It's very nice to hear back from some of you, welcoming me back and encouraging me to stick with both the blogging and the work I need to do to.
Thanks for being there for me!
Things are very busy right now. Work is crazy, the school year is winding down and every day seems to bring some departure from the norm (field trips, class parties, sports day, hot lunch, you name it), many people are dealing with the health issues of family members (at work, in our own family, friends) and I'm feeling stretched kind of thin.
I've straightened out some things that had fallen by the wayside, like my cell bill and will take care of the one remaining outstanding bill (the water) by next week at the latest. I got the property taxes for my rural home and the garbage bill for it. Both have gone up somewhat from last year, but not horrendously. And, thanks to the fact that I've been setting aside money for those kinds of things most paydays (and keeping track of when I don't and then catching it up) I have enough money already in my rural credit union account to pay the bills when they're due at the beginning of July! That's a big improvement from the past couple of years.
I also have been working on slowly paying down the massively increased amount that has gotten charged to my credit card over the past few months. I have only one charge left to pay back from my Passover purchases but most of the rest are biggies. There's about $750 owing for kitchen cabinets and flooring I charged at IKEA, the last couple of hundred owing on Dear Child's dental surgery, the $1,300 for my root canal, and about $125 for a new heavier duty weed whacker and replacement reel for the rural house. Last year we bought the cheapest one we could find and that was a huge mistake. The reel didn't feed properly (which meant it had to be taken apart and played with repeatedly Every. Single. Time we used it) and the whole thing broke under the usage it was getting. We hope this one will last much longer.
My hubby is going today to finish his root canal and I already have an appointment booked for July to fill a cavity and discuss the crown I'm going to need on the tooth I had the root canal on. Sigh.
Showing posts with label Pesach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pesach. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Shevy, Reappearing
Interesting, no? One minute I'm here, if a little busy with Life. The next, nothing. Two months plus of nothing.
And the answer is: I had a little crisis. I don't quite know how to describe it. Of confidence. Of identity. Of how I see myself. Of how others see me.
What brought this on? The silliest thing, something totally innocent. Praise.
I've known pretty much forever that I'm not great with criticism. Who knew a casual line of praise could totally undo me? Well, certainly not my blogging friend who emailed me a short note that included the following line:
"you are so good at staying committed to your goals".
I read it and a voice from deep inside said, "You don't deserve that praise." And I quietly fell apart. Couldn't post. Couldn't hide that truth. Couldn't speak it aloud. And, as time went by, things just got worse and worse.
I originally felt unworthy of praise because I'd just come through the whole financial devastation that is Passover. I'd charged a lot of food, matzo, wine, you name it on the credit card for Passover. I'd had to pay for Dog to go on his annual Pesach vacation. And I was starting to fall a little behind on certain things, while trying to pay off Dear Child's dental surgery. It seemed ludicrous to say that, because I was diverting $50 a pay period into my Tax Free Savings Account or $10 per week into my Baby Emergency Fund, I was staying committed to my goals. There were so many places where I was bleeding money.
In the interim, things have just gotten worse and worse (as I said). I bought the laminate flooring for Dear Child's room (and my Son-in-Law installed it!). More money, but money well spent. DC's room is finished except for baseboards. I also bought four new upper cupboards, IKEA ones, about the week before Passover (because I wanted pantry shelves on which to put my food). I spent about $500. If they were in and being used, I probably would also consider it money well spent. They're sitting in their boxes in my foyer. Apparently, if (at some point) I put them together my Son-in-Law will demo the existing (mostly broken and unusable) cupboards and hang the new ones.
I started having terrible tooth pain and ended up with a major root canal that now needs to be finished off with a crown. And my husband has just had pretty much the same thing. Net result, big increase in the credit card balance.
Sigh.
Despite paying off as much as possible pretty much every payday we owe way more than we did in March or April. I have a spreadsheet that tracks all the additional charges we've made to the card and when I've made each payment (in addition to the $90 per pay period that is our normal payment).
And I have continued to put money into both the Emergency Fund and the TFSA, as well as restarted deposits to my RRSP. It just seems like such a drop in the bucket compared to the other.
So, that's my story. I'm going to try to get back to writing here though, because (for all the embarrassment of having to admit all this) I find it valuable.
And the answer is: I had a little crisis. I don't quite know how to describe it. Of confidence. Of identity. Of how I see myself. Of how others see me.
What brought this on? The silliest thing, something totally innocent. Praise.
I've known pretty much forever that I'm not great with criticism. Who knew a casual line of praise could totally undo me? Well, certainly not my blogging friend who emailed me a short note that included the following line:
"you are so good at staying committed to your goals".
I read it and a voice from deep inside said, "You don't deserve that praise." And I quietly fell apart. Couldn't post. Couldn't hide that truth. Couldn't speak it aloud. And, as time went by, things just got worse and worse.
I originally felt unworthy of praise because I'd just come through the whole financial devastation that is Passover. I'd charged a lot of food, matzo, wine, you name it on the credit card for Passover. I'd had to pay for Dog to go on his annual Pesach vacation. And I was starting to fall a little behind on certain things, while trying to pay off Dear Child's dental surgery. It seemed ludicrous to say that, because I was diverting $50 a pay period into my Tax Free Savings Account or $10 per week into my Baby Emergency Fund, I was staying committed to my goals. There were so many places where I was bleeding money.
In the interim, things have just gotten worse and worse (as I said). I bought the laminate flooring for Dear Child's room (and my Son-in-Law installed it!). More money, but money well spent. DC's room is finished except for baseboards. I also bought four new upper cupboards, IKEA ones, about the week before Passover (because I wanted pantry shelves on which to put my food). I spent about $500. If they were in and being used, I probably would also consider it money well spent. They're sitting in their boxes in my foyer. Apparently, if (at some point) I put them together my Son-in-Law will demo the existing (mostly broken and unusable) cupboards and hang the new ones.
I started having terrible tooth pain and ended up with a major root canal that now needs to be finished off with a crown. And my husband has just had pretty much the same thing. Net result, big increase in the credit card balance.
Sigh.
Despite paying off as much as possible pretty much every payday we owe way more than we did in March or April. I have a spreadsheet that tracks all the additional charges we've made to the card and when I've made each payment (in addition to the $90 per pay period that is our normal payment).
And I have continued to put money into both the Emergency Fund and the TFSA, as well as restarted deposits to my RRSP. It just seems like such a drop in the bucket compared to the other.
So, that's my story. I'm going to try to get back to writing here though, because (for all the embarrassment of having to admit all this) I find it valuable.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
4 Questions (But it's Not Mah Nishtana!)
I've been really busy with Passover preparations and then Passover and just haven't felt up to writing any posts (though I've done some commenting here and there). Today I started to comment over on The Simple Dollar but I could see it was turning into a novel and decided it would be better here! I mean, if I'm going to write something of a significant length I may as well make it a post, right?
Trent asked his readers to give their snap response to 4 questions. The questions were:
What is a wedding supposed to cost?
What is an automobile supposed to cost?
What is a home supposed to cost?
What is a three week vacation for a family of four supposed to cost?
Then he went into how these "mental anchors" determine how much you think you should pay for these kinds of things. Basically, it was all about keeping up with the Joneses and how you should just think for yourself. There were only a few responses but so far, they were all along the lines of how great a post it was.
What is it with me that I'm disagreeing with Trent so often these days?
FWIW, my answers were:
$25,000
$25,000
$550,000
$12,000
Why did I answer the way I did and does that mean I want to or need to spend that much on those things?
For the wedding, the range that gets tossed around the most in the articles I've read is $25 to $35k. And I actually know a bunch of people who spent more. I happen to think that's a ridiculous amount to spend for one day. I've been married twice. The first time I got married at home, with 25 of us present (including the bride and groom!). We each had one attendant and my dress cost $250 from Sears (1977 prices). My parents sent out announcements instead of invites. It probably cost about $1,500 or less even though we served roast beef!
My 2nd wedding was considerably bigger. We had the ceremony outside at my rabbi's house, with the reception in our synagogue (which at the time was being rebuilt, so it was really in the gym of the day school!) but we only invited about 60 to the meal. The rest of the community was invited to the ceremony and for dessert and dancing (taped music). I actually wore the same dress (yes, the one from 1977)! We spent about $4k.
I've spent about $22,000 to $25,000 a couple of times on new cars (Buick Century both times, and one of them saved my life thank-you-very-much) and I'm comfortable with that as a price for a new car, although my preference is either to buy a year old car or a lease return or a demo at the end of the sales year. Actually, that's what we did when we bought my hubby's dream car, a PT Cruiser, shortly after we got married. Of course, the car cost more than $25,000 (about $32,000 in the end) but we did still pay it off early. And I'm not planning on us buying a car to replace it for several more years!
As for the house price, that's about $50 to $100k over the cost of the cheapest teardown in a bad neighbourhood here! What can I say? House prices in Vancouver are high. My old studio and den condo cost $96,900 (about a dozen years ago, before prices took off) and I sold it at the height of the market for $176,000 (and it was pretty much the cheapest condo for sale in the city at that point). I used about half my profits from the sale to buy (outright) an older home in the rural area where we plan to retire. And I put the other half into the house my Eldest Daughter and her partner bought here in the city (where we live with them).
As for the vacation, I figure it costs about $500/day for a family of 4 to take what I would consider a "nice" vacation including transportation, accomodation, food and souvenirs. I know I could go camping for a lot less but I don't like camping. Not everybody does. My idea of a vacation is a hotel where they provide everything and clean up after us. Or, better yet, a cruise! I've done a lot of travelling in the past (my dad worked for an airline and we flew for free) and there's a lot of places I'd like to go back to but flying is really, really expensive when you have to pay for 3 people! Not to mention, the fact that we keep kosher also limits where we can stay and where we can eat! And eating in kosher restaurants is very expensive. So, we don't travel much. And when we do, it's usually driving down to stay with friends in Seattle or something like that. We haven't even gone to Israel so all our relatives can meet our Dear Child (she has lots of cousins there) even though it would be very cheap once we got there, what with staying with family and all, because the flight would cost between $1,500 and $1,800 each and $5k is a LOT of money just for the airfare!
So, what does it all mean? First, there is no real connection between my answers to those questions and what I actually pay for those items.
Second, sometimes you do want to pay more for a certain kind of experience. And that's not wrong! If the vacation I really want is in Israel or Italy, then camping in a tent in a national park is a complete and total waste of money for me no matter how little it costs compared to the other vacation!
Third, Trent really does have a good point when he says: "The value is what you get out of it. Does it make you happy? Does it meet your needs? Those are the things that matter, not matching what someone else is doing."
Where he was wrong was in trying to correlate the first figure that jumps into your head with what you would tend to turn around and actually pay for the item.
Now, does anybody else want to jump in and answer those questions (and then say what you'd really pay)?
Oh yeah and for anybody who didn't get the title of the post, there's a point in the Passover seder where the youngest child asks the 4 Questions. It's sung in Hebrew and starts "Mah nishtana ha layla hazeh mikol halaylot?" [Why is this night different from all other nights?]
Trent asked his readers to give their snap response to 4 questions. The questions were:
What is a wedding supposed to cost?
What is an automobile supposed to cost?
