Tabacon Grand Spa and Thermal Resort, Costa Rica - my review

This is my review of Tabacon Grand Spa and Thermal Resort.  If you are the inpatient kind, I will get straight to the point.  This resort is freaking awesome man!

As we were pulling up, you go thru gates, so its very secure ad you dont feel unsafe at all.  Then you go into check-in and they greet you with a nice refreshing drink to welcome you.  We got their early, so our room wasn't ready just yet, but we were starving because we drove from San Jose so we just drove down the street (about 10 minutes drive) to eat.  When we got back our rooms were ready, so we decided to head to the room.

The rooms are very nice size and had patios that you could sit outside on, if you just wanted to relax and enjoy a coffee or cocktail and good conversation.  It had the standard amenities and was very clean.  They also provided us with free bedroom shoes - which i'm still rocking at home now...  :)

We booked this hotel because we definitely wanted to enjoy the hot thermal springs.  The thermal springs are actually across the street from the resort, and you can walk.  But we chose not to since we were in the back of the resort.  You just call the concierge desk and they will bring the van to come take you (along with any other rooms that requested a ride to the springs).

When you get to the springs, you register in and get a locker, key and towel.  I think the daily fee is like $50 or something to enter, but its included if you are a guest at the hotel.  Believe me if your not a guest, spend the money (and this is coming from a certified cheap skate).  The springs are ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!!  I've never seen anything like this in my life.  

So when you enter you see a cafeteria to your left then you go down the stairs and see the first of maybe 3 cold pools.  And this one has a slide....so much fun.

bring your cameras because at every nook and cranny there is a beautiful picture taking area.  Or you can do like I did, and leave your camera in the lockers and actually ENJOY your time at the hot springs.

and at night time, the lighting is really romantic.  Lots of romantic nooks and crannies that if my husband was there with me....

The temperature of the hot springs is naturally created by GOD and it is an awesome sight in itself.  Its just perfect.  Since its naturally heated by the volcano and is essentially river run-off water, they have the "natural" pools - where there's rocks at the bottom.   The girl scout in me was prepared with water shoes, however my girlfriends complained that the rocks hurt their feet.  Then they have the "upgraded" version, where the bottom floor is paved, we tended to wade in those waters.

after spending a few hours here (be careful - it is a MAZE - we kept getting lost - mind you we are ladies with juris doctorate degrees and mba's), your skin will feel amazing and you will sleep beautifully.

Whenever, I travel I like to see the "real culture" and not just the resorty type stuff, so while we were eating lunch earlier, we were talking with some of the locals, and they informed us of their own hidden hot springs......thats F.R.E.E.   since it was directly across from the Tabacon springs, we walked on over to check it out.  The security guards were trying to flag us down to let us know we were heading in the wrong direction, but we told them we were goin to party with the locals and they let us be.  

It was nice to see that the locals come out and enjoy the hot springs too.  If you go at night...its not lit, but the locals bring candles and hats with lights on them and the party continues.  lol.

Ok, back to the resort.

We decided on our last night there, we would go do a fancy dinner at the resort.  They had live jazz music playing and a really nice ambience.  However, our meals were EXPENSIVE!!!  That was the only time we ate at the resort restaurants, and we were glad that we decided to check  out the local soda's down the street.

Overall, we had a GREAT time at this resort and doing the excursions while in Arenal.  When we were checking out, i looked at one of the books on the table and it said they were one of the leading hotels of the world (top 1000 i think - idk - shrug)   I think this would be an incredible location to bring back my husband for a romantic R&R vacation.

I will do the rest of my reviews of costa rica....but since it took me almost a year to post this....please be patient with me :)

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American Airlines (one world alliance) mileage to Africa

SO, I thought that I would check out my mileage balances and how much it would cost me to fly to Africa using my miles with American Airlines....



Turns out, I have enough mileage to cover a round trip ticket for myself...and then they tack on $700 in fees...wtf?

Where they do that at?

Thats almost the cost of a ticket by itself, sheesh.  I dont think that I will be using that option.

