for me? So helpful! Wait! Why is the car now accelerating? Why is it leaving? Why am I not the driver?
Someone took my car.
I stood in the now empty spot dumbfounded. Suddenly an Avis Van pulled up, apparently full of employees.
Worker: Do you need help?
Me: Ummm...someone just drove off with my car.
Worker: (laughs) Maybe they were overwhelmed with how good looking you are.
Me: Ya, I guess.
Worker: Go back inside to the "Preferred" desk and someone will help you.
So off I go back inside. The "Preferred" desk was another world. Apparently even staffed by friendly employees! Score! So I explained my predicament to the nice lady. Apparently this is not uncommon. Nice to know. Then the best thing happened:
Nice Worker: Do you mind if we replace the Intrepid with a Convertible Camaro?
Me: Uhhhh. Yes. That would be fine.
She then took the GPS I had rented from me and offered to program it. Great. She put in Pier 33 (where I was heading next to go on an Alcatraz tour) and also my hotel. I left feeling like I won the lottery.
Trust me, it was short-lived.
I thought the GPS would make the trip easy. And since it was already programmed how could I go wrong? I set it up, turned it on and VOILA! The nice Garmin GPS lady started to guide me to my destination. How awesome! I was driving my super cool Camaro in California! Alcatraz here I come!
What I didn't know is that the Garmin Lady really isn't nice at all. She's an evil and cunning Beotch. She plotted against me, an innocent, unknowing foreigner. Stupid cow.
I couldn't possibly recount all of the events that unraveled in the next 2 hours. What I can tell you is that I crossed that fucking Bay Bridge about 6 times. Yes, you read that right. Garmin Lady would tell me to "Keep Left". So I would. Seconds later she would demand that I "take the next exit". The next exit would be about 200 feet ahead. On the Interstate. In traffic, while moving at a rapid pace. Not happening. Every time I missed an exit or turn I would have to backtrack. It was infuriating. The joke is that since I have never been to California and have never driven a Camaro I was totally out of my element. I sometimes didn't even realize I was backtracking! Sometimes she would tell me to turn right and I would (and be very happy to have successfully followed the direction) when she would spontaneously announce "Recalculating"! Stupid Bitch! Even when I follow instructions I am wrong.
Sadly, after 2 hours of driving to a destination 30 minutes away I never made my tour. The tour I had paid for and was non refundable. Fan-freaking-tastic!
Ultimately I parked and took a walk around San Fran.
Oh look: An island with a prison on it! I wonder if they do tours?
To lessen the pain, I stopped at Ben & Jerry's and had a chocolate chunk scoop in a sugar cone. It helped.
I got back in the car and set out to get to the hotel in Pleasanton (40 minutes outside San Francisco). This trip took me 1 hour and 15 minutes. A marked improvement, although it also included being guided onto the commuter (carpool) lanes of the interstate. Ya, it was pretty obvious that there was only one person in the convertible.....
Long story short, I made it, checked in, had dinner at a fast food chinese joint and hit the sack.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring :)
So yesterday morning I headed out to catch my flight to San Francisco. I was super excited as my company has a policy that if you have a flight lasting more than 2 hours you get to fly Executive Class - BONUS!
Well I got on the plane and settled into my super comfy seat ready for 5 hours and 26 minutes of pampering. Admittedly, it started off well: orange juice, my vegetarian meal and lots of movies at my disposal. About 2 hours into the flight the pilot came on the intercom and asked if there was a doctor on board to please identify themselves. Ummmmmm......WHY?????
Then we realized there was a big commotion in the back of the plane. All the flight staff rushed to the back. They would occasionally run up to first class to grab supplies. Sometimes a first aid kit or a blanket, other times oxygen tanks (yikes) or forms. As a result of all this, the bathrooms at the rear of the plane were blocked off and everyone was routed to the first class bathroom. So, we had a line of people desperate to pee for most of the flight. Sadly, this also impacted our snack service. I was so looking forward to my fresh baked cookie and ice cream! Boooo....
Once we finally landed, we were all told to remain until medic was able to get in and get the ill passenger off. The good news was that the man will be okay. He had passed out (migraine) and had very low blood pressure. Phew!
After that drama, I was off to collect my rental car. I went over and waited in line and naturally got the grumpiest staff member working. You know, the type that makes no effort to disguise the fact that they hate what they do for a living.
Grumpy Worker: What kind of car do you drive at home?
Me: A Volswagen Jetta
Grumpy Worker: Is an Intrepid okay?
Ugh....I hate Intrepids. No offense to Intrepid drivers but they are not my thing. But honestly....I don't care enough to make a fuss.
Me: Sure
So Grumpy Worker tells me to go outside to parking spot 123 to pick up my car. Great. Out I go. Oh yes! There's the spot! There's the car! Wait! Why are the lights on? Is a worker warming it up for me? So helpful! Wait! Why is the car now accelerating? Why is it leaving? Why am I not the driver?
Someone took my car.
I stood in the now empty spot dumbfounded. Suddenly an Avis Van pulled up, apparently full of employees.
Worker: Do you need help?
Me: Ummm...someone just drove off with my car.
Worker: (laughs) Maybe they were overwhelmed with how good looking you are.
Me: Ya, I guess.
