MamaMare: A Warning

I hesitated to write this blog post, worried it would make me look like a terrible parent. But, the thought of this happening to someone else has pushed me past my concern for myself. 

We first decorated the nursery when I was pregnant.  In fact, I did a nursery tour which you can see here. 

It is a simple room, filled with love, including some framed photos for T to look at above his crib.  They have hung on the wall for three years now. 

Until yesterday. 

Everything was completely fine yesterday. I put T down for his afternoon nap like always.  He sounded like he always does, playing and talking to himself before drifting off to sleep.  

When I went into the nursery to wake him, I was shocked at what I found.  Blood was surrounding him in the crib sheet.  Not an insane amount, but enough to scare me. I mean, come on. Who expects to see blood in their toddler's bed?  Then I noticed our photo on top of him. I looked up to see that he had managed to reach high about his bed and pull the frame off the wall.  He may have even had to jump up to grab it. Panic set in as I frantically searched for broken glass.

He was still sleeping when I saw glass poking out from under him.  Still in one piece.  I woke him up instantly and continually checked to see where he was bleeding.  Miraculously the glass was all in tact and he only had a few small cuts.  How that is possible is beyond me.  He could have been seriously injured and lost a lot more blood.  It obviously didn't even hurt him too badly because he didn't make a sound.  There were just little nicks on one hand and then a cut deep enough on his other hand to need a band-aid. 

That's it. 

When I think of what could have happened, well...

I wanted to share this story so that you take a good look at what your kids can get in to.  Whether it's a photo frame or something else.  Try really hard to consider if they could hurt themselves. 

Needless to say all those photos have come off the wall.

Wise Word Wednesday

Nail of the Day

Behold this beauty.  Today's Nail of the Day holds a record for most consecutive times I painted my nails in one colour.  I NEVER use the same polish two applications in a row.  But this one has now been my polish of choice FOUR times in a row!  That is obviously saying something!  This is Chanel's Rouge Noir and was a lovely Christmas gift from my friend Shannon.  She has fabulous taste:)  I use two coats and honestly the first isn't great at all.  But magic happens during that second coat to create a creamy, opaque, glossy look that has me hooked!  I usually say it's not worth splurging on high-end products, but if you feel like treating yourself or need something to ask for on a gift list, do yourself a favour and get this! 

MareReviews: Grammy Fashion 2014

 These five beautiful women knocked it out of the park last night at the Grammys.  I wasn't expecting to see Julia Roberts but she made a surprise appearance on stage, looking as gorgeous as ever. I just love her seemingly effortless style and poise.  Miranda Lambert has been working to get healthier and last night it showed.  She looked absolutely stunning in that red gown with a more mature look.

Then there are these three.  I love the way all three of these women did white, creamy, nude shades in simple yet gorgeous ways.  Katy Perry always seems to wear something with a theme or gimmick and this music note dress was no exception, but it was like she moved on air.  Beyonce. I mean, bow down.  This was Taylor Swift's dress she wore to perform and Jeremy commented she looked like a ghost on stage. So light and beautiful.  

Who were your faves last night?

Grammy Predictions

The Grammys are this Sunday and I could not be more excited!!  It's been a great year of pop music and I have favourites in pretty much every category.  All week on the air we've been predicting who will win in the major categories and I thought it would be fun to share. Also, I just wanted to add, these aren't our favourites of the year, it's just the ones we predict will win.  

Also, I'd love to hear YOUR predictions!

Album of the Year:

Random Access Memories - Daft Punk

The Blessed Unrest - Sara Bareilles (Jeremy)

Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City - Kendrick Lamar

The Heist - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (Mare)

Red - Taylor Swift

Song of the Year:

Royals - Lorde

Just Give Me a Reason - Pink ft. Nate Ruess (Mare)

Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars

Roar - Katy Perry

Same Love - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft Mary Lambert (Jeremy)

Pop Solo Performance:

Brave - Sara Bareilles

Royals - Lorde (Jeremy)

When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars

Mirrors - Justin Timberlake (Mare)

Roar - Katy Perry

Record of the Year:

Get Lucky - Daft Punk ft. Pharrell

Radioactive - Imagine Dragons

Royals - Lorde (Mare & Jer)

Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars

Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke ft Pharrell and T.I.

New Artist:

James Blake

Kendrick Lamar

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (Jer & Mare)

Kacey Musgraves

Ed Sheeran

MareReviews: Jobs

As soon as I saw the trailer for Jobs last year I wanted to see it.  Judging from the previews and the buzz surrounding its Sundance Film Festival debut, expectations were high.  I was expecting countless award nominations for Ashton Kutcher in his role as Steve Jobs.  I didn't get a chance to see it in theater, but then last week the Razzie nominations were announced and this movie received quite a few.  Surprised, I decided to see for myself.

