My Mom bought this orchid way back in November 2010, before S was born. It was in full bloom for months, but eventually each flower faded away...at which point I sort of stopped caring for it.

I could have sworn it was dead, but the last time my Mom was in town, she patiently gave it some TLC...and revived the darn thing!

The first 3 of 12 flowers opened yesterday and I'm sure it will be in all its splendor by the time my Mom arrives in a month.

Isn't it amazing? Seeing this in my living room every day just makes me happy!

Some orchid caring tips (this is what my Mom does):


- place your orchid in a place away from direct sunlight, but preferrably in a sunny room.


- do not overwater your orchid, you don't want it to drown. follow the next tip for watering suggestions.


- every 10 days in the summer (every 15 days in the winter), soak your orchid in the kitchen sink for 20-25 minutes. this means filling up the sink so that the whole pot is submerged in water.


- make sure that the moss, soil, and roots look moist at all times. 


Good Luck! :)

My sister sent this to me the other day...LOL...Who can relate???

Saw this the other day on the way to the mall...made me laugh. I wonder what the señoras look like after coming out of there...

Kids and Technology...

Oh. My.

I don't even want to think about what is next...

I know what you are thinking, but NO, he didn't get into a fight at school... 

S with pink eye

It makes my own eyes itch just looking at it...and I remember from being a kid that it is highly contagious. Others mamas out there, did you get the infection too? Any any special tips on how to avoid getting it?

The Mexican Didgeridoo

It's amazing what fun you can have with something as simple as a tube of wrapping paper and a baby! :)

Redefinition

Between being a wife, mom, and part time aspiring planner - along with Facebook, Twitter, and all the other distractions out there - I've harly had a moment to write, much less go out and experience something to blog about that has to do with ...findingmexico...

I think that is my problem though. I've always felt that I have to post something special about Mexico or not post at all. So I've redifined what I hope this blog will be about. {fingers crossed this will make me stick to it}

Inspiration came from the beautiful trees in their full bloom spring splendor around Cuernavaca. Amazing, huh?

¿Juay?

If you are a tourist in Mexico City and you see this billboard, you'll probably be thinking..."hmm - I didn't learn the word juay in spanish 101 back in highschool." It's ok, you are right, you didn't. That's because it doesn't exist. It's the Mexican pronunciation of WHY. At least according to local news anchor Joaquin Lopez Doriga.

So why is the city sky dotted with these ads? The bookstore chain Gandhi is famous for its quirky, smart, and thought provoking marketing - and this is just another example of them using current social buzz in one of their campaigns. 

(For a whole list of the their campaigns over the years, check out their publicity page here).

Anyway, so juay did this become an infamous line? It's a result of sound and translation complications during an interview with Anthony Hopkins, where Lopez Doriga tried his hand at English by asking Mr. Hannibal Lecter why he chose to do the film The Rite. Needless to say, tweeters went crazy with his obvious lack of English speaking skills. 

It's just 4 minutes of absolute awkwardness. 

{baby proofing} a Dia de los Muertos Ofrenda

I really didn't have the ganas to set up an ofrenda this year. After the continuous baby proofing that is on going in my house, the last thing I needed was another mega attraction for S and his curious hands.

Dia de los Muertos is one of the Mexican traditions I absolutely love, so I decided that I had to figure out a way to baby proof an ofrenda; and so with one mom's advice..."think small and high..." I set out to set up my altar.

After some slight modifications of three shelves I have in my living room: taaa-daaa! This year's ofrenda...definitely out of S' reach.

eleven month milestone

When you talk to people who live in Mexico City, many either absolutely love it or absolutely hate it. The latter due mostly in part to the crazy traffic this city is victim of.

Over the holidays or puentes (long weekends), DF is actually a wonderful place to be in. No cars, No people, No pollution.

But anyway, before I lose track of what this post is about.

Gordo and I haven't really figured out which end of the spectrum we are at when it comes to our relationship with DF, although I have to say, I think we lean more towards the loving part (many reasons why, but I'll save that for another time). Although the main reason I think has to do with the fact that my in-laws live in Cuernavaca; this means we always have a weekend escape as an option.

I remember thinking like this when I used to live in China...it was great to be in Shanghai, as long as you left every 4 months or so - to take a breather and re-collect yourself. Then it was OK to go back. Same thing seems to be happening here in Mexico City...we love it up to a certain point - then we leave when we've had enough - and that allows us to come back feeling re-charged and ready to face the city once again.

I can go on and on about how fabulous Cuernavaca is, but by far the best attraction for me right now is lolo and abi's (S' grandparents) garden.

Because fabulous things like this happen {for the first time!} there:

What about you? What do you do to re-charge, re-collect, re-energize yourself?

a little {self-promo}

Do you want to get married in Mexico? Specifically in Cuernavaca because of its amazing year round weather? Then there is only one place for you!!!

Check out the website www.el-cid.com for information and photos of the place...I promise you will fall in love with it! 

A little shameless self promotion never hurts, does it? lol. 

If you get married at EL CID, I'll even be your personal civil registry and immigration liason...since I consider myself somewhat of an expert in Mexican red tape, paperwork, and bureaucracy... :)

Seriously though, check out the place and let me know...what do you think of it??? 

Banking in Mexico, Part One

Random thoughts on banking in Mexico...and this is just the first part. 

Debit cards here don't have your name on them. At least the ones from Bancomer don't. Do other bank's debit cards have names on them?

Pro: when you lose yours {or if it's stolen...ahem!} you can get a replacement card immediately by going to any branch with your I.D. and checking account information. Right then and there they assign a new card to your account. 

