Catching up .... DS1 is home

The Thursday before Easter was greatly anticipated.

 One because we had a week off school and the break was oh so welcome.

Two because the weather was so lovely. Snow gone and I could go walking

Three because DS1 was coming home from France.

He had an amazing year of experiences culminating with their team making out of the bottom third to take the National Championship. His girlfriend had come home a month earlier to get ready for a summer of weddings so he was on his own. He isn't sure if he will go back there. He' s looking for something in North America to be closer to home. The girlfriend has a full time job as a legal secretary and is making good money. It was tough for DS to be so far away when so many tough family moments have happened. So we will contact his agent to see what is available in North America.

He was excited to see family and be home but between you and me I think he was most excited to meet his new cat. We didn't get back from the airport until 10:30 and he spent four hours playing with him.

It was so lovely to have all my kids' heartbeats under my roof.

2017 - A Quick Glance

Peeking purely at the numbers, it would show that 2017 was not  a year of progress for my bottom line.  The mortgage has gone  down, predictably.




December 2009 - $70 771.99
December 2010 - $52 410.25 (down $18 361.74)
December 2011 - $40 055.29 (down $12 354.96)
December 2012 - $35 921.04 (down $4 134.25)
December 2013 - $25 925.49 (down $9 995.55)
December 2014 - $22 494.06 (down $3431.43)
December 2015 - $18 837.12 (down $3656.94)
December 2016 - $15 009.96 (down $3827.16)
December 2017 - $11 055.48 (down $3954.48)

That of course started as all debt and now just reflects mortgage.

However anyone following my blog knows I have a LOC serving as funding for DS1's college fees. I purposely did not choose to include that when it first was activated as that number has moved up and down within each year.



Debt 2016
Mortgage - $15 009.96
College LOC - $13 245.16

Total Debt - $28 255.12



Debt 2017
Mortgage - $11 055.48
College LOC - $21 343.00

Total Debt - $32 398.48

I added to the LOC a couple times during the year and I am slowly working on paying that down.  Side by side comparisons, however, show that the overall debt is up.

This is DS1's last year of college so barring anything unforeseen, this should slowly whittle down.

Christmas Eve

I am all about appreciating the little moments these days. Even the tiniest of little moments.

Today was going to be 'our Christmas'.

DH and I headed over to my parents and I made them breakfast. They both look absolutely awful and exhausted and I do not know how much longer my dad has either to be honest. Taking care of them is all I can do at this point.

Then DH and I braved the crowds at Walmart to go pick up the dog food they need for their dog. I am always amazed by people who are in the store during a time like this and get upset about the crowds. It kind of goes with the 'day before Christmas' idea. We went prepared and it was a lot less stressful, knowing it would be a zoo.

We got home to our house and all of the kids were there. It was wonderful to spend some relaxing time with them opening gifts. My kids finally heard me when I answered the 'what do you want for Christmas' question. DS1 and GF got me a gorgeous picture of the two of them from when they were in Banff last summer. DS1 and DS2 got me a wonderful picture of the two of them when we were down in the US. I was a happy mama.

Apparently I don't need to buy DS1 anything. His favourite part of Christmas was taking the ribbon that wrapped a wonderfully soft blanket I was given. He played with the cat with that for a long time. Both kids were given camping type options. DS1 got two sturdy Coleman chairs and a queen air mattress. DS2 got  a camping French press and a lifestraw water purifier for his river trips.

They went off for brunch with friends and I had fun vacuuming and cleaning the living room. Now it's just the tiny tree and the décor around it.

One of my nephews sent over $ to buy Chinese for my parents. The five of us went over and picked up Chinese and spent supper over at my parents. Dad ate a bit of soup and mom had a wee bit but neither of them ate like they should.

I left before the rest of them did. I couldn't watch my mom saying goodbye to DS1 for what is likely to be the last time. I would have been a hot mess.

The rest of the evening was spent in comfortable family time watching Harry Potter. At 2 AM, DS2 is taking DS1 into the city to go catch his flight (3 hour round trip). And with that, the holiday is kind of over.

