Throughout the day I come up with cute and quirky things to post on my blog and at night I get lazy and forget what I wanted to write about.

Today I've been plagued by all sorts of things. Grace and I went to the park to get some fresh air and play. We went to Dunkin' Donuts after to get myself a cup of coffee and a treat for Grace. I was looking out the window when I saw an elderly man, he was homeless and he was picking through a dumpster, his clothes too big on him because he was so skinny from not eating. It just broke my heart. I bought a muffin and after I put Grace in the car i went up to him and asked him if he would let me give him the muffin. He reluctantly took it from me and I felt terrible after i got in the car and drove away. I felt so guilty driving away in my warm car, a fridge full of food, more then enough toys for her to play with, and I couldn't help but wish there was more I could do for him.


I think about all the kids that didn't have Christmas gifts to open on Christmas morning because they're parents had to decide between putting food in their bellies vs. a Christmas gift. Or some kids that don't have parents at all.
How fortunate I am to be lucky to have been able to go to college to have student loans to pay for. Yes paying them sucks but I was lucky enough to have been given the opportunity and option of going to college that many do not.

Then we complain about paying taxes, student loans, what has the government done for me lately? don't I deserve a break too, well it's not my problem why should I worry about it?

But it is your problem, it's my problem, it's everyone's problem. I don't fault the father that was laid off that collects unemployment until another job comes around because that means he'll make enough money to put food in his kids stomachs and pay the mortgage instead of working somewhere making much less and feeding his kids instead of paying the mortgage then his house goes into foreclosure.
I don't blame the family that chooses this instead of the other.

I have a vivid memory of when I was a kid and (coincidentally) outside of a Dunkin' Donuts. My mom getting out of the car, giving a homeless man money and a box of donuts. I remember thinking it was weird that my mom knew this man (she didn't know him, I was young and eating a donut but we're not allowed to talk to strangers so why would our parents?) when she got back in the car I asked who her friend was and she told me it wasn't her friend, he was homeless and she wanted to help him. I will never forget it.

I don't typically like to talk religion or politics because it's so personal and so many differing opinions but those are my views. I hope that I raise my child to take compassion on the less fortunate. To feel pain for those suffering. To want to do everything to help them. I hope I raise a child with good values.

Here's why you really came on here, pictures of Grace at the park today:

Cabin Feva!

So winter time  = stuck inside and getting bored and stuck in a rut.

I have been feeling guilty about not taking baby G anywhere fun lately. We do the normal stuff, finger painting, coloring, peekaboo, building forts, racing, tea parties but I know I get bored so she must be bored. Right? RIGHT?

The other day we ventured to the Children's Museum. it went like this:
It's 30 minutes away, much like everything else in this area. We are 1/4 of the way there and Grace has a meltdown of epic proportions. I decide to press forward because she needs to let off some steam and run around a bit in a new setting. I drive the rest of the way to the museum with G SCREAMING and crying.
We finally arrive!
I carry her inside and as I am checking in they tell me it's $15 to go inside. I start digging in my purse. Can't find my wallet. I check another pocket in the purse. Nothing. I set Grace down and climb inside the purse, much like Mary Poppins. Nothing.
I vaguely remember Grace pulling my wallet out of my purse AT HOME a few hours ago. Damn.
Grace starts her meltdown because she has spotted toys and wants to play.
By the mercy of the 19 year old girl working at the museum she lets us go inside and play. (thank the lord!)
This is Grace exploring:

 She has more fun playing with the fire truck then in the Toddler Room

 So then we played outside yesterday. I think Grace may have found her new hobby: basketball

"um, yea, those guys have no clue what they're doing"

"you need a sub? I'm in!"

Thanks for stopping by :)

These days long lasting marriages aren't the norm. They're just not, so whenever I come across someone in 30+year long marriages I always ask one thing: "What's the secret to a successful marriage?"

the most common answers:
"A good sense of humor"
"Don't take yourself too seriously"
"Have fun"

Do we see a theme here?

I'm happy to report that Danny and my relationship tends to be pretty comical. I actually sometimes feel like I'm in the middle of a sitcom. I really do.

