I have a green thumb! LOL

For our 2 year anniversary my darling husband got me an orchid. I've wanted one for a along time, but never got one because I thought there was a high possibility I would kill it. I was happy to receive it, but scared I would kill it in a week. I researched till my eyes hurt. I even called up a guy who used to own an orchid farm and picked his brain a little about what to do. He said I was doing great as long as the flowers and leaves were looking good. Here's what I learned: There are so many different orchids and different ways to care for them, but orchid care is easy!! Look at my beautiful orchid!

Not only have I not killed it, It's still budding new flowers!

I noticed the new bud about 2 weeks ago and I was so excited that I was doing something right. Did you know that in the wild orchids wrap their roots around a tree and just hang on? No soil needed! Look at how my bud has grown:

I'm so happy I haven't killed my orchid. My favorite part about caring for an orchid is I don't have to water it every day! I literally water it when I remember to do it. It's the perfect plant for me!

My next plant might be an air plant. It's even easier to care for than an orchid! There's a plant out there for everyone!

A Day of Many "Firsts"!

My girls have had me in amazement since birth, so every time they hit a milestone or do something they have never done before it's a time to celebrate. But a couple of days ago, Friday, February 10th to be exact, my girls blew me away. First, Akira ate with a spoon for the first time and did it amazingly well. She knew what she was doing!!

I'm sure she'll be a pro soon especially since she loves to eat!

Next, we took our first outing to Gymboree Play & Music. They offer a free class to test the waters. They also allow you to try the different levels for free to find the right fit for your child. This was important to me since the girls are at different levels of physical development. The class was awesome and both girls were happily exhausted after the class. Points for Mommy!! 

I was surprised by how well Sakura was able to thoroughly enjoy herself just as much as the other children, she is the only crawler in the class. My hope is that she will be encouraged to become a biped like the other children her age. Akira was a beast!!! I turned my back to her for 2 seconds to get Sakura and shes already climbing a ladder. I didn't know she could do that! She has no fear, which can be good and bad. Both girls were entertained the entire visit and had an amazing time. I was sweating after chasing two kids around for an hour, but it was worth it. Can't wait for the next class!

The final "first" of the day was Akira walking up and down the stairs. I've mentioned before my struggles with getting the girls to and from the house. Well, I decided that Akira had enough practicing how to walk so we're going to try the stairs. I strapped Sakura into my ERGObaby, grabbed the diaper bag in one hand and Akira's hand in the other, and headed out. She did so well! She learned that holding on to the rail makings going up and down easier. She loved it so much that she cried when it came time to get into the car. Oh well, can't win them all. So proud of my baby girls. And to think they couldn't breathe when they were born.

My Annual Appointment

This is always an exciting time for me because I got my annual haircut!! Crazy, I know. What woman do you know who only goes to the salon once a year? ME! I have never dyed my hair, so I have no need to go. My hair tells me when to go. For some reason when my hair gets to a certain length it gets knotted just by blowing on it. That's when it's time to chop it off and it only happens once a year.

I never go to the same place twice (GASP!) This time I bought a deal on Living Social for a haircut and style for $35 (a $70 value). I jumped right on it because the price always goes up the longer my hair is. I took a trip down to Juliet's Salon in Delray Beach, FL (30 mins. from my home) and dived in. Customer service was great, I was asked if I wanted something to drink and my stylist escorted me herself. Ashley was awesome! Her consultation was great and she wasn't scared of getting all into my hair. I would've been scared of a raccoon jumping out at me. I got a little head massage with my shampoo (Ahhh...) Juliet's Salon uses Kerastase products, which I'm a big fan of. Overall, very happy with my experience and my hair looks great!

Before my new look my hair was very knotted. It resembled a mop.

After it looked silky smooth, knot free and about 4 inches shorter

Akira wanted in on the photo shoot LOL I have no idea what she was pointing at.

I'm very happy!!

Homemade Frozen Dinners Are Da Bomb!

These days I'm all about saving time in the kitchen. I had Thanksgiving AND Christmas Eve dinner at my house last year and since then I have barely been in the kitchen. My husband can vouch for that. Having dinner at my house has become a tradition (three years running) and I love it. Everyone in comfortable here and I really don't mind all the cooking. But after it's all done, I don't want to set foot in the kitchen for a couple of months. Then I was hit with a great idea: Frozen Dinners. This was my thought process: I puree and freeze Sakura's food every week, I can do the same with our dinners! Logical, right? I don't think you can do this with all dinners, for example, frozen rice. I have tried a few things with great success.

Pesto is very easy to make!

I usually get the urge to cook every now and then and have the energy to cook two meals at a time. So while I'm in the mood, I make it count. I make a meal we'll eat that night and another meal to freeze. So one night I make rice, beans and chicken breast AND supper sloppy joes. When the rice and beans were done, out came the sloppy joes. I didn't cook the whole week. Next I tried a simple beef stew recipe and it tasted exactly the same as the day it went in the freezer. Just defrost and put it over white rice or mashed potatoes. The most recent meal I've done was basil pesto. Easiest recipe ever: fresh basil, garlic, salt, pepper, Parmesan or asiago cheese, oil and walnuts. Blend till creamy and done. I love pesto sauce because you can use it in many recipes; chicken and pasta, caprese salad, chicken enchiladas, on top of pizza, smear on bread and toast a little, in scrambled eggs, on steak, and in mash potatoes. I'm sure you can come up with a few more things.

Frozen pesto and beef stew

Bottom line is that dinner doesn't have to take hours to make. Find a few quick recipes that are freezable and once it's made just sit back and relax.