Who's hair is this?

Benjamin hops into the bathtub and finds a hair - I mean not a little hair - one of my long hairs - at least a foot long. He turns to me and says:

-Mom, I think dad was using my shower!! There's a hair of his in here!!

now - if you don't know yet - Dan is BOLD! =)  I did laugh "inside" a little and for no good reason I didn't say anything - just agreed with him... wondering if he really realized what he had just said. A few seconds later he says:

- HOLD ON!!! No mom, it can't be! Daddy has no hair! It must be from his beard!


=oPPPP

From the dictionary...

* MEMORY
See web results for memory
1. the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions, etc., or of recalling or recognizing previous experiences.  2. this faculty as possessed by a particular individual: to have a good memory. 3. the act or fact of retaining and recalling impressions, facts, etc.; remembrance; recollection: to draw from memory. 4. the length of time over which recollection extends: a time within the memory of living persons. 5. a mental impression retained; a recollection: one's earliest memories.  6. the state or fact of being remembered. 



I miss my dad today!...  so much...

Good reposts = a happy mama

I think one of a mother's most rewarding moments is when your child says "I love you" or just makes you feel special, loved and proud.

Well this weekend Noah had his first sleep over and Benji had plenty before but still did very well. So happy to hear the reports on them (2 nights in a row - 2 different friends) and to hear a positive comment about our parenting and our kids was just a "cherry on top"!

"whatever you are doing keep on - they are polite, have great manners, are caring & loving kids"

and yet - stll play and enjoy life as every child should! (robot kids drive me insane)
I'm happy!

And by the way:
Thanks girls for having the kids this weekend! =) Dan & I had a great time and we own you BIG!


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Toys - Toys - Toys - Toys

We are well aware that our kids don't need nearly was many toys as they have, we can't even keep up with what we have but yet we are still buying new ones.
I just cleaned the basement with the kids and trashed about 2 full trash bags of broken toys - one huge box went to GoodWill with the still working toys - and the very cool/nice ones are on a box to Brasil. Stilll we have a TON of toys in the basement. It's a room full of all kids of toys you can imagine. Board games we have over 20 of them ...


Yet - still I want to buy them more - and NOT give what we habe away...
I have such a hard time with that – my kids say hey want something I start looking at the price and working ways to get whatever it is that they want.
Sometimes I even feel like I want to give it to them more then they really want something – does that make any sense? LOL

So yesterday we went out to "Toys r us" to do a little "study" on the things that are out there and the things the kids are really interested on and here is their “little” wish list (for what I can remember right now) :

1.WII - $200 + whatever coast of games and accessories
2. Power car - $200 +
3.Scooter $50/each (that will require new helmets for both boys $20/each)
4.Pogo stick $45
5.Drum set $85
6.Digital Camera 4 kids $60
7.Acoustic Guitar $40
8.Scooby Doo set $35
9.DS $150/each + games
10.Skate Board $ 25/each
11.Woody from Toy Story $40
12.LeapFrog game $60
13.Star wars light saber (the new double one) $35/each
14.Geotrax airport $55
15.“Over drive”car $99
16.Trampoline $45
17.Nerf guns from $25 - $40/each

These are the things they are more crazy about it – there are plenty of $10 - $20 stuff that they ask... I can give you a good reason why I should by each one of those 17 on the list... they have a bunch of good reasons as well! =D LOL

Fact is that they may get one if that... =(  It makes me more sad then they will be!

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappy!

Happy Birthday Dan!!!
I hope you had a great weekend and I pray for a blessed and healthy year - we love you so much and wish you the best - that all your wishes and desires may be fulfilled cause you deserved! You are an awesome dad and husband! =****

Noah & I got hair cuts! =DD

Drinking some hot chocolate with marshmellows - treat for being such a big boy while getting a hair cut!

Tomando um copo de chocolate quente com marshmelos - um presentinho por se comprtar super bem durante o corte de cabelo!

