It's not a tricycle.........it's a bicycle

As if transitioning into a big girl bed wasn't enough to have me crying my eyes out, Giada got a big girl bicycle!!

Giada had already suffered a fall before this picture!

A few days ago she was surprised by her grandparents with a trip to Toys R Us for her and her sister.  The plan was to get each of them a princess toy or costume, then we got a bike too! Giada was very excited to get the bike and rode it all around the store with her Grandpa's help with pedaling and steering. 

One thing she has not been very interested in was riding a bike. So that was never something she wanted to do. And she has since out grown the tricycle she only used a handful of times, this bike came at a great time!

So the following night we went to the park and Giada rode her bike the whole way there and home (it's in our neighborhood)!! Also with a little help from Mommy and Daddy

Nicolette decided to ride in style to the park......

She was smart in picking a ride she did not have to exert any energy on!

Stopping for a photo op!

We then played at the park and the weather was perfect!!

They ran around a lot.....and ran! Hey, they need to burn a little energy ;)

Even heard a little echoing in the racquetball courts with Daddy. 

That was the true definition of family time and I loved it! We were with each other, Giada learned to ride her bike, both girls had great giggles together and memories. 

Stay tuned master bedroom reno.....part 2 this week. And it's a BiG one!

One month anniversary!!

Wow!!! One month of blogging is under my belt already!! This month flown by and I had a great time. I'm absolutely loving where this blog is headed and it has started to come together really well.  And I got some followers!! Something I wasn't expecting for a few more months!! Bring on the followers....

I'm getting into a rhythm and I hope all of you are enjoying the posts and want to come back for more.  Spread the word with your other blog loving friends too. For future posts look forward to some exciting home improvement posts, fun activities with the girls, food of course, juice recipes and just some all around Funabashi LOTS of pictures!!

Happy Friday! I'm off to start my birthday weekend celebrations :)

Not your average.......grilled cheese

When I'm into cooking I'm into it. Other times I don't want to cook a thing.....good thing for Chris that I'm into it more than not. As much as I pride myself on cooking clean, once and a while I like a little "cheat" meal. But I still use healthy ingredients for these cheat meals. 

Here you go :)

GRILLED CHEESE ALLA SCALA

Here is what you need: bread, butter, cheese, bacon (pork or turkey), fresh spinach and avocado. I made two sandwiches (for Chris and myself...I couldn't eat two in one sitting or maybe I could?!) so use half an avocado for each sandwich. 

Cook your bacon to your desire and set aside. 

Then lightly butter your bread and place it in the pan and add cheese. I like using shredded for this sandwich because it melts evenly and doesn't overwhelm the sandwich. 

Then add your bacon and spinach. I cooked the bacon VERY well done to Chris' liking. So obviously cook it as well as you like. The more well done the crunchier the bacon which is a nice mix with the soft spinach and creamy avocado. 

Then add your sliced avocado, flip the two slices together and remove from pan. Again "grill" your bread to your desire. 

And you have a delicious sandwich!! Serve it with your favorite side, fruits or veggies. 

I chose to add cherries since they are DELICIOUS right now :)

Big girl changes

The time has come. Time for Giada to get a big girl bed!!

We were very blessed from the beginning that Giada has always LOVED her crib. Don't get me wrong, she could easily still be in her crib. But we felt the transition would be best before school starts in August. 

Chris and I thought it would be a cool surprise for her to come home from her trip to a new big girl bed. So we headed out to pick up her mattress. I have been shopping a little here and there for her bedding, dreading the day my baby would make the big transition. 

Here is the final photo of my sweet angels nursery 

We chanced going out to get the mattress in the stormy weather 

The rain definitely beat us! We only had a few miles to get home and it RAINED. Of course, right?!?

Rewind a bit......when we picked out Giada's nursery furniture before she was born I loved the idea of the convertible crib. This way it could grow with her and last a while! And it has been perfect for her and is in for the long haul ;) daddy worked hard putting it together quickly. 

Here is the finished product!! I'm loving it. The bedding is actually from the Shabby Chic collection at Target. The vibe I wanted for her room was French countryside shabby chic. And this was it. I looked all over looking for the perfect bedding and couldn't find anything. 