Worker: Go back inside to the "Preferred" desk and someone will help you.
So off I go back inside. The "Preferred" desk was another world. Apparently even staffed by friendly employees! Score! So I explained my predicament to the nice lady. Apparently this is not uncommon. Nice to know. Then the best thing happened:
Nice Worker: Do you mind if we replace the Intrepid with a Convertible Camaro?
Me: Uhhhh. Yes. That would be fine.
She then took the GPS I had rented from me and offered to program it. Great. She put in Pier 33 (where I was heading next to go on an Alcatraz tour) and also my hotel. I left feeling like I won the lottery.
Trust me, it was short-lived.
I thought the GPS would make the trip easy. And since it was already programmed how could I go wrong? I set it up, turned it on and VOILA! The nice Garmin GPS lady started to guide me to my destination. How awesome! I was driving my super cool Camaro in California! Alcatraz here I come!
What I didn't know is that the Garmin Lady really isn't nice at all. She's an evil and cunning Beotch. She plotted against me, an innocent, unknowing foreigner. Stupid cow.
I couldn't possibly recount all of the events that unraveled in the next 2 hours. What I can tell you is that I crossed that fucking Bay Bridge about 6 times. Yes, you read that right. Garmin Lady would tell me to "Keep Left". So I would. Seconds later she would demand that I "take the next exit". The next exit would be about 200 feet ahead. On the Interstate. In traffic, while moving at a rapid pace. Not happening. Every time I missed an exit or turn I would have to backtrack. It was infuriating. The joke is that since I have never been to California and have never driven a Camaro I was totally out of my element. I sometimes didn't even realize I was backtracking! Sometimes she would tell me to turn right and I would (and be very happy to have successfully followed the direction) when she would spontaneously announce "Recalculating"! Stupid Bitch! Even when I follow instructions I am wrong.
Sadly, after 2 hours of driving to a destination 30 minutes away I never made my tour. The tour I had paid for and was non refundable. Fan-freaking-tastic!
Ultimately I parked and took a walk around San Fran.
Oh look: An island with a prison on it! I wonder if they do tours?
To lessen the pain, I stopped at Ben & Jerry's and had a chocolate chunk scoop in a sugar cone. It helped.
I got back in the car and set out to get to the hotel in Pleasanton (40 minutes outside San Francisco). This trip took me 1 hour and 15 minutes. A marked improvement, although it also included being guided onto the commuter (carpool) lanes of the interstate. Ya, it was pretty obvious that there was only one person in the convertible.....
Long story short, I made it, checked in, had dinner at a fast food chinese joint and hit the sack.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring :)
September 13, 2011
How Did THAT Happen?
I can hardly believe it. I have been a mom for 3 whole years now (longer if you also count incubation time)! Yup, Buddy turned 3 on September 11th. My baby is a self-proclaimed "big boy". Part of me is super happy to be leaving the stage of constant need and, let's be honest, Super Husband and I have really been glorified slaves in a way for the last 3 years. We still are, of course, but it is slowly shifting and so very cool to see our little men grow.
Anyway, enough of that.
We had an awesome weekend. The weather actually cooperated (for once) and we were able to host Buddy's Birthday Party at Centre Island, as planned! The site was perfect and great fun was had by all. With the exception of getting there which was a major ordeal and ultimately almost culminated in Super Husband and I divorcing each other. That would have been a real downer so luckily we got ourselves pulled together and got ourselves and food for 25 guests transported to the island in the nick of time!
Sunday, Buddy's actual birthday, was spent at the Zoo. Our daycare was hosting an event there so we got tickets that included a catered lunch for the daycare customers. The event was fun....with the exception of the entertainment. They had hired a performer to sing to the kids at lunch time and we snagged perfect seats - front and center on the grass by the microphone. This was going to be great! The kids would be amused and hopefully mesmirized into a state of lethargy so Super Husband and I could have a breater and maybe, maybe even get to eat our lunch!
Or not.
The performer started. At first the boys were excited and even jumped to their feet to dance. And then they realized she was bad. Like REALLY bad. Pitchy, preachy and not entertaining. Just annoying. It was at this point that Buddy proclaimed that he "hates the dumb music". We tried to ignore his comments. Another little boy started throwing rocks and other debris at the entertainer.....then Buddy lost it. He started to scream and cry. Super Husband looked at me and stated the obvious: "well she is pretty bad". So we relocated. Buddy was transformed into a calm and happy guy again. And while we did not have a relaxing lunch - at least we ate!
Happy 3rd Birthday, Buddy!
Anyway, enough of that.
We had an awesome weekend. The weather actually cooperated (for once) and we were able to host Buddy's Birthday Party at Centre Island, as planned! The site was perfect and great fun was had by all. With the exception of getting there which was a major ordeal and ultimately almost culminated in Super Husband and I divorcing each other. That would have been a real downer so luckily we got ourselves pulled together and got ourselves and food for 25 guests transported to the island in the nick of time!
Sunday, Buddy's actual birthday, was spent at the Zoo. Our daycare was hosting an event there so we got tickets that included a catered lunch for the daycare customers. The event was fun....with the exception of the entertainment. They had hired a performer to sing to the kids at lunch time and we snagged perfect seats - front and center on the grass by the microphone. This was going to be great! The kids would be amused and hopefully mesmirized into a state of lethargy so Super Husband and I could have a breater and maybe, maybe even get to eat our lunch!