Tatiana

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Planning my 1st trip to AFRICA

I am beginning to plan my first trip to Africa

















But there are so many different factors involved, and I really dont know where to start...(mind you when it comes to this type of stuff, I have ADD with literally 10 different web pages open)

I have visited Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Bahamas, St. Maarten etc..... and I've always figured out the area I wanted to stay, and booked hotel and flight within 2-3 days...easy peasy.  But AFRICA....hmm...where to start.  I DEFINITELY want to see the rich cultural history of where my people were raped, robbed and maimed, to feel a sense of connection to the motherland.  But, I also want to see safaris, beaches etc.

Then I have to decide on what time of year to go, and which area(s) to visit.  I decided that 2014 would be a good time to go, that way I have time to save money, research the places I want to go, etc.  I want to go during a warm non-rainy season.  I think that West Africa would be really good for the cultural experiences (and my husband would really enjoy this area - growing up with his mother, which I secretly call "mother Africa" lol - dont tell on me you guys), however, there doesn't seem to be too many "tours" going into West Africa, they all seem to be in South Africa. 

So whats a girl to do?

Im kinda torn between going on an official tour or just going there and then taking excursions with a tour guide.

And then there's the fact that i'm not a millionaire.  hmmm...why cant i just spend a million dollars stay a few months in Africa and enjoy the dream vacation of a lifetime?  oh, cause im not a millionaire.

I'm into adventure and thrills.  Hubby....not so much so...hes really into culture and history.  So how can i combine the ultimate trip for the 2 of us...perhaps 2 weeks (with the flight being 20+ hours), and a low-mid size budget.

Have you guys been to Africa?  Where did you go?  Where did you stay?  How much did the trip cost you?  Did you use a tour guide? what other tips/suggestions do you have?

ahhhhh Africa...I long to see you,

xoxoxo
Tatiana

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My first ever influenster package - the cosmo vox box!

I wanted to share with my readers my initial reactions to my Cosmo Vox Box. 

Please keep in mind that all of the items were received complimentary from Influenster.com.  I was not paid to review or use any of the items.

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My 1st attempt at freezer cooking

My first attempt at freezer cooking

 

Hi Everybody in my blogosphere (and welcome to those who came from Pinterest).  I wanted to share with you guys my experiences with my first attempt at freezer cooking.

What exactly is freezer cooking you say?

Freezer cooking is where you prepare (and sometimes pre-cook) your family meals in advance for a specified period of time (ex. 2 weeks or a  month), so that you dont have to cook each night.  You simply take out your frozen dinner item the night before you want to eat it, and then you put the thawed food  in your handy dandy crock pot (shown below) that morning before leaving for work.  Or you can put the thawed food into your oven right before dinner time.  Either way, your not physically preparing and cooking food each day. If your in the market for Cuisinart Slow Cooker (Google Affiliate Ad) just click that link.

So how do you get started with freezer cooking?

Well, you want to come up with a list of different things that your family likes to eat, than can freeze well.  Not everything tastes good after being frozen.  After you come up with your family menu, you want to raid your pantry to see what items you have, and what items you will need to purchase when you go grocery shopping.  If your into couponing, grab your coupons and weekly circulars to see who has the best deals, and then go to the supermarket.  I decided to do my grocery shopping primarily at Winco Foods this month (but I also went to Vons (twice), Vallarta, and the .99 store)  

One of my couponing websites I follow, advised me that K. M. Logan had her book the ABC's of Freezer Cooking available for free for Kindle, and I downloaded it.  (not sure if its still free, but check on Amazon)  Yesterday morning, I read it and decided that I would go on my first freezer cooking venture.

O.k, I have my groceries, what now?

Its all personal preference on which order you want to complete the following tasks, but you'll want to do them all.

1) wash and cut up your vegetables

 

2) wash and cut up (if needed) your meats

3) bag them 

4) label them (my handwriting sucks, so I printed out all my labels besides the cabbage one)

I looked online for my freezer cooking recipes.  I started on Pinterest, then I went to a few blogs to get majority of the recipes, but here is what I ended up preparing:

1) meatballs (my own recipe)

2) meatloaf (my own recipe)

3) salisbury steak

4) teriyaki chicken

5) delicious chicken

5) curry chicken and potatoes

6) mediterranean pork chops

7) bbq pork ribs

8) pepper steak

9) beef and brocolli (first installment is in the crock pot now)

All in all I think I had approximately 17 nights off from the kitchen (a.k.a dinners).  

