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Smallsteps' best friend had a birthday party today and she even chose her own outfit with the skirt, but didn't have a suitable top to wear with it, so yesterday we went to buy the present and a top to match. 

>I think life is going to get very expensive in the next 10 years.

Though, for now, it was literally a couple euros for a set of three tops from H&M and the skirt to match, is actually a hand-me-down from the neighbors - so not too bad. It is useful having friends live next door with a girl a handful of years older than our own. 

Smallsteps was super excited!

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>She needs to work on her "excited expression" however. 

She is always cute though.

*But, I am biased.*

While she was at the party, my wife and I went and did some more renovation-related activities, like ordering the ceiling panels for the kitchen and office, which will be partially renovated at the same time. Considering we bought the same panels less than two years ago, there has been a 60% increase in the prices, and they are not even solid wood, they are MDF. *Everything* is up by about that much, but thankfully, our builder is charging the same as he was when he was helping finish things I couldn't do last year after the stroke. 

Even now, I am more limited in what I can do and while I am going to put in the effort where I can to keep costs down, I also know that I just don't have the physical stamina to do it all, especially on a short timeframe whilst being fulltime back at work. 

>We also picked up some boxes to pack the kitchen before the teardown begins. 

We are going to be "kitchenless" for 4-6 weeks as first there is the removal of the old, then the building of the new and only after the cupboards are in, will the benchtops be measured, with them taking two to three weeks after measure to get cut, delivered and installed. 

This means that we are going to have to have a kitchen upstairs (microwave and a couple plates) as well as build our office up there too, since we have to pack it up also. It has been a year without this kind of renovation and I am not looking forward to living back in the dust, however, this should be the last major thing *for a while.*

>More famous last words. 

I was saying to my wife that after these renovations, we can "take a break" for a bit to recover, as it is bleeding us dry of our monthly resources, meaning we aren't putting anything away for anything else. And, I would *really like* to start building up a stronger investment portfolio while we have an opportunity, because who in such a volatile market, knows when that opportunity disappears.

Currently, we are both working and while it could be better, we are earning okay from our respective jobs, so we should be "making hay" while the sun shines (or isn't pouring down with rain) and dropping what we can into generating income in the future. In the past, working til retirement was possible, but with almost 30 years left until then, I am not confident either of us will have what it takes to make it in the "new world" of employment, as AI and automation will increasingly bite into our work areas and the "well-paid" jobs will become specialized *well-outside* our expertise.

>Perhaps by then, Smallsteps will support us.

We should have had two children, as Smallsteps is smart and might have what it takes to do well, but then, the second might have been a shocker too! Having children is a type of investment and security approach too, but there are definite risks involved, with plenty of liabilities. 
 
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A couple hours after dropping Smallsteps off at the party, we went to pick her up and found out, that one of the children had got their head stuck in a hanging exercise ring and would have choked, but the adults were there to take the weight off her neck quickly.

>Children...

No damage done though and they all had fun eating too much sugary food, which was nearly all gluten- and lactose- free, which made Smallsteps so happy. Most of her life she has eaten different foods than everyone else around her and she has been immensely patient and understanding about it, but she really does love when she gets to share the experience with others. 

And in a few weeks, Smallsteps herself will be celebrating her own birthday with most of the same kids again. But unlike last year where we hosted, we have booked an indoor activity center to organize it, because our place is going to be well under construction and no place for children (or adults for that matter) at all. It feels like a bit of a copout to be honest, but then - all the kids are going to have a ball climbing and jumping around full of more sugary foods. 

Once the renovations are complete - we will do a belated family birthday though, as especially the grandparents would be pretty bummed not to celebrate at all, as I think that they themselves are feeling their own mortality at the moment and don't want to miss out on anything. 

*We all have FOMO on something.*

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]


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