Or not.
The performer started. At first the boys were excited and even jumped to their feet to dance. And then they realized she was bad. Like REALLY bad. Pitchy, preachy and not entertaining. Just annoying. It was at this point that Buddy proclaimed that he "hates the dumb music". We tried to ignore his comments. Another little boy started throwing rocks and other debris at the entertainer.....then Buddy lost it. He started to scream and cry. Super Husband looked at me and stated the obvious: "well she is pretty bad". So we relocated. Buddy was transformed into a calm and happy guy again. And while we did not have a relaxing lunch - at least we ate!
Happy 3rd Birthday, Buddy!
September 2, 2011
Food For Thought...
September has always been a month of new beginnings in my mind. For many years, it marked the start of school. A brand new year. Later, with the birth of Buddy, it marked the beginning of my journey as a mom. Every year at this time I get the urge to do something new.
This year, in the spirit of being budget conscious, we finally decided enough was enough and we are trying our hand at meal planning. It sounds so simple in theory, right? Well, perhaps I'm more challenged than most. I found it HARD. And frankly, I've barely started. I'm hoping it gets easier.
The last couple of weeks I have eagerly trolled the internet for new and excited recipes. Of course they need to be vegetarian. And not too time consuming. And, bonus points if I can get one that the kids will actually eat.
So I'm a bit late seeing as it is already September 2nd, however, last night I stayed up until the wee hours and filled in my little meal planning calendar with dinner items. Now, I did cheat a bit as I'm only meal planning Mondays through Fridays. Weekends are a whole other beast. We never know what will be on the agenda so instead of setting us up for failure I've left them blank.
I have my (ridiculously long) shopping supply list for me today. I will actually be buying ALL the ingredients needed to pull off a month of dinners with the exception of the produce which I will buy each week.
We have a budget of $600/month for groceries. The joke is that we have NO FRIGGING IDEA what we spend currently.
I'm going to the bank machine, withdrawing the $600 and using the envelope method. As our Financial Advisor said...."when it's gone, you eat popcorn". Hmmmm....that right there sounds like another nomination for the Parent of the Year Award
Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
In all honesty I'm pretty darn excited to try this out. I hope it helps us save money while reducing stress and guilt of preparing last minute crap-ass meals.
Wish me luck!!!
This year, in the spirit of being budget conscious, we finally decided enough was enough and we are trying our hand at meal planning. It sounds so simple in theory, right? Well, perhaps I'm more challenged than most. I found it HARD. And frankly, I've barely started. I'm hoping it gets easier.
The last couple of weeks I have eagerly trolled the internet for new and excited recipes. Of course they need to be vegetarian. And not too time consuming. And, bonus points if I can get one that the kids will actually eat.
So I'm a bit late seeing as it is already September 2nd, however, last night I stayed up until the wee hours and filled in my little meal planning calendar with dinner items. Now, I did cheat a bit as I'm only meal planning Mondays through Fridays. Weekends are a whole other beast. We never know what will be on the agenda so instead of setting us up for failure I've left them blank.
I have my (ridiculously long) shopping supply list for me today. I will actually be buying ALL the ingredients needed to pull off a month of dinners with the exception of the produce which I will buy each week.
We have a budget of $600/month for groceries. The joke is that we have NO FRIGGING IDEA what we spend currently.
I'm going to the bank machine, withdrawing the $600 and using the envelope method. As our Financial Advisor said...."when it's gone, you eat popcorn". Hmmmm....that right there sounds like another nomination for the Parent of the Year Award
Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
In all honesty I'm pretty darn excited to try this out. I hope it helps us save money while reducing stress and guilt of preparing last minute crap-ass meals.
Wish me luck!!!
August 29, 2011
It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say it
Buddy is going through a phase that I've heard many a parent lament about...the dreaded potty talk. Everything equates to poo. EVERYTHING! We cannot eat a meal without it being compared to poo. His brother is now known as poo poo head.....it's nauseating. Apparently no amount of time outs or threats are working to combat this poo phenomenon and it's making Super Husband and I crazy.
Anyway, yesterday we went to a birthday party and all was well. The day was finally drawing to a close and we were driving along the highway to get home. Both kidlets were happily chattering in the back. Little Man suddenly starts yelling, "Fuck, Fuck"! As in perfectly enunciated....clear as day. Super Husband just about loses control of the car when I turn around and realize that Little Man is pointing to the 18 wheeler beside us. Thank GOD....he means TRUCK! So the remaining ride home goes something like this:
Me: It's TRuck...T...T...T...R-U-C-K. Can you say TRRRUUUCK?
Little Man: Fuck
Buddy: Poo Poo Head!
Me: Try Again. TRRRRRUCK.
Little Man: Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Me: T. Say T! T-T-T-T....
Buddy: Poo...Poo....Poo Bum!
Seriously. If the ride was being recorded I'm sure it would secure us as a top contender for parents of the year.
And let's face it. It's useless to give Buddy crap for talking poo when his brother is dropping the F-Bomb left, right and center.
Oh well. Today is a brand new day, right?