Since its just the hubby and I, each bag contained just enough for the two of us (and maybe a little left overs for lunch the next day).  So you'll want to make sure that all of your recipes will be enough to feed your family size.  

I'm not gonna lie, its time consuming to do all of this in one day.  But just think that if it takes you 1 hour each night to cook dinner, then 1 day of sacrifice is worth it, then you can enjoy whatever you want to during that 1 hour off from the kitchen.  (ex. spending time with the kiddies, gym time, lattes with the girls, intimate time with your husband, boob tube time, or whatever floats your boat).

I think I liked doing it and will most likely do it again.  Here are some pictures from my finished bagged products.

Have you ever freezer cooked? If not, would you try it?

hugs,

Tatiana

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My journey to motherhood: Prenatal

We're officially trying to conceive - (I think, lol)

 

I am now beginning to start this journey towards motherhood.  I think that im finally mentally ready, which hasn't been easy.  But since im 31, I figured it was time to get the mental ready, before the physical was no longer capable, lol.  So we are now trying to conceive (TTC)

I always told myself that because I grew up in a home and my husband grew up in a home, we wanted to wait till we had a house, before we had kids.  Well, we closed on the house back in September 2011, so, i have no more excuses, lol.

So, as a future mother, I want to be the perfect (ok semi-perfect), host for this lil creature, lol, so what am I doing?  Well, i've been religiously taking my pre-natal pills since September because i've been off the pill since then, and if I were to get pregnant, I am trying to knock out any chances of the child getting spina bifida, neural tube defects, or any other folic acid-deficiency related issues. My newest pre-natal pill has DHA as well, which is also good for something, im sure. :)
         s/n Walgreens has the brainstrong prenatal pills for $10 this week, with your walgreens card, and then
         you get back $10 in register rewards (or whatever their called at Walgreens), making them free.
         then they have a $4 off coupon in their vitamin and supplements booklet (right over by the vitamins)
         which makes the deal not only free, but a $4 money maker.  :)   Lets just stay, I stocked up.

I have also been juicing.  I love fresh fruit juice and am learning to love fresh vegetable juices.  I have been slacking on my pimping a lot lately, but I need to go purchase a bunch of fresh fruit and vegetables.  My church is also about to go on a fast, and so I believe that juicing during that time will be a nice detox as well.  (if i can make it pass 4 hours of juicing, lol).

I had lost over 20 pounds last year, but I found them again.  So I need to start back exercising and eating healthier.  Next topic, lol.

Then, of course, more sex :)  Seeming as we are just now starting off with TTC, and time is not of the essence just yet, I will not be using ovulation predictors/calculators etc.  I just want to enjoy the process for the time being.  Maybe if by January 2014, we still aren't pregnant, then o.k., time to look towards science, but till then, we'll just keep practicing.

Besos!

Tatiana

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Happy New Year - its 2013 BABY!

Happy New Year Everybody!

Its now 2013!  How did you bring in your New Years?  Well, this is how I brought my news year in:


I brought it in thanking God for closing out last year and for his grace and mercy allowing me to see 2013!  Hall a lu jer! (in my Madea voice)

90% of my life, I have been at watch night service for New Years Eve, the other 10% were in Vegas or at home avoiding the drunk drivers.

But 2013 is here!  What are some of your resolutions?  I am not so much of a resolutions girl, but rather a goals type of girl.  The only difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal has a deadline.  So I prefer to set goals.

This year i'm believing God for a prosperous, blessed and healthy year.  Hallelujah!

I'm so excited for the things to come.

Besos!

Tatiana

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Gift ideas for your parents

Christmas gift ideas for your parents

 

I will be going out Christmas gift shopping today, but I dont really know what to get my parents this year.  I even tried to google "gifts for adult parents", and they all have the generic gift ideas.  So, I thought that in case anyone else was in the same boat I am in, I would post a list of some past gifts that me and my two sisters have given our parents.  Some were individual gifts that we gave, and some of the more expensive gifts - the sisters came together to give a group gift.

