CiCi's was a Success!!! Thank You Everyone!!

Our CF Fundraiser tonight at CiCi's Pizza went GREAT!!!

Special thanks to my AWESOME KOHL'S A-TEAM GIRLS who gave up their time to help me raise an extra $500 from Kohl's:

Cindy

Rebecca

Barb N.

Rita

Also, thank you to Elaine and Calvin at Kohl's for covering while Rebecca came and was our 5th Kohl's associate so we could get the $500 ;)

Our AWESOME neighborhood showed their GREAT SUPPORT AGAIN by coming out!! Special thanks to:

Andrea & John

Sean & Michelle(Thanks Michelle for spreading the word at your work;)

Rachel, Seth, & Brayden

Meg, Shane, & Alex (thanks Alex for picking our raffle winner;)

and a new neighbor that just moved in about 1 month ago, I think his name is Brian;)

We were raffling off 2 Indian's tickets and the winner was....BARB N. from Kohl's!!! YEA!! Thanks Barb for your donation!! Thanks for going to almost all of my CF fundraisers and for always giving up your time to help out! You definitely deserved to win:)

We had a GREAT night and ended up raising $185 in tips, donations, and raffle money!!! Plus we will get $500 from Kohl's!! YEA!! Plus we probably raised about $100 in the 10% from the receipts!! So that brings the total to.........$785.00!!!!! Woohoo!!!! Another good thing...we raised a lot of awareness about Cystic Fibrosis:) YEA!! Awareness is the key to a CURE!!!

I KNOW SOMEDAY SOON, CF WILL STAND FOR CURE FOUND!!!!

Don't forget, CiCi's is doing Pin-Ups for CF until the end of May!! Buy a Pin-Up for $1 or more at any of the 10 different CiCi's in Northeast Ohio:) Wooster is doing a GREAT job!! Here are some pics of the Pin-Ups that they have sold so far...

Cute Montage / CiCi's Pizza Fundraiser TONIGHT 4-8

Here is a montage of some of the things that the kiddos have been doing lately :)

Ayla likes making bubbles with her mouth and Lil' Chris like to TRY to pop them without getting bit;-) LOL

Lil' Chris is really starting to get the hang of his scooter now :) He is getting too big too fast;(

Ever since he was a tiny little guy, he has always had a different dance to every song or beat. Well, he still does!! In the montage, he has a different dance to all the different beats on his lil' drum set...maybe he'll be a DJ when he grows up;)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Don't forget....tonight is the BIG CiCi's Pizza Fundraiser from 4pm-8pm!!! I am raffling off 2 FREE INDIAN'S TICKETS!! You get to pick the date that you want to go!!

See some of you tonight;-)
M

CF Fundraiser at CiCi's this Thursday/Raffling off 2 FREE INDIAN'S TICKETS

Join us this Thursday between 4pm and 8pm at the Wooster CiCi's Pizza to help fight Cystic Fibrosis!!! A percentage of your bill will go towards a CURE for CF!! We will also be having an AWESOME raffle!!! I'm giving away

TWO FREE INDIAN'S TICKETS!!!

Tickets are $2 for 1, $5 for 4, or $10 for 10 tickets. If you want in on the raffle but can't make it Thursday night, just let me know:)

See you Thursday:)

M

1st Garage Sale / CF Bake Sale was a Success!!

Our 1st Community Garage Sale / CF Bake Sale was a HUGE SUCCESS!!

Thank you to EVERYONE who stopped by and bought something and then gave a little extra for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation!! We and 30,000 other CF families GREATLY appreciate it!!

Special thanks to all of our WONDERFUL neighbors who stopped by to give a donation! Thank you SO much!! I was in awe of your generosity!

Big THANK YOU to the following neighbors who participated in the Bake Sale by working hard on baking yummy goodies, making some GREAT signs, and then spreading the word about CF and collecting donations!!! You all AMAZED me by all that you did for Lil' Chris. We can't thank you guys enough....