Anyway, yesterday we went to a birthday party and all was well. The day was finally drawing to a close and we were driving along the highway to get home. Both kidlets were happily chattering in the back. Little Man suddenly starts yelling, "Fuck, Fuck"! As in perfectly enunciated....clear as day. Super Husband just about loses control of the car when I turn around and realize that Little Man is pointing to the 18 wheeler beside us. Thank GOD....he means TRUCK! So the remaining ride home goes something like this:
Me: It's TRuck...T...T...T...R-U-C-K. Can you say TRRRUUUCK?
Little Man: Fuck
Buddy: Poo Poo Head!
Me: Try Again. TRRRRRUCK.
Little Man: Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Me: T. Say T! T-T-T-T....
Buddy: Poo...Poo....Poo Bum!
Seriously. If the ride was being recorded I'm sure it would secure us as a top contender for parents of the year.
And let's face it. It's useless to give Buddy crap for talking poo when his brother is dropping the F-Bomb left, right and center.
Oh well. Today is a brand new day, right?
August 24, 2011
Look Your Fears Straight in the Eye
Isn't that what "they" say?
Well Super Husband and I finally did just that. We sat down over the course of multiple evenings and forefeited the little downtime that we have a day in order to come to terms with our finances.
So Depressing.
And Liberating.
You see, although we have a ridiculous amount of debt, it's actually much better to know what it all is and plan to fix it rather than to sweep it under the carpet.
We did all this in preparation for our very first meeting with our financial planner. Well, it's actually our second meeting but since the first one happened about ten years ago I decided to reset the clock.
We met with Mr. Money for about two hours sans kidlets. My palms were sweating. I was nervous (and I rarely get nervous....so that was a bit messed up). In the end, we have our work cut out for us. We knew that. BUT the good news is that if we work REALLY extra hard we could potentially be debt free in two years. And be well on our way to purchasing our dream home. Well, maybe not our dream home....but at least our forever home!
We are very excited to start our plan. So excited that we promptly went out and had a beer on a patio to celebrate. It was a nice moment. Until I flicked my orange slice into my pint and Super Husband advised me that he would never do that because "you never know who's been touching that orange" Thanks for that Super Husband. You're a total buzz kill.
Well Super Husband and I finally did just that. We sat down over the course of multiple evenings and forefeited the little downtime that we have a day in order to come to terms with our finances.
So Depressing.
And Liberating.
You see, although we have a ridiculous amount of debt, it's actually much better to know what it all is and plan to fix it rather than to sweep it under the carpet.
We did all this in preparation for our very first meeting with our financial planner. Well, it's actually our second meeting but since the first one happened about ten years ago I decided to reset the clock.
We met with Mr. Money for about two hours sans kidlets. My palms were sweating. I was nervous (and I rarely get nervous....so that was a bit messed up). In the end, we have our work cut out for us. We knew that. BUT the good news is that if we work REALLY extra hard we could potentially be debt free in two years. And be well on our way to purchasing our dream home. Well, maybe not our dream home....but at least our forever home!
We are very excited to start our plan. So excited that we promptly went out and had a beer on a patio to celebrate. It was a nice moment. Until I flicked my orange slice into my pint and Super Husband advised me that he would never do that because "you never know who's been touching that orange" Thanks for that Super Husband. You're a total buzz kill.
August 18, 2011
You Know What Pisses Me Off?
The Grocery Bag Situation. Yes, it deserves to be capitalized because it seems like a full event each and every time I get groceries.
I am fully supportive of the green movement. We religiously recycle, compost and all the rest. We're vegetarians. I pack the kids snacks in reusable containers. Heck, we barely drive anymore. I feel we are doing our part.
But yet every time I go get groceries I feel like a hardened criminal. The cashier liiks at my pitiful stack of cloth bags and then to my heaping cart full of food. She sighs and then asks the dreaded question. "You need bags"?
You see, we have a SMALL place. We have a LARGE stroller. That we have to store in the trunk. We have a small-ish car. And two LARGE car seats. What that all equates to is not much room for other stuff.
So while we have about 25 cloth bags of varying sizes....I can't always get to them. And at 9:30pm after a long day the thought of dragging our double stroller out of the trunk to find the pile of bags is not happening.
So I brought in the 3 bags I could get.
Now on to the real reason I am annoyed.
I have 3 cloth bags. They are large and will hold a good amount of our stuff....but likely not all. Since I'm not some kind of savant at figuring out the ratio of groceries to bags and cubic storage space...I have no fucking idea if I need more bags!!!
So I answer the cashier's question. "I'm not yet sure".
She stares at me for a moment. Blinks. Then asks again. "But do you need bags"?
WTF?
"I don't know. You see, I have some bags here....but I might need more. I have no way of knowing If I need bags until I've filled these ones".
Her reply?
"So what do you want me to do"?
Oh.My.God. I'm about to have a stroke. But I contain myself.
"I want to wait and see if I need bags".
To which she responded, "Oh. Okay".
Seriously? Why is this so difficult?
Next time I will dig the bags out first. It's not worth the hassle.
I am fully supportive of the green movement. We religiously recycle, compost and all the rest. We're vegetarians. I pack the kids snacks in reusable containers. Heck, we barely drive anymore. I feel we are doing our part.
