Officially Poor

Oi, we're broke. We'll be eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches everyday for the next two years.

I'm getting my son-nut's teeth straightened, which costs as much as what we paid for our first new car. Of course, an orthodontist will tell you it's not what they do, it's what they know.

One thing I know is $5500 is a lot for a bunch of wire and 24 trips to and from his office.

I suppose it is worth it knowing my son-nut won't grow up to look like a snaggle-toothed carnivore.

One Bathroom

My hub-nut and two bro-in-laws put in a new, shiny marble floor into my bathroom. The old and ugly linoleum/vinyl floor is history, thank god. Bro-in-law #1 threw in the marble tiles, gratis - they were leftovers from another project. Bro-in-law #2 directed the installation and made all the tricky cuts.

However, when you want to remodel your one and only bathroom, you have to get creative. There is only one toilet. The door to the bathroom was removed, so privacy was a bit of an issue. Everyone had to rush and use the toilet before it was placed in the back as a nice piece of temporary yard art. When nature called, we blessed the nearby restaurants - I just couldn't bring myself to knock on my neighbor's door. Finally, around 8 pm the porcelain throne was reinstalled, and peace returned to our home.

The next day, grouting and sealing the marble took another several hours, so bathroom privileges were again put on hold. By late that evening, my son-nut was dancing around the house, trying to get one of us to drive him to a restaurant. Backyard, you say? My son-nut is a real Monk when it comes to bathroom etiquette, and we couldn't convince him to water the tree in the backyard. At the point where his bladder was about to explode, he grabbed a small disposable cup, and stomped off to his bedroom. Moments later, he reappeared to grab another cup, then another, then another. Four cups later, we all breathed a sigh of relief, that is, until he dumped his four yellow offerings into the kitchen sink, which I then had to sterilize.

By morning, the floor was set, albeit very cold. Reminder: wear slippers into the bathroom.