Andrea & John

Carrie, John, & Gideon

Rachel, Seth, & Brayden

Melissa, Daron, Jeremiah, Micah, Talia, & Carissa

Special thanks to Michelle & Sean who couldn't be there for the garage sale, but baked some brownies and brought them to me to sell at our garage sale:) Thanks guys, it meant a lot:)

This was the first time that a non-family member(besides Christi, but she's pretty much like a sister to me;) raised money for Lil' Chris by doing some kind of a fundraiser. It really touched my heart when I walked around to their houses and saw the time and effort they put into their signs that they made with pics of Lil' Chris, and all the yummy goodies that they worked so hard on. It really means the WORLD to us to have such support so close to home:) Thanks again everyone for everything!!!!!!

I forgot my camera when I went around to their houses, so I only have pics of our CF Bake Sale and of Andrea & John's. Thanks Andrea for sending them to me;) Great Job on your awesome signs and delicious goodies:) I didn't get a pic of Carrie's cupcakes, but they were FANTASTIC!! Carrie has her own cake making business and she makes the most beautiful cakes and cupcakes ever!! If you want to check some of her work out, here is her website... www.carriescakes-wooster.com. I HIGHLY recommend her:)

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Adding everything together: 100% of our garage sale & CF bake sale, plus 100% of everyones CF bake sale, equals to about $350 raised for the CF Foundation!!!!

That's AWESOME!!

Thanks again everyone!! I'm looking forward to next year;)

M

Community Garage Sale/CF Bakesale

Join us this Saturday, May 22nd, for our community garage sale from 9am-3pm!! Different houses throughout the neighborhood will be selling baked goodies for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation!! I recently told them all that my son has Cystic Fibrosis and they are so nice to want to help us out:) We have the BEST neighborhood!!

What is Cystic Fibrosis??? Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and young adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections & obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and young adults with CF. Today their life expectancy is 37 years.

M

PS. I can't believe this is my 500th post!!! YEA!!!

Tip/Trick for Fellow CF Parents :)

Here is a Tip/Trick for some new CF mommies(or daddies;).... Click here to learn about the coolest applesauce packs that WON'T spill in your purse or diaper bag!! I used these all the time for Lil' Chris when he used to take his enzymes with applesauce for every meal and snack before he started swallowing them with liquids. I would order them by the cases! Now they have an AWESOME subscription plan where you get 48 for just $29.99 plus FREE shipping and just let them know how often you want them and then you will get free shipping every time!! PLUS...if you order in the month of May, 10% of the proceeds from your purchase will go towards a CURE for Cystic Fibrosis!!! Doesn't get any better than that:)

I actually still use these when we go out, b/c he LOVES them SOOO much!! The great part is...I don't need a spoon anymore!! I twist off the cap and then squeeze it a little bit to get some to come to the top, then I put a whole enzyme capsule in the top and say to Lil' Chris..."Shoot the bullet!!" Then when he puts his mouth on it, I squeeze the applesauce and enzyme right into his mouth! Presto! That easy!! I do it with each of his 3 enzymes that he has to take with his meals and snacks.

Here is a video of him taking all 3 enzymes with it...

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It does need to be chilled once it has been open, but Lil' Chris always liked to finish it b/c it's so good:) He sucks it right down in a matter of seconds;-) lol

If you like what you saw in the link above, then click here to order yours today at www.MediSimpleShoppe.com !! Also, they have all kinds of cool merchandise for CFers:)

Let me know what you think:)

M

Neighborhood for CF / Community Garage Sale this Sat.