What is a home supposed to cost?
What is a three week vacation for a family of four supposed to cost?
Then he went into how these "mental anchors" determine how much you think you should pay for these kinds of things. Basically, it was all about keeping up with the Joneses and how you should just think for yourself. There were only a few responses but so far, they were all along the lines of how great a post it was.
What is it with me that I'm disagreeing with Trent so often these days?
FWIW, my answers were:
$25,000
$25,000
$550,000
$12,000
Why did I answer the way I did and does that mean I want to or need to spend that much on those things?
For the wedding, the range that gets tossed around the most in the articles I've read is $25 to $35k. And I actually know a bunch of people who spent more. I happen to think that's a ridiculous amount to spend for one day. I've been married twice. The first time I got married at home, with 25 of us present (including the bride and groom!). We each had one attendant and my dress cost $250 from Sears (1977 prices). My parents sent out announcements instead of invites. It probably cost about $1,500 or less even though we served roast beef!
My 2nd wedding was considerably bigger. We had the ceremony outside at my rabbi's house, with the reception in our synagogue (which at the time was being rebuilt, so it was really in the gym of the day school!) but we only invited about 60 to the meal. The rest of the community was invited to the ceremony and for dessert and dancing (taped music). I actually wore the same dress (yes, the one from 1977)! We spent about $4k.
I've spent about $22,000 to $25,000 a couple of times on new cars (Buick Century both times, and one of them saved my life thank-you-very-much) and I'm comfortable with that as a price for a new car, although my preference is either to buy a year old car or a lease return or a demo at the end of the sales year. Actually, that's what we did when we bought my hubby's dream car, a PT Cruiser, shortly after we got married. Of course, the car cost more than $25,000 (about $32,000 in the end) but we did still pay it off early. And I'm not planning on us buying a car to replace it for several more years!
As for the house price, that's about $50 to $100k over the cost of the cheapest teardown in a bad neighbourhood here! What can I say? House prices in Vancouver are high. My old studio and den condo cost $96,900 (about a dozen years ago, before prices took off) and I sold it at the height of the market for $176,000 (and it was pretty much the cheapest condo for sale in the city at that point). I used about half my profits from the sale to buy (outright) an older home in the rural area where we plan to retire. And I put the other half into the house my Eldest Daughter and her partner bought here in the city (where we live with them).
As for the vacation, I figure it costs about $500/day for a family of 4 to take what I would consider a "nice" vacation including transportation, accomodation, food and souvenirs. I know I could go camping for a lot less but I don't like camping. Not everybody does. My idea of a vacation is a hotel where they provide everything and clean up after us. Or, better yet, a cruise! I've done a lot of travelling in the past (my dad worked for an airline and we flew for free) and there's a lot of places I'd like to go back to but flying is really, really expensive when you have to pay for 3 people! Not to mention, the fact that we keep kosher also limits where we can stay and where we can eat! And eating in kosher restaurants is very expensive. So, we don't travel much. And when we do, it's usually driving down to stay with friends in Seattle or something like that. We haven't even gone to Israel so all our relatives can meet our Dear Child (she has lots of cousins there) even though it would be very cheap once we got there, what with staying with family and all, because the flight would cost between $1,500 and $1,800 each and $5k is a LOT of money just for the airfare!
So, what does it all mean? First, there is no real connection between my answers to those questions and what I actually pay for those items.
Second, sometimes you do want to pay more for a certain kind of experience. And that's not wrong! If the vacation I really want is in Israel or Italy, then camping in a tent in a national park is a complete and total waste of money for me no matter how little it costs compared to the other vacation!
Third, Trent really does have a good point when he says: "The value is what you get out of it. Does it make you happy? Does it meet your needs? Those are the things that matter, not matching what someone else is doing."
Where he was wrong was in trying to correlate the first figure that jumps into your head with what you would tend to turn around and actually pay for the item.
Now, does anybody else want to jump in and answer those questions (and then say what you'd really pay)?
Oh yeah and for anybody who didn't get the title of the post, there's a point in the Passover seder where the youngest child asks the 4 Questions. It's sung in Hebrew and starts "Mah nishtana ha layla hazeh mikol halaylot?" [Why is this night different from all other nights?]
Friday, March 5, 2010
February Goal Review and March Goals
Yes, it is a new month and yesterday was payday. Sounds like a good time to see how I did with my February goals and maybe set some new ones for March.
First of all, what were my goals for February?
1. Pay for Dear Child's birthday party.
2. Pay at least $229.75 to MasterCard
3. Stay current with all the other bills.
4. Get the treatment plan for DC's dental surgery and figure out how to pay for that.
5. Make arrangements for Dog's Passover vacation and pay at least $100 towards that.
Those sounded pretty reasonable. How did I do?
1. Dear Child's party was held at the community centre with an hour in the gym and then food upstairs. Given that my Eldest Daughter's baby was overdue at that point and we were doing renovations both upstairs and down at home, it was the only logical choice. She didn't have a party the previous year and had been promised a nice one this year. I charged the party on my MasterCard and paid for part of it in February. I finished paying for it today.
2. I made a number of payments to MasterCard in February, as well as at the beginning of March. I paid both the $229.75 and $90 (my regular payment) on 17 Feb, then paid $62.50 towards the cost of the party on the 22nd or 23rd. I paid another $90 yesterday and $400 today.
3. I am current on all the usual bills like internet, water, credit card, cell, set-asides into my credit union account, ING emergency fund, etc. It feels good.
4. Dear Child had her surgery and I charged the first of 3 monthly payments for it to my MasterCard at the beginning of the week when the surgery took place. The total bill was a little under $1,800 and each payment is between $500 and $600. $200 of the $400 I paid today was towards the dental charge. I'll have more to put towards it when my hubby gets paid again. I want to pay each dental charge off before I charge the next one.
5. I wrote to reserve Dog's place today and will send a cheque for $100 once I hear back.
All in all, I did very well! Now, what do I want to choose as goals for March (bearing in mind that Passover falls at the end of March this year and is both hectic and expensive). Let's keep it very simple.
1. Stay current on my bills this month.
2. Pay at least half of the cost of Dog's vacation ahead of time.
3. Pay down the cost of the first dental charge before the end of March.
I could add more, but I know just how much of a challenge those will be.
In addition, I'm on track with my TFSA. I've been putting in $50 each payday and it's currently sitting at $250.18. I've also got an automatic transfer of $10/week to my ING Emergency Fund. There's $251.56 in there as of today, close to half the $520 I listed as a goal for the year. Yes, I realize it's not enough but the money in the TFSA can also be taken out for any reason at any time, so it can also function as a sort of emergency fund too. I'll be happier when I have at least $1,000 put away between the two funds but right now I'm just trying to find some kind of balance and form regular habits.
First of all, what were my goals for February?
1. Pay for Dear Child's birthday party.
2. Pay at least $229.75 to MasterCard
3. Stay current with all the other bills.
4. Get the treatment plan for DC's dental surgery and figure out how to pay for that.
5. Make arrangements for Dog's Passover vacation and pay at least $100 towards that.
Those sounded pretty reasonable. How did I do?
1. Dear Child's party was held at the community centre with an hour in the gym and then food upstairs. Given that my Eldest Daughter's baby was overdue at that point and we were doing renovations both upstairs and down at home, it was the only logical choice. She didn't have a party the previous year and had been promised a nice one this year. I charged the party on my MasterCard and paid for part of it in February. I finished paying for it today.
2. I made a number of payments to MasterCard in February, as well as at the beginning of March. I paid both the $229.75 and $90 (my regular payment) on 17 Feb, then paid $62.50 towards the cost of the party on the 22nd or 23rd. I paid another $90 yesterday and $400 today.
3. I am current on all the usual bills like internet, water, credit card, cell, set-asides into my credit union account, ING emergency fund, etc. It feels good.
4. Dear Child had her surgery and I charged the first of 3 monthly payments for it to my MasterCard at the beginning of the week when the surgery took place. The total bill was a little under $1,800 and each payment is between $500 and $600. $200 of the $400 I paid today was towards the dental charge. I'll have more to put towards it when my hubby gets paid again. I want to pay each dental charge off before I charge the next one.
5. I wrote to reserve Dog's place today and will send a cheque for $100 once I hear back.
All in all, I did very well! Now, what do I want to choose as goals for March (bearing in mind that Passover falls at the end of March this year and is both hectic and expensive). Let's keep it very simple.
1. Stay current on my bills this month.
2. Pay at least half of the cost of Dog's vacation ahead of time.
3. Pay down the cost of the first dental charge before the end of March.
I could add more, but I know just how much of a challenge those will be.
In addition, I'm on track with my TFSA. I've been putting in $50 each payday and it's currently sitting at $250.18. I've also got an automatic transfer of $10/week to my ING Emergency Fund. There's $251.56 in there as of today, close to half the $520 I listed as a goal for the year. Yes, I realize it's not enough but the money in the TFSA can also be taken out for any reason at any time, so it can also function as a sort of emergency fund too. I'll be happier when I have at least $1,000 put away between the two funds but right now I'm just trying to find some kind of balance and form regular habits.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Poking My Nose Out for an Update
I feel like the poor old groundhog, scared to look out for fear of seeing my shadow. My last post was 10 days ago and I talked about the necessity of creating a Pesach cleaning plan and making myself accountable. Then I disappeared.
Well, life happens. Specifically, new babies happen! No, not mine. My Eldest Daughter's. But combine a new baby (and one whole night with no sleep while my daughter was in labour) together with 3 little girls who are off school, the Olympics, two kiddie birthday parties, various and sundry family members and close friends traipsing in and out to see the little guy and, well, you get the idea.
What, if anything has been done?
Well, my son-in-law and his dad did get the drywall down, fixed what needed to be fixed, and then put up the drywall again. It still needs taping, mudding and sanding before much of anything can be done in Dear Child's room. I did go through the big bin that had been stored but Dear Child was thrilled to see most of the items after 3 years, my hubby vetoed getting rid of certain other items and it's still 3/4 full. Sigh. Honestly, I think she could have lived without the baby doll, the baby Cabbage Patch and 2 big stuffed Care Bears at the very least! I know some will say that I should have gone through the bin by myself or forced her to give away more, but I've been on the other end of it and I still recall how upset I was (back when I was about 11).
Other than that, I've done a lot of laundry and hung up more of DC's things (in my closet) and I started sorting out paperwork that's stacked on the trunk and table (in an area I'm not supposed to even be in yet). I also started to make a detailed list in excel based on a spreadsheet I saw elsewhere. I worked on it for about 2 hours and was very satisfied with it. I just wanted to add another worksheet for Things To Buy, so I did that and tried to edit the tab of the worksheet to say "To Buy" and excel totally messed up on me at that point. It tried to tell me there was something wrong with what I was calling it (there wasn't), and listed that it couldn't be more than so many characters, no special characters and couldn't be blank. It wouldn't let me get out of the tab, wouldn't let me switch to another sheet, wouldn't let me save, wouldn't even let me close excel! It took 2 tries using Task Manager to eventually force excel to close. Needless to say, I lost the entire thing. I was not a happy camper and went to bed that night in a huff! The next day I recreated it from scratch and successfully saved it. In fact, I improved on the format, but I still didn't like having to do all that work twice! And, of course, that was a "planning the work" segment. Still have to work the plan!
