Give back program!

I love companies that give back! It's a real big deal for me. As everything else in life, there's just so much more of an impact if more people are involved, giving out that same great, powerful energy to make a difference.

Kohl's, which is one of my favorite stores for very good deals in clothes, purses, shoes, other accessories, gifts, kitchen equipment, home decor and kids' clothing (beautiful dresses...the cutest outfits!), and which you can  visit in every single State here in the U.S. has a great Give Back program! Kohl's began offering great deals in 1962 and keeps expanding its locations nationwide. They just opened 9 new stores in March of this year!

I had bought 2 gifts over there as a Thank You for Marija, who had made many delicious goodies for my little one's birthday party back in January. Our daily life "got in the way" for them and us didn't allow us to go visit her until last week. Before going to their house, I wanted to get her granddaughter Mia and my dear friend Jeje a little something as well, so I took my girls to Kohl's with me.

Upon entering the store my little one immediately picked up this stuffed alligator "by" Dr. Seuss. We decided right there baby Mia would get the Dr. Seuss stuffed elephant. Then I (for the first time!) spotted the "Kohl's Cares" sign, and saw a tag on each of the stuffed animals. Intriguing...The cost of the Dr. Seuss "Kohl's Cares" products was very affordable and made for a very nice gift to a child. At home I wanted to learn more about this program and here is what I learned:

Kohl's comes out with different products that make part of their "Kohl's Cares" program. After all expenses are paid, 100% of the net profit from the sales of these items are given to kids' health and education initiatives nationwide, as well as environmental initiatives and the fight against breast cancer. That is a very nice and easy way we can all make a difference, right? Examples of programs include College Scholarships, hospital partnerships, fundraising gift card programs, installation of solar power, buildings with LEED certification, volunteer programs and more.

This is a quote directly taken from their corporate website:

"We envision a future where kids are healthy, resources are plentiful and disease that affects women and their families is eradicated. Because the way we see it, giving back also means looking ahead."

Our $10 spent are just the beginning of MY personal partnership with Kohl's Cares to help make a difference!

What a great way to shop and be kind!

Happy Easter!

The oldest Christian holiday is here: Easter! Calling it "Jesus' Ressurection Day" would be far more appropriate for expressing what it truly means, but it seems our kid & chocolate loving self is heavily drawn to the commercialized Easter as "the world" usually celebrates it: Welcoming Spring with a hint of Paganism (even though unknown to many) and yummy, colorful candy and chocolates - maybe adding the Easter Sunday Church visit, and most definitely dressing up to look very pretty on all those family pictures, right? Let's see the beauty in all of this, enjoy it and blame all the genius Marketing gurus who help make all those Easter eggs so irresistible to us all, little ones and big ones!

Here, a few pictures of our Easter morning before the kids got up!
Happy Easter!

How are YOU spending Easter Sunday this year?

These bunnies are so adorable...

These are Brazilian Easter Eggs! Tons of chocolate, for sure!

 Decorating the house with a few colorful pieces catches our attention and brightens up any room! The kids love it!

...give plants a little accent!

And last but not least, our Easter Tree entirely decorated by the kids!

Have a wonderful Sunday! Most of all, remember to share LOVE!

Easter-Eve chocolates!

Once every 4-6 weeks, I visit our local "Brazilian Supermarket and Bakery" here in Orlando (on International Drive). It's always a treat for me to go there, as I hear many sounds of my childhood, delicious smells of sweet & fried goodies and see tons of things available for purchase that I grew up loving to eat! It's very special to us to have these Brazilian stores over here. It makes our World somewhat smaller and that's a good thing.

Yesterday, to my surprise when I went to buy Brazilian Easter Eggs for the kids and family, I found the authentic German Milka chocolate for sale near the cash register.
I know we can easily find Milka chocolates here in the U.S. (Publix!- It's a KRAFT product!).