Con: you need to really be careful with your card. If you lose it and don't realize straight away, anyone can forge your signature...there is no way to match the card to the owner. 

An old debit card...I still erased the number to be safe ;)

Anyway, that was my random thought today while I was at the bank this morning when I realized that in all the other countries I've lived in, your name was always on your debit card.

I'm still debating whether this is a good or bad thing.

Fall is here...according to the Pumpkins!

Mexico City went through a weather identity crisis lately...we went from super hot days to freezing temperatures overnight; I even bought S' first winter coat (that's how cold it got). Finally, though, the weather gods seem to be slightly more stable now. It's been a nice, fall, crisp-y weather for the last 2 weeks or so...which makes me happy.

What makes me even happier are pumpkins. They are everywhere now! I've been waiting for winter squash to be available so that I can make S his first pumpkin puree. Squash is supposed to be one of the first foods you give a baby, but since he started eating solids in the summer, he'll only get to try it now.

After my wallet-being-stolen experience at City Market, I headed over to Wal-Mart and found myself face to face with the biggest pumpkin display I've even seen. All kinds of pumpkins. All different sizes and colors. 

You must be thinking, this woman is obssessed with pumpkins! lol.

The other day while I was over at my friend and fellow mama B's house - I got inspired by her super cute pumpkin coffee table arrangement {I have to give credit where credit is due} so I decided to bring a little fall ambience into our home as well.

My coffee table has been naked as of late, considering S bangs, rips, and throws everything in sight {i.e., no coffee table books on the coffee table}. But the pumpkins are baby friendly! Somewhat.

A few have already suffered some minor bumps and bruises, including being victim to S' 4 teeth

Back with Bad News...

Go figure.

Yesterday we (gordo and myself) were in the car talking about blogs of all things, and the first thing out of my mouth was "It seems my blog is dying a slow death..." as I turned to see gordo vehemently nodding in agreement. {sigh} "What am I supposed to blog about? - I feel like all I do is change diapers and make baby food". Of course I knew the words I was speaking were a lame attempt at justification. Gordo on the other hand began to list a few topics that could be blog worthy...

And he is right, I do have things to blog about, just not enough time nor discipline to do so. Trust me, it's frustrating! I do want to share, but when I have those precious 10 minutes to spare, I need to take advantage and do actual work...not that blogging isn't work - it just doesn't generate an income - for me at least. 

So anyway, of all days to get back to blogging, I had to choose today with this story. Sorry dear reader, but I need to vent!!! 

MY WALLET WAS STOLEN! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! 

At City Market, of all places!!!

As I was browsing the baby food section, some lady came out of the blue and asked me to help her read the labels because she didn't bring her glasses with her and she needed to buy food for her 7 month old grandson. While I was  stupidly reading away "platano, guayaba, pera..." some accomplice of hers snatched my wallet out of S' stroller while he was sleeping.

I feel SO dumb! :( Just goes to show you that you need to be vigilant everywhere, even the "nice" places where you think stuff like this wouldn't happen. My wallet didn't even have one peso in it, so I didn't lose anything of worth, except my time cancelling credit cards. It's just such a violating feeling to be robbed. I know whoever did it will not in a million years read this, but I hope karma comes and gets you!

Anyway, hopefully I'll be back soon with a more cheerful story. In the meantime, keep your stuff safe!

Only in Mexico! {although this could be the Philippines too}

I see these "mecanicos" all the time during our trips between DF and Cuernavaca...

And this is one of the ones in better shape compared to others I've seen. LOL!

Would you trust who ever is driving that to fix your car? I guess I shouldn't laugh...they could end up being a godsend one day. {knock on wood}

A Grand Day

May 30, 2011. Not particularly an important date to me. Actually woke up this morning and thought, "blah. monday."

Oh, but how perspectives change.

One. I stepped on the scale before my shower and I´m back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Two. I stuck my finger in S' mouth and felt a sharp little tooth protruding.

So now May 30th means something {sigh} It's all about the little things in life.

Peek-A-Boo!

Gordo's new victim ;)

Measuring Time

We all know the sayings..."time just flies by", "where did the time go?", "time goes by so fast"...but why do we really say these things?

I used to say it because it usually meant that what I was supposed to do or awaiting an approaching event was now something I was actually doing or living, and maybe in some way I wasn't expecting to be doing it or living it as soon as I was. Does that make sense?

But really, how do you measure time? Number of experiences? Number of wrinkles? Number of places visited or things done? Number of achievements?

Today I measured time differently than I ever had before. Not just by reliving moments or counting experiences. By looking at it. Looking at my son.

S is 6 months old. Half a year. Wow. Of course my first thought was, "where have these 6 months gone?!?"

And then I looked at him. And those 6 months were there looking back at me.



In his smile and giggle.


In the hair on top of his head.


In his fingers that are always in his mouth.


In his toes that are always in his mouth too.


In him being able to sit up unassisted.


In him trying to crawl already.


In his inflamed lower gum about to sprout a tooth.


In him examining all his toys with utmost attention.


In his curious eyes.


And in every little thing he does every day to remind me of how blessed I am.







So there you go, the concept of time for me has changed completely and from now on will be measured in an entirely different way. Through S.

Can you imagine when I'll be saying, "where have the last 21 years gone?!?"

I'm still here! [somewhat...]

I guess my resolution of blogging at least once a week was aspiring a bit too much.

With S now demanding so much more time and attention, the few spare moments I have left are used for basic life sustaining activities, such as eating, for example. Gordo said to me the other day, "be grateful breathing is involuntary...otherwise who knows when you'd find time for doing that!" Ufff.

How do all the other mommy bloggers out there find the time for posting!? Send me some much needed some tips! Gracias!