As for money, I've been paying my bills and trying to get the MasterCard back down to where it was before. I did pay off the flooring I bought but then ended up having to charge DC's birthday party, which was held out of the house for what should be obvious reasons! I've since paid down another $90. That pretty much covered last month's interest charge ($91.43). Then I paid part of the money for the party but have to wait another couple of weeks to finish paying that off. And, today, I charged the first 1/3 of DC's dental surgery. We're paying it in 3 payments, each a month apart. I'm hoping that my hubby will get paid the commission on a couple of bigger jobs he's done recently by the end of March. Then we can pay the surgery off and be done with it. The good news is that it turned out to cost considerably less than originally anticipated, about $1,700 when we'd been led to expect that it would be about $3,000.
Right now I'm just trying to get through the week until Thursday, when the surgery takes place. And take baby steps on my cleaning plan until then.
Well, life happens. Specifically, new babies happen! No, not mine. My Eldest Daughter's. But combine a new baby (and one whole night with no sleep while my daughter was in labour) together with 3 little girls who are off school, the Olympics, two kiddie birthday parties, various and sundry family members and close friends traipsing in and out to see the little guy and, well, you get the idea.
What, if anything has been done?
Well, my son-in-law and his dad did get the drywall down, fixed what needed to be fixed, and then put up the drywall again. It still needs taping, mudding and sanding before much of anything can be done in Dear Child's room. I did go through the big bin that had been stored but Dear Child was thrilled to see most of the items after 3 years, my hubby vetoed getting rid of certain other items and it's still 3/4 full. Sigh. Honestly, I think she could have lived without the baby doll, the baby Cabbage Patch and 2 big stuffed Care Bears at the very least! I know some will say that I should have gone through the bin by myself or forced her to give away more, but I've been on the other end of it and I still recall how upset I was (back when I was about 11).
Other than that, I've done a lot of laundry and hung up more of DC's things (in my closet) and I started sorting out paperwork that's stacked on the trunk and table (in an area I'm not supposed to even be in yet). I also started to make a detailed list in excel based on a spreadsheet I saw elsewhere. I worked on it for about 2 hours and was very satisfied with it. I just wanted to add another worksheet for Things To Buy, so I did that and tried to edit the tab of the worksheet to say "To Buy" and excel totally messed up on me at that point. It tried to tell me there was something wrong with what I was calling it (there wasn't), and listed that it couldn't be more than so many characters, no special characters and couldn't be blank. It wouldn't let me get out of the tab, wouldn't let me switch to another sheet, wouldn't let me save, wouldn't even let me close excel! It took 2 tries using Task Manager to eventually force excel to close. Needless to say, I lost the entire thing. I was not a happy camper and went to bed that night in a huff! The next day I recreated it from scratch and successfully saved it. In fact, I improved on the format, but I still didn't like having to do all that work twice! And, of course, that was a "planning the work" segment. Still have to work the plan!
As for money, I've been paying my bills and trying to get the MasterCard back down to where it was before. I did pay off the flooring I bought but then ended up having to charge DC's birthday party, which was held out of the house for what should be obvious reasons! I've since paid down another $90. That pretty much covered last month's interest charge ($91.43). Then I paid part of the money for the party but have to wait another couple of weeks to finish paying that off. And, today, I charged the first 1/3 of DC's dental surgery. We're paying it in 3 payments, each a month apart. I'm hoping that my hubby will get paid the commission on a couple of bigger jobs he's done recently by the end of March. Then we can pay the surgery off and be done with it. The good news is that it turned out to cost considerably less than originally anticipated, about $1,700 when we'd been led to expect that it would be about $3,000.
Right now I'm just trying to get through the week until Thursday, when the surgery takes place. And take baby steps on my cleaning plan until then.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Passover Planning
Okay, this is what I was talking about the other night when I was suffering from caffeine-induced insomnia. Passover starts the last week of March and it's already almost the middle of February. My house could politely be described as a mess. We clean for Passover so that we don't have any crumbs anywhere (because we have to get rid of all leavened products for the duration of the holiday). Generally, people also do a lot of other cleaning and tidying at the same time because it helps you find the leavened stuff (called chametz in Hebrew). Right now, I'm hard pressed to even find any horizontal surfaces in my home (including most of the floor) because everything from my daughter's room is all over everywhere.
I have bins of Barbies and stuffed animals, trays of art supplies, boxes of school projects and clothes, her globe, baskets of books, etc. etc. all over my living room. Most of the bins look like they've thrown up their contents. Then, I have her little table in the middle of my kitchen, the chairs in the living room, her comforter across the foot of my bed, her hanging clothes in my closet and her laundry on the floor by the foot of my bed. Oh yes, and her lamps on my dining room table.
My Dear Child's room is still empty and taped off. My Son-in-Law got to the point of replacing the ceiling drywall but found that it didn't all meet up evenly and that he couldn't find a place to sink some of the necessary drywall screws. His dad was in town for just a day or two, so didn't have time to work on it but the problem apparently also affects the kitchen floor upstairs. They need to remove the new drywall, do something up above and then replace it. Of course, after that the drywall will need taping, mudding and sanding (at least a couple of days, what with the mud needing to dry in between). Then he's going to texture the ceiling (which I loathe, but he says he can't do an even enough job to look totally flat, so the texture is necessary) and repaint some of the upper parts of her wall that got damaged during the process to date.
Unfortunately, his dad won't be back until after Eldest Daughter has the baby (any day now, so he'll probably return within the next couple of weeks) and I can't put in the new floor until the ceiling is finished. I don't want paint or drywall compound or drywall dust all over my new floor! And the floor isn't a single evening project. Did I mention that I can't put anything back in the bedroom until both ceiling and floor are finished?
The original plan I made for Passover had me finishing the floor and refilling her room by Jan 31st, spending the next 2 weeks on the living room, 2 weeks on the foyer and 3rd bedroom (including tiling the floor, moving furniture and assembling a wardrobe we've had for about 2 years already), 2 weeks in the master bedroom and, finally, 2 weeks in the kitchen (and adjacent bathroom) and also included doing tiling and replacing cabinets and counters!
Okay, it was ambitious. Very ambitious. I'm now at the point where I should be finishing the living room and I haven't started anything because of the whole situation with the bedroom! I'm frustrated and that's part of what's holding me back. Realistically, while I can't do many of the things I'm supposed to be doing (or should have already completed) there are small areas where I could do something.
For example, I could clean off the mantel and a couple of the bookshelves. I could try to clear off the chaise longue (although I'm not sure where I can put DC's coats) and I could buy the wooden frame from IKEA that is meant to hold her bins. I could assemble it, empty and clean the bins, then only put cleaned and checked toys back into the bins. Then those toys would be off limits until Passover (the hard part). I could also go through her big bin of toys that's been sitting in storage and is currently in our 3rd bedroom. Most of those toys have been outgrown I think and maybe I could get rid of a bunch of them. Then any toys I'm not willing or able to clean for Passover could go in the bin. Those toys could be played with in the interim and then the bin could be sealed shut and sold for the duration of Passover.
On the reno front, I could rip out the carpet in DC's room and lay the DriCore (because it doesn't matter if it gets paint or dust on it).
So, here's a basic revised plan, week by week:
1. Starting Sunday, work on accessible areas in the living room and do the floor prep in DC's room. Work on the bins and toys.
2. Work on the living room areas that are revealed when I move the toys. Clean up the part of the foyer where we put the shoes & DC's backpack. Once Hubby reorganizes the shed, move the boxes that belong there out of the foyer. Rip out carpet in 3rd bedroom and move big items around in it.
3. Tile & grout the floor in the foyer and 3rd bedroom. Move the furniture into their final places. Build the single wardrobe. Move my grandmother's trunk from beside the table into the 3rd bedroom.
4. Work on the master bedroom. Do floor in DC's room (by this time the ceiling had better be fixed!) and move all her stuff back in.
5. Finish the master bedroom. Finish the living room. Start work on the kitchen, beginning with table area and corner by bathroom. Clean fridge. Box up stuff to be sold for Passover (regular dishes, pots, etc.).
6. Continue work on the kitchen, whether I'm doing a reno or scrubbing out the existing lower cabinets. Do reno the upper cabinets at least so we'll have a place to put the Passover food (since the pantry cupboard is the one that fell apart a few months ago). Clean stove.
7. Finish up the kitchen on Sunday the 28th and start cooking for the seders (Monday & Tuesday nights).
Just looking at all of that is pretty scary. Remember, we're also going to have a new baby upstairs, I'm planning to go to the house for a couple of days during the 2nd week, Dear Child is off school until the end of the Olympics, she's having dental surgery on Feb. 25th and we'll be busy with Purim on the 28th (of Feb.). Oh right, and I work! But I don't have any better ideas. If I don't at least try to work this plan I won't be ready at all and what will we do then? Move out for the duration of Passover?
So, plan the work, work the plan. Rinse and repeat.
I have bins of Barbies and stuffed animals, trays of art supplies, boxes of school projects and clothes, her globe, baskets of books, etc. etc. all over my living room. Most of the bins look like they've thrown up their contents. Then, I have her little table in the middle of my kitchen, the chairs in the living room, her comforter across the foot of my bed, her hanging clothes in my closet and her laundry on the floor by the foot of my bed. Oh yes, and her lamps on my dining room table.
My Dear Child's room is still empty and taped off. My Son-in-Law got to the point of replacing the ceiling drywall but found that it didn't all meet up evenly and that he couldn't find a place to sink some of the necessary drywall screws. His dad was in town for just a day or two, so didn't have time to work on it but the problem apparently also affects the kitchen floor upstairs. They need to remove the new drywall, do something up above and then replace it. Of course, after that the drywall will need taping, mudding and sanding (at least a couple of days, what with the mud needing to dry in between). Then he's going to texture the ceiling (which I loathe, but he says he can't do an even enough job to look totally flat, so the texture is necessary) and repaint some of the upper parts of her wall that got damaged during the process to date.
Unfortunately, his dad won't be back until after Eldest Daughter has the baby (any day now, so he'll probably return within the next couple of weeks) and I can't put in the new floor until the ceiling is finished. I don't want paint or drywall compound or drywall dust all over my new floor! And the floor isn't a single evening project. Did I mention that I can't put anything back in the bedroom until both ceiling and floor are finished?
The original plan I made for Passover had me finishing the floor and refilling her room by Jan 31st, spending the next 2 weeks on the living room, 2 weeks on the foyer and 3rd bedroom (including tiling the floor, moving furniture and assembling a wardrobe we've had for about 2 years already), 2 weeks in the master bedroom and, finally, 2 weeks in the kitchen (and adjacent bathroom) and also included doing tiling and replacing cabinets and counters!
Okay, it was ambitious. Very ambitious. I'm now at the point where I should be finishing the living room and I haven't started anything because of the whole situation with the bedroom! I'm frustrated and that's part of what's holding me back. Realistically, while I can't do many of the things I'm supposed to be doing (or should have already completed) there are small areas where I could do something.