These, however, were the ones directly imported from Germany. The REAL deal! The wrapper has everything written in German, front and back, and for a minute, these yummy chocolate bars transported me to my teenage years when my sister and I often travelled to Germany to visit friends and family living there.

I love how the authentic Milka bars have "garantiert 100% Alpenmilch" written on them. This means, the bars are made with 100% milk from the Alps - from cows living on the Alps, that is. If you've ever tried a wide assortment of brands from different parts of the world, you will slowly notice how (usually) European chocolate is so silky- smooth without a fatty aftertaste, rich yet not heavy and sweet yet not too sweet. It doesn't crumble and has a beautiful, soft smell, ...not rich or "cheesy". I can imagine many can't relate to these descriptions, but I had some pretty awesome chocolate, and some pretty crumbly, stinky chocolate too that simply tasted like plain sugar.

Did you know Milka chocolates and its purple cow are quite an "institution" in Germany? So much so that many Pre-K children believe cows are actually purple! (I heard about a fun study conducted on this, but have no certain facts about it) Totally believable, though, I find this to be adorable! It's heart warming for me to show my children the purple Milka cow and see them smiling and enjoying Milka chocolate; something that has always been a special treat when I was growing up!

Easter Time, no matter how religious we are, brings my family together and we enjoy a LOT of chocolate, good food, laughter and hugs. My Easter post will come tomorrow, but I thought my awesome sweet-memory-invoking-yay-delicious Milka bars were the most appropriate introduction to our Easter Sunday in my Blog world!

Creating our Family Movie Library

When my sister and I were little, growing up in Rio de Janeiro we had one favorite movie we kept watching over and over again: "The Sound of Music". It was a Family Favorite. We had a copy on VHS in English - I must have been around 6 years old, and I wouldn't start learning English for another 5 years from then. Somehow, though, we "understood" the whole thing, loved the music and the characters. We played my sister was Gretl and I was Liesl!

Now it's my turn to create Family Favorites with our kids! They are still very young (3 and 5), however, it's a marvelous thing to be able to sit together and watch a movie; a movie we love....over and over! And right now we sort of have to watch it over and over because the movie is often interrupted by the girls who all of a sudden decide it's time to play with dolls, it's time for a snack or it's not time to stay seated quietly and watch a movie at all! It's the age thing...

Here is our list, so far, of Family favorites which are becoming a staple in our home:

• The Sound of Music
• Mamma Mia!
• Mr. Popper's Penguins
• High School Musical 1,2 and 3
• Enchanted
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• Annie
• All of the Beethoven movies (the dog!)
• All Shrek movies
• Tangled (Rapunzel)
• Camp Rock 1 and 2
• Princess Diaries 1 and 2
• Tinkerbell (all 3 movies)
• The Smurfs

Do you watch movies at home? Does your family have a few favorites?

I wonder which of these will really stay with us, especially with the children, and which of these will be talked about when they grow older. It's so interesting to see how many "new" things we start learning from a movie as we grow. Of course I did not understand everything in The Sound of Music when I was a child as I do today. A child's innocence is truly precious and nowadays I treasure how a movie "grew" with me. Oh, and let's not forget about books! I will leave that for another post!

Creating wonderful memories is certainly part of a great life!

Sweet Surprise!

I took one of our dogs, Bo, to the Vet last week. While waiting in the reception area for our turn, I was browsing through a People magazine. I think it was one of the February 2013 editions. By coincidence, I opened the magazine on a "great ideas" recipe page, a sweet surprise. There it was: These pretty, pink hearts made of pie crust! I immediately fell in love, looked over the recipe quickly and decided I wanted it! I took a picture of it with my cell phone and made it into a weekend project to make with the kids! The recipe is from Catherine McCord, cookbook author and food blogger.

The small, crusty and flaky tarts have a sweet & tart taste and just melt in your mouth! Great for when guests come over for coffee & tea, or to give as a gift (great hostess gift)! Or, just as we did here today, eat them up while playing! The girls loved it, and let me tell you, my 5 year old is a very picky eater!...