Phone shot of my cut - very happy with it! * Fotinho do meu cabelo pelo celular, gosteu muito! =)

a couple funny ones...

Noah:
"Mom - my throat is farting - i mean is making me fart from my mouth!"

Playing Dr. - "Don't call me Noah, call me Doctor Noah"

Benji:
We were playing Dr. - he was listening to my heart: "Yeap - it's beating - you are good"

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Blessed Herbs Cleansing

9 days
6 days of fasting

I feel great! I'm SO happy and so satisfied with the results! I will post more about it soon - But for now all I can say is if you are thinking about doing it DON'T WAIT another day! DO it! =D

Happy Birthday Uncle Mike!!!

The boys were so excited to know that today is Uncle Mike's birthday... They already eat cake to celebrate on their own! =oP
Anyways
Happy Birthday Mike! Just know that we love you, we are always here cheering for you and wishing you ALL the best ALWAYS!

The 3rd one is a charm

Third son - 3rd birthday...


Today Thomas turns 3, and he indeed is like my 3rd son. I saw him being born. Nursed that little guy ans when I see him – my heart beats strong just like it does when I go get the boys at school (ya know? That feeling when you haven't seeing your loved little ones for a few hours???)

The poor little guy has the H1N1 virus so he is confined at home – having play dates with Noah on SKYPE!
I feel like we haven't spent that much time with him but Titia is gonna make it up to you when you feel better Thomas!!! =)
God bless you and protect you – given you many many many years of healthy and joy to you!!

Happy birthday! We love you Thomas!

We are a happy family

As I sit to write this post Noah is dancing, jumping in the living room @ the sound of the Fresh Beat Band. Both boys have so much energy - which IS a good thing, no doubt a blessing but man! That is a LOT of energy and I wish I could just keep up with them! We have so much fun together!


This weekend we had some great quality family time. Besides a little something here and there I'm just so happy and satisfied with life! =)

The boys - I mean - cracking me up 24/7!!! They are such good buddies and playing together all the time and really working hard on being nice (Weeellll - Ben is! I can't say the same thing about Noah)
Here is some funny ones from Noah this week:

1. Noah is sitting here right next to me - Benjamin falls down and Noah says:
"Are you ok son?"

Me: BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH


A day later...
Noah was playing w/ balls, pretending they were little guys...
He had one in each hand, pretending they were walking around on the table & talking to each other, I wasn't really paying much attention on what the  conversation was all about until I heard he say:
"Don't worry, just relax and keep walking and enjoy my company baby" ?!??!!?

Me: BWAHAHAHAHAHA again! LOL

___________

We laugh so hard until we cry everyday! If its not one thing it's another!!! LOL

Our family is just a happy family!!!

but on another note I must say that I got some major mental problems that I need to take care of it!
Why is it on the happiest days that I miss my dad the most?
I mean - I miss him no matter what - everyday I think about him, everyday I miss him and I wish I could call him and hear his voice. But days that I'm happy and good things happen - you would figure I would be distracted or so happy I would not think about him but those are the days... those are the days that I hurt the most.... The days the pain is unbearable...

I'm starting to wonder...

Dan is the man of my life - like every other couple we do have our hard times but the way we work them out are just awesome. I always was sure in my heart that we were meant to be together!

It is like beyond our love!
The way we met and how everything worked out for us to be together I have no doubt that we were supposed to be together and God made it that way - special and blessed!

But lately I been wondering - how can we be a couple???
I mean its freaking 60 degrees in the house (I bet is even colder upstairs) and I have a comforter and all and he has a freaking fan into his face!!! - That of course passes him and get into me!!!

How can we sleep in the same bed!!!??? =(
I wanna cuddle and hug and get warm (not just for the first 5 minutes after we are in bed) but the whole night!!!

Maybe he did all these past 7 years and I never was bothered about or perhaps he only did on warmer days... I don't know! All I know is that I need to talk to him about this soon... we need to work this one out!

