Growing Seeds and Throwing Stones | How Much Did I Spend Last Week? April 29-May 5, 2024
Please enjoy this photograph of my child throwing tiny rocks in the pond, as an allegory for me throwing all of my money at my lawyer. What you don’t see is the moment immediately thereafter where Atlas goes “yay!” (but you should know that I was absolutely not saying “yay” as I watched my money disappear into the murky depths).
I’m hoping that the fact that my lawyer has finally cashed my cheque (check?! should I just give in and start writing in American English now?!) means that the Green Card process has commenced and that before I know it I will be eating baked goods by the Liffey while being attacked by Irish pigeons.
Monday
Every other Monday, we have occupational therapy at Sensory Connections so I make us breakfast of toast, avocado, banana and strawberries before we drive across town for our 9am appointment. (Atlas eats some toast and then laughs at the prospect of eating anything else.)
OT goes… well? I guess? I have no idea what I’m even looking for, but he seems delighted – until, that is, it’s time to leave. That’s when all hell breaks loose and he refuses to put his shoes on, kicking and screaming and flailing and more kicking and more screaming… and my decision not to bring a bag, and just to have my keys, book, water bottle and phone loose in my hand, suddenly seems ill-advised (at best).
So I grapple with him and all of my bits and carry him in a rugby hold out the door, smiling beatifically at the other parents in an attempt to give the impression that I have everything under control.
He screams and cries for around 20 minutes and then finally calms down in time to go into Kroger, where I pick up some groceries while he sits in the trolley and eats not one, not two but three mini croissants, delightedly. ($144.77)
Then I grab coffees ($15) and bring one over to Bea’s, where we drink our coffees and have a little chat during her lunch break before I go back home and put Atlas down for his nap.
Ordinarily, he’d be at his babysitter’s today but she’s sick and it seems like she’s going to be out for the week which is terrible for her and truly I’m very sympathetic but mostly I’m feeling sorry for myself because he’s been home with me for two weeks already (he had strep, which we only figured out after he’d been puking for six days straight) and entering into my third week of full-time SAHMing is making me feel really rather despondent about it all. HOW am I going to get any work done?! WHEN WILL I WATCH VANDERPUMP RULES?!?
Anyway, while he’s asleep I take the time to do some work – I finish editing an episode of the pod and get some writing done, but then he wakes up at 3pm (up to now he’s been sleeping 12.30pm-4pm!) and I fear my glorious four-hour nap-ternoons are coming to an end.
While I’m working, my Google Play subscription comes out ($3.35) and, more tragically, so does the payment I made to my lawyer ($2,362.50) for my Green Card fees. (That, FYI, is on top of the $1,700 I paid to USCIS in filing fees.) Whoever thought marriage was the key to a quick and easy Green Card was wrong, let me tell you! If I was faking this marriage to assure my legal status I would be incredibly disappointed at how much of a failure that has been thus far.
Brandin and the boys are home at around 4.30pm and we have a bit of a whirlwind getting dinner together (pasta, the only option when things have to be speedy) because Finn’s playing baseball tonight at 7pm, and he and Brandin need to leave at around 6.15pm.
Once we’re finished eating, I tidy up and then William, Atlas and I sit down and watch some TV while Finn and Brandin get going.
As it happens, the game’s cancelled because of the rain, so they’re back at around 8.15pm (and not thrilled, I’ll admit) and we have a bit of a battle to get everyone to bed happily before Brandin and I come downstairs to finish cleaning up and have some alone time (at opposite ends of the living room).
Daily total: $2,525.62
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