But yet every time I go get groceries I feel like a hardened criminal. The cashier liiks at my pitiful stack of cloth bags and then to my heaping cart full of food. She sighs and then asks the dreaded question. "You need bags"?
You see, we have a SMALL place. We have a LARGE stroller. That we have to store in the trunk. We have a small-ish car. And two LARGE car seats. What that all equates to is not much room for other stuff.
So while we have about 25 cloth bags of varying sizes....I can't always get to them. And at 9:30pm after a long day the thought of dragging our double stroller out of the trunk to find the pile of bags is not happening.
So I brought in the 3 bags I could get.
Now on to the real reason I am annoyed.
I have 3 cloth bags. They are large and will hold a good amount of our stuff....but likely not all. Since I'm not some kind of savant at figuring out the ratio of groceries to bags and cubic storage space...I have no fucking idea if I need more bags!!!
So I answer the cashier's question. "I'm not yet sure".
She stares at me for a moment. Blinks. Then asks again. "But do you need bags"?
WTF?
"I don't know. You see, I have some bags here....but I might need more. I have no way of knowing If I need bags until I've filled these ones".
Her reply?
"So what do you want me to do"?
Oh.My.God. I'm about to have a stroke. But I contain myself.
"I want to wait and see if I need bags".
To which she responded, "Oh. Okay".
Seriously? Why is this so difficult?
Next time I will dig the bags out first. It's not worth the hassle.
August 15, 2011
...Apparently There are Some Body Parts you Just Don't Need
Tonight has been one of "those" nights. You know, the type that needs to end in drinking mass quantity of alcohol ;)
It was a hectic day at work. Today marked "Go-Live" of the HR System I was hired to implement and manage. It took 9 months from project kickoff to get here, so needless to say although proud and happy....it's been an exhausting run.
So, when 5pm hit, I was READY to pick the guys up and head home.
I picked them up, packed them up and got out of there without issue (score)! I even walked them all the way home without any meltdowns. You see....this is when I should have known it would go South. These brief periods of calmness never last for us.
I get up to the house and un-clip the guys from the stroller. Both jump out and instead of going inside as I asked, bolted the other way. Under the giant evergreen tree they adore in the front. No amount of coaxing is working....I had to as per usual resort to slinking under the tree and hunting them down (aka: running around the tree 8 times). Finally got them out and Buddy bolts next door. Now I'm just getting pissy. I'm tired. Hungry. Done. To prove this point I revoked my prior promise of outside play after dinner. The result? screaming, crying and the usual drama. I finally got Buddy inside the house kicking and screaming. In the meantime, Little Man is looking Guilty and Slinky. I knew it right away: poo. Damn! Now I have one kid screaming and the other one with a full load. And dinner is nowhere in sight...
At this point I make the hasty decision to run into the kitchen and start something - quick. In the literally 30 seconds I was in there Buddy ramped up the tantrum. I called to him to come in and "help with dinner" which usually works to distract him and for a second I thought it worked - I could hear him approaching - when....BAM! I heard him fall. Then really, really bad crying. The kind that makes you stop in your tracks because you know it just aint right.
So, I ram out to find Buddy spewing blood from his mouth. Bad. Out come the ice packs and lots of paper towels. I literally couldn't figure out where it was originating from until the bleeding slowed. Then I realized when I pulled his upper lip up....the little piece of skin that connects the inside of his upper mouth to his gums was non-existent. Completely severed. His gums were already turning purple. Lovely.
While I'm attending to this drama I have Little Man pulling at my pants yelling, "BumBumBumBumBum".... Because the overwhelming stench of shit didn't clue me in to the fact he needed to be changed, apparently.
Meanwhile, my chana masala is boiling over on the stove.
I finally get the blood slowed, Buddy under control, Little Man changed and juuuust get them settled when Super Husband walks in.....
You know what they say: timing is everything.
Oh, I did call Telehealth and apparently Buddy will be just fine. The frenulum may or may not reatach....but in either case he is going to be a-okay....because apparently it serves no purpose anyway. Go figure.
I think my scars from the evening will take longer to heal :)
It was a hectic day at work. Today marked "Go-Live" of the HR System I was hired to implement and manage. It took 9 months from project kickoff to get here, so needless to say although proud and happy....it's been an exhausting run.
So, when 5pm hit, I was READY to pick the guys up and head home.
I picked them up, packed them up and got out of there without issue (score)! I even walked them all the way home without any meltdowns. You see....this is when I should have known it would go South. These brief periods of calmness never last for us.
I get up to the house and un-clip the guys from the stroller. Both jump out and instead of going inside as I asked, bolted the other way. Under the giant evergreen tree they adore in the front. No amount of coaxing is working....I had to as per usual resort to slinking under the tree and hunting them down (aka: running around the tree 8 times). Finally got them out and Buddy bolts next door. Now I'm just getting pissy. I'm tired. Hungry. Done. To prove this point I revoked my prior promise of outside play after dinner. The result? screaming, crying and the usual drama. I finally got Buddy inside the house kicking and screaming. In the meantime, Little Man is looking Guilty and Slinky. I knew it right away: poo. Damn! Now I have one kid screaming and the other one with a full load. And dinner is nowhere in sight...
