Grocery Fun!

Little Z is getting bigger and bigger and has now entered into a whole new stage: the Toddle Stage. He is walking, more than ever, tottering around with his hands waving to help keep him steady. He is oh so very cute, as all who spend time with him will attest. But, with this new stage has come the standard headstrong will. Now when we go grocery shopping, he does not want to sit in the cart (there's no action there!). No, he wants to walk, securely between mom and the grocery cart, pushing the cart around with such strength for such a little guy. We literally walk laps around the grocery store, me grabbing items from the shelves as we pace by, trying to keep him from running us into other patrons. Every once in a while when I need us to stop, I lodge him into a corner, which he has quickly adapted to by pulling the cart back and turning it a bit and then pushing again... repeat until that works! The alternative is me lodging my foot under the cart wheel so it can't go anywhere, which results in Z pushing with all his might (think practically horizontal baby) and crying out in frustration. Part of me thinks that he sees pushing the cart as his very important job in our grocery shopping endeavor. Unfortunately, he just doesn't know when to stop, and things always go south when we reach the check out line and the time for pushing has come to an end. Then, I'm stuck juggling pulling items out of the cart, while making sure Z doesn't shove the cart into the person in front of us, or while holding a squirming, very unhappy little boy. Yup, checkout cannot go fast enough. We may have reached the stage where little Z will have to stay home with one parent while the other shops... at least until he's old enough to run down the isle to fetch items for me - another adventure I'm sure. I must say though, it is pretty cute seeing him put all that effort into pushing the cart. So much gumption for such a little person!

The good life

Oh, how much better one feels after a full night of sleep! Z has been giving us a little grief during the night time as of late, either waking up around 330/4am looking for a feed, or deciding that 530am is a great wake up time. At just shy of a year old (it's only a matter of weeks now!) I know he can go the whole night without a feed. Anyways, last night we ate spaghetti (that kid can pack it away!), and then I took the little one for a walk along Willow's Beach. It was such a beautiful night; we started at Estevan Village, walking past Willows Galley Fish n Chips on our way down to the beach. That reminds me, I need to get a fish n chips meal in before the end of summer; it smelled so good walking past that place! Z kept his little sunglasses on the whole time and we had a nice peaceful walk, seeing all the other families and groups of friends enjoying the beach and the playground.

I want to highlight the dinner I made last night. I decided to try something new with my tried and true spaghetti recipe. First, I added zucchini to the sauce; I've been trying to get more veggies in where-ever I can. Second, I decided to make spaghetti squash to cut some of the noodles out. This was the second time I had spaghetti squash. I was pretty impressed the first time I made it, with the ease of prep (I seriously just poke some holes in it and microwave it whole for 8-10 minutes, turning it over every couple of minutes), how tasty it was, and how much it actually resembled noodles... so cool! Anyways, it turned out really great... I think it helped that we also had some fresh baked (not by me) focaccia bread to go with it.

Tonight we caught an outdoor show of Towers and Trees. They're a new local band, of which my brother is a part. Also, my sister in law, his wife, sings vocals sometimes. It was such a wonderful night. The show was early enough that we actually both got to go and bring Z. Normally we kindof flip a coin to decide who gets to go, and who stays home to watch the munchkin. You couldn't ask for better weather, and the food on the patio at the Canoe Club was so tasty. It was pricey, but we both agreed, it was a great evening. Plus, little one did a lot of cruising around with all the patio chairs that were available as anchors.

I'm looking forward to this long weekend. My hubby is off tomorrow, and Monday is a civic holiday, so we'll enjoy a good four days of family time. I'll leave you with a debut video from Towers and Trees.

How much is enough?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about our lifestyle and how much we need to get by. It's been a fantastic year, being off on maternity leave, enjoying caring for my son, but it has come with some monetary sacrifices (we won't go into the sleep sacrifices, etc). It seems to be a common theme these days: how much do you need to get by?

It's easy to look at the Jones' across the street and think that they have it so good. Maybe they are friends how are going on vacation, maybe they've bought a new car, or are doing some renovations. It's easy to look around and think that others have it good and you're the only one struggling, but I think if we actually had the chance to look at each others' financial pictures, it would probably be a sobering piece of art. It's funny, because finances is a topic that can be quite taboo, kind of like religion or politics, but I quite like hearing how people run their "operations!" I recently took a detailed look at our finances. I printed off our bank account and credit card statements for two months and categorized absolutely every expenditure (that's a great word I don't get to use that often!). It was very eye-opening to see how much we actually need to get by, even just for normal base-living costs such as the mortgage, insurances, utilities, food and gas.

I'm turning 30 this year, and as I look around me I feel like a lot has changed in the past 15 years in terms of what is a necessity, and in terms of cost of living. It does make me wonder though, is the cost of living high or is it just our particular lifestyle? I think it's a bit of both. I'm on a Canadian Issues Debate forum where I have the opportunity to converse with people from across the county. I put the cost-of-living question out to them, and I was surprised to find that Victoria isn't that much different than across the country. I mean, there are variations in food and gas prices. I think the biggest difference (at least to me) is daycare costs (not subsidized in BC) and housing costs. It is very expensive to rent in Victoria and it is also very expensive to buy, at least it can be depending on the area.

This morning, the hubby and I went for a walk with our little one in the stroller around a local trail. We got to enjoy the crisp clear air, the warm temperatures and the sun on our skin. It didn't cost us a dime. I think it's so easy to see spending as an activity, or as a necessary part of getting through the day. I'm trying my best to shift more towards enjoying myself without spending money, and making purchases that are worthwhile, and not just random. And also, most importantly even, taking the time to enjoy the things I've already invested in.