It's bitter cold out tonight. -30C plus a wind chill. Glad I am not the one out driving on the highway, but I won't rest until DS2 is home.

woosh there goes the $

In the busyness of this past first week of school came a phone call from DS1 down the in US.

He came out to head to campus and one of his tires were slashed.  Hopefully just random and not because he has out of country plates on his vehicle.

Thankful for CAA membership that is compatible in the US.  He called. They came and towed him to a repair shop that has been very good to him during his year down there.  The tires on his vehicle are a pain to match and all four had to be replaced. We had figured this on our end so it didn't come as new info surprise to us.  DS2 has the same Jeep and I had to do this in the spring for him.

Insurance won't cover this. We made some initial calls and our insurance up here said no.

So DS1 now has four brand new tires that hopefully will be slash safe.


The cost to mama $657 US

Sending DS back to College....

...is not cheap.

Here is a list of a few things that he and I split the cost on to get him back to hockey country.

• $50 for windshield replacement. Big rock chip on his way here in the spring that cracked in all directions. Package policy pays for all but the deductible of $50
• $55 new wipers for the windshield. They were tattered and needed replacing
• $100 oil change. Synthetic oil will last him for most of his year down there. who knew synthetic was so costly?
• $85 suit cleaning. Now he is all freshly pressed for their 'must wear' suits. Grandma was super excited to iron his dress shirts.
• $7 car wash before he goes. DH insisted on it. I am thinking it's going to pick up a bug or two in the 17 hour drive
• $140 US  DS is breaking the drive up in two. He loses an hour due to time change en route and found himself beyond exhausted last year. Hotel we use at the break point was booked. And all the neighbouring hotels. Something exciting must be happening in that city tomorrow night. After 14 phone calls we gave up and took one that costs way too much.

and that doesn't factor in any of the actual COLLEGE costs :-)

One more year

I have a confession....

.....and it's hard for me to admit.

I am kind of getting used to empty nest.

shhhh! I know. pure craziness.

I am not over missing them.

I am not over not having a do over for so many parts of their childhood I know I could have done better at.

I am not over being a much more important part of my sons' lives.

but I am getting used to them coming and going, and, I kind of like the idea that when they are not here, my time is purely MY time. super selfish thought, I know.

I can get up when I want. go to bed when I want. I don't have to feel guilty about not giving them more 'summer fun' (that one was the most difficult for me). I can make supper, or not.

I never thought I would even start to feel this way.

It's interesting.

Modifying summer plans

Two more weeks until school is done. Both the students AND myself are ready for a break.

My usual plan (since I started planning for summer spending) is to set aside $1000 for the odds and ends of summer fun, plus the August long weekend with my family.

This summer seems to be taking a different path and it looks as though the traditional August long won't be happening.

DS2's park ranger job has him working every weekend all summer. He gets Monday and Tuesday off instead. So he won't be able to make it.

DS1's gf has a family reunion that weekend so they will be spending it with her side of the family.

DH's brother decided to help organize a family reunion on his mother's side. I know zero of these people and they weren't exactly the warm and fuzzy type so this should be interesting.

The reunion of course is August long so that means that we will not be going to our traditional long weekend.

I am bitter sweet about this. It's the only weekend all of my sisters and their families get together and I suspect this time may be at 'the end of an era'. It's a weekend full of lots of fishing and beach time and campfires and I am sad we won't be  a part of it.

On the flip side, the weekend is costly. Three tanks of gas, the cabin rental (super pricy for around here), groceries, beverages etc. It all adds up fast and that's where the bulk of my summer money went.

The reunion is a short drive 30 min drive from here. If DH wants to tent overnight so he can visit late, we can always take separate vehicles so I can come home when my exhaustion hits. The money for this is negligible so its less expensive option.

As such, I have set aside only $500 instead of the usual $1000 for summer.

Settling in the boys

Now that the boys are both  home for the summer, it's time for them to leave :-)

employment beckons.

DS1 started work in his gf's little town last Wednesday. He is living with her family, who will take amazing care of him. Not that this particular 22 year old needs 24/7 care.  I sent them off with some baking for her family and all the leftovers from our big welcome home DS1 bbq last sunday. It fed gf's family the next night.  He is excited to see all his 'brothers'. They get along very well. Most excited to see him were gf's cat and gf's 3 year old niece who is so excited to not have to see her uncle through a computer screen. She's been glued to his side most evenings.

