I finished off the socks I'd been knitting myself finally ... I'd post a pic, but that would require my taking them off to get the lighting decent & that's not happening! I finally see what the fuss is about - they are the most comfortable socks I've ever had! It's rare that my feet don't feel frozen in the wintertime & they are just nicely warm :)
I've already cast on for my second pair. :)
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Whatever Happened to the Kindness of Strangers?
We got hit with some pretty nasty weather yesterday & everyone's been driving more cautiously, myself included. This morning the roads were clear and barely an iy patch to be seen. I managed to find one.
I'd slowed down to enter the turning lane and hit a long stretch of black ice. There was nothing I could do - if I steered the car right, I'd slide into oncoming traffic. I hit the brakes and hung on. I was fortunate I was going so slow - the car slid the whole length of the lane (and it's a long one!) bumped onto the concrete island dividing the turn lane from the main road, knocked over a street sign but came to a stop before hitting the traffic light pole, thank goodness!
I sat there for a moment, stunned. A woman waiting at the lights was looking directly at me. There were plenty of cars around who saw what happened. Not one stopped. Not one rolled down a window to ask if I was ok.
I waited a moment to be sure I was ok, and drove off unhurt and the car only a little scratched, thankful it wasn't worse but feeling very dissapointed in people.
I'd slowed down to enter the turning lane and hit a long stretch of black ice. There was nothing I could do - if I steered the car right, I'd slide into oncoming traffic. I hit the brakes and hung on. I was fortunate I was going so slow - the car slid the whole length of the lane (and it's a long one!) bumped onto the concrete island dividing the turn lane from the main road, knocked over a street sign but came to a stop before hitting the traffic light pole, thank goodness!
I sat there for a moment, stunned. A woman waiting at the lights was looking directly at me. There were plenty of cars around who saw what happened. Not one stopped. Not one rolled down a window to ask if I was ok.
I waited a moment to be sure I was ok, and drove off unhurt and the car only a little scratched, thankful it wasn't worse but feeling very dissapointed in people.
Friday, February 16, 2007
sick
The absolute worst part for me about being a single mother is when I get sick. Lots of other stuff is hard, lots makes my heart about want to burst, lots make me feel. helpless but when I get sick - REALLY sick, I AM helpless.
I managed to get to the dr's office this afternoon to get diagnosed with some kind of throat infection - maybe strep. I took a course of antibiotics as soon as I paid for them. I dosed myself with ibuprofin.
Then I got the shakes. BAD. I got scared - my little one is not quite ready to handle making a phone call should I become incapacitated. I downed fluid, stole one of his freezies. An hour in I called my friend, who was a nurse for advice. I couldn't even think sraight.
My friend reminded me I could take some ASA as well, so I did. The shakes continued for another hour. That's a LONG time :(
I'm relieved to be finally feeling like I'm thinking straight again, and to have stopped shivering. It's almost The Child's bedtime and I'll does myself up one more time with antiobiotics and line up the asa & ibuprofin by the bed and hope that a god night sleep helps improve matters immensely so I can at least pretend to be supermom again in the morning!
I managed to get to the dr's office this afternoon to get diagnosed with some kind of throat infection - maybe strep. I took a course of antibiotics as soon as I paid for them. I dosed myself with ibuprofin.
Then I got the shakes. BAD. I got scared - my little one is not quite ready to handle making a phone call should I become incapacitated. I downed fluid, stole one of his freezies. An hour in I called my friend, who was a nurse for advice. I couldn't even think sraight.
My friend reminded me I could take some ASA as well, so I did. The shakes continued for another hour. That's a LONG time :(
I'm relieved to be finally feeling like I'm thinking straight again, and to have stopped shivering. It's almost The Child's bedtime and I'll does myself up one more time with antiobiotics and line up the asa & ibuprofin by the bed and hope that a god night sleep helps improve matters immensely so I can at least pretend to be supermom again in the morning!
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
"Crowned in Peace"
A friend sent me a link to an incredbily sad video on youtube that briefly told the story of a little boy who lost his life due to seat belt failure. The parents of the boy had published the video to promote seat belt saftey awarenss. They are recommending parents look for car seats that have 5-point harnesses that can hold up to 80lbs as if their son had been in a 5-pt harness he would still be alive today.
Definitely a good message to hear. More rsearch to be done on my part as the family in question lives in the Sates and safety standards are different here in Canada, so investigation is needed.
BUT that's not why I'm posting tonight. Something on the related playlist caught my eye; "the life of noah steven" Being curious, I clicked it & the video started playing. I stopped it only a moment in, as from the photo montage alone I could work out the essentials. A link to a blog was listed above the video. Off I went to read. and read. and read. and cry.