I think little miss was pleased with her new bed. She was begging me to take a nap and fell asleep in less than two minutes!!

So now her room is a work in progress as well. I have a few things I would like to change out to complete the "big girl makeover."  I'm thinking a window bench and some new drapes. 

The 4th

All I can say is busy, busy weekend. Why is it the long weekend always go by the fastest!?

This weekend was great and filled with lots of fun. 

Giada was away on her first trip out of town with her Gigi. So Nicolette got to enjoy being an only child for a few days. As much as they missed each other it's nice for them to have their own time doing fun things!

Giada and her two cousin being silly on the fourth at my Grandmother's house. 

Chris and I didn't do the traditional "fourth" activities. Instead we had a great date with Nicolette. We started with red, white and blue themed breakfast.

Then we headed out for the day

Our little patriotic diva!!

We headed to a nursery that has a beautiful garden to let Nicolette run around, see the butterflies and smell the flowers (one of her favorite things to do). And the last stop was going to the store to buy her a book bag and lunch box for school next month. Disney store will be the death of me!!

Saturday Nicolette got to spend the evening with her grandparents. They went to a mermaid show by the beach. Someone loved it!!

And to finish off the weekend it was my little brother's 16th birthday on Sunday. I can't believe he is 16, I swear it was just yesterday he would give me smooches while I would repeatedly ask him to say "luscious lips" and "I want to eat steak" because his little lisp was too cute!! We celebrated at dinner after he spent the day at the beach with his friends. 

These ladies LOVE their uncle!!

Oh and during the day before the birthday celebration we did tackle a pretty large project......stay tuned ;) 

A month in photos

I figured it would be interesting to do a monthly recap with pictures I've taken throughout the month. A more fun "easy read" post.....and seeing that it's Friday, perfect!

So June was a busy month for us......

We started with Giada's first dance recital, her last day of Pre-K 2, our 5th wedding anniversary, Nicolette's 2nd birthday, Father's Day, a few lazy days together and I ended the month with a quick getaway trip to NYC with my stepmom and sister :)

And without further ado.......

And of course I got a visit in with my bestie for brunch!!

Happy 4th of July!! Have a great holiday weekend :)

Refreshing

I just got home from a weekend getaway to New York City with my stepmom and sister. It was a great time in the concrete jungle. Lots of laughs, sweating (it was HOT), and walking!!

After returning home it was time to give my body a good cleansing with my go to products I use on myself. I love these products because they are as natural as I can get right now. I try to focus on the products being handmade, in the US or having a small list of ingredients. And if they are organic that is a huge PLUS!!

From head to toe....

I just recently switched to using this facial cleanser. Lush is a great brand because their products are handmade and use natural ingredients I can understand the name of ;) This cleanser is a scrub (using chopped almonds) so it was very refreshing after two days on the streets of NYC. 

I follow up my facial cleanser with this AMAZING toner. It is very refreshing and great for all skin types. I tend to have dry to normal skin and this toner helps maintain my natural moisture level. I spray it right onto my face and gently pat dry. 

This trio here I have newly discovered also. You can find it at Trader Joe's. I love that most of the ingredients are organic except for one so it is mostly organic #winning. And it's very cost effective which makes it double winning ;) and I love the peppermint aroma in the shower!

I also love Dr. Bronner's Castile soap. I started using it about a year ago because I was tired of feeling like I had a film of body wash on my skin from some of the other brands out there. And a little bit goes a LONG way, which is even better!  My favorite scents are eucalyptus and almond. This soap is a true cleanser and actually can be used for many household cleaning projects. It's multi-talented. Another plus is that it is sold in Bed Bath & Beyond stores, so you can use their 20% coupons toward the soap.  

And I like to finish up using this coconut oil as my moisturizer. It's amazing!! The best "lotion" I have ever used that has lasted. It is very thin so you won't feel greasy after applying if you use moderate proportions. And it has a nice smell. 

There you have it. After I had my cleanse Sunday evening I was back to normal and feeling good!!

Check out Lush cosmetics for more amazing products and scents :)