Well, we didn't have a large heart-shaped cookie cutter, just small ones, so I used a wine glass to cut out rounds. It worked just as well. There are no artificial colors in this recipe, which I love! The bright pink color is truly achieved with delicious raspberries! Here is a photo and the recipe follows:

RECIPE FOR RASPBERRY TARTS:

Equipment you will need:

• large, heart-shaped or round cookie cutter
• A cookie sheet
• parchment paper
• strainer / sieve
• spoons and whisk
• measuring cups & spoons
• fork, toothpick
• 2 small bowls
• a bit of flower 

Ingredients you will need:

• 1/2 cup plus 10-12 fresh or defrosted frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
• 1 tbsp. Agave Nectar (I used light, not amber) - recipe says you can also use honey
• 1 pkg. (14oz.) refrigerated pie crust
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a bowl mash together, 1/2 cup raspberries, cream cheese and agave/honey until mixed well.
3. Unroll pie crust (2 rounds) on a very lightly flowered surface and cut out 20 shapes with your large cookie cutter.
4. Top 10 shapes with 2 tsps. of the raspberry mixture, leaving a 1/4 inch border.
5. Lightly brush border with some water.
6. Cover these 10 shapes with remaining 10 shapes.
7. Using a fork, gently press down on edges to seal.
8. With a toohpick, poke about 3 holes in each tart.
9. Place tarts on parchment-lined baking sheet.
10. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely. 
11. Meanwhile, place the 10 remaining raspberries in a strainer set over a bowl. Press down on raspberries to release the juice. Whisk in water and powdered sugar until icing is very smooth.
12. Spread on completely cooled tarts.
13. Icing will set and be glossy on tarts. 

We loved these over here!! They were super easy to do, and are truly yummy! I hope you and your family can enjoy them too!

So what's wrong in thinking "I want to be a princess"?

Many little girls, including my girls LOVE anything and everything that has to do with being a "princess".

To be a princess, in their little and young world, means pretty much having a happy life, filled with love, laughter, living in a big pink, purple, glittery castle with a handsome Prince, singing and dancing all day long and going to castle parties at night, having lots of loving pets that may even speak to you and beautiful dresses. It's a fantasy world, and one that completely fascinates them.

While this maybe unrealistic view of what it's like to be a princess is spread all over movies, cartoons, toys,  books, theme parks (all of which I love, by the way), it often serves them as a starting point to many games and activities. I truly don't believe this is bad at all.

January 2011

This creative, imaginary, fantasy play is not always supported by everybody, and just listen around, as many parents, caregivers and educators say things like "Don't be silly! This is just make-believe!" or "Sorry, honey, but there's no such thing as prince charming. One day you'll understand.." or even "Let's get back to reality and do something useful!". I am not a child educator, nor am I a child psychology expert. But, I'm a parent, and have 2 little girls at home. I don't need to feed them any negativity, really.

What makes me believe there is something wonderful about this princess fantasy is that it brings them a "certainty" there is GOOD in life, that if you believe in your dreams, yes, they can come true. It makes them believe that good always wins over bad. Don't you see? It's a very early way of teaching them that what you believe will make your life, and that you have the absolute right to believe you deserve nothing but the best. It's a very early way of demonstrating that doing good things in life pays off. The noise we adults create just shatters their innocent minds, little by little destroying their expectations and creating a much more negative view of life they end up carrying with them through their teens and adulthood.

In my opinion, let the little girls believe in their dreams, let them play princess dress-up and talk to their pets. There is nothing but goodness in their hearts and they nurture their little happy world like that. Granted, some little girls don't like to play with dolls,  watch princess movies and so on. That's perfectly fine, too. I just say, if they love it, nurture it. Nurture the thought that dreams can come true when you believe in them and when you act upon them. Help them understand that it is our duty to create a happy and fun life and that we do create our life. Playing princess and nurturing the good in life is fantastic and can bring to your little girl nothing but happiness. Let them feel these feelings as often as possible!