Cincinnati in the spotlight

This brazilian website - has news and also is an internet provider like AOL had this article about Cincinnati

Cincinnati is a place to visit!!!

.

Animals Don’t Want to Eat GMOs, So Why Are We?

GMOs, also known as genetically modified organisms, are created by injecting the DNA from one species into another species, creating genetic combinations that cannot occur in nature or through typical crossbreeding methods. For example, genes from an arctic flounder (which has natural "antifreezing" properties that protect it from the frigid waters) may be injected into tomato DNA to make a new breed that is more resistant to frost damage. It sounds like a sci-fi movie, but it’s reality. And, according to the FDA, over 75 percent of processed food in the United States may contain GMOs. Foods with genetically modified ingredients don’t have to be labeled, though, so you’re probably eating them every day without even knowing it.
What’s the big deal? No one knows for sure yet (because very little testing has been done – even though it’s been allowed to become nearly ubiquitous in our food supply). But, preliminary findings are disturbing, to say the least.
According to Jeffrey Smith, author of “Seeds of Deception”, in one of the first studies in the early 1990’s, rats were fed GM tomatoes. Actually, they refused to eat them, so they had to be force fed. And, rats aren’t the only animals who’ve declined a snack of GMOs. Smith says “eyewitness reports from all over North America describe how several types of animals, when given a choice, avoided eating GM food. These included cows, pigs, elk, deer, raccoons, squirrels, rats, and mice.”

What do the animals know that we don’t? Why do their instincts tell them to avoid these “frankenfoods?” We’ll likely never know, but here are some facts we do know from “Just Say No to GMO” by Dr. Joseph Pizzorno:

• A preliminary study from the Russian National Academy of Sciences [found] that more than half the offspring of mother rats fed GM soy died within three weeks (compared to 9% from mothers fed natural soy).
• [An] estimated 10,000 sheep died in India within 5-7 days of grazing on GM cotton plants engineered to produce their own Bt-toxin pesticide.
• The only human GM feeding study ever published show[ed] that the foreign genes inserted into GM food crops can transfer into the DNA of our gut bacteria. This study gives new meaning to the adage, "You are what you eat." Long after those GM corn chips you munched are history, your intestinal flora may still be churning out the "Bt" pesticide GM corn plants have been engineered to produce.

Reality is that the FDA has absolutely no GMO safety testing requirements, and GM ingredients are ubiquitous in prepared foods. Unless a processed food contains only organic ingredients, it is highly likely to contain GM ingredients. The "research" that supports GMO safety is voluntarily provided by companies on their own GM crops and has been described by critics as "meticulously designed to avoid finding problems".

But 44,000 FDA internal documents later made public as a result of a lawsuit revealed problems. The overwhelming consensus among the FDA's scientists was that GM foods were substantively different, so different that their consumption might result in unpredictable and hard-to-detect allergens, toxins, new diseases and nutritional problems. Agency scientists urged superiors to require long-term studies, but were not only ignored, their statements about possible negative effects of GMOs were progressively deleted from FDA policy statement drafts.
According to the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit independent verification program, in over 30 other countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production of GMOs, because they are not considered proven safe. In Europe, any approved products containing more than 0.9% GMO are labeled by the government. While we wait for proper safety testing, regulations, and labeling, we can take our health into our own hands and act with a little precaution by following these steps:

• Check food labels for soy-, corn- and cottonseed-based additives, most likely to be genetically engineered.
• Buy 100% certified organic especially for corn, soy, potato and animal products.
• Choose a wide variety of fresh, whole foods over processed foods that are likely to contain bioengineered additives. Check the PLU code on produce to identify if it’s genetically engineered. PLUs consist of 4 to 5 numbers (4 numbers = conventional produce, 5 numbers starting with 9 = organic produce, 5 numbers starting with 8 = genetically engineered produce).

