Water Balloon Hack

Just in time for the summer! I bought a used container of water balloons at the Goodwill the other day and I could not find the filling nozzle for nothing, so I found out that you can totally hack the process by using one of these:

 Yep, right out of your dish detergent bottle.

It might be a little soapy at first but it totally works! While doing research for this post, I found out that there are a million gadgets out there to fill a bunch of balloons at once, to self tie, etc, etc. I'm the person who is going to tie everything with my hand and when I get tired, the game ends. This way we'll have a lot of balloons for the rest of the summer. 

• What's your favorite summer activity hack?

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13 months

Like most moms, I sometimes wish I could have a clone so I could do twice as much. At the end of the day I feel sorry for the clone (what if she wants to have her own life?) and I feel sorry for myself not taking the time to breath and enjoy this unique moment in the Little Prince's life. 

He is giving me all kinds of new experiences. Yesterday we attend our first park birthday party ever. It was lots of fun! He did pretty well considering that he didn't have much of a nap all morning (he doesn't nap well at church). He behaved well and he taught me to make sure to have something (pack and play, old blanket, etc) or somewhere he can be free to crawl and roll around. Thanks for another lesson son!

The gorgeous girl with us in this picture is our sister in Christ and friend Adventure Girl. She's a delight and she loves LP. We love her so much too. 

LP is now 13 months. Last year around this time I was just trying to gather strength to go back to my 'normal' life. Now things are much easier. He sings, speaks a couple of words in Portuguese (his main language as of right now), he learned how to blow kisses, he waves to people, he crawls really fast.... He's doing awesome. I still sing, speak Portuguese better than ever because of him, I kiss him several times a day, am constantly after him because he's so fast... I am doing awesome. I thank God for his smiles, his personality, his determination, his respect for us and his love. That's undeniable. He loves me and I am thankful.

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Friday 5s Q&A

1. Are you a MAC or a PC???

I'm a MC bby! In Grd school I mde the mistke of getting two PCs nd once I ws done pying for it I sid, never gain! I've been relly hppy with my iMc becuse it's  work horse nd tht's wht we really need round here for photogrphy, grphics and music producing. 

2. If you could go anywhere on vacation this summer where would you go???

I've been dreaming about going to Jamaica. It's close, it's sunny, I can see myself laying on that wonderful shore all day and dancing all night. Just a daydream for a pregnant mom on her last trimester I guess. 

3. Which is your most cherished childhood memory?

I have many but lately, the sound of the pressure cooker cooking black beans in my mother's kitchen.

4. What were you doing the last time that you had a good laugh?

Probably watching my Little Prince playing. Can't remember exactly what he did but he makes me laugh.

5. What is your favorite book or magazine??(We need some beach read ideas)

I got a $5 subscription to Cooking Light, that has been a delight. I like any Martha Stewart magazine and news magazines such as Newsweek and Time. As far as books, I'm just diving into my first novel in a while, so I can't really recommend anything. 

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Friday 5s

Healthy Tips (for me)

1. Keep a Food Journal - When I kept one before both pregnancies it helped me be accountable and lose 40 pounds.

2. Drink More Water - I used to keep a bottle of water on my desk at work so at the end of the day I knew I had enough. I still keep a big cup around the house with water for the same purpose but I need to do much better with drinking my 8 cups a day! 

3. Move - If I use the word 'exercise' many will say 'no time, boring, no money'... If we say move more is different. Now with the summer season coming we can work on the yard, plant a garden, mow grass, go for walks, dance.... Just move more people! 

4. Avoid Stress - I've felt the effects of stress in my life and they were no joke. Pursuing peace is one of the best antidotes for this life killer. A person who has their weight in check and looks like a million dollars can still feel like crap because of stress. The worse thing are the side effects that it brings. Avoid it. Please do.

5. Be a Good Role Model - now that I have children I realize that they watch my every move. I need to model healthy behavior to them. Not only in what I eat (they want to try what I eat constantly) or how much I exercise (we try to go out for walks often) but also how I balance other things in life. I want them to have good memories of visiting fresh produce stands and farms (if it all possible), going swimming and hiking and just enjoying peaceful moments while listening to nature. It's more complex when it comes to adults. I've written about my frustration when other adults in my life wouldn't be healthy but they all are highly impressed with results. I don't think that the results in my life will change theirs so all I can do is model good healthy behaviors and pray that they too will find their way.

The brilliant woman who came up with Friday 5s is the 

proud owner of this blog (follow her if you haven't yet):

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Five Question Friday

1. Take your pick...date night, girls night out, or night out alone?

• Date night for sure. The times I spend with Zeke are so precious I rather be with him than to be with the girls or by myself. We have so much fun together! He's also more willing to try different activities and I like that.

2. Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

• Just tried, nope.

3. What is your favorite flower and why?

• I like tulips for their beautiful simplicity.

4. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?

• Don't get in any relationships simply because you are single. This piece of advice and accountability would have saved me a lot of time wasted but at the same time, I can totally relate to a lot of women out there. It all worked out for my good.

5. If you won the lottery, what is the very first thing you would do?

• Hide the fact that I won so I wouldn't be harassed.