DS2 heads off today. He is working as a Park Ranger about 3 hours from here. We pulled in some favours and rented a fifth wheel for him to live in as he had no place to stay. It's done in some crazy early 90s colours but is MORE than comfortable for him. We have spent the past few days getting it loaded with what he will need to survive. Today DH is going to pull it down to his new job site. We have borrowed my dad's truck as you need a truck with the fifth wheel hitch.

My house is full of their things. Everywhere. both have agreed to slowly go through their things over the summer and weed out what no longer fits or is desired. Perhaps that will make room in the drawers and closets for everything.

for DS2, this will be his first real summer employment REALLY away from family. Last summer he worked at a provincial park but stayed with my sister so he had a home base. And his first dog :-)  The summers before that he was volunteering at his camp up north and lived in a tent most of the time. It's exciting for his first really real job after finishing college.

I am slowly getting more comfortable with them being gone most of the time. I still mourn their childhood and wish I had used that time better.

Vacationing in a big city

The bills and  charges have all come in from our trip to watch DS play hockey in Chicago.

You can definitely tell I am from a small town because the costs related to the size of the city and the transportation were a steep learning curve.

Most of my pics are personal ones and DS doesn't wish those on here so I will stick to generic.

The biggest costs for the journey was the airfare. $1800 for the two of us plus the costs associated with it. Driving to and from airport here at home  $70. Parking at airport $75. Luggage fees $120. The bonus of having colitis is that you can't eat while travelling (at least I can't) so there were no drinks or snacks or meals during all those airport ways and layovers.

One of the next biggest costs was obviously the hotel. We stayed near the airport the first night as there were no rooms in downtown C that were less than $500 US. The team and one of the moms, who works for a hotel, was able to negotiate some pretty decent group rates. We spent one night near the airport and four right on the waterfront downtown at the hotel where the families stayed. We were about 6 blocks from the team hotel so not a bad walk at all, even in the wind.  If we had had to pay the regular price for the downtown hotel it would have come to just under $2000 CAD. We paid much much much less than that.

The hotel was a modern design one. Lots of black and white and glass. This was our room. It faced a city view, which, for a small town girl, was fascinating.

This was the view from the windows by the elevator just across from our room. You can see it's on the other side and right on Lake Michigan with an upclose look at one of the beaches and the Navy Pier.

Transportation was big. Except for walking to see the boys, to the Pier, or to the restaurants close by. everything was cab. Cab from the airport hotel to the downtown hotel was 55 minutes long in what the cab driver said was medium traffic. The same journey the day before was 95 minutes during rush hour and rain, according to the very nice driver.  We could have taken the train but honestly DH was super nervous about it and our time lines were tight. Getting lost could mean missing time with the boys. One family did get lost. I hate it when DH is validated LOL.   Cabs  to the hockey arena, cabs to the meeting place before the game. Cabs to the Aquarium.  Lots of the parents Ubered. When you don't have wifi in another country, wifi isn't a possibility.

Shopping could have been an expense, but we didn't shop. I don't have a body that enjoys shopping and I don't have  a bank account to support it. That was a painless decision.

Food was another expense, even though I could only eat in certain windows to allow for...............safe long cab rides to destinations. We did two nice breakfasts, both within walking distance of the hotel.

Yolk was about four blocks away and super busy. We had to wait about 20 minutes. Really good food and lots of it. We were lucky to have a big window view point to people watch.

One of our afternoons/evenings was spent at the Navy Pier. The boys did autographs there and there was an awards presentation. There are lots of shops and restaurants along the way. During our downtime we walked there and people/ship watched.  DH was super excited about a Bubba Gump's restaurant. He loves seafood. Me...not so much. We waited there 30 min for a table in the very noisy restaurant. He was in heaven. I had a drink, some fish and chips and the best key lime pie I have ever had.

We spent $70 US going to the aquarium for admission. It was alright but crazy busy with kids everywhere. DH really enjoyed it but I found the one I saw in New Orleans so much better.

