Besides … $100 bucks.  who are we kidding?  Homecare = lowest is $40 bucks a day, more likely $55  Daycare = $900 – 1100 PER child.  Unless you work part-time and can forgo the morning and apres 3pm extra fees, its a grand per kid.  Nanny = consider $100 bucks a day, plus TTC pass at $120 a month.  That’s $28 to 34K grand!! after you pay the tax man.  Sure – some people hire live in nannies who really live out and others pay under the table which I’m not interested in doing to a migrant worker. 

I’m voting on childcare so Harper is out but I need to understand other platforms.  All day kindergarten is good but “all day” means 9 to 3pm so that’s not a complete solution either.  Ah.. what a worry.

gotta go to bed now.

I was in ikea today upon suggestion from richer sister to get a hallway shelving unit that will help organize the shit hanging around the house.  Just as I found it and was evaluating what to do, it was time to get my daughter from the play area.  So, dump the project and go get her. 

I feel like I’m playing victim lately and I absolutely *hate* this space.

This blog was, at its creation, dedicated to sharing the long and horrible experience that I had with Home Depot installation services in Canada, having bought an Andersen screen door for $250 ending up paying closer to $900 because of all the mix up, bad service at home depot.  I reached over a 1000 people and hear lots of other similar horror stories about Home Depot.  I hope they have improved since.

I deleted most of my old posts with a willingness now to move on now.  I maintained another blog intended for personal but a bunch of my work colleagues knew of this other blog and RSS’d it.  Truthfully, I just want to go underground again.  Become anonoymous.  Get back in the closet so to speak.  I don’t want to share my intimate details of my life with co-workers.  Its the difference between facebook and linkedin.  I *hate* having colleagues mixed up in my facebook contact list unless they are close friends as well.

So.. here’s go going underground, off the grid.

She ran across the road without me, without looking – not once but twice – in a state of defiance.  To make matters worse – she then ran down the street (on the sidewalk) and would not return till I announced going up the stairs to our house first (to which she wanted to be first).  I know I’m exhausted – totally exhausted from having a newborn and I feel completely unable to mentally, verbally arm wrestle a defiant 3 year old.  So with three hits to the bum, she was sent to her room.

On one hand, I am pleased that I’ve not done this and she is 3.   And yet, I’ve tried with time outs, with consequences, with getting down on her level to explain this.  Ah.. I am tired.  At very least, I called my twin for twinpower.

I’m so afraid of scaring her.  And yet, I simply can not have her running amok on the road.  I just feel so frightened that something bad will happen to her.  I hate operating in fear all the time.

I tried to get on the Balmy Beach waiting list but was told I was out of district.  True I said to the Daycare coordinator for TDSB, but my district has no school attached daycare so why can’t I get on the waiting list.  She told me that Balmy Beach daycare was just filled with teachers kids and parents who had siblings anyways.  I was pretty pissed at that answer.  This lady then proceed to tell me that I live in a good neighbourhood and that I should be able to afford daycare.  (piss off! what do you know of my situation).

Harper can keep his lousy $100.  It doesn’t help with daycare costs and it doesn’t get me a space in this tough neighbourhood.

The Andersen sale was ending at the end of April.  I call home depot and get someone to write down the 10% Andersen sale on my file so I would get it.

This is the day my nightmare with Home Depot – at Gerrard Square begins.  I decided to buy an Andersen screen door (glass bottom, screen top) after seeing at a friend’s house who had bought it from Home Depot.  I wouldn’t normally spend $250 on a screen door but I reasoned that this would be our energy saving solution for 2006. 

At Home Depot I asked David, nay convinced, as a Home Depot employee, to help me with my screen door inquiry.   He showed me the model I was interested in – around $200, but advised it might be more (around $350 – 400) with a custom fit. 

The door is approx >$320 (350 – 400 minus 20%) 

I was wary but noticed a 10% off sale on Andersen doors. David advised me that if I got a Home Depot card, that I’d get an additional 10% off my first purchase.  Okay – 20% off, now I am eager to buy the door.   David then said that I’d have to pay $50 for someone to come and measure my house.  I had brought in all my own measurements but no matter, I signed up for the install and David instructed me not to get the home depot card (the one that would generate 10% off) until I come back to buy the door (after measurement.) 

 I'm going to recount my experience in a series of posts because, I hope that will create more tags for the home depot.