Scene one:
It's 11 o'clock the night before our daughters first birthday. I had big plans of having bouquets of balloons set up in her bedroom for a nice surprise when she woke up in the morning. I worked that morning and forgot to get balloons.
me: "oh no! I forgot to get balloons for Grace!"
Danny: " want me to run out to Walmart and get some?"
Me: "no" (feeling pretty pathetic and like the world's worst mommy for forgetting) "it's ok, it's too late anyway."

Danny pauses for a minute sincerely thinking then suddenly: "want me to go put the vacuum in her room?"
(just a recap. Grace goes nutty for the vacuum. She chases me around the house as I vacuum. She's a riot)
::CUE AUDIENCE LAUGHTER::


I can imagine an episode of The Kind of Queens going something like this:

Danny is known for sleeping. He hates loathes waking up in the morning for work. He'll sleep until the very last second until he has to get up for work and he'll still be late. He even will pick up a shirt off the floor and throw it in the dryer for a few minutes to "let the wrinkles work themselves out"

Scence Two:
Danny has just scored some football tickets to his favorite teams playoff game.
It's the morning before the game.
Grace wakes up. Danny jumps out of bed and runs into Grace's room to go through her closet where our ski clothes are in storage.
He comes back into our bedroom with handfuls of ski clothes, plops them on the bed then gets ready and goes to work.
----------------later that night-------
Danny comes home from work and goes straight to our bedroom. He comes back to the living room with an outfit on. It's his dress rehearsal for the next day.
He tries on several outfits before deciding on the final and perfect one.

ok, so scene two wasn't quite as funny but I think it's pretty comical. I could totally picture Dough Hefernin walking into the room over and over again in different outfits infront of a bored and annoyed Carrie.

Scence Three:
I get up from sitting on the couch and walk directly into and fall head over heals into a rolling tumble onto the floor.
Danny: "Are you drunk?"
Me: laughing "no, I'm completely sober"
Danny: shakes his head


I also say key phrases to Danny:
While in bed and I want him to cuddle with me "Danny, spoon it" instead of "spoon me"
He happens to call me a creep on the regular. I think it's funny. Maybe a little weird. But that's ok because we have fun on the regular. We also don't take things too seriously. Some people (actually it's only one friend of mine and it's not Danny) say that I'm one of the funniest people they know.
Our marriage is not perfect but we do have fun. And we do laugh. A lot.

So make sure you laugh. A lot. 

But now I sit here with my daughter snuggled in her bed, husband hard at work to support us, a warm home, a fridge full of food, a glass of wine and I can't help but think to myself "life is good."
It's so easy to get caught up in the drama or everyday woes, bills, people that suck, car breaking down, ect.

It was a pajama day in the Mac house yesterday. Grace and I hung out in our pj's and it was one of my favorite days with her this week.

This girl absolutely amazes me. I love to watch her exploring and discovering new things.

It was all about a basket.
she filled up the basket with toys, emptied the toys out, sat in it, stood up in it. She had her snack in it, we read a story with her sitting in it (usually she sits in my lap), put more toys in it, you get the idea.

Grace in her basket:

Grace in my basket:

I like to watch her play and think of different things she might be imagining, maybe her basket is a rocket ship and she's taking off into the galaxy. Maybe she's in her race car rounding the last lap and about to win the Piston Cup (she likes the movie Cars).

I bought her a rag doll and an umbrella stroller for Christmas but she uses the dolls stroller as a race car making the "vroooom vroom" noises as she pushes it around the living room.

Today we took a trip to Friendly's. I love Friendly's, my mom used to take us there when we were kids, I love the chicken tenders, their french fries, the mozzarella sticks, the cone head sundae, the vanilla coke. I love it all! So we went. It was a joy had by all. We shared my Fribble and Grace ate the breading of the mozzarella sticks and ate a bowl of mandarin oranges. I ate a crispy chicken wrap. I'm still thinking about it and cursing myself for not ordering a second one to take home with me!

"Excuse me mama, but I'm going to need you to share that frozen chocolatey drink with me please!"