1) BBQ Grill - when their previous grill died

2) massages

3) gift baskets (for example from wine country gift baskets) 

4) movie night/dinner gift certificate combos

5) surround sound system for watching movies at home

6) Sirius/xm subscription

7) Netflix subscription

8) patio swing set

9) Coach umbrella (for mom)

10) Coach wallet/purse (for mom)

11) Digital picture frame with pics already loaded

12) mini ipod with music already loaded

13) Scentsy candle wax tarts and candle warmer

14) Coffee bean grinder

15) Electric shaver (for dad)

16) Electric toothbrush (for mom)

17) perfume/cologne

18) ties

19) high heels (for mom)

20) clothing

21) butcher block knife set

22) cufflinks (for dad)

23) bath and body works sets

24) Pac-man atari system (my mom used to love to play it when I was a baby - so i've heard)

25) Retro candy gift box (from the years when they were kids)

What are some gift ideas that you can think of?  Please share.

Besos,

Tatiana

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Cranberry apple juice

I am so excited for this time of year.  This is my favorite time of the year. Why you may ask?  Because, there's my birthday, Thanksgiving, black friday, and of course CHRISTMAS! The time we choose to celebrate the birth of my saviour.  AND ALSO because I get to make cranberry apple juice.

I got my Breville Juice Fountain Plus earlier this year and I immediately ran out to buy apples and cranberries...but...uh... it wasnt cranberry season.  :(    BUT NOW is cranberry season and I just made my first cranberry apple juice and it was sooooo good!


I didnt use a specific recipe but i probably used approximately 1/2 - 3/4 cup of cranberries and 2 Rome Apples.  I was a lil worried, cuz there didnt seem to be a lot of cranberry juice being made, but it was just the right amount.  Then hubby saw me drinking mine and of course he wanted some, so I made him a batch, and he was like "we need to make more of this".  So it was really good.  Plus we all know that juicing has healthy benefits to it as well.

Im excited because Tuesday is my birthday, not exactly sure what im going to do (besides Court - and I'm upset - because I never work on my birthday - but what can I do?)

But, peace, love and light!

Tatiana~

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DIY Petroleum free jelly aka body jelly

Petroleum is not good for us and Dr. Oz says that it can cause cancer...BUT there are so many wonderful uses for vaseline....so I decided to create my own version of petroleum free jelly.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of beeswax (I ordered my beeswax on Amazon)
1 cup of carrier oil (or combination of oils: ex...coconut, almond, jojoba, olive, avocado, apricot, vitamin E oil etc.)
essential oil - if you desire - I didnt use any on mine.

So here's how to do it....

First, gather all of your ingredients.

My beeswax was in a big block and was VERY HARD to cut, so I ended up using my potato/apple peeler to just shave what I needed.... If you can find the beeswax pellets, the extra cost is worth the trouble...believe me

I threw my beeswax and my carrier oils (almond, apricot and coconut oil, with a lil vitamin E oil) into a metal bowl that I would be placing over a pot of shallow boiling water (dont want the water to be high enough to boil out of the pot and into your oils).  I turned the heat on low and let the oils melt into each other - approximately 1 minute...maybe less.  Be VERY CAREFUL to ensure that your oils dont burn.  I watched the oil the whole time, so that I pulled it off the heat just as it was finished melting.

Then you can either wait for the oil to harden up a bit....takes approximately 30 minutes, or you can throw it in the deep freezer for 4 minutes.  Any longer than 5 minutes and your creation will be h.a.r.d!

There you have it.  Your petroleum free vaseline jelly.  I wanted to re-create the Carol's Daughter Body Jelly (because its too expensive), and I actually like my end creation, makes my hand so smooth.

I hate the smell of the Carol's daughter body jelly, so I always added an essential oil to it to make it smell a little better, perhaps if she recreated the Tui hair oil smell, then I would be a prisoner of carols daughter body jelly, but NOPE, this is wayyyyyyy cheaper and you can make bigger batches for all of your family members. I didnt add any essential oils to my petroleum-free jelly, but you can certainly add a few drops of your favorite.  I believe that lavender, vanilla or some citrus combination would be good) 

If you like your petroleum-free jelly to be harder, then add more beeswax.

This would also be awesome as a chapstick/lip balm type of thingy, if you have a smaller container that can fit in your purse.

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