Jobs follows the life of Apple's Steve Jobs starting in college.  I think Kutcher did a phenomenal job of portraying Jobs, down to his physical mannerisms and appearance.  It's a bit creepy how alike they look at some points.  I definitely don't think this movie deserves Razzies, but I can see why it was left out of Oscar contention. 

Perhaps it's too grand a task to fit in everything Jobs did into one movie.  But, as interesting as the story was, I felt like parts were missing. I wanted to know more about his revolutionary ideas and how different pieces of technology came to life. It almost felt like the first of a two-parter. 

Josh Gad was fabulous as Steve Wozniak.  He is steadily becoming one of my favourite actors to watch. 

Overall, yes I think this is a good movie. It's interesting to learn more about the man who revolutionized our world.  But I want to know more!

Wise Word Wednesday

I chose this quote today because I just can't get it out of my head.  It's my favourite lyric from Lea Michele's song Cannonball:

Catching Up on My Garbage

 

DIY Grocery/Menu Planner

I was given a grocery/menu planner as a gift and used it every single week without fail until every page was filled.  Imagine my disappointment a few weeks ago when I finished the book, went to find a replacement, only to discover they aren't made anymore.  I looked high and low for a perfect planner and just couldn't find one.  Many are HUGE and impractical.  

So, I decided to put my DIY skills to use!  

My aunt, the same one who gave me the original, found these printouts online.  Genius! 

I chose the one I liked best and cut it down to size.  I figured I wouldn't want to carry around a full-sized binder while doing groceries.

I had a bit of a tough time finding this smaller binder, striking out at a few dollar stores and Wal-Mart.  But I came across this gem on clearance at Staples for $1.97!

I am so pleased with this DIY project!  My aunt said she just Google'd 'grocery and menu planning' and then sifted through Google Images until she found one that suited our needs.  I like this one in particular because I like to menu plan every week.  Also, it's handy to look back and see meal ideas when I am feeling uninspired! 

Let me know if you use this DIY idea or how you plan menus/grocery shop. Twitter, Instagram or Facebook!

Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna

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Jessica Seinfeld recipe

Jessica Seinfeld's Can't Cook Cook Book

Wise Word Wednesday

We Can Achieve Our Goals for 2014

Golden Globes Fashion

 Being the award show junkie that I am, I cleared my schedule last night to tune into the Golden Globes.  I love this show in particular because it brings television and movies together in a pretty relaxed atmosphere.  Also, you know it...I tune in to the Globes for the FASHION!!  There were some definite trends last night and one was very short hair!  Everyone from Helen Mirren and Emma Thompson to Jennifer Lawrence.  I don't think I could pull it off, but I love the short look mixed with a gown.  Gorgeous!

There were also a lot of women wearing white, nudes and muted tones.  Some of the stand outs to me were the first dresses we saw hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in, as you can see above.

There were also a lot of sequins, but not in a this-is-my-figure-skating-costume way!  They were somehow classy and fabulous as you can see on the above right with Kate Beckinsale.  I thought Margot Robbie looked stunning in her cream dress.  And the older women I think stole the show with their age appropriate yet beautiful and current styles.  I included Emma Thompson as an example but there were many more.  

The younger women were also stunning but I just have to laugh at this.  I love Jennifer Lawrence as an accomplished actress and everything she stands for personally.  She usually kills it fashion-wise and last night I think she wore a dress only she could pull off.  Or maybe she and Ariel could pull off...

Who were YOUR faves last night?

Nail of the Day

This is my first Nail of the Day for 2014!  We are kicking off the year with some eye-catching sparkle.  This is Revlon's Brilliant Strength polish in Magnetize.  I found it on clearance at Target last month and picked it up because I don't have anything like it in my collection.  Shocking, I know.  The first coat went on very streaky so I was skeptical, but with the second coat it became opaque and smoother.  It still has a bit of a streak to it, but nothing noticeable.  I wouldn't agree with the "Brilliant Strength" claim as I painted my nails last night and one already chipped :(  But, if you are looking for a neutral that will make people look twice, this is a good option.  

Wise Word Wednesday

Back to Reality...Vlogging?

Welcome back to reality!  I loved my time off to enjoy the holidays but am totally ok with returning to my routine.  Fingers crossed January will be a little less busy;)

I wanted to share with you my thoughts on Vlogmas 2013 and also get your feedback on what vlogging could look like in the future on my YouTube Channel.

In cased you missed my 31 days of Vlogmas, here is a playlist for you to catch up!

And, I just posted a video asking for your advice on the future of vlogging with me:

My Boxing Day Haul!