For example, I could clean off the mantel and a couple of the bookshelves. I could try to clear off the chaise longue (although I'm not sure where I can put DC's coats) and I could buy the wooden frame from IKEA that is meant to hold her bins. I could assemble it, empty and clean the bins, then only put cleaned and checked toys back into the bins. Then those toys would be off limits until Passover (the hard part). I could also go through her big bin of toys that's been sitting in storage and is currently in our 3rd bedroom. Most of those toys have been outgrown I think and maybe I could get rid of a bunch of them. Then any toys I'm not willing or able to clean for Passover could go in the bin. Those toys could be played with in the interim and then the bin could be sealed shut and sold for the duration of Passover.
On the reno front, I could rip out the carpet in DC's room and lay the DriCore (because it doesn't matter if it gets paint or dust on it).
So, here's a basic revised plan, week by week:
1. Starting Sunday, work on accessible areas in the living room and do the floor prep in DC's room. Work on the bins and toys.
2. Work on the living room areas that are revealed when I move the toys. Clean up the part of the foyer where we put the shoes & DC's backpack. Once Hubby reorganizes the shed, move the boxes that belong there out of the foyer. Rip out carpet in 3rd bedroom and move big items around in it.
3. Tile & grout the floor in the foyer and 3rd bedroom. Move the furniture into their final places. Build the single wardrobe. Move my grandmother's trunk from beside the table into the 3rd bedroom.
4. Work on the master bedroom. Do floor in DC's room (by this time the ceiling had better be fixed!) and move all her stuff back in.
5. Finish the master bedroom. Finish the living room. Start work on the kitchen, beginning with table area and corner by bathroom. Clean fridge. Box up stuff to be sold for Passover (regular dishes, pots, etc.).
6. Continue work on the kitchen, whether I'm doing a reno or scrubbing out the existing lower cabinets. Do reno the upper cabinets at least so we'll have a place to put the Passover food (since the pantry cupboard is the one that fell apart a few months ago). Clean stove.
7. Finish up the kitchen on Sunday the 28th and start cooking for the seders (Monday & Tuesday nights).
Just looking at all of that is pretty scary. Remember, we're also going to have a new baby upstairs, I'm planning to go to the house for a couple of days during the 2nd week, Dear Child is off school until the end of the Olympics, she's having dental surgery on Feb. 25th and we'll be busy with Purim on the 28th (of Feb.). Oh right, and I work! But I don't have any better ideas. If I don't at least try to work this plan I won't be ready at all and what will we do then? Move out for the duration of Passover?
So, plan the work, work the plan. Rinse and repeat.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thinking Out Loud
Note to Self: Don't drink Snapple. No matter how good it tastes. No matter if you're thirsty and are eating something spicy. Remember. Caffeine=No Sleep.
Windows has decided that it needs to do a big update in about 9 minutes, so we'll see how fast I can write a post. Given that it's a little after 3 am and I haven't been to sleep yet it may not be terribly coherent, but what's life without a challenge or two?
Speaking of challenges, I really have to start writing about my plans for cleaning up the house. Oh, and I have to actually clean too! Really, the reason I need to blog about it is that I need to be held accountable. Things are just really rough right now, work on Dear Child's ceiling is stalled, a lot of other things are happening right now and I'm not getting any cleaning done. Or any reno work.
I'm trying to decide how best to procede because Passover comes very early this year and I have a ton of work to do. I'm going to go think about it now (until I can sleep) and write more tomorrow (or later today).
Windows has decided that it needs to do a big update in about 9 minutes, so we'll see how fast I can write a post. Given that it's a little after 3 am and I haven't been to sleep yet it may not be terribly coherent, but what's life without a challenge or two?
Speaking of challenges, I really have to start writing about my plans for cleaning up the house. Oh, and I have to actually clean too! Really, the reason I need to blog about it is that I need to be held accountable. Things are just really rough right now, work on Dear Child's ceiling is stalled, a lot of other things are happening right now and I'm not getting any cleaning done. Or any reno work.
I'm trying to decide how best to procede because Passover comes very early this year and I have a ton of work to do. I'm going to go think about it now (until I can sleep) and write more tomorrow (or later today).
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Review Day & February Goals
It was Wednesday. It was payday. And my Hubby had transferred money to my account. Guess what I did this morning before breakfast? I paid bills, of course!
That made me think about my goals for the year. How am I doing with those? What should I work on this month?
Overall, I'm doing well with the money. Both the Home Depot payment plans are history. That's just over $1,500 worth of debt we've paid off between about November and now. I have post-dated cheques for another debt we're chewing away at and I'm on track with that. I've opened a TFSA and there's already $150 in it. I have $10/week going into my ING Emergency Fund. No, that's not a lot but it's going in there nice and regular. The IKEA account is all paid off and can no longer be used because they changed companies that provide the credit card services. As of today, I think I'm current on all my bills. The one thing I still need to do for this pay period is to go to the credit union, take out $45 in cash and then deposit it into my other credit union via the ATM. That's the set-aside money each payday for my electric bill, garbage, property taxes and fuel oil at our rural home. Next winter, when it's time for a fuel oil delivery, I'll have the money all saved up.
On the other hand, I've been charging stuff for the city house on my MasterCard. In fact, Capital One put a fraud hold on my card after the third time I used it in 2 days! What did I buy? I spent $20.11 at IKEA on 4 D cell batteries, 10 votive candle holders and a pair of sheer drapes (2 panels). I bought $129.37 worth of DriCore (including a levelling kit) at one Home Depot and, the next day at a different Home Depot, I spent $229.75 on tiles for the foyer and 3rd bedroom, as well as concealing film for the bedroom windows, a closet pole that will fit Dear Child's closet at the rural house (it's an odd size) and a grouting sponge. Bad? Not really. I had to buy the reno supplies before the end of January to be able to cash in on the home renovation tax credit. And I needed the supplies to finish important projects that will make our part of the house a lot better looking. Plus, I've paid down $149.48 of that already today.
The fraud thing was actually pretty funny. I've barely used the card over the past year or more, so 3 transactions in 2 days was obviously suspicious! I got that all straightened out with a quick phone call.
What are my goals for February?
1. Pay for Dear Child's birthday party.
2. Pay at least $229.75 to MasterCard
3. Stay current with all the other bills.
4. Get the treatment plan for DC's dental surgery and figure out how to pay for that.
5. Make arrangements for Dog's Passover vacation and pay at least $100 towards that.
Got any goals for February that you'd like to share?
That made me think about my goals for the year. How am I doing with those? What should I work on this month?
Overall, I'm doing well with the money. Both the Home Depot payment plans are history. That's just over $1,500 worth of debt we've paid off between about November and now. I have post-dated cheques for another debt we're chewing away at and I'm on track with that. I've opened a TFSA and there's already $150 in it. I have $10/week going into my ING Emergency Fund. No, that's not a lot but it's going in there nice and regular. The IKEA account is all paid off and can no longer be used because they changed companies that provide the credit card services. As of today, I think I'm current on all my bills. The one thing I still need to do for this pay period is to go to the credit union, take out $45 in cash and then deposit it into my other credit union via the ATM. That's the set-aside money each payday for my electric bill, garbage, property taxes and fuel oil at our rural home. Next winter, when it's time for a fuel oil delivery, I'll have the money all saved up.
On the other hand, I've been charging stuff for the city house on my MasterCard. In fact, Capital One put a fraud hold on my card after the third time I used it in 2 days! What did I buy? I spent $20.11 at IKEA on 4 D cell batteries, 10 votive candle holders and a pair of sheer drapes (2 panels). I bought $129.37 worth of DriCore (including a levelling kit) at one Home Depot and, the next day at a different Home Depot, I spent $229.75 on tiles for the foyer and 3rd bedroom, as well as concealing film for the bedroom windows, a closet pole that will fit Dear Child's closet at the rural house (it's an odd size) and a grouting sponge. Bad? Not really. I had to buy the reno supplies before the end of January to be able to cash in on the home renovation tax credit. And I needed the supplies to finish important projects that will make our part of the house a lot better looking. Plus, I've paid down $149.48 of that already today.
The fraud thing was actually pretty funny. I've barely used the card over the past year or more, so 3 transactions in 2 days was obviously suspicious! I got that all straightened out with a quick phone call.
What are my goals for February?
1. Pay for Dear Child's birthday party.
2. Pay at least $229.75 to MasterCard
3. Stay current with all the other bills.
4. Get the treatment plan for DC's dental surgery and figure out how to pay for that.
5. Make arrangements for Dog's Passover vacation and pay at least $100 towards that.
Got any goals for February that you'd like to share?
Friday, April 17, 2009
Slowly Getting Back to Normal
Well, Pesach is over. I'm not turning the kitchen back until after Shabbos though. It's just too much work. Especially when we have to go to our paid employment tomorrow morning. Dear Child is still off school and could stay home with her brother-in-law and the girls but has voted to go to work with Abba [Daddy] for the day instead. I'm going to leave work an hour early and pick her up on the way to go get Dog!
It has been a very expensive time, as it is every year, and I'm going to have to sit down and figure it all out sooner or later. Last year was the first time I put my notes, menus, shopping lists, etc. onto the computer and I'm planning to update all of this year's stuff with how it went very soon (before I forget). What got wasted? What went over like a lead balloon? What was finished off way too early? What did DC like last year but not this year or vice versa?
Right off the top, we did much better this year with getting the right amount of matzo. I've got about 1 lb. left, mostly broken up pieces. We have 4 bottles of grape juice out of six but that's not a problem because they were a couple of bucks per bottle cheaper than the ones I usually buy. Not a different brand, a different place. We'll use them over the next couple of months and that will help lower the weekly grocery bills over that time period.
I also have 4 or possibly 5 bottles of wine left. Now, one bottle is because my son brought 2 bottles to the seder when I thought he was just bringing one. But I'm surprised that I have so much wine left when I think I had more people drinking wine this year than usual. I know Eldest Son normally has 1 glass of wine and the other 3 grape juice when he has to drive home. This year they all slept over so he had wine. Hubby had less wine the second night, after having a headache the first day, but I don't think anybody else did. And there were no pregnant or nursing mothers this year. Again, it's not a problem per se. Shabbos comes around every week and it will be lovely to make kiddush on wine. We've been using grape juice for quite a while because we couldn't afford wine. But I paid a lot of money for the wine. The bottles I bought ranged in price from $9 to $25 and that's all money I actually spent up front because BC Liquor Control doesn't allow you to run a tab (for obvious reasons)! That's $69 (or $78, if there's still a bottle of Manischewitz left) that could have been put to other things.
Like my tab at 2 kosher food stores. Yes, I tabbed most of the food (the meat, dairy and a bunch of grocery items, plus candles) and will be paying it off over time. So it makes me a little sick to my stomach to realize that one $21 roasting chicken has been sitting thawed out in the back of my fridge on the bottom shelf for the past 8 days, behind a bunch of other stuff. I don't think it can be safe to eat any more but it's going to hurt to have to throw it out.
As I mentioned previously, I bought a new kind of Shabbos warming tray and never used it (partly because it's too big for my counter space and partly because it only has one heat all over). I'm going to try to take it back but I don't know if they'll refund my money or not. We'll see. It was $95 though, so it's really worth trying.