• Look for the Non-GMO Project verified label (visit their website to find products they have tested).
• Buy locally grown produce from farmers’ markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms where you can talk to the producer.
• Prepare meals at home so you know exactly what you are eating.

Additional Resources:
Non-GMO Shopping Guide
State of the Science on the Health Risks of GM Foods

Article from: http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/animals_dont_want_to_eat_gmos_so_why_are_we/

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RONDA!!!!

Girl!
Happy happy happy birthday! =) I wish all the goodness in the world to you!
You rock mama! Keep up with your awesome job caring for the 2 precious that you have! =)
God bless you not just today but *ALWAYS*!

Luv ya!

Lip Balm

I made 2 batches of 50 each... I really dislike these containers because 1/2 of them don't work - I must go back to my old jars next time! Working on finishing the labels today!

A mother's worst fear...

Its to have your children in danger - sick or anything that may hurt them.

If I would ask you what is a mother's biggest fears I'm sure you could come up with a neverending list; and we know how to prevent many of them to happen, and we pray for God to protect our little ones.
But what we should have fear of is the things we cannot control and the things we can't think of - there for you can't prevent!

And of course for me that happens more often then not and is just that one things that happens in the movies and you don't think it can ever happen for real - well... yes those are the ones that happen to me!

We have one of our sofas against a window - there is blinds and curtains on there.
The boys jump in the couch - everyday! Every single day - and that is the only couch they are allowed to jump on... and often they will flio into the back of the couch and scoot over from behind...

So this morning - right under my nose - next to me - Noah was jumping - like he always do getting out from the back and running back to do it all over again when - BLAH!

The cords on the blindes got stuck on his neck! At first I didn't realized he was serious and when I realized I he was chocking.
I helped him take the cords out - and sat down to sink in what had just happened and get my legs to stop shaking. I can just thank God for watching over him and protecting him at that time!

*sign*

Right after it happened

Tonite, during bath time - not much better!

Being so lucky the way I'm someone just may call child services on me thinking I was trying to hurt my son! =oP

Noah's Field Trip

I'm not the only one here that get's lost in translation! =D

Benjamin: "Mom I want that play-doh CANIBAL"

Canibal? Hack a Canibal? It took me a good 10 minutes to understand he was talking about a Play-doh CARNIVAL! =DDD

It came before I could see it coming

It never crossed my mind this day would come!
Often people guess my age wrong - of course they think I'm older then I'm and not just a year or more - like they guess me to be Dan's (DH) ages - 35.
But I'm not - I'm only 28 and being told that I'm older never bothered me. FOR REAL! Really

I could see other people around me and see them getting older - but still I never saw it in me! I knew it would come eventually...

People talk about how they are bothered by turning 30 and here I'm getting close to it and still don't get bothered by it (Or I should say I didn't until...)

Well - so starting from the beginning, when IW as in 3rd grade I started having a lot of headaches, my mom took me to the eye Dr. and yes - farsighted!

Each year after that until closer to my 20s my eyes got worst and worst and today without my glasses I can't see much! So I started wearing contacts and absolutely hates wearing glasses over the year I had many kinds - blue frame, red frame, round and square - oval and metal...
you name it - every year I got a new pair and always hated them. Used contacts as much as I could until....

....a couple of weeks ago my left eye started hurting really bad when I got contacts on, even very new ones still would hurt so the Eye Dr. prescribed drops and 2 weeks without contacts.

So I ordered myself new glasses, a cheap deal I found online just to hold me over for a couple of weeks and it's being months... I being wearing my glasses since!

Until yesterday, Benjamin had a fieldtrip with school and I didn't want to wear my glasses because it was raining... so I got my contacts on and when I look at the mirror OH MY DEAR SHOES!!!

I look so freaking old! I can see all my wrinkles - my face is so... so... so ... down! =oP Swollen!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh I'm getting SO OLD!!!

Where are my glasses??? for the first time in my life I wanted my glasses back on! They hide my face! LOL