And when my little Nati tells me that "Rapunzel" bought her new shoes at Target, I go along with it, answering "Wow, Nati! This is very special! Now, did you go with Rapunzel? What else did you buy at Target? I bet you had a lot of fun!..." She giggles and there's nothing but happiness around.

Pure, Essential, Therapeutic and Kind!

Our sense of smell does wonderful things to us...From creating a cozy-yummy atmosphere in your home when the smell of a delicious home-cooked meal emerges from the kitchen, to your favorite perfume that inspires you to feel powerful at work or sensual at night...From the warm smell our little babies have to clean sheets or the fresh flowers in the park...You get the idea! What would we do if we weren't able to use our sense of smell to create a better life?

I have long been a fan of this amazing Aromatherapy company called "Aura Cacia". Aura Cacia was founded in 1981 and uses nothing but pure essential oils of high quality combined with a strong belief for ethical environmental sustainability, giving back, no animal testing and minimal animal by-products (just beeswax).

In a nutshell, Aromatherapy is the healing through the use of essential oils extracted from plants. Essential oils exist in leaves, blossoms, roots and seeds of plants. Usually, these oils are massaged on the skin or scalp or inhaled. Different oils are used for different purposes, and a combination of oils can be even more effective. Some can promote relaxation, while others help reduce inflammation or energize you and make you happier. Some make a small place become more welcoming and others help purify the air. From my understanding the key is to realize that essential oils are not the same as synthetic fragrances, which will not have the same effect. High quality essential oils will usually cost you more, however, they last for a long time. If you'd like to learn more about Aromatherapy, follow this link here.

These small spray bottles in the 2 photos I took are some of the Aura Cacia essential oils I have and use at home. I love them all, and it's impossible to choose a favorite one, as each serves a different purpose. If you read the labels, you'll understand what I mean.

I find they have worked well on my pets, as well. I spray (with "Chill Pill") the area they sleep in a bit before we all go to bed, and not only does it smell very pleasant, but it seems to calm them down. I do the same in our room and it works well for us and the kids.

At the office, I find myself using "Pep Talk" a lot, as it motivates and inspires me to focus on positive thinking.  You see, our sense of smell can be healing! And here a great travel tip: "First Response" purifies the surrounding air/area. It can be used in hotel rooms, meeting rooms, cars, rental cars and can even be used to purify your hands, and anything you touch, like a telephone, door knobs, remote controls! Isn't this great? I use it in my car all the time. Once a week, my 4 dogs "bombard" my car, and I often have a little mess from the kids in the back seat. This essential oil mist comes in very handy all the time!

Do something good for yourself and others and positively impact your surroundings. This is just an example... I have long believed and used Aromatherapy. It's wonderfully healing. Everything always smells so great!

Last but not least, there is something I love even more about Aura Cacia! It has a "Giving back" program, where they give 1% of their sales back to organic farmers around the world in order to help them build their small communities. You can find out more about the company and its giving back program by clicking here.

Oh, by the way...Aura Cacia products can be bought online through their web site, and at other retail stores. I bought mine at my local "Vitamin Shoppe"! It makes for great gifts!...

Little girls' nails deserve the BEST!

Little, tiny fingers deserve what's best out there!

My girls love getting their nails painted and we usually do this on the weekends! My biggest worry is not a matter of an early onset of excessive vanity (honestly, I came to the conclusion that little girls are born with a nice healthy dose of vanity!), but the toxic chemicals present in nail polish.

Let's be realistic here: Kids put their hands in their mouths all the time. I truly don't want them to be ingesting all of the bad stuff.

So, I came across 2 companies that make beautiful nail polish with less toxic chemicals than other well known brands.

