Stick to the budget - October 2015

Today is the first day of my self inflicted challenge called "Stick to the Budget".

I decided that I wanted to be more aware of the $$$ I spend. I realize that I spend too much $$$ on random stuff. I already own or have everything I need so why buy more?

My rules for the month

• I presently have $25.60 on my Starbucks card. I must not go over even though I am addicted to their Pumpkin Spice lattes.
• $150 on groceries per week including household stuff but excluding Baby M's organic milk and diapers.
• Baby M does not need any more clothes or toys.
• And I do not need another fall jacket and since I bought my Hunter boots last year... I am all ready for the fall weather.
• I also do not need another book to read. I have plenty of them and if I am in desperate need to get a new book... I'll go to the library or wait until November.
• No Costco run just because I always spend way too much at Costco.

Already scheduled stuff on my planner

• Date night with Bidou to see the movie Martian at the VIP Cineplex theatre and supper.
• Facial scheduled for October 2nd. Get the facial but I do not need any facial products since I already have a stock pile at home.
• A gala scheduled for October 23rd. Appointment already scheduled to get my hair done the day of the Gala.
• Apple picking activity with Baby M and Bidou. 
• Halloween activity planned with Baby M.
• Every Wednesday Baby M visits with her biological parents. I usually wait for her at a local cafe where I splurge on a lattee and a sandwich ($15 per visit + $20 per visit for ferry crossing)
• Almost every Tuesday, my dad and I go to the movies since Tuesdays are cheap night at the movies... only $5.50 but I not allowed to use the concession stand.

The money not spend during the month will be deposited in Baby M's 2020 Disney Cruise fund. Please come back at the end of October to see how I did.

My 2015 Fall Goals & Bucket List

This post was ready to be posted on the first day of Fall but my iMac was in the shop and I really wanted to prepare a banner (yay! my first banner using befunky.com) to add to this post.

Without further ado.... My fall goals & bucket list...

• Take pictures of Baby M in her Halloween costume outdoors;
• Have a picnic in the Gatineau park with Baby M and Bidou;
• Go apple picking;
• Eat more soups made in my soup maker blender;
• Learn basic HTML codes and CSSS by using the website htmldog.com;
• Organized and sell (or donate) Baby M's old clothes and stuff that she is no longer using;
• Try new apple recipes;
• Finish organizing Baby M's first year box;
• Consciously drink more, walk more and clean kitchen before heading to bed!

That's all folks!

New Recipe and/or Product Tryouts

If it was up to Bidou we would eat out every night since he HATES to cook, bake, fry, broil, BBQ etc. Therefore, I am the main and only cook in the house. And if you are like me I am so tired of always cooking the same 'old thing for dinner. My Bidou is a meat and potato eater. I like to vary my dinners.

I often try new recipes. I am also a sucker for buying new products I see at the grocery store. I must admit that not all new recipes I have tried in the past were very successful. 

Tonight I tried a new product for dinner that I found at the grocery store - BBQ Chicken with applewood flavour and bacon from Club House.

I cooked some chicken strips with an onion in a little bit of oil. I then added red, yellow and green peppers and I couple of mushrooms I had in the fridge. I added the sauce. It simmered for 10 minutes. The above picture is the final product. I served it over a bed of basmati rice. 

End result or as Bidou would say: "it's a keeper" - Yay!!!  Even Baby M had some cut up pieces of chicken.

Do you like trying new recipes/products???

A Night at the Hospital

Besides being born with a cleft palate (repair surgery was done last July) my Baby M has been the healthiest baby thus far. She has never been feverish even when she was teething, no diaper rashes and has never even had a cold or the flu.

Last night, I noticed that she was not her usual self at supper time. She was playing around with her food on her plate more than she was eating. Then right after bath time I noticed that she felt hot. Without even taking her temperature (I have a rectal thermometer and I refuse to use it), I decided to give her a dose of Advil before bedtime. We did our usual bedtime ritual and she went down like an angel as usual.

I heard her stir at around 8 pm and went to check on her. I found her convulsing in her crib and when I picked her up she was boiling hot. I yelled for Bidou to come and thankfully, we live beside the hospital and were there in 3 minutes.

In Canada, our free medical system tends to be not the best at times but I must admit that we flew threw triage and were set up in a room right away to see a doctor.

Baby M had a febrile seizure due to a very high fever caused by an ear infection. I read that febrile seizures are very common (1 out of 25) among children from 6 months to 5 years old. My Baby M is now on antibiotics for 10 days. She is back to her old self and this mommy is happy!!

Have you ever heard of febrile seizures?

Weekend Updates

My Dad came over Friday to take Baby M and Kloe for an hour walk. Do you know how much housecleaning I did in that hour?? All floors were vacuumed and washed. And my dusting completed. I am no fool... I have scheduled him to come over again this Friday.

I had a 9:45 am appointment Saturday morning at the Apple Store. Can you imagine that I stuffed a SD card into the CD slot on my iMac. Therefore, I am writing this blog from the Blogger app on my iPad. My iMac is in the shop for 3 to 5 days. 

There was a promotion at Pandora's this weekend. When you spended $125 you received any $75 charm for free. The timing was perfect since I have been wanting a necklace and a pendant from Pandora. I also was able to buy a charm for my friend's birthday on Thursday.

Mother Nature gave us Fall like weather on Sunday - finally. I had an urge to go apple picking or pumpking carving but only ran errands to Walmart with Baby M instead.

Slowly, I am starting to talk "potty time" with Baby M. She is only 13 months and way too early to be potty trained but I thought it would be a good idea to have a cute potty in the bathroom so she can start associating her smart pretty brain peeing in a toilet instead of her diaper. Here she is demonstrating... how cute is she and of course, the Ducky Potty.