Aside from a couple T shirts for hockey and drinks with the parents that was the extent of the money expenditure.

A lot of money? yes.  Pretty sure people go to Mexico for less at all inclusives.  I guess this was my Mexico. Definitely a chance of a lifetime to experience it.

Now back to our regular programming of life.

2016 - A quick glance

As you can see on the top right of my blog, my debt is currently sitting at $28 255.12

Part of that is mortgage and the rest is the college LOC.

The LOC has gone up and down this year. I keep whittling away at it each month, but a couple times a year I have to add more to make tuition payments or cost of living payments.   DS1 still isn't eligible for Canada Student Loans so for now, this will  have to do. His scholarship covers some, but all the other pieces, certainly do add up. It definitely doesn't help that this is in US dollars and our Canadian dollar is taking a kicking when we need to convert.

DS2 isn't eligible either. He has received a few scholarships in smaller amounts, and the money he made last summer goes a lot farther when it stays in Canadian funds.

The final number below is indicative of only the  mortgage. Adding in the current college LOC (and not counting January Semester 2 payments),  if I added it all together it would put me back at somewhere between 2012 and 2013.



December 2009 - $70 771.99
December 2010 - $52 410.25 (down $18 361.74)
December 2011 - $40 055.29 (down $12 354.96)
December 2012 - $35 921.04 (down $4 134.25)
December 2013 - $25 925.49 (down $9 995.55)
December 2014 - $22 494.06 (down $3431.43)
December 2015 - $18 837.12 (down $3656.94)
December 2016 - $15 009.96 (down $3827.16)

DS2 has 6 months left of his program but whether there are any jobs in his field has yet to be determined. There was a massive freeze last year and that is still in place. A lot of the Sask jobs were taken by Alberta folk out of work and 'coming home'.

DS1 has 18 months left of a four  year degree.

I feel like I made some progress but I definitely could have done more.

Christmas Day - Plan B

So Christmas Day didn't quite work out as we had planned.

By 10 AM DS1 and GF were up, but there was no signs of life from DS2. When I went to peek on him he was a sick little boy. I think he picked up the flu. He spent the day sleeping or in the bathroom being sick. Not his happiest Christmas Day.

DS and GF opened up their stockings and gifts. We got them a nice tent so that they have their own when they head off camping in the summers instead of borrowing one of ours.

We then headed over to my mom and dad's for brunch, after checking in with DS2.

That full brunch of bacon and eggs, sausage and pancakes tastes the best twice a year: once at Christmas brunch with my parents, and once at the lake in the summer when we cook everything outside.

My mom finally stopped buying gifts. There are just too many of us and it's silly to spend that kind of cash for a day. To compromise, she got everyone a copy of our family pic we took at the lake for dad's 80th birthday. Best present ever.

The kids headed off out of town to GF's place to spend the rest of Christmas and Boxing Day with her family.

We were supposed to head out to Sister2's place for her Christmas supper but with DS sick I didn't want to go that far out of town.

Instead DH headed over to his sister's and spent Christmas afternoon with them and had supper there. I stayed home to nurse DS2 and curled up to read by my tree, with a coffee and baileys.

Plan B was very peaceful and I was ok with that.

I even ( don't tell anyone) watched the Unauthorized Biography of Beverly Hills 90210 on TV. Had never seen it before and there was NOTHING on :-)

Right now it still looks a bit like Christmas morning with my tree lit up, my Christmas jammies on, snow lightly falling and DS's presents and stockings under the tree.

Last Day of School - First Day of Holidays

And..............let the holidays begin.

I was down 11 children today, for the last day of school. Three were gone out of the country and the rest............. no idea.  I have a very diverse group of students with some able to go away for the holidays and some that will be lucky to be able to pay their heat bill this month.

We were out at 2:30 (an hour early) and my first stop was the public library where I checked out FOUR books. Ahhhh the thought of time to read...........for pleasure. very exciting.

I got home to find a message from DS1 that he and the GF were on their way home from her house, so it felt like holidays were truly about to begin.