It's getting late though, and I have to get up in the morning so I'm going to go to bed now. I doubt that I'll have time to write tomorrow before Shabbos, what with the 2 hours it will take to bring Dog home and all, but I'll be back soon. Maybe Motzai Shabbos [Saturday night, after dark] or on Sunday.
It has been a very expensive time, as it is every year, and I'm going to have to sit down and figure it all out sooner or later. Last year was the first time I put my notes, menus, shopping lists, etc. onto the computer and I'm planning to update all of this year's stuff with how it went very soon (before I forget). What got wasted? What went over like a lead balloon? What was finished off way too early? What did DC like last year but not this year or vice versa?
Right off the top, we did much better this year with getting the right amount of matzo. I've got about 1 lb. left, mostly broken up pieces. We have 4 bottles of grape juice out of six but that's not a problem because they were a couple of bucks per bottle cheaper than the ones I usually buy. Not a different brand, a different place. We'll use them over the next couple of months and that will help lower the weekly grocery bills over that time period.
I also have 4 or possibly 5 bottles of wine left. Now, one bottle is because my son brought 2 bottles to the seder when I thought he was just bringing one. But I'm surprised that I have so much wine left when I think I had more people drinking wine this year than usual. I know Eldest Son normally has 1 glass of wine and the other 3 grape juice when he has to drive home. This year they all slept over so he had wine. Hubby had less wine the second night, after having a headache the first day, but I don't think anybody else did. And there were no pregnant or nursing mothers this year. Again, it's not a problem per se. Shabbos comes around every week and it will be lovely to make kiddush on wine. We've been using grape juice for quite a while because we couldn't afford wine. But I paid a lot of money for the wine. The bottles I bought ranged in price from $9 to $25 and that's all money I actually spent up front because BC Liquor Control doesn't allow you to run a tab (for obvious reasons)! That's $69 (or $78, if there's still a bottle of Manischewitz left) that could have been put to other things.
Like my tab at 2 kosher food stores. Yes, I tabbed most of the food (the meat, dairy and a bunch of grocery items, plus candles) and will be paying it off over time. So it makes me a little sick to my stomach to realize that one $21 roasting chicken has been sitting thawed out in the back of my fridge on the bottom shelf for the past 8 days, behind a bunch of other stuff. I don't think it can be safe to eat any more but it's going to hurt to have to throw it out.
As I mentioned previously, I bought a new kind of Shabbos warming tray and never used it (partly because it's too big for my counter space and partly because it only has one heat all over). I'm going to try to take it back but I don't know if they'll refund my money or not. We'll see. It was $95 though, so it's really worth trying.
It's getting late though, and I have to get up in the morning so I'm going to go to bed now. I doubt that I'll have time to write tomorrow before Shabbos, what with the 2 hours it will take to bring Dog home and all, but I'll be back soon. Maybe Motzai Shabbos [Saturday night, after dark] or on Sunday.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Where's Dog When You Need Him?
The title of this post is Dear Child's new favorite saying. She really misses Dog, who has gone off on his annual Passover vacation. I'm sure he's having a riot. The place where he goes has 3 big dogs of their own, plus daycare and a couple of boarding dogs at any given time. They go for huge, challenging walks every single day and eat a raw food diet.
We, on the other hand, are missing him quite a lot. There's nobody to curl up behind my knees when I lie down in bed or on the couch. There's nobody to drink up the leftover milk from Dear Child's Pesach cereal or to ask for the bones from the lamb chops. There's nobody to bounce up to you when you come in the door from being out someplace or to check out what you're doing when you open the fridge. There's nobody to turn a somersault in your lap and ask to have his belly scratched or to lick Dear Child's feet as she wakes up in the morning.
We won't get him back until Friday but maybe we'll get some pictures emailed to us in the interim....
We, on the other hand, are missing him quite a lot. There's nobody to curl up behind my knees when I lie down in bed or on the couch. There's nobody to drink up the leftover milk from Dear Child's Pesach cereal or to ask for the bones from the lamb chops. There's nobody to bounce up to you when you come in the door from being out someplace or to check out what you're doing when you open the fridge. There's nobody to turn a somersault in your lap and ask to have his belly scratched or to lick Dear Child's feet as she wakes up in the morning.
We won't get him back until Friday but maybe we'll get some pictures emailed to us in the interim....
Turning the Kitchen Over Part Two
Okay, I was way too busy and way too far behind to get on the computer again before Passover started and then we had 3 days where you can't go online in a row (two days of Yom Tov, followed immediately by Shabbat).
I did get one vote for tiling but I ended up just working like a maniac instead. It was hell. I hate that it always comes down to the wire.
But the house looks really good. We had both seders. The first one was downstairs in our space with just us and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law because my father-in-law (who has been having some fairly serious health problems) didn't feel well. We actually had fun, although Dear Child didn't make it all the way to the end. She fell asleep after Kos Elijahu (the Cup of Elijah) and before the song she wanted to sing at the end (an English version of 'Who Knows One?'). We ended up singing it in Hebrew instead. But she found the afikomen and got her prize.
The second night we had it upstairs and all the kids and grandkids were there. It starts later, so the girls went to bed after midnight and I was actually up with one of my sons until probably about 2 am, talking! Only the baby fell asleep in the middle. The others were bouncy to pretty well the end. Dear Child finally led Mah Nishtanah (the Four Questions), relieving my 24 year old son of his annual obligation as the (former) youngest child able to sing them. And she sat in my lap to do Who Knows One? and Had Gadya (which she liked until a few days ago when she really started looking at the words and got freaked out over the Malach HaMavet [Angel of Death]).
I went to shul the second day and took the baby with me because I can use a stroller on Yom Tov (unlike Shabbat) and she had a great time. Nobody went the other 2 days because it was raining and walking for an hour and a quarter in the rain, pushing strollers, is Not Fun.
From now until sundown Tuesday are the intermediate days of the festival, when we can do regular things. I've been online, catching up on all the PF blogs I usually read and watching the episodes of Survivor and Dollhouse that we'd set up to tape. As I went from blog to blog it seemed like a huge number of major things had happened in the few days I'd been disconnected. People in car accidents, relatives dying, relationships ending, medical crises. I actually felt pretty overwhelmed. I got kind of sidetracked, writing comments or emails to people and almost didn't come post here!
Well, it's very late, so I'm off to bed. Just one last thing before I go. I think the thing I did that I was most proud of was that I washed the dishes the second night course by course. As I'd bring the soup bowls or whatever downstairs I'd quickly wash them as I was filling plates to send upstairs for the next course. I can't tell you how good it felt to get up on Friday morning and not be faced with a stack of greasy dishes!
I did get one vote for tiling but I ended up just working like a maniac instead. It was hell. I hate that it always comes down to the wire.
But the house looks really good. We had both seders. The first one was downstairs in our space with just us and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law because my father-in-law (who has been having some fairly serious health problems) didn't feel well. We actually had fun, although Dear Child didn't make it all the way to the end. She fell asleep after Kos Elijahu (the Cup of Elijah) and before the song she wanted to sing at the end (an English version of 'Who Knows One?'). We ended up singing it in Hebrew instead. But she found the afikomen and got her prize.
The second night we had it upstairs and all the kids and grandkids were there. It starts later, so the girls went to bed after midnight and I was actually up with one of my sons until probably about 2 am, talking! Only the baby fell asleep in the middle. The others were bouncy to pretty well the end. Dear Child finally led Mah Nishtanah (the Four Questions), relieving my 24 year old son of his annual obligation as the (former) youngest child able to sing them. And she sat in my lap to do Who Knows One? and Had Gadya (which she liked until a few days ago when she really started looking at the words and got freaked out over the Malach HaMavet [Angel of Death]).
I went to shul the second day and took the baby with me because I can use a stroller on Yom Tov (unlike Shabbat) and she had a great time. Nobody went the other 2 days because it was raining and walking for an hour and a quarter in the rain, pushing strollers, is Not Fun.
From now until sundown Tuesday are the intermediate days of the festival, when we can do regular things. I've been online, catching up on all the PF blogs I usually read and watching the episodes of Survivor and Dollhouse that we'd set up to tape. As I went from blog to blog it seemed like a huge number of major things had happened in the few days I'd been disconnected. People in car accidents, relatives dying, relationships ending, medical crises. I actually felt pretty overwhelmed. I got kind of sidetracked, writing comments or emails to people and almost didn't come post here!
Well, it's very late, so I'm off to bed. Just one last thing before I go. I think the thing I did that I was most proud of was that I washed the dishes the second night course by course. As I'd bring the soup bowls or whatever downstairs I'd quickly wash them as I was filling plates to send upstairs for the next course. I can't tell you how good it felt to get up on Friday morning and not be faced with a stack of greasy dishes!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Turning the Kitchen Over Part One
Well, I'm still massively behind on my Pesach cleaning but I'm on track with the kitchen!
On Thursday I received my dairy order, which meant that I had to clean most of my fridge. I still have to clean the big bottom glass shelf that covers the vegetable bins and the bottom shelf on the door (where the last of the chametz has been hanging out) but I'll do that tomorrow. Upstairs. In Eldest Daughter's bathtub, seeing as I still don't have a functional one of my own.
I made a point of "using up" food for Shabbat and after Shabbos was over I cleared the counters, scrubbed them, cleaned the stove top, scrubbed the burner pans with steel wool, scrubbed the double sink with steel wool and then self-cleaned the oven (sticking the burner pans in there on the rack). Now everything has to sit for 24 hours and then I can kasher the kitchen. That entails self-cleaning the oven again, pouring boiling water over the counters and sink and turning the burners up to max for at least 10 minutes each. Then I can cover the counters again with transparent contact paper.
I still have to scrub the inside of the pots & pans cupboard and the pantry cupboard and then line them so I can put stuff inside.
Since I can't kasher the kitchen until the middle of the night tomorrow night I am faced with the dilemma of what to do Sunday during the day. I have lots of general cleaning to do but there is also the tiling. Do I clean, or do I tile? If I don't tile I won't have a usable bathroom until a week or two after Pesach ends. If I tile on Sunday and grout on Monday my son-in-law can put in the vanity, countertop, new toilet etc. whenever he can. Well, he'd have to put in the toilet Monday night but the other stuff could go in then or when he's off on the following Sunday and Monday (he has a whole 5 days off at the beginning of Passover). And I could build the wardrobe in my multitudinous spare time (HA!) on Monday or Tuesday and put the coats into it.
But that cuts into my time for doing things like reboxing papers and suchlike and sticking them into the bottom of the closet. Or for reorganizing the storage room to try to get more into there. I have to spend some time on Dear Child's room because it's still full of boxes and I can't even get at her table and chairs, which I need for the kid's table at the seder! I have a bunch of laundry to do and the rooms all need to have floors washed, swept or vacuumed.
What will I do? I honestly don't know yet. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow. Stay tuned for Part Two!
On Thursday I received my dairy order, which meant that I had to clean most of my fridge. I still have to clean the big bottom glass shelf that covers the vegetable bins and the bottom shelf on the door (where the last of the chametz has been hanging out) but I'll do that tomorrow. Upstairs. In Eldest Daughter's bathtub, seeing as I still don't have a functional one of my own.