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So, I said awhile back that I would write about some great things that were going on in our neighborhood for CF...well, here's the scoop....;)

A very nice neighbor had a little get together to discuss when to have a community garage sale and a block party. She encouraged me to talk about Cystic Fibrosis and our walk that was coming up. So I put a few things together for everyone and told them all about CF. They were all very receptive and understanding. I had been wanting to do this for a while, but never really got the chance or the nerve:) So "Thank You Melissa!" :)

After that lil' meeting, I was able to sign up 17 neighbors for our CF walk!!! That was AMAZING!! I was sooooooo excited to have them at our walk this year!!! It really made my day, even though I barely had time to sit and chat with them since I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off;) I GREATLY appreciate their time to come and walk and for all of their generous donations to help find a CURE for CF!! Special thanks to Andrea...it was her birthday and she STILL came to our CF walk!!! "Thank You Andrea!" :)

Another great thing that came out of that neighborhood meeting was a CF bake sale at our garage sale this coming Saturday!! I think it was Carrie that had the GREAT idea about having each house sell some kind of baked goody, and the proceeds from it would go towards a CURE for CF!! "Thanks Carrie for the great idea!!" :)

Don't I have the BEST neighbor's EVER!?!?!

Thank you guys soooooo much!!!

Special thanks to the neighbors that came our Great Strides Walk for CF:
Andrea & John
Carrie & Gideon
Rachel & Brayden
Melissa, Daron, Jeremiah, Micah, Talia, & Carissa

Also, a special thanks to the awesome neighbors that came to one of my CiCi's Pizza CF fundraisers too:

John, Carrie, & Gideon

Seth, Rachel, & Brayden

"Thanks again guys for everything!!!!"

I can't wait until Saturday!!! Spread the word everyone!! Community Garage sale starts at 9am!

Everything Chris and I make will go towards "a CURE for Lil' Chris" and ALL with CF.

Meet Josh and Moganko....(CF momma's, you gotta check this out;)

I have been meaning to share someone with you for a while now, so here it goes.....

This special person's name is Josh, oh yeah, I can't forget about Moganko;)

Josh is an AWESOME, AMAZING, WONDERFUL, INSPIRING, CARING, FUNNY person who just so happens to have Cystic Fibrosis like Lil' Chris. I first came across his blog from another good CF friend, Ronnie. Thanks Ronnie!!

Josh is passionate about spreading awareness about CF and helping all the lil' CFers to better understand CF and to let them know that they are not alone. To do this, he has a special friend to help him...Moganko!! Moganko is a puppet:) Josh and Moganko do special episodes to cheer up those lil' CFers out there that need a good laugh:) They also teach these lil' CFers about CF and CF care and CF treatments. If you ask me, he and Moganko are "just what the Doctor ordered" ;) lol

Click here to check out his AWESOME blog and to see his best episode yet!! Also, please say a prayer for Josh, he is in the hospital right now and had to miss his CF walk this past weekend;(

Cough Update / CiCi's Pin-Ups for CF

Glad to report that Lil' Chris' cough is ALL GONE!!! YEA!!! Tomorrow is his last day taking his antibiotic, Bactrim.

Don't forget that all month long 10 different CiCi's Pizza's in North East Ohio are doing Pin-Ups for Cystic Fibrosis!! If you live in the area, stop by a CiCi's and buy a Pin-Up for $1 or more and write your name on it and it will be posted up on CiCi's walls until the end of May:) If you don't want to write your name, you can put the name of someone you know with CF or you can put Lil' Chris;)

Please help me spread the word!!! Last time we checked the Wooster CiCi's, they had about 80 Pin-Ups on their walls:) YEA!!! I'm giving prizes to all the store managers that raise over $100:) The store manager who raises the most will get the best prize;)

All money raised is going towards a CURE for CYSTIC FIBROSIS!!

HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY TO GREAT GRANDMA D!!!

HERE IS A MONTAGE OF WHAT THE KIDS HAVE BEEN UP TO LATELY. IT IS DEDICATED TO THE BEST GRANDMA/GREAT GRANDMA EVER!!!

HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY GRAM/GREAT

GRANDMA D:)

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Applebee's CF Fundraiser TONIGHT 4-9pm / Q & A

Click on the flyer below and print it and bring it to the Wooster Applebee's TONIGHT 5/12 anytime between 4pm and 9pm and then 15% of your bill will go towards a CURE for CF!!!