It was great to make supper together and share conversation....all those things that just seem to hard to ask by text or I forget to when we skype.  They both fell asleep on the couch after supper. The cat happily climbed up on top of DS and curled up for a nap too.

 They'd had a big day with her 3 year old niece. DS is still figuring out how much work it is to have little ones around and she was so glad to see her uncle that she stuck to him like glue. He had to take her tobogganing.  Then they took her to the rink and he was teaching her to skate. GF sent me a video of DS and the little one zooming about the ice. I am not sure who was laughing more or saying WHEEEEEEEE louder :-) 

We watched a bit of the Canada game for World Jr hockey. One of DS's teammates is playing on USA so we will have to catch one of those games too.

Then DS went off to play a pick up game of hockey so GF and I did some no bake baking. I hadn't made saltine cracker bark before so we attempted that. Turned out not too bad.  She wanted to make some oreo cheesecake balls so we made some of those too. Neither of us have good melted chocolate coating skills so they look more..............rustic than refined. They taste delicious!  We also learned that white chocolate is not the easiest to melt and managed to get it to seize up beyond repair.

Lots of laughter.

DS just nicely got home and is raiding the fridge.

DS2 will be home tomorrow

Finally used some air miles

I don't think I have ever successfully found seats on a flight for somewhere I wanted to go and been able to use my Air Miles.  

Between DS, myself and DS's GF's mom, we wanted to send her down to the US to spend her 'reading week' in November, with him.

As I said before, flights are ridiculously expensive from Canada to the US right now. It would have cost me/us $1100 to send her, with 1 stop  to a city about 2 hours from DS. He would then drive in to get her. If I wanted to send her there all the way, $1800.

On a whim, I checked seats for airmiles. I can't use them to get her all the way there...no flights to that little city, but if they were going to drive to get her from the bigger airport anyways....

No return flights.

So I explored one way tickets there, and one way tickets home. Score. She has to go through Toronto on the way down, but she would have anyways for the $1100 ticket. Oddly, there is an airmiles seat straight home.

I sure hope I did everything right to book them. Did it online. Tried getting phone call assistance for airmiles but they will only help if the flight is in less than 5 days. I tried the 'online chat' but was 2nd in their queue for 40 minutes. So book myself I did.

Two 1 way tickets for 3500 air miles and $160 cash. Score.

Again, fingers crossed I did this right. It felt good to actually be able to use them.

Home from the US

It was amazing. It really was. Probably the best of the trips I have done to see DS.

First - the drive. 17 hours there. 17 hours home. DH and I actually got along. Miracle. I don't think we have spent that much one on one time together in years. We were going to take my SUV but the night before when DH was checking the air, the valve literally blew out of the tire. So we had to take the truck.

The colitis - I was terrified I would have an accident on the drive. I mean, I have a block from my house, so that long a drive....... eek. I threw myself back on a high dose of steroids 2 weeks before we left to try to calm down the flare. I cut myself off food at noon the day before we left. For the drive there, and for the return, I had nothing to eat or drink. zero. nada. not a sip of water. not a mint. not gum. Any one of those things can trigger urgency.  Surprisingly, I wasn't dying of starvation. I didn't get the 'I'm hungry' dizziness or headaches.  I survived.  DH was amazingly supportive, which was a first as well.  It was greatly appreciative.

Funny, as we were driving, hour 12 ish, we went by a farmyard super close to the highway. I KNOW I smelled fresh brewed coffee wafting from the yard. It smelled SO good. We laughed as my senses must have been heightened.

The city - oh the weather was glorious. About 24 C. Amazing for end of October. We walked along a few of the scenic trails. We played in the huge waves coming in off the lake. Enjoyed all the sights. Hit a couple local breweries for a taste. Not really beer drinkers but it is very popular there. I learned I am not really an ale person.

The people - I found the parents group friendlier this year. Or maybe I am three years in and more comfortable. It was much more relaxed and chatty. There was a bonfire the first night we got intot he city but we were wiped from driving so far. We just met with our BFF parents and our boys and did supper together. Amazing pasta.