I made a point of "using up" food for Shabbat and after Shabbos was over I cleared the counters, scrubbed them, cleaned the stove top, scrubbed the burner pans with steel wool, scrubbed the double sink with steel wool and then self-cleaned the oven (sticking the burner pans in there on the rack). Now everything has to sit for 24 hours and then I can kasher the kitchen. That entails self-cleaning the oven again, pouring boiling water over the counters and sink and turning the burners up to max for at least 10 minutes each. Then I can cover the counters again with transparent contact paper.
I still have to scrub the inside of the pots & pans cupboard and the pantry cupboard and then line them so I can put stuff inside.
Since I can't kasher the kitchen until the middle of the night tomorrow night I am faced with the dilemma of what to do Sunday during the day. I have lots of general cleaning to do but there is also the tiling. Do I clean, or do I tile? If I don't tile I won't have a usable bathroom until a week or two after Pesach ends. If I tile on Sunday and grout on Monday my son-in-law can put in the vanity, countertop, new toilet etc. whenever he can. Well, he'd have to put in the toilet Monday night but the other stuff could go in then or when he's off on the following Sunday and Monday (he has a whole 5 days off at the beginning of Passover). And I could build the wardrobe in my multitudinous spare time (HA!) on Monday or Tuesday and put the coats into it.
But that cuts into my time for doing things like reboxing papers and suchlike and sticking them into the bottom of the closet. Or for reorganizing the storage room to try to get more into there. I have to spend some time on Dear Child's room because it's still full of boxes and I can't even get at her table and chairs, which I need for the kid's table at the seder! I have a bunch of laundry to do and the rooms all need to have floors washed, swept or vacuumed.
What will I do? I honestly don't know yet. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow. Stay tuned for Part Two!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Not a Wednesday to Write Home About
I went to work for a couple of hours. I came home. I slept for a while. I packed the contents of the dairy pots and pans shelf. I did some banking. I picked up Dear Child and came home, then went back to work after dinner. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home. And I should be asleep now but I'm blogging instead.
The weather was disgusting. It snowed. Not much, and very wet snow, so it didn't stick. But really. It was April 1st. If I wanted to live somewhere where it snows in April I'd be in Minnesota or New York State or Toronto.
Today was Wednesday. Next Wednesday night is the first seder. I am so not nearly ready that I'm starting to have panic attacks. That was why I forced myself to get up and pack that box. I should have done the meat shelf at the same time and then scrubbed out the cupboard. But I didn't and I'll pay for that tomorrow or later this week. I did do a ton of work on Sunday but I've been feeling sicker ever since then and I'm tired all the time.
I work all day tomorrow and then am home all evening. I really need to do a lot of work then in the kitchen. Right now, just packing up all the everyday stuff so I can scrub everything down and then get out the Passover pots, pans, dishes, etc. is the most important thing. Friday is the last day I'm cooking. After Shabbos I have to clean the stove and self-clean the oven to clean it. Sunday night I have to self-clean it again to make it kosher for Pesach. Monday I have to start cooking for the seders and Shabbos. Plus I have to finish cleaning the rest of the house and be finished by Tuesday night!
The weather was disgusting. It snowed. Not much, and very wet snow, so it didn't stick. But really. It was April 1st. If I wanted to live somewhere where it snows in April I'd be in Minnesota or New York State or Toronto.
Today was Wednesday. Next Wednesday night is the first seder. I am so not nearly ready that I'm starting to have panic attacks. That was why I forced myself to get up and pack that box. I should have done the meat shelf at the same time and then scrubbed out the cupboard. But I didn't and I'll pay for that tomorrow or later this week. I did do a ton of work on Sunday but I've been feeling sicker ever since then and I'm tired all the time.
I work all day tomorrow and then am home all evening. I really need to do a lot of work then in the kitchen. Right now, just packing up all the everyday stuff so I can scrub everything down and then get out the Passover pots, pans, dishes, etc. is the most important thing. Friday is the last day I'm cooking. After Shabbos I have to clean the stove and self-clean the oven to clean it. Sunday night I have to self-clean it again to make it kosher for Pesach. Monday I have to start cooking for the seders and Shabbos. Plus I have to finish cleaning the rest of the house and be finished by Tuesday night!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Lots O' Progress and a No Spend Day
Wow. I was really busy today.
I donated 6 boxes of books (about 1/2 of them hard cover) to charity (and still have 2 more small boxes, 1 of non-English books to give to the nursing home and 1 of Jewish books in English to give to the Jewish library).
I took 3 boxes of household items to Value Village.
I donated 2 bags of clothes (one was a bag Eldest Daughter packed but it was mostly things I'd passed along to her to take what she wanted first).
The front foyer is not tiled but it is basically empty and it's clean for Pesach! All that remains in it are 2 boxes containing an IKEA wardrobe (to be built as soon as the tiling is done), a small stack of the floor tiles I'm putting down there, the bags of thinset and grout, the 5 gallon bucket for mixing the thinset and the trowels.
I also cleaned out my clothes from the master bedroom closet and went through all the boxes on the closet floor!
And I washed, dried and put away 2 loads of laundry. I'm exhausted, but I feel like I did a lot. I'm still disappointed that I didn't get the tiling done. I really want to do it before Pesach so I can get the bathroom finished. It would really be nice to have a sink back in there and to be able to use the new tub. I just don't know when I can do it though. It will take me the better part of a day to tile, the next day is for grouting and then things can go back into place. A Sunday is clearly the best time for the actual tiling but next Sunday is when I'm supposed to turn the kitchen over, which is pretty much an all day thing in and of itself. I don't want to put myself in the position of turning the kitchen over late and not leaving myself enough time to cook for the seders and Shabbos (which follow each other 1, 2, 3 this year so I really need to have cooking done in advance).
At least all of this work today has freed up enough good boxes (along with some I'd already accumulated) that I can start boxing up the kitchen now. Well, not right now. Maybe tomorrow.
Right now I'm planning on going to bed and to sleep. I slept a lot on Shabbos but I'm still on the mend from what turned out to be strep throat and I need more rest. But today was a very successful day and I didn't spend a cent!
I donated 6 boxes of books (about 1/2 of them hard cover) to charity (and still have 2 more small boxes, 1 of non-English books to give to the nursing home and 1 of Jewish books in English to give to the Jewish library).
I took 3 boxes of household items to Value Village.
I donated 2 bags of clothes (one was a bag Eldest Daughter packed but it was mostly things I'd passed along to her to take what she wanted first).
The front foyer is not tiled but it is basically empty and it's clean for Pesach! All that remains in it are 2 boxes containing an IKEA wardrobe (to be built as soon as the tiling is done), a small stack of the floor tiles I'm putting down there, the bags of thinset and grout, the 5 gallon bucket for mixing the thinset and the trowels.
I also cleaned out my clothes from the master bedroom closet and went through all the boxes on the closet floor!
And I washed, dried and put away 2 loads of laundry. I'm exhausted, but I feel like I did a lot. I'm still disappointed that I didn't get the tiling done. I really want to do it before Pesach so I can get the bathroom finished. It would really be nice to have a sink back in there and to be able to use the new tub. I just don't know when I can do it though. It will take me the better part of a day to tile, the next day is for grouting and then things can go back into place. A Sunday is clearly the best time for the actual tiling but next Sunday is when I'm supposed to turn the kitchen over, which is pretty much an all day thing in and of itself. I don't want to put myself in the position of turning the kitchen over late and not leaving myself enough time to cook for the seders and Shabbos (which follow each other 1, 2, 3 this year so I really need to have cooking done in advance).
At least all of this work today has freed up enough good boxes (along with some I'd already accumulated) that I can start boxing up the kitchen now. Well, not right now. Maybe tomorrow.
Right now I'm planning on going to bed and to sleep. I slept a lot on Shabbos but I'm still on the mend from what turned out to be strep throat and I need more rest. But today was a very successful day and I didn't spend a cent!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Ticking Items Off the List
Well, I was busy today! No, I didn't tile the floors, but we did move a bookshelf from the living room into the bedroom (which necessitated moving a bunch of stuff and tipping my bed on its side so we could get the bookshelf upright -- love those 7 foot ceilings!). It was blocking the glass front one that I wanted hubby to attach to the wall in the living room. Somehow we never got that far.
But I did clear off our nightable and windowsill and clean them. I also cleaned the inside of our bedroom window and the outside of ALL our windows! We vacuumed under my bed while it was on its side and my hubby filled the new bookshelf with all his music and sports magazines.
Maybe we can finish with the glass front shelves tomorrow. Then I can empty the 6 boxes in Dear Child's room into there.
On Friday I finally got my missing pay and my benefit cheque as well as two other small ones. I made it to both banks and also used the credit union ATM to deposit to my other credit union account in the Okanagan. The benefit cheque went in there to cover 2 months worth of electic at the house, the pay one went into the credit union here to pay for part of the cost of Dog's upcoming vacation and the other 2 cheques reduced my overdraft slightly.
Oh yes, and I baked cinnamon buns today! I was busy, I tell you.
But I did clear off our nightable and windowsill and clean them. I also cleaned the inside of our bedroom window and the outside of ALL our windows! We vacuumed under my bed while it was on its side and my hubby filled the new bookshelf with all his music and sports magazines.
Maybe we can finish with the glass front shelves tomorrow. Then I can empty the 6 boxes in Dear Child's room into there.
On Friday I finally got my missing pay and my benefit cheque as well as two other small ones. I made it to both banks and also used the credit union ATM to deposit to my other credit union account in the Okanagan. The benefit cheque went in there to cover 2 months worth of electic at the house, the pay one went into the credit union here to pay for part of the cost of Dog's upcoming vacation and the other 2 cheques reduced my overdraft slightly.
Oh yes, and I baked cinnamon buns today! I was busy, I tell you.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Payday Wednesday and Some Progress
I got paid today and received the pay advice while I was at work (usually it's sent to my home). I opened it and just about had a heart attack when I looked at the amount. I knew the cheque was going to be a little smaller than my past few cheques because I didn't work quite as many hours as usual but I wasn't expecting it to be around $250 smaller!
I pulled up my time sheet and compared it to my pay advice and discovered it was 9 hours short, compared to what I'd actually worked. That'll do it. I called the accountant at our Head Office back east and she promised to correct it tomorrow. So I'll have a cheque for roughly the net difference in my hands sometime on Friday (G-d willing).
Regardless, I still needed to take care of some business today. My son-in-law was off, so I was able to work until 2:30 pm. Dear Child was having early dismissal again today, so I picked her up and went to update my passbook. We went to Pini's Pizza on the way home (our local kosher pizza place) but not for pizza. They also stock groceries and I wanted a few very specific things for Passover before they disappeared from the store.
When I went through my menus from last Pesach and the notes I wrote just afterwards I saw that we had bought and enjoyed fish sticks with a potato coating twice last year. So I bought another 2 boxes, double bagged them and stuck them in the freezer. I also bought shmurah matzo meal, a special (stricter) form of matzo meal where the grain used to make the matzos was watched from the time it was harvested to make sure it couldn't have gotten wet (which would disqualify it from being used for Passover). And I bought us each a small package of cheese puffs, which are almost never available (at least not kosher). Those we ate in the car before we ever got home! Hey, everybody needs a treat now and then.