I often use them on my nails as well, after all, hey, we deserve good stuff too, and you can see them in the picture below: Zoya and Butter LONDON

Zoya's natural nail polish doesn't contain toluene, formaldehyde, camphor or DBP (phthalates). This is GREAT! They have over 300 colors to choose from, and I wish Ulta, the store I purchase them at here in Florida, had a larger selection. Please note, Ulta's web site is not showing they distribte Zoya. I don't know if they will discontinue carrying the line, so I suggest you either look at their web site or try different local nail salons.

Butter LONDON follows a "3 free philosophy" and the nail polish they sell is also free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBP. The great thing about Butter LONDON is that they also have beautiful lip glosses.  You can find them all at Ulta as well!

Again, as I had mentioned in previous posts: I have no affiliation with either Zoya or Butter LONDON. I simply love the brands and enjoy showing them off here! Good things deserve to be mentioned more often!

My point is: If I'll be spending money on my girls, I'll do so wisely. That doesn't mean "expensive". It means being conscious of what I'm paying for. In this case, I'm looking for less harmful health impact combined with fun and the possibility to create wonderful memories together!

I know what we'll be doing tomorrow morning after breakfast!... :)

Save $ and Save Trees!

 Hey, you, living in the South of the U.S. who shops at Publix! This post is for you!

If you haven't been to Publix lately, pay them a visit. Before you go, however, go online to publix.com/coupons to carry your Publix coupons electronically with you, at all times! (They have slips at the cash register that explain the simple procedure)

No more forgetting coupons and no more wasting paper (yay!)! You create an account online with your basic info and cell phone number (a must), choose the coupons that you want to electronically "clip", and these are stored in your account. Then, you go shopping! Upon check out, the cashier enters your cell phone number and your coupons are right there, ready to be redeemed and matched against what you bought!
It took me 1 minute to register and a few extra minutes to "clip" my coupons. So cool!

Talk about GREAT convenience and making the best use of technology and being environmentally conscious in this global information age!
Publix just made shopping even more of a pleasure!

Love your Home!

 I am no interior designer, but here are two simple ideas to make your house homier, and ...so easy to do! These are pictures from my house taken by me.

The first two pictures show a nice, simple accent to an extra bathroom you may have at home. These flowers are artificial, however, they have a very nice feel to them and look rich and silky! Take good care of them, and you can reuse them over the years in different rooms! They bring color and warmth to any small room! There are so many places where you can buy these inexpensive decorations for your home or office. I suggest looking at Target, Joann's, Pier 1 Imports, Macy's, Kohl's, Williams Sonoma or Bed Bath & Beyond. Many options for many budgets!

Another idea I had a few years ago was to create a decorative wall with pictures instead of paintings. It makes for a very personal touch to any space. It's art work filled with love, really! You can choose similar frames or very different, colorful ones. That is a matter of personal taste. You can hang them up symmetrically like I did, sort of creating a square with rectangular frames. I have another wall with the kids' pictures. This one is of our beloved pets (still a few missing on there!)!

I love art created by others an appreciate it very much. But this idea brings LOVE into your home!

Most pictures tell a story you can forever remember. There is nothing like creating long lasting memories that put a smile on your face! One note: Choose pictures taken from up close, so that you can easily recognize who's on it from far away.

Happy Monday, and have a fantastic week!

Pack on the nutrition!

Make any sandwich your kids and family eat SO MUCH MORE NUTRITIOUS!

Here is the thing: I have 2 little ones at home. One is a pretty picky eater (5 years old), while the other one (3 years old) is much more adventurous and will actually eat a greater variety of food.
Breakfast for the kids at home varies between cereal with unsweetened almond milk, fruits, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches or sandwiches with Nutella.

As the kids are growing, I try as much as possible to pack on nutrition wherever possible. I look for whole grain snacks (even if it's Goldfish - they have a whole grain variety!), whole grain breads or breads with nuts and juices that have vegetables in them. I stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup (toxic for the entire body, especially the brain!) and try to buy as much organic as possible. My kids have been growing well, and I want to believe I'm doing a good thing for them!