At this point I make the hasty decision to run into the kitchen and start something - quick. In the literally 30 seconds I was in there Buddy ramped up the tantrum. I called to him to come in and "help with dinner" which usually works to distract him and for a second I thought it worked - I could hear him approaching - when....BAM! I heard him fall. Then really, really bad crying. The kind that makes you stop in your tracks because you know it just aint right.
So, I ram out to find Buddy spewing blood from his mouth. Bad. Out come the ice packs and lots of paper towels. I literally couldn't figure out where it was originating from until the bleeding slowed. Then I realized when I pulled his upper lip up....the little piece of skin that connects the inside of his upper mouth to his gums was non-existent. Completely severed. His gums were already turning purple. Lovely.
While I'm attending to this drama I have Little Man pulling at my pants yelling, "BumBumBumBumBum".... Because the overwhelming stench of shit didn't clue me in to the fact he needed to be changed, apparently.
Meanwhile, my chana masala is boiling over on the stove.
I finally get the blood slowed, Buddy under control, Little Man changed and juuuust get them settled when Super Husband walks in.....
You know what they say: timing is everything.
Oh, I did call Telehealth and apparently Buddy will be just fine. The frenulum may or may not reatach....but in either case he is going to be a-okay....because apparently it serves no purpose anyway. Go figure.
I think my scars from the evening will take longer to heal :)
August 8, 2011
Lesson Learned
My BFF has always had a public hate-on for raccoons. I couldn't understand it. How could this sweet, sweet ball of fluff cause you anger?
Well now I know.
Yes, I may be a vegetarian and would fight for animal rights any day....but I am about ready to strangle the raccons who live in the neighbour's tree.
Let me back up.
Super Husband and I decided to splurge on an awesome stroller. We got the BOB Revolution Duallie off of kijiji (barely used) for $480 which, believe it or not is a great deal as we would have paid more like $700+ new. Anyway, we love, love, love this stroller and can justify the price tag because it is used each and every day as a means of transport to and from daycare. Weekends it is used to go on trails, Wonderland, malls....you name it. Can you tell we are smitten with this thing?
Anyway, we are very protective of said stroller. Every night we fold it lovingly and put it in the trunk of the car to protect it. One day last week it was raining. I didn't fold and put in the car as usual because when I went to do so it had puddles of rain on it. I didn't want it to go in the trunk soaked so I dragged it up to the porch and half folded it there where it was protected.
The next morning I got up and checked to make sure BOB was still there. Thank goodness nobody stole him!(yes, my stroller is a him).
Well we get ready and Super Husband goes to load the kidlets in the stroller and he says, "Hey....where did that hole come from"? This is where I start to get super frantic. "What hole"? I ask....desperate for his contact lenses to be failing him. Then I saw it: A tear in the fabric by the kids' feet:
I couldn't understand it. Where had this hole come from? Did aliens decend upon BOB overnight? Was someone envoius of BOB and lashed out? I had no logical explanation.
That is, until I got to daycare and went to use the mesh pocket on the back of the seat. I was greeted by ripped mesh. A big old hole.....leading to what? A Ziploc bag containing only crumbs of what used to be Goldfish crackers.
The light bulb went off.
Fucking Raccoons.
Well a-hole raccoon. I hope the 2 goldfish crackers that you got were super tasty. And filling. There will be no more in your future.
And that is why you don't leave food....even morsels in your stupidly expensive stroller.
Well now I know.
Yes, I may be a vegetarian and would fight for animal rights any day....but I am about ready to strangle the raccons who live in the neighbour's tree.
Let me back up.
Super Husband and I decided to splurge on an awesome stroller. We got the BOB Revolution Duallie off of kijiji (barely used) for $480 which, believe it or not is a great deal as we would have paid more like $700+ new. Anyway, we love, love, love this stroller and can justify the price tag because it is used each and every day as a means of transport to and from daycare. Weekends it is used to go on trails, Wonderland, malls....you name it. Can you tell we are smitten with this thing?
Anyway, we are very protective of said stroller. Every night we fold it lovingly and put it in the trunk of the car to protect it. One day last week it was raining. I didn't fold and put in the car as usual because when I went to do so it had puddles of rain on it. I didn't want it to go in the trunk soaked so I dragged it up to the porch and half folded it there where it was protected.
The next morning I got up and checked to make sure BOB was still there. Thank goodness nobody stole him!(yes, my stroller is a him).
Well we get ready and Super Husband goes to load the kidlets in the stroller and he says, "Hey....where did that hole come from"? This is where I start to get super frantic. "What hole"? I ask....desperate for his contact lenses to be failing him. Then I saw it: A tear in the fabric by the kids' feet:
I couldn't understand it. Where had this hole come from? Did aliens decend upon BOB overnight? Was someone envoius of BOB and lashed out? I had no logical explanation.
That is, until I got to daycare and went to use the mesh pocket on the back of the seat. I was greeted by ripped mesh. A big old hole.....leading to what? A Ziploc bag containing only crumbs of what used to be Goldfish crackers.
The light bulb went off.
Fucking Raccoons.
Well a-hole raccoon. I hope the 2 goldfish crackers that you got were super tasty. And filling. There will be no more in your future.
And that is why you don't leave food....even morsels in your stupidly expensive stroller.