The parents did a brunch together, met for drinks before the first game, and again before the second at an outdoor patio down by the water. I still didn't get to meet all of them. Some are harder to approach - or maybe it' s my shyness. I have trouble around people who .........how shall I put this........are wealthier, have had more success, have all the fancy clothes. I feel .....lesser. They are probably wonderful people but it just feels different. Probably all in my head.

I also got to meet an internet friend..... a big longtime fan of the team whom I follow on twitter. We've chatted a bit on there. There was a jersey auction and she bid on DS's and won. She was so excited to get to meet DS and get a picture with him. She's met a lot of the players over the years and blogged that it was her #1 interaction with one of the boys from the team. The mama in me was 'awwww'. In their picture they are both laughing as he is 6 foot 4 and she is 5 foot 4 and he had to squat so they both could be in the picture.

The hockey. They won both their games. DS got to play in both games (which is less common - there are NHL draft picks here and DS is not on the top 2 lines). I even got to see DS score a goal and get an assist. I realized how much I miss when I don't get to see his games.

I need to tally up the costs for gas to see how much it came to. Certainly less than the cost of 2 flights at the current prices.

It was a phenomenal trip. We drove in thick rain from the border up and it snowed the night after we got home. I am so glad we didn't have to drive in that.

Big dental summer

I certainly feel like I spent a  lot of time at the dentist this summer. Between myself and DS1 we were there six times. And the kitty went twice (to a different dentist lol )

DS needed 2 wisdom teeth pulled out, a couple fillings and some serious scaling and cleaning. He hadn't been to the dentist is years. Bad mother for sure.  All the staff there found him so funny and so charming. Said he made their summer. I am assuming it wasn't just financially lol

I went for my check up and cleaning and had to go back for 2 fillings. I also have trouble with a tooth that was filled then root canalled and now needs a crown. I am waiting on word from our health plans to see how much is covered.

DS is 21 so he had been phased out of our health plans. We had to provide documentation to both health plans. I had to pay each visit outright. The dentist office then sent off the claim directly to DH's (has to go through his first) and then I sent the balance off to mine. We are just starting to get those second cheques from my provider.

It did prompt me to sign up for online claims and direct deposit refunds so that was a good thing.

Between DS, myself and the kitty, I plopped down $2461 on my VISA. Can't wait for those last couple copays to come back and get that card back to zero where it belongs.

Week 2 of holidays - appointments and paperwork oh my

In a sharp contrast to week 1 of holidays, week 2 was much busier, with more appointments and a ton of money put out.

Last Friday I finally upgraded my old IPhone4. It had been failing for over a year. The little round home button only worked sometimes. Texts were getting lost. The battery was draining at ridiculous rates.I had upgraded my IOS as much as it would let me but most of my apps needed a higher IOS to work (banking, fitbit, WW, news etc) It served me well though. Not one crack or scratch on it.

They finally reduced the 'cost' of a 2 year plan to $0 for a 5S so off I went. They tried to talk me into a 6S but that was $268 and I was not willing to pay that. I ended up paying just under $100 in total. $25 for the activation fee and the rest for a vehicle charger and an otter box. I used $50 from my VISA reward points to pay off half of the fees, and the other $50 I had saved up so the device didn't cost me anything. We shall see how much it changes my bill. My old plan was grandfathered in as long as I had the old device. They transferred all my contacts and pictures for me so that was a bonus.

DS1 came home from camping Sunday with tooth  news. He had a massive toothache which turned out to be  infected wisdom teeth on the top and bottom of his left jaw. It had been a long time since I had  him at the dentist. Bad me. Our actual dentist wasn't at the clinic anymore. He had retired. I know getting through on the phone is tough so I went in person at 8 AM Monday morning and got DS an apt for Tuesday to get things checked out...and booked myself in for a long overdue checkup and cleaning as well. DS needs three additional appointments to take care of the mess in his mouth. Good times.

Better still was the fact that he was no longer covered under DH's health care plan. Once you are 21 you age out unless you send in documentation that the kid is in college. I did it for my plan but DH did not for his. So I sent DH off to his HR rep on Tuesday to get DS added back in. The HR was new and didn't know............. much. I had to go in to explain what needed to be done and gave him the paperwork he needed to send off for proof.  Even though DS was covered under my plan, he has to go through DH's first, as DH's birthday comes first in the calendar year. My plan will refuse to cover until DS is re-added to DH's plan.