So here it goes: See the picture below?
Before I spread on Nutella on each slice of whole grains bread, I sprinkle a good amount of whole ground Flaxseed meal on each slice. I then spread Nutella on the bread and again, sprinkle Flaxseed on each slice.
(Note for my Brazilian friends: Flaxseed is "linhaca"!)

One slice goes on top of the other, the edges are removed (yes, my kids don't like the edge!...no big news!) and I cut the Nutella sandwich in 4. Voila!

Here are some important benefits of Flaxseed:

• Great source of Omega-3 fatty acids, like Alpha-Linolenic Acid
• Very high levels of natural antioxidants called Lignans
• High levels of fiber, great for helping reduce the bad LDL cholesterol
• Protein: 2 tablespoons have 3g. Not a lot really, but a nice boost for non meat-eaters and children!
• Minerals such as Calcium and Iron

Note on Nutella: I am not very worried about the amount of sugar in Nutella, as the kids keep active, are growing and get tons of energy from this breakfast. I like to look at the benefits it contains, such as Calcium and Iron, Hazelnuts, no artificial colors and no artificial preservatives and the delicious taste, of course. Nonetheless, I am sure there is a much healthier, let's say less sugary alternative out there. So I'll make it my mission to look for one! I'll keep you posted! I will have to visit my beloved WholeFoods Supermarket for that! Yay!

For now, have a wonderful Sunday!

Always a Favorite: BlueZoo

Nothing like spending TIME with our loved ones, right?
I had the pleasure of spending 4 whole weeks, meaning the entire month of February, with my parents. Every single day we did something! My parents don't live close to us at all, and having them over always brings us guaranteed fun.

One of my favorite activities to do with them is dining out. Restaurants have been part of my life for the longest time. As children, we used to wander around the huge kitchen in the social (country) club we're still members of (in Brazil, it is VERY common for families to be part of so-called country clubs. It's nothing fancy over there. Although, some of them are quite pricey and loved by the elite!). Later on, I became fascinated by restaurants, especially service. The hotel school I attended helped satisfy my curiosity and I learned a lot. My passion for service, food and the entire dining experience is such a big part of my life as an adult. It brings me joy when my 3-year old tells me "Mom, I wanna go to the restaurant!".

One of my favorite places to dine here in the Central Florida area is "BlueZoo" by celebrity Chef Todd English. This marvelous restaurant is located inside Walt Disney's Dolphin Hotel. Serving a delectable array of appetizers, entrees, drinks and desserts, the menu features the freshest seafood appetizers and entrees inspired by a very strong international flare. This restaurant creates long-lasting memories for sure: Its design is intriguing. Glass becomes a work of art carefully and beautifully affected by perfect lighting. Colors and textures become important accents and the grand room is filled with music, loud conversation, laughter and a hint of coziness midst all the setting. Large columns and comfortable booths create anchor points where you want to hang out for the longest time.

(picture found in Google Images)

One of my favorite food choices over there are: 
- Tempura haricot vert (green beans) with truffle aioli: Perfect as a side dish, to share or enjoy with drinks!
- Chef's pasta: ALWAYS an awesome surprise. Comfort food meets culinary perfection! Could be an awesome Vegetarian option!
- Hawaiian Sea Bass: as a Pescatorian, this is my choice if I need a wonderfully delicious protein boost!

I recommend this place for celebrations of all kinds. Beware, it can get loud in there (or not, depending on the night of the week and time!). Go for an awesome happy hour at their lounge or dine with family (they do have a kids' menu! Hello?! It's Disney!), have fun with friends or coworkers! They even have private dining if you want to make it even more special! It's so hip with its vibrant atmosphere. Want to know something I truly LOVE about this place? They support our local community of farmers! Isn't that great? Happy Dining!