That was fun wasn't it? I'm always looking for cool features such as the ones on Sunday, Monday and now Friday. News? We've had a great week so far! Looking forward to Saturday night :) The babies are well, thank God for blessing us. I am now almost done sending thank you cards for LP's birthday and believe it or not have started working on LB's baby shower plans. I have been really enjoying saving on printing charges and doing everything online. My next big 'print project' should be birth announcements. It turns out I saw an ad from Vista Print that gives moms of infants great savings when you print with them. I am growing more excited about the arrival of LB. No, she doesn't have a name yet. Actually she does, but only God knows it :) Have an awesome weekend everyone!

Rules for Five Question Friday: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog, answer them, thenc'mon back to link up!  If you'd like, you can grab the Mcklinky blog hop code! I would be your best friend (small Twitter joke there) if you'd link back to me, Mama M.!

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And the winner is...

Thanks everyone for participating! We have a winner! The winner is Letícia! You have 48 hours to get in touch with me to get her prize. Thanks for reading Simply Cintia.

Obrigada a todos pela participação! Temos uma campeã! Quem venceu o concurso foi a Letícia! Você tem 48 horas pra entrar em contato e aceitar o prêmio. Obrigada por ler o Simply Cintia.

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Concurso It's a Girl

Porque estamos tendo uma MENINA eu tenho um concurso muito legal pra vocês aqui no blog! A Danielle tem uns produtos lindos que ela vendo na loja virtual dela. 

Prêmio: A pessoa que ganhar o concurso receberá $20.00 dólares de compras da loja virtual da Danielle!

Aqui estão alguns produtos e ela vai colocar mais produtos novos essa semana!

Como Participar: Visite a loja virtual da Danielle e me diga qual foi o produto que você mais gostou. 

Para ter mais chances de ganhar:

• Siga o meu blog e coloque um comentário dizendo que você está me seguindo.

• Escreva sobre o concurso no seu blog, coloque o selinho no seu blog e me diga que vc tem um post sobre o 'Concurso It's a Girl'

• Expalhe a notícia no Twitter. Me diga com um comentário aqui no blog com um @ antes do seu nome (por exemplo: @simplycintia acabei de twitar sobre o concurso!)

Se você não tem um blog, vc pode participar. Deixe um comentário com o seu e-mail pra que eu possa te contactar. 

Esse concurso termina dia 10 de Março as 23:00 (horário de Brasília). A pessoa que ganhar vai ser escolhida pelo random.org. O/A vencedora será anunciado/a um pouco depois que terminar o concurso e terá 48 horas pra confirmar, se não outra pessoa será escolhida. 

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It's a Girl Giveaway

Because IT'S A GIRL, I have a wonderful giveaway for you today! Danielle from The Conservatory Girl makes some wonderful items that she sells in her Etsy shop.

* If you are a local reader: Danielle is Mike Dietiker's daughter :) I have 'met' her online because of him and trust me, she's a talented, awesome person! Be sure to check out her blog too!

Here are the goodies: Danielle is giving away a $20 Gift Certificate to her online store to the winner of this giveaway!

Here are just a few of her items and she will be adding more this week!

To enter: visit Danielle’s Etsy shop and then come back here and let me know which one of her items is your favorite. For additional entries you can:

• Follow my blog and comment saying you are a follower.

• Post about this giveaway on your blog or put it on your sidebar and come back and let me know in a separate comment; and/or

• Tweet about this giveaway, come back and let me know in a separate comment with your @ name.

If you do not have a blog, you can still enter; you just have to leave an e-mail address so you can be contacted.

This giveaway will run through to Wednesday, March 10th, 8:00 p.m. EST, and the winner will be chosen via random.org. Winner will be announced shortly after that time and have 48 hours to confirm or an alternate winner will be chosen.

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Barriga

Mal dá pra ver o meu pé. Posso esquecer disso pelos próximos 4 meses :) As alegrias da gravidez :) Tudo bem com vcs gente? Tudo ótimo por aqui. Acreditem se quiser: ainda está nevando por aqui. O bom é orar e estar preparada. Graças a Deus que ontem fui no mercado fazer umas comprinhas e estaremos bem até essa neve parar. 

Como vcs devem saber, ficamos felicíssimos na sexta! Apesar da alegria toda, a moça não conseguiu ver tudo o que precisava de ver, então voltaremos pra dar uma olhadinha de novo dentro da barriga daqui há mais ou menos 1 mês. Vai ser legal a bessa.

Hoje já estou fazendo uma lista do que precisamos. Estar preparados é muito bom. 

Amanhã vou colocar uma competiçãozinha aqui no blog com um prêmio. Espero que vcs participem. Muita gente aqui só faz competições pra quem mora nos EUA mas eu vou abrir pra  todo mundo. Boa sorte e até a próxima!

