I can hardly believe the calendar has landed on November. October seemed all together too short, though it peppered with many happy things, there were also many, many challenges. I felt somewhat conflicted as it is my favourite time of year and yet, I was happy to begin a new month and inch closer to some time off over the holidays.
The children are well, so really not much can be wrong. My quietness had more to do with a broken laptop (which won’t be replaced) than anything else. I suppose the other big news is that I purchased our first home – yes – you read that right. The stars must have aligned and God was certainly on my side. Never did I think this would be possible, but a mortgage lower than rent and home owners who needed to move asap and couldn’t find buyers with the same flexibility we had (renting and all) and fellow buyers who all were looking at houses above their budget, not below, means that somehow there was no bidding war and we were able to get a home. A home, I tell you. A home.
No more moving, no more raising rents (I chose a 5 year fixed rate mortgage to help with budgeting, though the mortgage itself will take 100 years to pay off 
), no more instability for my children. We are home, dare I say forever, for it certainly meets our needs. And it is home.
I am tired, I must admit. Very tired. There has been so much stress since the start of last month, and we moved at the beginning of this month (adding a tad more stress to the mix), so I think we all need nothing more than sleep, days and days of sleep. But there are boxes to unpack and meals to prepare and meds to dispense and therapies to be had. And it is months like these, where the solo-parenting gig feels hard. Oh how nice it would have been on moving day to have someone else prepare dinner, or the buffer of a second income to eat out, but I think sometimes the reminders of such things are fresher when tired and right now I’m just tired.
It is November now and I hope the beginning of things anew. I’m going to set some goals for the month, a bit of an encouragement, a bit of a reminder to inhale, exhale and really breathe. I’m learning, slowly, sometimes the greatest struggle is forgetting to breathe.
So this month, my goals are easy, the work (I hope!) is light. And my hope is we slowly begin to all de-stress a bit and the anxiety dissipates. So for this month, we are making home in the physical and mental sense and our goals are:
Home
- Unpack boxes
- Do a deep clean
- Establish a strict budget and stick to it (I’ll put it here for accountability) – lets just say we were tight before, we are air-tight now…it is a bit scary, but this was the right move
- Menu plan and stick to it (food budget $240 a month now)
- Register for parking permit
- Go to pick up all mortgage documents at the bank
- Write out and begin new morning routine with our new, longer commute to work
- Plant some tulips and daffodils for next spring
Health
- Do breathing exercises as a family at least 3 x a week
- Go for a walk each weekend as a family (1/4)
- Drink 4 glasses of water per day
- Work from home 1 day/week on weeks where I have 5 long shifts
- In bed by 10:30 pm each night (wake-up time 5:30 am)
Children/Family
- Play a game as a family every single day
- Have each child read for 30 minutes per day
- Read to each child for 30 minutes per day
- Read 4 Chapter books as a family (1/4)
- Read Charlotte’s Web with my daughter
- Take children to the art gallery to see a Group of 7 and Tom Thompson exhibit
- Make Christmas cards
- Hospital appointment for both children
- Continue the quest to find a speech therapist for my son
- Send my son’s latest health assessment to his specialist
- Spend an afternoon painting with the children
- Son in bed by 7:30 each week night
- Daughter in bed by 8:15 each week night
- Begin writing to pen pals courtesy of blog-reader and friend, Kathleen
- Have children write to Auntie B in England
- Begin Wednesday night soup night as a family
Me
- Put in 5 benefit claims for work
- Phone Eye Dr
- Get glasses for night-time driving
- Pack lunch every day for work
- Book 2 PA days off of work
- Check oil in car
- Write thank you cards
- Call friend in England who was made redundant
And there you have it. So much more could be done, but I can’t. This month is necessities, making home and breathing.
Soon, pictures. For now, sleep.
I hope you are all well; I wish you a month of breathing and rest.
You said a 5 year fixed rate loan. Will your mortgage be paid off in 5 years, or will your rate adjust at that time?
Adjust! Oh my, the mortgage will be 30 years!!
Ah! I bought a (new-to-me) home in October too! How weird is that?!
Congratulations on finding home. I can’t wait to see pics
Congratulations on your new home. Reading over your list of things to do for the month wore me out. I hope you have built in some breathing space for yourself into that list of goals.