So I paid $176 outright and we have to wait til the plan is fixed and then we can start the paperwork. First to DH's plan and when that cheque comes back with whatever % of coverage, then I submit the rest to my plan. It is time consuming.

On Tuesday, DS and I headed to the dentist and then off to the city to get his passport renewed. I prefer going in person in case there are any problems on the form. We can fix them immediately. They do dozens a day there so they are well versed in what is needed. That cost $160 plus $22 for passport pics. I paid half and DS paid half.  Assuming he doesn't lose it or have it stolen, his next renewal is when he is 31 so I think he can handle that on his own then :-)

Wednesday was a double dentist day. Our cat is very sick and needed two teeth extracted. For those who aren't pet parents or who don't like cats, this will not be an expense that makes sense to you. For us, she has been part of our family for 10 years this fall and while I didn't like paying the cost, I did. We go on frugal for gas and groceries and any and all extra money went to this cost. Just under $700.  The next morning she was already her old self, happy and purring and rolling on our laps.  My dentist appointment and cleaning was $159. Not great news - 2 cavities, so back I go on the 26th to get those taken care of. I paid up front for it and the dentist office sent it straight off to my insurance, which will cover all of it. Hopefully that cheque arrives soon.

Last Sunday I had all the children home. It was great. I cooked DS's favourite meal and baked muffins and cookies for them both to take back with them for work. DS1's 'mother in law' won't take any $ for keeping him there, so I send things like laundry soap, TP, cookies and muffins and meals ready to go in the crock pot.

There was little reading this week. Lots more 'running around' and taking care of forms. I spent little time on my patio but we did have a fire one night and I got to relax there, watching it.  I walked though colitis was not very cooperative.  I watched what I ate. I lost weight. It was a very different week than week 1, but it was a good week.

2015 - a quick glance

This was  a really wonky year for money. Debt was at the forefront. More specifically, college money x 2 children.

The debt numbers for this year really only reflect the mortgage.

December 2009 - $70 771.99
December 2010 - $52 410.25 (down $18 361.74)
December 2011 - $40 055.29 (down $12 354.96)
December 2012 - $35 921.04 (down $4 134.25)
December 2013 - $25 925.49 (down $9 995.55)
December 2014 - $22 494.06 (down $3431.43)
December 2015 - $18 837.12 (down $3656.94)

The rest of the debt for my world is the college LOC which has been up and down and up and down. I know where it is at, but I would have to do math to find out exactly how much I added and how much I paid off. It is going to continue to be in flux for at least 2.5 more years.

 I have to say that this is the first year that the weight  of debt and impending expenses have weighed on my like it did back prior to July 2008 when I started this blog. The tailspin of the Canadian vs US dollar certainly is  a big factor.  Adding a second child to college didn't help.

I have 2.5  years left of DS1's time in College and 1.5 of DS2's course. Not sure if DS2 will take classes after that.

I suspect that I will just have to work to survive this time and regroup when it's all over.  Neither can apply as a single independent until they have been out of High School for four years. Apparently DH and I make too much money for them to qualify for anything now.

Like Dory, I will have to just keep swimming, just keep swimming, and hope the boys appreciate this when it's all over.

First day of the holidays

Actually began Thursday night....

I had had precious sleep Wed night as the steroids woke me up about 2 AM and would not let me drift off again.

Morning began and I spent 4 periods with my class and then, with my co coach (the real coach), we headed off with the senior curling team to a community about an hour away. It was great to watch four different schools come together for a little bonspiel before the holidays. We laughed (and laughed) on the way home. I got back to my empty house (well ok the kitties were there) about 8 PM. DH was already gone on his Christmas gift from me trip to Victoria to see his brother.

DD (DS1's girlfriend) arrived about 8:04. She and I would be heading into the city to pick up DS1 at the airport around 12:15 AM.  We hung out and chatted and waited for DS2 to get home, only to get texts from DS1 that his connecting flight in Minneapolis was delayed. and then delayed. and then delayed. He has flown  home three times from college and he has yet to have a flight without issues.

