Author: Rebecca Cuneo Keenan

Rebecca Cuneo Keenan is a writer who lives in Toronto with her husband and three children.

Breaking the Family Budget

Post author By Rebecca Cuneo Keenan
Post date July 15, 2009

Budgeting is a relatively new revelation for me. I got sick of feeling like I was constantly depriving myself and yet never getting ahead. Any and every purchase was tinged with the guilt of “I can’t afford this.” I felt like I barely spent anything and couldn’t figure out where the money went. For years my husband I withdrew however much money we needed from our joint chequing account (neither of us exactly sure how much the other was spending) and barely made rent. The last week of every month was painfully lean as we tried to cobble together enough to keep a roof over our heads.

So last fall I drew up a budget. Well, first I bought the Pocket Idiots Guide: Living On A Budgetbecause I didn’t know quite where to start. It is pretty straightforward, but sometimes you just want somebody — some writer — to say “Start here.” We’re still not doing everything exactly by the book, so to speak. We have some debt to tackle rather than putting aside a rainy day fund, for example. We also have some needs to be met that cannot really wait for us to strictly be able to afford them. Like we couldn’t wait to pay off our debt before purchasing a car, a dishwasher and an air conditioner. (Trust me. The second baby plus trying to find the time to work from home made those things pretty damn necessary.) But the real miracle is that we found a way to pay for them. Knowing how much money we have left to spend after all the necessities are accounted for actually makes me feel richer. It’s okay for us to go out for dinner because I know that the essentials are taken care of. By putting most of my spending money on my credit card I get to pay down my balance when I come under budget, too. So I’m spending more freely and saving money — unreal.

Tags budgeting, family budget, finances, road trip, savings

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What’s In a Name

DAILY SNACK

Young C has a Bratz doll.

Yep.

She wears a sparkly glam rock getup and comes with a guitar and drumkit.

He pulled her out today and couldn’t remember her name.

I was trying to remember, too.

“Is it Jasmine?”

C looked at me quizzically.

“Do you mean Jazz Woman?”

So Jazz Woman it is.

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There Was Two In the Bed . . .

Post author By Rebecca Cuneo Keenan
Post date July 13, 2009

DAILY SNACK

Baby girl is just settling down for her afternoon nap.

Why, then, is the bedroom door ajar?

“Young C?” I call.

No answer.

I hear his voice as I approach the room.

“I’ll be right back, Reenie. I’ll be right back.”

I open the door.

SCREEECH!

(Who says boys can’t screech?)

“Maaa-um! You scared us.”

He then continued to jump up and down inside the crib.

Fantastic.

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City Workers Strike = New TO Family Traditions

Post author By Rebecca Cuneo Keenan
Post date July 13, 2009

DAILY SNACK

We had it planned out.

Ed double bagged the garbage that had been sitting in the sun for weeks.

He carried it downstairs and left it near the car.

I got the kids in and opened all the windows.

He threw the garbage in the back of the car.

(Hatchback — no trunk.)

He jumped into the car and I drove.

It took ten minutes to get to the temporary dump,

Caught every single red light.

We drove around all afternoon with the windows open to get rid of the smell.

Last summer we went swimming as a family on weekends.

But this is good too.

Ikea Wall Stickers Peel Off

Post author By Rebecca Cuneo Keenan
Post date July 10, 2009
3 Comments on Ikea Wall Stickers Peel Off

Product Review

Last week, L’il I moved from our bedroom into Young C’s. She’s mostly sleeping throught the night now, so I figured it was time. I’m not sure what it is about girls, but I suddenly found myself looking at the room. What can I do to brighten this up, I thought? The jungle-themed hooks and lightswitch plate that Young C’s grandparents gave him were nice. And the sunny yellow wall colour works. The “Ready for Reading” posters we picked up at the library are okay, I guess. And both kids really love the dinosaur mobile. But isn’t there something I could do that would say “girl” without really saying “girl”? Something that would make it feel like it wasn’t just a boy’s room?

Tags children's room, decor, decoration, ikea, wall appliques, wall stickers

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Interior Decor

Post author By Rebecca Cuneo Keenan
Post date July 10, 2009

DAILY SNACK

Two blocks of wood nailed together perpendicularly.

They are painted a deep bluish purple,

And they sit on our window ledge.

This is art.

I love my children and I love that they create.

But how long do I need to keep their creations on display?

And then where do I put them?

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My Little Yogi

Post author By Rebecca Cuneo Keenan
Post date July 9, 2009

DAILY SNACK

L’il I should teach a yoga class.

Or something.

Because even though she can’t yet crawl,

My goodness can she reach!

Sitting on the floor,

One foot pressed down firmly,

The other leg bent at the knee.

“And stretch . . . one . . . two . . .”

Would it count as exploitation if I charged people to exercise as my baby plays?

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Express Does Seem Rather the Wrong Word

Post author By Rebecca Cuneo Keenan
Post date July 8, 2009

DAILY SNACK

It was a few weeks ago now.

But remembering it makes me smile.

We were on our way out,

This younger childless woman and myself,

But I wanted to top off L’il I’s bottle of breastmilk.

“Can you wait a few minutes?

I just need to see if I can squeeze out another ounce or two.”

I pulled out my little hand pump,

And did just that.

Slowly. Painstakingly.

“Oh my God. That is the slowest thing I have ever seen!”

There’s probably a reason nobody tells you about these things before you have children.

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Nursery School No Big Deal

Post author By Rebecca Cuneo Keenan
Post date July 8, 2009

Young C started nursery school yesterday and I felt the first oh-no-my-baby’s-growing-up twinge since L’il I was born. It started to set in as I was hanging around for a little bit when we first arrived and he so clearly didn’t need me there — perhaps he didn’t even want me there. He cried everytime we dropped him off for the first few weeks of daycare last summer; yesterday he barely noticed when I left. I returned home and there was L’il I up on her hands and knees, rocking back and forth, on the verge of crawling and talking and nursery school herself. Or so it seemed.

This nursery school program is only two and a half hours long, twice or thrice weekly. It is hardly the trial of seperation that full-time daycare was. And the difference between two and three years of age is enormous. It’s no wonder he didn’t cry. In fact, we are reaching to be able to afford this program because he so clearly needs something. L’il I’s nap schedule and my desire/need to do some work during her naps means we’ve had to drop most of our routine morning outings. And even when we do get to the Early Years drop-in or a story time the average participant age is much closer to L’il I’s than it is to C’s. “There will be kids my age at my nursery school. Right, Mom?”

Tags anecdote, big boy, first day, nursery school

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Backwards Momentum

DAILY SNACK

She gets up on her knees and starts rocking.

She’s reaching forward,

Eyes focused on that toy.

The harder she tries,

The more she wants to crawl forward,

The further back she pushes herself.

She cries.

***

I change the garbage cans.

I bundle it all up tightly,

And put it on the back deck.

Garbage strike,

So I’ll have to drive it to the temporary dump site tomorrow.

The racoons tear open the bags,

And leave trails of garbage all over the deck.

***

I know baby girl.

The harder we try,

The further backwards we move.

I feel your pain.