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Antes de Morrer - Before Death

Recebi esta tarefa da Lu Francesa com as seguintes regras:
I received this task from Lu Francesa with the following rules:
1º) Devemos fazer uma lista com 8 coisas que sonhamos fazer antes de morrer;
1) We have to make a list of 8 things we dream about doing before we die;
2º) Ao finalizar convidar 8 parceiros de blogs amigos;
2) After writing the list, invite 8 partners of friendly blogs;
3º) Deixar um comentário no blog de quem nos convidou;
3) Leave a comment in the blog of the person who invited us;
4º) Deixar um comentário no blog dos nossos convidados, para que saibam da intimação;
4) Leave a comment on the blog of the person we are inviting so they will know of the invitation;
5º) Mencionar as regras.
5) Mention the rules.

Vamos as minhas 8 coisas:
Here are my 8 things:
1: Ir ao mundo pregando o evangelho;
1: Go and teach the gospel of Jesus to all nations;
2: Falar italiano fluentemente;
2: Speak Italian fluently;
3: Visitar a Italia, o Japao e a Koreia do Sul;
3: Visit Italy, Japan and South Korea;
4: Ter varias empresas com meu marido;
4: Own several businesses with my husband;
5: Criar uma bolsa de estudos para estudantes internacionais na faculdade onde estudei.
5: Create a scholarship to international students in my alma matter.
6: Criar meus fillhos nos caminhos de Deus para que a vida deles possa influenciar milhares de pessoas no mundo inteiro;
6: Raise up my children in God’s ways so that their lives will influence millions of people all over the world.
7: Participar de uma maratona;
7: Run a marathon;
8: Andar com Deus diariamente.
8: Walk with God daily.

Quero convidar as seguintes pessoas para fazer o mesmo: I’d like to invite the following bloggers to do the same: Simone, Lady, Sueli, Rachel, Roni, Su-Yin, Jenny Lee & Zeke.
I’d like to invite the following bloggers to do the same: Simone, Lady, Sueli, Rachel, Roni, Su-Yin, Jenny Lee & Zeke.

Goals for the Week:
* Train for 5K 3 times a week (1 more time to go. It was hard to get out of bed this morning but it was so worth it! I'm really enjoying running!);
* Attend Body Blasters 2 times this week;
* Walk on Saturday or simply swim;
* Treat myself with a visit to a friend (OK), a manicure and pedicure;
* Focus on protein and dairy intake;

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Favs

Fruit – banana
Grain – bread
Vegetable – zucchini
Legume – black beans
Dairy – yogurt
Protein – beans
Fat/sugar – honey
Unsaturated Oils – Olive oil
Free food – coffee
Drink – H2O
Exercise – walking

Magazine – Vegetarian Times
Book – The Bible
Newspaper – NY Times
Hobby – journaling
Clothing store – Express
Perfume – Dolce & Gabanna
Soap – Dove
Purse – Guess?
Shoes – heels
Jewelry – earrings

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Ultimo

Livro que li: “The greatest success in the world” by Og Mandino (O maior sucesso do mundo)
Refeicao que comi: aveia com canela, nozes e acucar mascavo e leite. Tambem tomei café.
Programa bom que assisti: 60 minutes
Exercicio que fiz: caminhada
Revista que li: Newsweek
Pessoa que me ligou: meu patrao
Fruta que comi: Pera
CD que ouvi: Tye Tribett
Flores que ganhei: rosas
Viagem: Brasil em dezembro

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Jogo da bolsa

JOGO DA BOLSA - Vi esse jogo no blog da minha amiga Lu Francesa e resolvi participar :)
1. Livro "Love is a decision" (O amar e uma decisao) - sempre tenho algo pra ler comigo. Esse livro e sobre como ter um casamento otimo. O autor tambem escrevou sobre as 5 linguas do amor.
2. Oculos para leitura - uso pelo menos 8 horas por dia :)
3. Carteira - Amo minha carteira. Kenneth Cole e a marca e ate que nao foi tao cara.
4. Agenda - escrevo todos os meus compromissos, ainda nao confio em technologia pra me dizer o que tenho que fazer ano que vem ou semana que vem.
5. Diario alimentar - recomecei a escrever tudo essa semana. Mes passado comi menos mas nao anotei quase nada.
6. Caderninho de Lista - tenho lista de compras, de coisas pra fazer... esse caderninho e bom.
7. Caneta preta - sempre estou escrevendo algo...
8. Chaves - de casa, do escritorio, do carro...
9. Novo Testamento - carrego pra todo lado. A Biblia e uma fonte de vida eterna!
10. Remedio - a farmacia me vendeu o remedio errado, estou carregando pra levar de volta
11. Celular - quase nao uso, mas ando com esse :)

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1

Uma hora: Madrugada
Um astro: Estrelas
Um móvel: mesa
Um líquido: H2O
Uma pedra preciosa: Turquesa
Uma árvore: Pinheiro
Uma flor: Tulipa
Um animal: Pássaros
Uma cor: Verde
Uma música: Remember (Zeke Listenbee)
Um livro: Bíblia
Comida: Vegetariana
Um lugar: Savannah
Um verbo: Poder
Uma expressão: You know what I´m saying?!
Um mês: Janeiro
Um número: 3
Um instrumento musical: Violino
Uma estação do ano: Verão
Um filme: Delovely

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