Best wishes to you, how exciting tht you have your own home at last! Happy home-making!
Congratulations! This is wonderful news, and all the best with getting everything set up and everyone settled in.
Congratulations ! I’ve been thinking of you all over the last few weeks when I have checked your blog for any new posts. Wishing you all well in your new home together x
Congratulations FT! So happy you found your home
Wishing you lots of happiness in your new home … you’ve come a long way!
So many congratulations on finding a home!!! I am very happy for you and your children – and I greatly admire that you have managed, on one income and with two children, what others with more less income /fewer needs do not, through your amazing budgeting and determination to stick to the budget!
Wishing you and your family much happiness in your new home (stability for your children… amazing).
Congrats on your new home, awesome news! Judy xx
Lovely news wishing you lots of love and laughter in your new home
How wonderful to have your own home! And less mortgage money than your rent was, if I understood that properly…….Just concentrate on that breathing, breathing in and breathing out. And peace be with you and with your spirit and with your family! What you accomplish always leaves me awe struck.
Yes, less payment wise but the added stretch is the utilities and taxes. But, I feel at peace and know it was the right choice for our family. Thanks for the reminder to breathe : )
congratulations and much love to you all on your new forever home ! Now you dont have the stress and worry of finding new places and feeling like you are constantly moving around. I am sure your frugal life will be all the sweeter xxxx
Agreed – all the sweeter for sure! Thanks, Kellie!
I am so, so thrilled for you and your family. I was so happy to see this post! We’ve just moved too, after being stuck without being able to sell our flat for a whopping 5 years. We’ve also fixed for 5 years and our budget is going to require some creativity! It was definitely the right choice for our family though and it sounds like it is the right one for yours too. I know you’ve waited a long time so big congratulations !
So pleased to hear your news – have been thinking about you. You know there is no rush to do all the unpacking etc … just do what needs to be done as opposed to what you want to have done or feel should be done. I’ve been ill of late and its really made me realise what I need to focus on … and just to let go of all the things that I usually do but will have to wait. It took a long while for me to accept that but when I finally let go it made sense. Health is more important than anything else. Moving house is one of the top 10 stressors I think so give yourself breathing time to relax, rest and stay healthy. Much love xx
Thanks, Angela. I needed that reminder!
I’m so happy to hear about your new home! I had been praying that you would find just the right home for your family. How wonderful to be able to buy instead of rent. I’ll be praying that the children will have an easy adjustment to their new space. Have fun making it your very own together!
I could not possibly be happier or prouder for you! Just stick to the must-do’s and give yourself some slack on everything else. Sending big excited hugs to you all!
I am amazed and very very happy for you. I hope that you are all going to be very happy for years to come in your new home. The early years of a mortgage are tough, but so worth it.
I’ve missed you! When it’s too much in my life, your posts are a balm for me, and I’ve noticed just how much in the past few weeks when you haven’t posted.
I made a batch of homemade butterscotch this weekend. Is there an address I could send some to for your children (and you) (ingredients: beet sugar, butter, dark brown muscovado and love).
That’s very kind Rosie, both your words and the butterscotch. Are you in the same country? I’m not sure one is allowed to post such delights!
I’m in London, UK. And yes you can. Oz doesn’t work but Canada does. I’d send cake etc, but my finances won’t stretch that that. If I get enough extra clients, I’ll save a piece of proper home made British Christmas cake for you.
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Hooray! Congrats on your new home! At least once you’re unpacked this time, you’re done!
Congrats! What wonderful news. Once you settle in and catch up on rest, things will lookup. So nice to have a home for you all to cherish, especially the little ones..
Congratulations on your new home. May it be filled with love, happiness, laughter and peace.
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Congratulations, FT!!!! What a great accomplishment!
I’m thrilled for you and the kids!
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I just wanted to say congratulations. I sometimes worry about our mortgage too (DH and I live on one income with another baby on the way *gasp*) but we do think a mortgage is a better stress to live with, than the uncertainty of renting. It certainly sounds like God had plans for your new accommodation. Bless your new house and family.
What a fantastic achievement you should be so proud of what you have managed on your own. It will be so great for you all to put down roots in one place. I am sure that once you all get past the initial stresses that come with moving house you will all settle into a new routine.
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