"that's better mama, share the wealth!"

another taste of mama's Fribble

mmm, yummy in my tummy!

aaand Grace is ready to go home!

Happy New Years!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Years Eve! Wishing you and yours a healthy and happy 2012 :)

Thank you to the people that have helped make 2011 a great year for me and my family.
2012 will be an even better year and I'm excited to see where this year takes me and my family.

like mother like daughter

So yesterday little girl was playing with her new toys from Santa. It started out like a normal day with too many toys all over the place. Mommy cleaning the aftermath of not being home fora few days, backed up on laundry, vacuuming, clean dished in the dishwasher that must be put away and dirty dishes in the sink to replace the clean ones, coupons to be clipped, old toys to be sorted through and stored, ect.
I got through some of these tasks when I heard a loud thump. you know the kind. A thump the the silent scream before the very LOUD scream. I jumped over the couch thinking she bumped her chin on the coffee table and split her lip...I wish!
Little girl had split her forehead open above her eye, blood was everywhere, my brain went into a million different directions in about 2 seconds all of these thoughts went through my mind: bleeding must stop. is that her brain? smile so she doesn't get scared. should i put her in the car and drive to the hospital? are my neighbors home, should i call them to come help me? 911? husband! call. more bleeding. smile!call 911 but phone gets disconnected so i call the husband. he hears this: GET HOME NOW. GRACE. BLOOD. HEAD. NOW! hang up. phone rings: 911, what's your emergency? me: holy shit, daughter. 1 year old. head split open. blood. screaming. WHERE ARE YOU? ::crying::
Bubble Guppies! must turn Bubble Guppies on. crying stops, success. EMT enters the house. police enters house. husband gets home. ready for the ambulance ride. Go!

We get to the hospital and thank you, Mr. Policeman for suggesting I bring the laptop so I can play Bubble Guppies for Grace while we wait. best idea ever.

We wait and she gets looked at by the ER Dr. She needs stitches (no kidding!) my dad shows up. kicks me out of the room while little girl gets her stitches. she cries. I cry. she only needs 2 stitches. I opted out of the plastic surgeon stitching her up for the main reason that they would have put her under and I didn't want my one year old getting put under for 2 stitches and it would have taken much longer.
Coincidentally I split my head open as a toddler. I cracked it on the headboard when I was jumping on the bed. I needed 16 stitches. my daughter bumped her head above the same eye where I bumped my head. We believe in the evil eye superstition and when I was little my dad always said I had it very bad. superstition has it mainly children, especially those with light eyes are more prone to the evil eye. i have a strong idea who gave her the evil eye. anyway, here are photos of me and my baby with matching scars:

I don't have any pictures of my with the fresh wound from when I was a kid (I think those are at my dad's house but these will do)
like mother like daughter, right?

It's Christmas Time

My favorite time of the year. It really is. For some reason the house just feels more home-y during Christmas with the garland, the tree, lights, Nutcrackers, little Santa's, jingle bells, cookies, a warm fire, ect ect.

I can't wait to see Grace tear into the wrapping paper and care less about the toys I bought her and more interested in the wrapping paper! (This year at least!) I can't wait to start our own Christmas traditions and memories.

Grace has been going through a no sleeping phase. No naps and if she does nap then it's WAY off her usual nap time so it's always a mystery when she'll go down. She also likes to wake up at 3 am to play. Needless to say mama's tired! This also means the house work has been put on the back burner because I have no energy to actually give it a good cleaning when she finally does go down for her nap. I just want to sleep too but I never can because when I lay down about a million things are going through my mind that still needs to get done: finish Christmas shopping, wrap presents, what are we actually going to do on Christmas Eve, do the laundry, vacuum, mop, clean the bathrooms, fold laundry, dust, send out the Christmas cards, put laundry away.

See why I can't sleep either? It's no wonder I had to get a bite guard. The new thing happeneing in my life are migranes and what I thought was a cavity but it turns out I'm clenching my teeth because of stress. I just want to tell you, when I wear my bite guard, I look hot ;)

My desperate attempt at forcing Grace to nap by driving around for a few hours.  FYI, it didn't work.