I got a great question today, so I thought I would share the answer with everyone in case anyone else was wondering;)...

Question from Christine from CF Momma:

Did you set up the Applebee's Fundraiser? I would like to know how you go about getting all these great fundraisers for next year. Or maybe even this year.

Answer:

Yes, I set up the Applebee's fundraiser and I set up all my CF fundraisers. It's actually really easy to set one up:) All you have to do is call or go in, and ask to speak with the manager. Then ask the manager if they do any fundraisers to help out the community. If they do, then they will either ask you what date you would like to do one, or they will give you a paper to fill out first and you can write the dates when you would like to do one. They will let you know if they already have one booked that same night or not. So you know, you usually need the 501c3 tax ID number. You can get it by calling your Great Strides Chapter. Then they will ask who to make the check out to...Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Sometimes they ask for the mailing address, or you can just pick it up and then send it in yourself, or turn it in at your walk.

Then it's up to you to pass out the flyer that they email you. If you don't print them and pass them out or share them through email, then you won't raise as much money. I've been told that the best way to spread the word is on Facebook...from my experience...this IS true!!! That's why I LOVE it when my friends repost my flyers or the info about my fundraisers, b/c I don't have too many fb friends from this area since I'm not originally from around here. So thank you everybody who reposts them:)

Some places that I know of that do them are: Applebee's, Friendly's, Max and Erma's, and CiCi's Pizza. Every area is different though. I have heard of Bob Evans and Buffalo Wild Wings doing them too, but the ones in our area don't do them.

So you know, you can search online at the restaurants in your area to see if they do any community fundraising. That's how I originally found out about some of them.

Also, you don't HAVE to do all your fundraiser BEFORE your walk. You can do them after and just send the money to your chapter. Just don't forget to put your team name on it;) What I do, is I have the restaurant send the check directly to my Great Strides chapter, and then I put all the tips and raffle money in my checking account and then make an online donation to my Great Strides page. It's easier then making out a check and sending it. Plus it shows up on your Great Strides page quicker;)

I hope this helps someone in someway:) Let me know how you make out!

If anyone else has any questions for me, just let me know and I'll answer it soon:)

M

Applebee's CF Fundraiser / Do-It-Yourself DNA Test for $20

Tomorrow is the big day for our Applebee's fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis!!!

Click on the pic above and print it and bring it to the Wooster Applebee's on Wed 5/12 anytime between 4pm and 9pm and then 15% of your bill will go towards a CURE for CF!!!

Please spread the word!!!

Did anyone else see this....a Do-It-Yourself DNA test starting at only $20 at Walgreens? Click here to see the video. Thanks Jen for posting this:) Very interesting for our future.

Thanks,

M

PS. Lil' Chris' cough seems to be getting a little bit better, but not 100% yet. Keep him in your prayers along with all his other lil' CF buddies.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mother's Day to the BEST Mommy in the world. We love you!!!!!!!!

Lil' Chris' 1st Time Riding His Bike All By Himself!!

Tonight I taught Lil' Chris how to ride his bike!!! YEA!!!

He did such a GREAT JOB!!!

We were both soooooo excited!!!

We have been practicing and practicing,

and tonight I finally got him to push the pedals forward(boy was that hard to teach;)

I kept giving him a big hug and kiss and a high five every time he did it.

Then I got him to push the pedals forward ALL BY HIMSELF!!

I was SO PROUD OF HIM!!

Here is a video of him riding his bike all by himself for the first time:)

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He kept wanting to go really fast as you can see;)

As soon as Daddy got home from playing basketball, Lil' Chris said "Daddy, I ride bike FAST!" Too cute;-)

GREAT JOB LIL' CHRIS!! I'M SO GLAD TO SHARE THAT SPECIAL MOMENT WITH YOU:) I LOVE YOU BUDDY=)

Love, Mommy:)

May is CF Awareness Month / Upcoming Fundraisers

Did you know that May is Cystic Fibrosis awareness month???