August 3, 2011
Handsome
Being a mom can be frustrating at times. There are days when I feel stressed and impatient and snap over things I shouldn't. When you are in the moment, you can easily fail to see the humor in a situation.
Super Daddy/Husband advised me that he was going to soccer after work. This is fine, but means that I do the night routine with the guys solo. Now, because I'm a Super DUPER Mommy/Wife this shouldn't be a problem, right? Right? Oy....
So I get Buddy and Little Man home. Buddy was in a foul mood and let everyone know it by screaming and attempting to launch himself out of the stroller. The.Entire.Way.Home. We finally got in the door and I started to make dinner while amusing hungry, irritable Beasties. So much fun!
After much negotiation, I get the three of us seated at the table to eat dinner. That's when my stomach started making really loud noises. A warning sign. I attempt to ignore. Finally, I have to give in. I dash to the bathroom and am about to do my business when I hear the dreaded, "I have to go poooooo". Oh God. Buddy has to poo. Panic sets in. We only have ONE BATHROOM! Effing downsizing! So like a dedicated mommy I give up my spot on the crapper for my firstborn. I'm still not sure he appreciates the magnitude of this sacrifice. I will remind him when he is naughty. Thankfully I was able to manage (read: pace the miniscule apartment) while Buddy sat on the potty and sang Itsy Bitsy Spider. Disaster narrowly averted.
Next up: Getting Little Man to bed.
I got Buddy situated with a video and I thought he was adequately amused for a few minutes. WRONG! I went into Little Man's room for possibly 5 minutes. When I come out I am greeted by Buddy with his ENTIRE HAND submerged in the tub of Vaseline. I just about had a stroke and started lecturing him when I noticed his hair looked wet. He hadn't bathed so why was it wet? WTF? Completely irritated at this point I ask, "What's in your hair, Buddy"? His response: "Water. I made it handsome for you".
My heart melted. My stress and frustration dissipated. I smiled at my beautiful boy and told him he was indeed handsome.
Sometimes you need to be reminded to appreciate the present.
Super Daddy/Husband advised me that he was going to soccer after work. This is fine, but means that I do the night routine with the guys solo. Now, because I'm a Super DUPER Mommy/Wife this shouldn't be a problem, right? Right? Oy....
So I get Buddy and Little Man home. Buddy was in a foul mood and let everyone know it by screaming and attempting to launch himself out of the stroller. The.Entire.Way.Home. We finally got in the door and I started to make dinner while amusing hungry, irritable Beasties. So much fun!
After much negotiation, I get the three of us seated at the table to eat dinner. That's when my stomach started making really loud noises. A warning sign. I attempt to ignore. Finally, I have to give in. I dash to the bathroom and am about to do my business when I hear the dreaded, "I have to go poooooo". Oh God. Buddy has to poo. Panic sets in. We only have ONE BATHROOM! Effing downsizing! So like a dedicated mommy I give up my spot on the crapper for my firstborn. I'm still not sure he appreciates the magnitude of this sacrifice. I will remind him when he is naughty. Thankfully I was able to manage (read: pace the miniscule apartment) while Buddy sat on the potty and sang Itsy Bitsy Spider. Disaster narrowly averted.
Next up: Getting Little Man to bed.
I got Buddy situated with a video and I thought he was adequately amused for a few minutes. WRONG! I went into Little Man's room for possibly 5 minutes. When I come out I am greeted by Buddy with his ENTIRE HAND submerged in the tub of Vaseline. I just about had a stroke and started lecturing him when I noticed his hair looked wet. He hadn't bathed so why was it wet? WTF? Completely irritated at this point I ask, "What's in your hair, Buddy"? His response: "Water. I made it handsome for you".
My heart melted. My stress and frustration dissipated. I smiled at my beautiful boy and told him he was indeed handsome.
Sometimes you need to be reminded to appreciate the present.
Hello
I created this blog to capture our journey as we go through life on what feels like a constant state of fast forward.
We are a family of four with two little boys aged 1 (Little Man) & 2 (Buddy) who keep us on our toes. We decided early this year after I started a new job and a terrible commute to sell our 2,300 square foot home in the burbs to move to a tiny rented 900 square foot apartment in the city.
Motivating Factors:
Save money
Spend more time together as a family
Eliminate/lessen commute
Move the kids to a reputable, registered day care
Eliminate second car
Be closer to friends, family and amenities
The Plan:
To live here for a year before purchasing our next "forever" home
How's it Working Out?
Love, Love, Love living in the city. Can't say enough for being able to actually WALK to work, day care, subway, stores, parks, restaurants.......it's awesome.
What about the tiny apartment, you ask? Well....it's okay. Frankly we are not in it much other than for the necessity of bathing and sleeping. We are adjusting just fine to the small space (having put about 50% of our "stuff" in storage at a friends' house). The main frustrations are, 1) No central air, 2) No dishwasher, and, 3)The downstairs tenant who smokes and complains about the kids being too loud. Other than that....it's actually not bad. I don't miss cleaning a big house or paying all the utilities for it. I certainly don't miss the commute (3 hours a day in the car in good weather) and I love that the boys have a great (albeit extortionately expensive) day care that they love going to every day. No more TV watching!!! As a result I kind of feel like I suck less as a parent :)
Will we hit our goal of moving out in a year? I dunno.....keep checking in to find out what happens next on our family adventures. I promise it will make you laugh, possibly cry and keep you entertained...even if it is at my expense.
