Arctic Freeze... No problem

I've been sick and literally in my house for 8 days.  The last time I was out, my daughter and I went grocery shopping... I know... Exciting... But when you're pregnant with a toddler and your main source of transportation is public transit, stairs and strollers can be a major turn-off.

I've been home with our daughter since she was born.  A choice I made.  I have learned a lot and value the time we have had.  I was hoping to work from home, which is not as easy as it sounds.  Like many women, I had this image of me sitting comfortably in my office while my baby, quietly sat in her highchair and played or read a book, occupying herself until I was finished.  Completely logical... Right... 

Having worked since I was 17, I was somewhat taken by surprise when my income was severely lacking.  It was very strange, and in another post, I will talk about all the things I attempted to do to make a living while home with a baby.  It's pretty funny...

But as usual, I digress... I have been home for 8 days, sick and am now finally feeling better (infecting our daughter and my husband on the road to recovery) and today I was out doing the grocery shopping.

I was so excited.  

Of course, my husband put up a fight.  But he's not feeling well because of me and the below freezing temperatures we are experiencing.  PLUS, I thoroughly enjoy it (I'm from Michigan, and laugh in the face of the cold!...).   In all seriousness, he knew I wanted to go... So go I did...

My husband often wonders what my fascination is with being out of the house.  I think for me, it is because I love human interaction. (Some might say adult interaction, but doesn't matter to me).  I crave it.  I met him in a cafe for goodness sakes.... I am very much a people person.  Shy on one side, but lively on the other.  I'm a playwright... a creator of character, which for me often happens based on my surroundings and my observations of the world around me.  

Not that I'm going to find much human interaction on the empty snow-filled, yet sunny streets of New York.

The bright sun is pretty misleading.... It was colder than you know what...

My excursion was not at all disappointing - I made it home going to and from Whole Foods on the train.  I figured Trader Joe's was a little too ambitious for my condition and the weather without my wasting money on cab fare.  

I ended up taking a green taxi once back in Harlem a couple blocks, mainly because of the spilled soup I discovered when the train car began smelling like Lobster Chowder.  I could only imagine a stream of warm orange-colored soup littering the snowy white streets on my walk home... :/

All in all, the day was peaceful out in the city that never stops moving, but I was of course happy to come home to a warm apartment and smiling toddler to help me with the bags! ;)

Have you ever been stuck someplace and you just had to get out?...