That's why so many CF walks are in May:)

Did you know that purple is the color for CF???

I have changed my fb profile pic to the one above just for the month of May. You should do the same to get more CF awareness out there:)

This May, I have 3 fundraisers going on...

1. For the WHOLE month of MAY, 10 different CiCi's Pizza in Northeast OH are doing Pin-Ups for Cystic Fibrosis. Donate $1 or more and put your name (or a CFer you know;) on a pin-up and CiCi's will display it on ther walls.
2. Wed May 12th at Wooster Applebee's(must have flyer) 5pm-8pm
3. Thurs May 27th at Wooster CiCi's Pizza from 4pm-8pm. Raffle will be for 2 FREE Indians tickets;)

I hope you can join us if you are in the area:)

Please help me spread the word too! Tell your friends, your family, and your neighbors:) Post it on Facebook, post it on your blog, email it...every little bit helps:)

Thanks everyone for all your support:)

M

PS. Lil' Chris' cough still isn't the greatest;( Hopefully this new antibiotic will start working soon. Please pray it doesn't turn into a lung infection.

Another Antibiotic;( Bactrum / R.I.P. Emily

Well, we are back to ANOTHER antibiotic!! He still has that nasty sounding cough, so I called the CF clinic today. They said to have him do Bactrum for 14 days and then they want to see him. He already has his annual clinic apt set up for June 16th, but they want to see him sooner b/c of this cough. The cough is from his cold I think, b/c after my cold I had a cough. My cough wasn't nearly as bad as his though. I guess his lungs just can't handle it as well as mine or a non-CFer.

They still need to see him on June 16th though to do his annual visit, which consists of blood work, chest x-rays, and seeing every doctor. It's usually a very long visit. I have a feeling it's gonna seem extra long this time since Ayla is getting older now and wants to walk around and touch everything;)

They put him on Bactrum this time, b/c it has only been a little over a month since the last time he was on an antibiotic(Augmentin). They don't like to do the same antibiotic so close together, so that is why we have to do Bactrum this time. I think Lil' Chris has only done Bactrum one other time. I could be wrong, b/c I tried to search it on my blog and nothing came up. I might be thinking of when he took Sulfatrim. It came in the same big HUGE bottle. One good thing about Bactrum versus Augmentin, is that it is only 14 days instead of 21 and it doesn't have to be refrigerated:) Lil' Chris took the Bactrum for the first time tonight, and he didn't seem to like the taste but he took the whole 10ml. I didn't think he was going to finish it, but he did thankfully!! Hopefully the taste will grow on him:)

So, Bactrum 2 times a day for the next 14 days at 10ml each time. 10ml seems like a lot!! Pray we get through this with no problems and pray that it works and kicks his cough right out.

I forgot to tell you what he did a while back that just about every kid does I think.......somebody guessed that he cut his own hair, which was a great guess, but what he really did was....tried to climb his dresser and it fell on top of him! Lil' stinker! Luckily he didn't get hurt. He said he wanted to touch the radio on top :) Here are some pics after I picked up the big part of the dresser...

Here is the radio he was trying to get and the frame that he broke.

Here is what I found behind his crib...pieces of paper from his books that we used to let him go to bed with. Now you know why we don't let him go to bed with books anymore;-) I wondered where he used to put all the pieces;) lol Ayla throws her socks behind her crib;) lol

Please also pray for Emily's family and friends. Emily was a 26 or 27 year old with CF who passed away on May 1st. She did many wonderful thing for Cystic Fibrosis. She was the ambassador of Pipeline to a Cure. I remember watching her video's a long time ago and they always just stuck with me. She was big on surfing and said that it helped her clear her lungs better and the salty air helped too. She was basically the reason why I wanted to move closer to the Ocean so Lil' Chris could be closer to the salty air. If we could afford it, I would.
At least now she is in a place with no CF. Breathe easy, Emily. You will be missed by so many! Click here to hear more of her story.
M

Our 2010 Walk for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis!