The story of this family has short-circuited most of my brain cells at the moment. I'm amazed at the amount of love, faith, strength and togetherness this family shows in their pictures and posts. They have gone through some awful times and have managed to remain positive and able to see the good in this world.
So, I'm suggesting a peek at the blog, which is as much as story about Faith as it is about this beautiful boy and his loving parents and sister ..... take some kleenex with you....
Noah Steven Crowned in Peace
Definitely a good message to hear. More rsearch to be done on my part as the family in question lives in the Sates and safety standards are different here in Canada, so investigation is needed.
BUT that's not why I'm posting tonight. Something on the related playlist caught my eye; "the life of noah steven" Being curious, I clicked it & the video started playing. I stopped it only a moment in, as from the photo montage alone I could work out the essentials. A link to a blog was listed above the video. Off I went to read. and read. and read. and cry.
The story of this family has short-circuited most of my brain cells at the moment. I'm amazed at the amount of love, faith, strength and togetherness this family shows in their pictures and posts. They have gone through some awful times and have managed to remain positive and able to see the good in this world.
So, I'm suggesting a peek at the blog, which is as much as story about Faith as it is about this beautiful boy and his loving parents and sister ..... take some kleenex with you....
Noah Steven Crowned in Peace
Friday, February 09, 2007
"I dead you!!"
The Child's newest favourite phrase - perhaps we've watched a little too much Siderman and Harry Potter lately!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Free Tax Programs
GenuTax - 30 day trial
Taxman 2006
StudioTax
I haven't tried any of these myself and none have e-file capability - I think the idea is you enter your amounts intop the programs, let them do the calculations & copy onto the paper form & mail that away.
This has been your public service announcement of the day :)
Taxman 2006
StudioTax
I haven't tried any of these myself and none have e-file capability - I think the idea is you enter your amounts intop the programs, let them do the calculations & copy onto the paper form & mail that away.
This has been your public service announcement of the day :)
Money, money, money!
Lately I've been spending more time than I'd like trying to re-work my budget. It astounds me how it is I make a decent salary yet am always broke.
Out of curiosity (ok and maybe I was a little bored too!) I decided to work out how my monthly earnings were being divided up:
Notice anything missing? Yep, I have NOTHING going to savings. Or RRSP's. Or an RESP. And that's with tweaking and re-working the darn thing a bazillion-and-one times. Something is just very very wrong there!
I just can't fathom how other single parents DO it! In fact, I can't fathom how any single-income family manages to do more than get by! I'm better off than some, I know, but my kid isn't doing any sports, our entertainment consists of an outing to the Children's Museum or the library, maybe the video store, we shop mainly at consignment stores & sales, my car is nothing special - our life is not at all luxurious.
It's a mystery to me how some folk seem to have so much more. I suppose though the key word is seem - I guess I have no way of *knowing* the truth ....
Yet I still feel like a failure when it comes to money. I feel like I'm letting my son down by not providing the nest, by not being able to save for his future or mine! The only good thing I can say is I've paid off a staggering amount of debt since separating and if I can manage to keep it up, it should be all gone by the end of this year (other than the car payments). Depressing though that will only free up 1% of my monthly salary! *sigh*
Out of curiosity (ok and maybe I was a little bored too!) I decided to work out how my monthly earnings were being divided up:
- 25% goes to rent
- 21% to daycare
- 13% utilities
- 17% goes to car-related expenses (car payment, insurance, gas)
- 16% is for food
- less than 1% clothes the kiddo & I
- less than 1% to debts
- pharmacy-stuff, coffee money, entertainment, insurance (life & renter's) and charitable donatrions make up the last 6% - I didn't bother breaking them each down
Notice anything missing? Yep, I have NOTHING going to savings. Or RRSP's. Or an RESP. And that's with tweaking and re-working the darn thing a bazillion-and-one times. Something is just very very wrong there!
I just can't fathom how other single parents DO it! In fact, I can't fathom how any single-income family manages to do more than get by! I'm better off than some, I know, but my kid isn't doing any sports, our entertainment consists of an outing to the Children's Museum or the library, maybe the video store, we shop mainly at consignment stores & sales, my car is nothing special - our life is not at all luxurious.
It's a mystery to me how some folk seem to have so much more. I suppose though the key word is seem - I guess I have no way of *knowing* the truth ....
Yet I still feel like a failure when it comes to money. I feel like I'm letting my son down by not providing the nest, by not being able to save for his future or mine! The only good thing I can say is I've paid off a staggering amount of debt since separating and if I can manage to keep it up, it should be all gone by the end of this year (other than the car payments). Depressing though that will only free up 1% of my monthly salary! *sigh*
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