I got paid this week, which means that a few payments that had been neglected finally got sorted out. It also means that, to the casual observer, this weekly total looks… totally bonkers.
If it’s any comfort whatsoever, I basically only bought takeout and books for myself (along with, fine, a portion of the groceries) – the majority of my spending went on beautifying my garden and insuring our cars. There is just no way anyone could ever have prepared me for the tedium of adulthood.
Monday
A good few months ago, I had a consultation with the gardener who does Bea’s garden, Neal, about putting in a “garden” (a flowerbed) in our “yard”. When I say “garden”, people think I’m talking specifically about flower beds, which has honestly been very confusing.
“Can’t the boys go and play in the garden?” I’ll ask, to blank stares.
Anyway, we had discussed putting flower beds in either side of our small back patio, “cottage garden” style, which basically means that it looks kind of haphazard and wild and natural, and I specified that I wanted as many native and butterfly-slash-bee attractants as possible. (Don’t @ me about how I’ll regret this when my kids are getting stung non-stop, I don’t want to know.)
Well, he came and did the job while I was at home in Ireland last week, and now it’s time to pay the piper. I mean, pay him. That’s what I mean. I had originally said that our budget was $2,000, but as a few things have changed in the interim, I’ve had to downsize my expectations. ($1,500)
I did consider cancelling it altogether, but our back yard/garden was just so plain and blah, and I love having flowers and shrubs and lovely things to look at, so I decided it was an investment in future happiness. My future happiness. So, yeah.
Today is the deadline for the first set of edits on my book – of course, I was sent them approximately three weeks ago and when did I start?! YESTERDAY. So I get them finished and send them off to my publisher before lunch.
The time difference makes deadlines really difficult for my brain to “get”; I almost have to tell myself that a Tuesday deadline is actually a Monday, otherwise I won’t get it in by close of business, at least if it’s being done for a business or person working in GMT!
I do this while Atlas takes his morning nap – then, when he wakes up, I put the laptop away and we have lunch together. I ordered soup and a salad from Panera Bread for me and a kids’ mac & cheese for him ($32.70).
After lunch, I try to make a concerted effort to sit and play with him. I’ve found it hard to juggle working from home with looking after him, and I feel really guilty for all the time I sit at my laptop while he plays on his own, or I put on Baby Einstein so that I can get something done.
So I’m now trying to be more efficient with my time, doing more work – and less Instagram scrolling – while he’s asleep, and being present with him while he’s awake. It is, at times, incredibly boring, but I feel like I’m doing a semi decent job.
I’m also encouraged by the fact that, later on this week, a woman is coming over to meet me and him (and for us to meet her) with a view to her doing some babysitting hours in the house, so that I can go out – to a cafe, or even just to Bea’s basement to work in silence! – and get some writing done.
When the boys get home we have chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries for dinner. They complain about the fries, but eat the nuggets – then demand dessert. It feels ridiculous to say, “well, you didn’t eat any of your fries…” but we did them in the air fryer at least!
(I have very conflicting feelings about making kids eat x in order to “earn” y, but I also have very conflicting feelings about giving dessert after a dinner of two chicken nuggets…)
Right after dinner I leg it over to Bea’s to feed Vinnie the cat (not to be confused with Vinny the dog) and give him some cuddles.
Then it’s home, an episode of The Bear (so good, why did I sleep on this for so long?!) and bed.
Daily total: $1,532.70
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