When we got home I made chocolate chunk cookies with DC and my 4 year old granddaughter because I'd promised we'd do it today before I got so sick. After that I went to bed for a while and Hubby took the girls to Play Dome (a spring break midway under the dome at BC Place). I lay around with the TV off, read some blogs, had a cup of chai tea and just generally tried to get a bit of rest. Well, I started a load of laundry too, but that just takes a couple of minutes.
When they came home I got dinner started (veggie cheeseburgers with mushrooms on challah buns) but turned the final part over to Hubby and went back to bed until it was ready. After we ate I rebooted the laundry and did a bit of work in DC's room. I got 3 or 4 more boxes into her closet, verified that 6 other boxes in her room contain fragile items that are supposed to go in the glass front cabinet (assuming it ever gets attached to the wall) and went through part of a box of clothes. Her room still isn't done but it's looking a little emptier every day. As for working on my bedroom, that was kind of what the load of laundry was all about. The clothes were all scattered about and now they're a) clean and b) not lying on the floor.
I paid the overdue portion of my cell bill and wrote cheques for Dog's upcoming boarding (or as we like to think of it, his vacation). Oh yes, and I cleaned out most of the fridge. When you consider how sick I am, I really accomplished a lot. Too bad there's still so much more to do.
I pulled up my time sheet and compared it to my pay advice and discovered it was 9 hours short, compared to what I'd actually worked. That'll do it. I called the accountant at our Head Office back east and she promised to correct it tomorrow. So I'll have a cheque for roughly the net difference in my hands sometime on Friday (G-d willing).
Regardless, I still needed to take care of some business today. My son-in-law was off, so I was able to work until 2:30 pm. Dear Child was having early dismissal again today, so I picked her up and went to update my passbook. We went to Pini's Pizza on the way home (our local kosher pizza place) but not for pizza. They also stock groceries and I wanted a few very specific things for Passover before they disappeared from the store.
When I went through my menus from last Pesach and the notes I wrote just afterwards I saw that we had bought and enjoyed fish sticks with a potato coating twice last year. So I bought another 2 boxes, double bagged them and stuck them in the freezer. I also bought shmurah matzo meal, a special (stricter) form of matzo meal where the grain used to make the matzos was watched from the time it was harvested to make sure it couldn't have gotten wet (which would disqualify it from being used for Passover). And I bought us each a small package of cheese puffs, which are almost never available (at least not kosher). Those we ate in the car before we ever got home! Hey, everybody needs a treat now and then.
When we got home I made chocolate chunk cookies with DC and my 4 year old granddaughter because I'd promised we'd do it today before I got so sick. After that I went to bed for a while and Hubby took the girls to Play Dome (a spring break midway under the dome at BC Place). I lay around with the TV off, read some blogs, had a cup of chai tea and just generally tried to get a bit of rest. Well, I started a load of laundry too, but that just takes a couple of minutes.
When they came home I got dinner started (veggie cheeseburgers with mushrooms on challah buns) but turned the final part over to Hubby and went back to bed until it was ready. After we ate I rebooted the laundry and did a bit of work in DC's room. I got 3 or 4 more boxes into her closet, verified that 6 other boxes in her room contain fragile items that are supposed to go in the glass front cabinet (assuming it ever gets attached to the wall) and went through part of a box of clothes. Her room still isn't done but it's looking a little emptier every day. As for working on my bedroom, that was kind of what the load of laundry was all about. The clothes were all scattered about and now they're a) clean and b) not lying on the floor.
I paid the overdue portion of my cell bill and wrote cheques for Dog's upcoming boarding (or as we like to think of it, his vacation). Oh yes, and I cleaned out most of the fridge. When you consider how sick I am, I really accomplished a lot. Too bad there's still so much more to do.
Monday, March 16, 2009
To Dos and Ta Das
Here is my To Do List for today, with what I accomplished marked off on it.
Go to IKEA
Buy pink and white bins for Dear Child’s room DONE
Ask about white cover to fit sofa bed NO
Look at quilt covers DONE
Look at kitchen cabinets NO
Go through big toy box and weed out DONE
Go through non-fragile boxes in DC’s room, eliminate, consolidate & put in DC’s closet IN PROG
Do laundry, get it all off DC’s bed IN PROG
Buy new frying pan DONE
Take clothes for donation DONE
Take books for donation NO
Take other household items for donation NO
This week I've been concentrating on my Dear Child's room. I went to IKEA because there was no way I could organize her room without some more bins. Every time I look her Barbie dolls and Webkinz have multiplied again. I can barely find her bed under all the stuffed animals (okay and laundry too, because the laundry equipment is on the other side of the door in her room that leads to the other half of the house). Clean, unfolded laundry tends to end up at the foot of her bed.
I did 2 loads of laundry and still need to do more, especially white laundry. I also went through 3 boxes in her room and got rid of 2. No, I didn't get rid of everything in 2 boxes. I repacked the biggest box, took things out I need to use, threw away some junk, recycled a phone book, etc. And some things are still lying around, waiting for a more appropriate box to go into.
I got rid of a huge box from the restoration company that was mostly junk in the form of baby toys (rattles, anyone?), stuffed animals she never played with and sadly deflated balls and balloons. Cleverly, I did this while she was at a play date because (like her mother) DC refuses to part with the smallest scrap of paper, gift from strangers holding yard sales, etc. This was all stuff she hadn't seen or played with in at least 2 and a half years and I kept toys that actually held meaning (like the crocheted Beatrix Potter character) or that I knew she'd really play with (like a Ken to go with all those Barbies). But it wasn't in her room. No, it was in the living room.
I also took Eldest Daughter to Wal-Mart for something she wanted and managed to get a replacement for my frying pan, which met a burnt and sticky end the other week when Hubby left the heat on under it after dinner was done. And I dropped off 2 bags of outgrown kiddy clothes and toys in good shape in one of those big metal bins. I meant to go back with some of the books I'm getting rid of because they have a book bin beside the clothing one but it started to snow again so I didn't. It looks like you have to feed the bin one book at a time and I have a big box. I'd rather do it on a decent day. And I'm still not sure where to take the miscellaneous household items. Is there a place to drop things off at Value Village?
Yes, I said it was snowing. This is just ridiculous. All the spring flowers are out and I saw pussy willows on the trees a few days ago. It isn't supposed to snow here, period. And certainly not during Spring Break. Luckily, it was very wet snow and has totally disappeared already. Of course, it may start again in the middle of the night but I sincerely hope not.
Anyway, what does any of this have to do with my financial situation? Well, I must admit, I put the stuff from IKEA (about $45 worth) on my IKEA card. It has a horrible interest rate (28%) but I haven't been carrying a balance and I do hope to pay off the card in a timely manner. I'm afraid Pesach is usually a time when there's a fair bit of juggling in order to pay for everything but at least I get 3 paycheques next month.
Go to IKEA
Buy pink and white bins for Dear Child’s room DONE
Ask about white cover to fit sofa bed NO
Look at quilt covers DONE
Look at kitchen cabinets NO
Go through big toy box and weed out DONE
Go through non-fragile boxes in DC’s room, eliminate, consolidate & put in DC’s closet IN PROG
Do laundry, get it all off DC’s bed IN PROG
Buy new frying pan DONE
Take clothes for donation DONE
Take books for donation NO
Take other household items for donation NO
This week I've been concentrating on my Dear Child's room. I went to IKEA because there was no way I could organize her room without some more bins. Every time I look her Barbie dolls and Webkinz have multiplied again. I can barely find her bed under all the stuffed animals (okay and laundry too, because the laundry equipment is on the other side of the door in her room that leads to the other half of the house). Clean, unfolded laundry tends to end up at the foot of her bed.
I did 2 loads of laundry and still need to do more, especially white laundry. I also went through 3 boxes in her room and got rid of 2. No, I didn't get rid of everything in 2 boxes. I repacked the biggest box, took things out I need to use, threw away some junk, recycled a phone book, etc. And some things are still lying around, waiting for a more appropriate box to go into.
I got rid of a huge box from the restoration company that was mostly junk in the form of baby toys (rattles, anyone?), stuffed animals she never played with and sadly deflated balls and balloons. Cleverly, I did this while she was at a play date because (like her mother) DC refuses to part with the smallest scrap of paper, gift from strangers holding yard sales, etc. This was all stuff she hadn't seen or played with in at least 2 and a half years and I kept toys that actually held meaning (like the crocheted Beatrix Potter character) or that I knew she'd really play with (like a Ken to go with all those Barbies). But it wasn't in her room. No, it was in the living room.
I also took Eldest Daughter to Wal-Mart for something she wanted and managed to get a replacement for my frying pan, which met a burnt and sticky end the other week when Hubby left the heat on under it after dinner was done. And I dropped off 2 bags of outgrown kiddy clothes and toys in good shape in one of those big metal bins. I meant to go back with some of the books I'm getting rid of because they have a book bin beside the clothing one but it started to snow again so I didn't. It looks like you have to feed the bin one book at a time and I have a big box. I'd rather do it on a decent day. And I'm still not sure where to take the miscellaneous household items. Is there a place to drop things off at Value Village?
Yes, I said it was snowing. This is just ridiculous. All the spring flowers are out and I saw pussy willows on the trees a few days ago. It isn't supposed to snow here, period. And certainly not during Spring Break. Luckily, it was very wet snow and has totally disappeared already. Of course, it may start again in the middle of the night but I sincerely hope not.
Anyway, what does any of this have to do with my financial situation? Well, I must admit, I put the stuff from IKEA (about $45 worth) on my IKEA card. It has a horrible interest rate (28%) but I haven't been carrying a balance and I do hope to pay off the card in a timely manner. I'm afraid Pesach is usually a time when there's a fair bit of juggling in order to pay for everything but at least I get 3 paycheques next month.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Plan the Work, Work the Plan
I made up a plan for cleaning for Passover that started February 11th (and completing other preparations as well, such as buying stuff, cooking, etc.) but I have continued to fall behind.
Tonight I finally completed one task that is actually on my list for this week. I totally cleaned Dear Child's dresser. This involved emptying the dresser and clearing it off totally. The dresser itself was cleaned both inside and out. Then only clean clothes went back in neatly. I put back stacks of cleaned books on top neatly and symmetrically. The only 2 other items that went back on the dresser top were her new jewellery box and a tzedakah [charity] box she made this past summer. It looks lovely.
Too bad the rest of her room is still piled with boxes, clothes, stuffed animals, etc. But I'm trying not to beat myself up for the things that remain undone. Rather, I want to focus on what is good and go from there. I've created an island of Pesachdik order in the midst of chaos. Now I just have to keep expanding the order or creating more little islands that will eventually overlap. I just have to take it One. Day. At. A. Time.
I don't know if there will be time tomorrow before Shabbat begins (although it starts an hour later this week, now that we've changed the clocks) but I would really, really like hubby to attach my glass door cabinet to the wall in the living room so I can put in the glass shelves and put the beautiful and mostly fragile things that belong in it on the shelves. That will take care of at least five whole boxes out of DC's room.