We are a family of four with two little boys aged 1 (Little Man) & 2 (Buddy) who keep us on our toes. We decided early this year after I started a new job and a terrible commute to sell our 2,300 square foot home in the burbs to move to a tiny rented 900 square foot apartment in the city.
Motivating Factors:
Save money
Spend more time together as a family
Eliminate/lessen commute
Move the kids to a reputable, registered day care
Eliminate second car
Be closer to friends, family and amenities
The Plan:
To live here for a year before purchasing our next "forever" home
How's it Working Out?
Love, Love, Love living in the city. Can't say enough for being able to actually WALK to work, day care, subway, stores, parks, restaurants.......it's awesome.
What about the tiny apartment, you ask? Well....it's okay. Frankly we are not in it much other than for the necessity of bathing and sleeping. We are adjusting just fine to the small space (having put about 50% of our "stuff" in storage at a friends' house). The main frustrations are, 1) No central air, 2) No dishwasher, and, 3)The downstairs tenant who smokes and complains about the kids being too loud. Other than that....it's actually not bad. I don't miss cleaning a big house or paying all the utilities for it. I certainly don't miss the commute (3 hours a day in the car in good weather) and I love that the boys have a great (albeit extortionately expensive) day care that they love going to every day. No more TV watching!!! As a result I kind of feel like I suck less as a parent :)
Will we hit our goal of moving out in a year? I dunno.....keep checking in to find out what happens next on our family adventures. I promise it will make you laugh, possibly cry and keep you entertained...even if it is at my expense.
August 2, 2011
Quote of the Day Archive
A place to store the memorable quotes...because they are too priceless to be forgotten :)
From August 13th while waiting in the car for Super Husband/Daddy to run into the LCBO:
Buddy: Mommy, where did daddy go?
Me: Into the store to buy some beer
Buddy: Why does he want to buy a beard?
Me: No Buddy, not Beard - Beeeeerrrrr
Buddy: Oh. I want a Beard, too. I'm a big boy.
From August 17th when Super Husband/Daddy was attempting to lure Buddy into bed for the night:
Super Daddy: Buddy, it's time for bed
Buddy: No it's not. I'm not tired.
Super Daddy: Yes, Buddy, it's night time. Time to sleep.
Buddy: Nope. I'm going to get up, jump on the bed, run out of my room and then sit on the time out chair.
Super Daddy: (flustered) No you're not. The time out chair went to bed already.
From September 21st when Buddy was inquiring about the status of dinner:
Buddy: Mommy, what's for dinner?
Me: I'm making Pad Thai
Buddy: Oh. What is it?
Me: Noodles. With other stuff.
Buddy: I hope not vegetables.
Me: Well, yes, a little but they are good
Buddy: (Looking at the finished product) Oh no! Broccoli! I don't like that. I hate vegetables. Oh! Carrots! They're good. Carrots are NOT vegetables. Can I have more in my bowl?
From October 20th as Buddy used the newly hung coat hooks for the first time:
Buddy: Mommy, I'm using my new hook!
Me: Yes you are. Great job!
Buddy: You know what that is called?
Me: No, what?
Buddy: Hooking!
From Late November while playing in Buddy's room with Little Man and Super Daddy:
Super Daddy: Buddy, Did you just toot?
Buddy: No
Super Daddy: Are you sure?
Buddy: Nope. Little man just took his toot out of his bum and put it in mine.
From August 13th while waiting in the car for Super Husband/Daddy to run into the LCBO:
Buddy: Mommy, where did daddy go?
Me: Into the store to buy some beer
Buddy: Why does he want to buy a beard?
Me: No Buddy, not Beard - Beeeeerrrrr
Buddy: Oh. I want a Beard, too. I'm a big boy.
From August 17th when Super Husband/Daddy was attempting to lure Buddy into bed for the night:
Super Daddy: Buddy, it's time for bed
Buddy: No it's not. I'm not tired.
Super Daddy: Yes, Buddy, it's night time. Time to sleep.
Buddy: Nope. I'm going to get up, jump on the bed, run out of my room and then sit on the time out chair.
Super Daddy: (flustered) No you're not. The time out chair went to bed already.
From September 21st when Buddy was inquiring about the status of dinner:
Buddy: Mommy, what's for dinner?
Me: I'm making Pad Thai
Buddy: Oh. What is it?
Me: Noodles. With other stuff.
Buddy: I hope not vegetables.
Me: Well, yes, a little but they are good
Buddy: (Looking at the finished product) Oh no! Broccoli! I don't like that. I hate vegetables. Oh! Carrots! They're good. Carrots are NOT vegetables. Can I have more in my bowl?
From October 20th as Buddy used the newly hung coat hooks for the first time:
Buddy: Mommy, I'm using my new hook!
Me: Yes you are. Great job!
Buddy: You know what that is called?
Me: No, what?
Buddy: Hooking!
From Late November while playing in Buddy's room with Little Man and Super Daddy:
Super Daddy: Buddy, Did you just toot?
Buddy: No
Super Daddy: Are you sure?
Buddy: Nope. Little man just took his toot out of his bum and put it in mine.
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