DS2 finally arrives home and we begin power doing laundry as HIS flight leaves at 11:20 on the 18th, to join his father in BC. (that  DS's gift from his mama). The three of us had a good visit and watched Planes, Trains and automobiles, then off to the city went DD and I.

DS1's flight finally came in about 2 AM, and he quickly cleared customs and zoom home we went. We got to the house about 3:45 AM and he was bouncing about, so glad to be there and happy to see the cats. DD and I just laughed, watching him. I headed off to bed for about 2 hours sleep before I had to wake up to get DS2 going.

By 9 AM DS2 and I were up, ready and done the 1.5 hour drive to the city. This is the first  time he's flown alone, but after a couple questions, he was fine.  I watched him go through security and then my exhausted butt started the drive home again.

By 10 AM a text came from DS2 saying the plane he was waiting for was delayed in Calgary.

By 11 AM I was back in my city and stopped at a couple places to get gifts and then home I went.  DS1 and DD had gone out for lunch. He was missing REAL A and W as he called it.  I had a little 45 minute nap then headed off to the bank, the post office and grabbed a few groceries. DD wanted my home made sweet and sour meatballs, rice etc. Grandma was excited to hear this and offered to make home made buns and a raspberry pie if we wanted to bring the main course over to eat at her place.

By 3:30 PM, DS got a call with a little voice asking if "Uncle" could come visit him at gram's. My niece was doing a whistle stop through on her way to the city and her son adores mine. So over we went for a quick visit and a game of ministicks.

By 4:30, we went over to my oldest sister's for  a quick visit (she's the one with MS). She is alone a lot and was happy for the visit.

By 5 PM, DS2's flight had finally got to Victoria, several hours late.

By 5:30 we were back at gram's for a delicious supper and a great visit.

By 6:30 we were back home and everyone crashed for a quick nap.

By 8PM I was up and making an appy as DS and DD were heading over to a nephew's house for an ugly sweater party. DH texted to say that DS2 had had a big turkey supper  and was crashed by 6PM BC time.

By 9 PM I drove the kids over to the party and nestled in on the couch at home. I should have been exhausted,  yet I sat here, in a weird state of "I should be doing something", so I spent a half hour marking  a social assignment. Silly girl.

I picked the kids up at 1 AM.

I am certainly glad I sacrificed one of my earned days off for Friday's adventures. No clue how all highway driving would have worked out, if I had tried to work too.

Money spent:
Gas for Two trips to the city - $75
parking at airport - $10
groceries - $80
gift shopping - $120

Now it's just after 8 AM. It's dark outside. My little tree lights are on, the cats are curled up on the couch, and the house is quiet, except for my fingers clicking on here, my coffee sipping, and HGTV on in the background.

Let the holidays begin!

Grocery/household budget

When DS1 left last fall, I took $40 out of our grocery/household budget to reallocate to his college budget. There were weeks when we noticed that $40 was gone and weeks where it was less noticeable.

Now with DS2 gone, in THEORY, we should need less for the budget again.  I have DS2's budget already set. If we are only feeding two people, there should be a bit of surplus.   I haven't really noticed it yet but it's early.

Over the summer, I debated how I wanted to tweak the budget or IF I wanted to tweak it.

I remembered that last Christmas I found myself on a big shopping trip before DS1 came home from the States, and that I wanted to tuck some money away so I was ready for that purchase.  I decided I wanted to save $200 towards extra Christmas food shopping.

So, here is what I think I am going to do. When I take out my weekly jar allowance, I will automatically put $20 of it in a Christmas jar. 10 weeks of this and I will have my extra money.

IF there happens to be money left at the end of each week in this jar, that will become my snowflakes for the LOC.

So new mini goal: $200 extra dollars for Christmas.


It's a rainy, dreary day here. Homemade stew being created and bread in the bread machine.

And.................he is gone

With a quick dash back into the house to grab his mother's dog eared copy of Voltaire's Candide, DS2 is gone.

Don't tell DS1, but the tears have been far more copious this time than when his brother left for the first time.

I think it's because it means this phase of motherhood is truly over.