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We had a GREAT day today at our CF walk:)

We had a great turnout, about 70 people. Not bad for our second year!!

We had lots of food and a whole lot of fun!! =)

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this fabulous day:)

Thank you to all our walkers and all who sponsored me and Lil' Chris:)

WE GREATLY APPRECIATE EVERY PENNY!!

Thank you to all of our food sponsors:

Panera Bread

Buehler's

Domino's

Papa John's

Pizza Pan

McDonald's

Culligan's Water

And Thank You to our wonderful prize sponsors:

Special Thank You to our entertainment:

Pat Catan's Craft Store

Wooster Fire Department

Our Balloon Maker: David Lohnes

You guys were AWESOME!! The kids had so much fun!! And so did I;-)

Last year our walk raised a total of $7,500, I think. By the end of this year, we will have raised close to $13,00!!! WOOHOO!!! Kohl's alone will have brought in a total of $5,000!!! THANK YOU TO ALL MY WONDERFUL KOHL'S ASSOCIATES THAT HAVE PARTICIPATED IN MY CF FUNDRAISERS AND WALK!!! YOU GIRLS ROCK!!

Thank you to Jack's Pack and Daniel's Friends for all your donations and support:)

Especially thanks to all those who say a special prayer for Lil' Chris each day and for ALL those suffering with Cystic Fibrosis! We greatly appreciate it!

As great as a day as it was, I was still sad every time I got a second to look around, b/c I knew Lil' Chris would have LOVED EVERYTHING!! He's at that age now where he would have LOVED the Fire Trucks, he would have LOVED the craft, and he would have LOVED all the balloon animals. Most of all...he would have LOVED just being there and running around. Maybe someday I will get up the nerve to take him. It's just hard with the possibility of cross-contamination.

M

PS. If Lil' Chris' cough doesn't get any better by Monday, I'm going to call the CF clinic to get an antibiotic. He is not sounding too good;( Please keep the prayers coming.

Walking for a Cure for CF Today!!

Here is another photo from our lunch yesterday with Daddy. Lil' Chris and I are wearing our matching CF shirts:) Sorry the pic is a little dark;)

TODAY IS THE BIG DAY!! IT HAS FINALLY COME!!

We are meeting at the pavilion next to Ida Sue School by the soccer fields at 9am!! If you would like to join us, but are not registered...that's ok! Come on down for some fun:) The address is 266 Oldman Road.

So far I don't think it is raining. Please pray that it holds off until after our walk is over!! If it does rain, I think we will be ok. I bought some extra crafts for the kids to do for Conner and I got Domino's to have the pizza's ready by 10am. Do you think pizza at 10:30 in the morning is too early??? LOL I think it will give us something to do in the rain, plus then people can leave earlier, b/c I'm sure they will be anxious to leave if we are all crammed under one pavilion:) lol

As of right now, my team is at $4,726!! Woo Hoo!! My goal is $5,000. Hopefully after today we will be closer to that goal if not surpass it;)

Thank you again everyone who has donated!! You are saving some really awesome precious lives;-) Thank You!!

It's not too late to donate...click this link to donate today... http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/LilChrisChris6765

I think we've got everything ready to go for today...

Alma and her team has made a ton of yummy cookies

Mary picked up the Frito Lays lil' bags of Chips

My hubby picked up the Culligan's water

and as soon as the sitter gets here, I am going to pick up the fruit from Buehler's,

bagels from Panera Bread,

and ice from Speedway.

Then starting at 10am, my hubby will start picking up the pizza's starting with Domino's, then Pizza Pan at 10:30, and then Papa John's.

Then he will pick up 30 kids meals from McDonald's at 11am:) YEA!!

Everything has been donated by our AWESOME sponsors!!! Thank You Awesome Sponsors=) Our walk couldn't be a success without you:)

I'll let you know how everything goes. I'll try to take lots of pics, especially everyone who is wearing something red for Conner and Eva:) Also, I plan on taking a BIG group pic for next years commercial:)

Pray for a GREAT day!

M