I was looking at her closet tonight. Now that I've gone through her clothes for donation, I see there's not much left that really needs to hang up. The few things that do, with the exception of her Shabbos dresses, are not clothes she'll wear during Pesach. So I've decided that I'm going to put some of the excess boxes into her closet, fill it right up, and then sell her closet for Pesach. [This is how we get around owning forbidden things like our everyday dishes on Pesach. They're sold for the duration of the holiday and bought back afterwards.] I'm hoping that, between filling the closet and emptying as many boxes as possible, I'll take care of all the boxes that are taking up space in DC's room at the moment.
Tonight I finally completed one task that is actually on my list for this week. I totally cleaned Dear Child's dresser. This involved emptying the dresser and clearing it off totally. The dresser itself was cleaned both inside and out. Then only clean clothes went back in neatly. I put back stacks of cleaned books on top neatly and symmetrically. The only 2 other items that went back on the dresser top were her new jewellery box and a tzedakah [charity] box she made this past summer. It looks lovely.
Too bad the rest of her room is still piled with boxes, clothes, stuffed animals, etc. But I'm trying not to beat myself up for the things that remain undone. Rather, I want to focus on what is good and go from there. I've created an island of Pesachdik order in the midst of chaos. Now I just have to keep expanding the order or creating more little islands that will eventually overlap. I just have to take it One. Day. At. A. Time.
I don't know if there will be time tomorrow before Shabbat begins (although it starts an hour later this week, now that we've changed the clocks) but I would really, really like hubby to attach my glass door cabinet to the wall in the living room so I can put in the glass shelves and put the beautiful and mostly fragile things that belong in it on the shelves. That will take care of at least five whole boxes out of DC's room.
I was looking at her closet tonight. Now that I've gone through her clothes for donation, I see there's not much left that really needs to hang up. The few things that do, with the exception of her Shabbos dresses, are not clothes she'll wear during Pesach. So I've decided that I'm going to put some of the excess boxes into her closet, fill it right up, and then sell her closet for Pesach. [This is how we get around owning forbidden things like our everyday dishes on Pesach. They're sold for the duration of the holiday and bought back afterwards.] I'm hoping that, between filling the closet and emptying as many boxes as possible, I'll take care of all the boxes that are taking up space in DC's room at the moment.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Still Having Posting Issues and I'm FRUSTRATED
Okay, every day it seems to get more and more difficult to get in here to write a post. I don't have time to spend a half hour just trying to get into a new post. Even the trick I used last time wasn't working and I've signed in and out several times. This time I got here eventually using "Edit Posts" on the dashboard.
I know Dolly has been having problems too but is it just us or is anybody else on Blogger having a hard time?
Anyway, I wanted to post an update about my bathroom renovation and my progress (or lack thereof) in getting ready for Passover.
The bathroom is definitely "in progress". I have a new tub and surround. The faucet for the tub is in but not the showerhead or the tap that controls the water and the silicone seal around the tub still needs to be done. The vanity is out and primed (except for the doors and drawers). Once it's painted the new ceramic top and fixtures can be attached and it can go back into the room. The drywall is done, mudded and sanded 3 times and is now ready to be primed. The light fixture is out and there's a worklight plugged into the GFI plug. There is a fine layer of drywall dust over everything. The old toilet is still in and the floor needs to be done once that comes out.
My son-in-law's dad goes back home tomorrow and won't be back for 2 or 3 weeks as I understand it. I guess we'll see how much we can get through without him. Washing in the kitchen sink and using the mirror over the fireplace is a hassle and I really don't want to be doing it from now until Pesach. I need a full day to lay floor tile though, so that probably won't happen until next Sunday at the earliest. Besides, I want the room fully painted first so I don't have to kill the first person who drips paint all over the new floor tiles!
I'm still way behind on the Passover cleaning and having the reno incomplete means I'm even further behind. Sigh. Tomorrow is the Fast of Esther, followed by Purim tomorrow night and all day Tuesday. I'll be really busy until it's over but then I really have to get it in gear or I'll be pulling the dreaded all-nighters before the end!
Pesach food is starting to appear in the stores and I've bought a couple of things, knowing that they wouldn't be around if I wait. I still have to order the special matzo that we use though and all our dairy products. And the meat. And figure out how to get wine this year. It used to be much easier but the BC Liquor Control Board is a giant pain and has made our lives much more difficult for the past year or so. I bought stuff from their very limited selection last year and it really wasn't good for drinking at the seder when you're having 4 cups each within a period of a couple of hours. Plus it's incredibly expensive and I need about a case. At $19 to $25 per bottle, that's painful. I used to be able to get exactly what I needed for about half the price or a little less.
But that's a whole other rant and one I probably shouldn't start at all, since I'm eventually going to want to be on their good side in order to get my longed-for winery up and running at some point a few years from now. There are enough hoops to jump through in the licensing process (and a whole other set of hoops for kosher certification) that I don't need to borrow trouble.
This is just a busy, busy time of the year and probably wasn't the best time to do the bathroom but I've been waiting a long time for this and this was when the guys were available to do it. Of course, if this wasn't the day of the Purim Carnival at the JCC and the big birthday party for my granddaughters we might have actually gotten a bunch of work done today. As we say in Hebrew, gam zu le tova [this too will be for the good].
The party was fun and wasn't nearly as hectic as some I've been to recently, although I was baking cupcakes for the party about an hour before it started. I think the girls all had a good time and my oldest granddaughter (now 6, just like Dear Child) got to stay for a bit extra while her folks went to look at apartments (to rent, not buy). They have to move in the next month or so and are having a hard time finding anything decent that works for her school, their work and will take both a child and a cat. Oh, and doesn't cost a couple of thousand dollars per month. Gotta love that Vancouver housing market.
Happy Purim everybody! I'll be back as long as Blogger lets me in!
I know Dolly has been having problems too but is it just us or is anybody else on Blogger having a hard time?
Anyway, I wanted to post an update about my bathroom renovation and my progress (or lack thereof) in getting ready for Passover.
The bathroom is definitely "in progress". I have a new tub and surround. The faucet for the tub is in but not the showerhead or the tap that controls the water and the silicone seal around the tub still needs to be done. The vanity is out and primed (except for the doors and drawers). Once it's painted the new ceramic top and fixtures can be attached and it can go back into the room. The drywall is done, mudded and sanded 3 times and is now ready to be primed. The light fixture is out and there's a worklight plugged into the GFI plug. There is a fine layer of drywall dust over everything. The old toilet is still in and the floor needs to be done once that comes out.
My son-in-law's dad goes back home tomorrow and won't be back for 2 or 3 weeks as I understand it. I guess we'll see how much we can get through without him. Washing in the kitchen sink and using the mirror over the fireplace is a hassle and I really don't want to be doing it from now until Pesach. I need a full day to lay floor tile though, so that probably won't happen until next Sunday at the earliest. Besides, I want the room fully painted first so I don't have to kill the first person who drips paint all over the new floor tiles!
I'm still way behind on the Passover cleaning and having the reno incomplete means I'm even further behind. Sigh. Tomorrow is the Fast of Esther, followed by Purim tomorrow night and all day Tuesday. I'll be really busy until it's over but then I really have to get it in gear or I'll be pulling the dreaded all-nighters before the end!
Pesach food is starting to appear in the stores and I've bought a couple of things, knowing that they wouldn't be around if I wait. I still have to order the special matzo that we use though and all our dairy products. And the meat. And figure out how to get wine this year. It used to be much easier but the BC Liquor Control Board is a giant pain and has made our lives much more difficult for the past year or so. I bought stuff from their very limited selection last year and it really wasn't good for drinking at the seder when you're having 4 cups each within a period of a couple of hours. Plus it's incredibly expensive and I need about a case. At $19 to $25 per bottle, that's painful. I used to be able to get exactly what I needed for about half the price or a little less.
But that's a whole other rant and one I probably shouldn't start at all, since I'm eventually going to want to be on their good side in order to get my longed-for winery up and running at some point a few years from now. There are enough hoops to jump through in the licensing process (and a whole other set of hoops for kosher certification) that I don't need to borrow trouble.
This is just a busy, busy time of the year and probably wasn't the best time to do the bathroom but I've been waiting a long time for this and this was when the guys were available to do it. Of course, if this wasn't the day of the Purim Carnival at the JCC and the big birthday party for my granddaughters we might have actually gotten a bunch of work done today. As we say in Hebrew, gam zu le tova [this too will be for the good].
The party was fun and wasn't nearly as hectic as some I've been to recently, although I was baking cupcakes for the party about an hour before it started. I think the girls all had a good time and my oldest granddaughter (now 6, just like Dear Child) got to stay for a bit extra while her folks went to look at apartments (to rent, not buy). They have to move in the next month or so and are having a hard time finding anything decent that works for her school, their work and will take both a child and a cat. Oh, and doesn't cost a couple of thousand dollars per month. Gotta love that Vancouver housing market.
Happy Purim everybody! I'll be back as long as Blogger lets me in!
Monday, March 2, 2009
A Bit of Progress
As usual when I start really cleaning, sorting or organizing, everything looks worse than when I started. However, I did get some work done today. I'm adding to the pile of boxes by the front door, the ones that are supposed to be given away. Today it was a box full of our old fleishig dishes.
I also went through 2 boxes of papers, reducing them to one box. I have a paper shopping bag full of recycle papers to go out with tomorrow's garbage and a stack of shredding paper. Both hubby and I did some shredding today but there's more to do. And I combined 2 boxes of cleaning products into one, as well as doing some more laundry. He washed the car.
All this while taking care of the little girls because Eldest Daughter was at a trade show here in town all day. I also drove her there and picked her up. The toughest thing is that the bathroom reno is supposed to start tomorrow sometime and the trade show runs for 2 more days. That means I need to be at home with the baby pretty much all day (she's been going to work until noon with her mother since January sometime). Her dad is off work this week but can't demolish drywall too well with a 2 year old underfoot. But I can't do any of my Pesach cleaning during the day when I'm home because I was asked to keep the girls upstairs while the work is going on and I have to go to work in the evening to make up for the hours I'm missing. I think Eldest Daughter is taking Thursday and Friday off, so that's probably when I'm tiling. Either that or the guys will get to watch the little girls while I tile if it has to be another day.
Any way you look at it, this is shaping up to be an interesting week.
I also went through 2 boxes of papers, reducing them to one box. I have a paper shopping bag full of recycle papers to go out with tomorrow's garbage and a stack of shredding paper. Both hubby and I did some shredding today but there's more to do. And I combined 2 boxes of cleaning products into one, as well as doing some more laundry. He washed the car.
All this while taking care of the little girls because Eldest Daughter was at a trade show here in town all day. I also drove her there and picked her up. The toughest thing is that the bathroom reno is supposed to start tomorrow sometime and the trade show runs for 2 more days. That means I need to be at home with the baby pretty much all day (she's been going to work until noon with her mother since January sometime). Her dad is off work this week but can't demolish drywall too well with a 2 year old underfoot. But I can't do any of my Pesach cleaning during the day when I'm home because I was asked to keep the girls upstairs while the work is going on and I have to go to work in the evening to make up for the hours I'm missing. I think Eldest Daughter is taking Thursday and Friday off, so that's probably when I'm tiling. Either that or the guys will get to watch the little girls while I tile if it has to be another day.
Any way you look at it, this is shaping up to be an interesting week.
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