Winner of My Big Celebration Giveaway is...

One of my most favorite bloggy friends in the blog world...

Debbie from Suburb Sanity. By the way Debbie, love the new blog makeover! Debbie was picked by random draw and will be getting my big Celebration Giveaway! She'll be receiving the following

• One large bag of Aunt Kate's Roll Mix from Food Storage Depot.
  
• 16 oz. package of SAF yeast from Lesaffre Yeast Corp.
• A Mini Cherish Bound Recipe Story Starter from ME
• $29 publishing credit to make her own 5x7 recipe book from ME!

Debbie, email me your mailing info so we can send you your goodies!!!

Home Sweet Home!!!

Home finally...Long exciting weekend. Wish I had better news, but our girls lost the State championship game in a HEART BREAKER on Monday night. It was a sad sad loss, considering we had already beaten this team. My girl was heartbroken, but after about 20 min. in the car between her siblings and the flip video camera, she was all smiles as our singing contest began. I won't pain you with the horrible singing that went on the car, but it was bad enough to make everyone laugh, smile and forget about the awful loss!

Just glad to be home to enjoy our final days of summer break. Planning beach days, shopping days, park days, water days....whatever days we can fill up and enjoy before the grind starts up again.

Miami Bound

Heading out to South Florida for the first game of the Florida State Softball Championships! Hope to keep you updated, but if not, see you Tuesday!!

Another Victim of the Porcelain Express

Ever since the twins have turned about 18 months old they've enlightened me on many new parenting experiences. My other 3 kids were "normal"...you know, just some basic color crayon on the wall. That's pretty much it. Quite uneventful.

Well...well...well...Let me tell you something! Twins, they're capable of just about ANYTHING. With 2 minds working as one they are their own form of organized crime. Cute crime, but nonetheless, they're beginner criminals. We've had some bouts with the toilet and they're obsession to flush anything they can find down it...entire rolls of toilet paper, small matchbox cars, hair bows, food....

Today they've once again succeeded in victimizing unsuspecting inanimate objects to the porcelain express.

I headed in to do my makeup as I was trying to clean up for the day...after all it's my birthday today ;o) and I should look decent, right? I put my makeup away in the same place every time. I went to grab my foundation and realized it was not in its place. I looked around the counter, in the drawers and was stumped as to where this large jar of foundation could have disappeared. I then looked for my powder...and found that in the wrong place and started looking for anything else that might be missing or out of place. I noticed my overly-priced Kabuki Brush was missing too!

{GASP}

I wrongly accused my teen daughter who swore she was no where near my bathroom...but then I remembered I had caught the twins in my bathroom a few hours before...and it dawned on me that they must have hid the brush and foundation somewhere. I looked all over thinking I'd find makeup all over my clothes or something...and then I saw the backed up toilet....brimming with water...ready to spill over. I grabbed the plunger (not putting 2-n-2 together) and began plunging...

I could hear tinging and pinging and wondered what in the world could be in there...as my hand pressed down on the handle to flush the toilet I saw a glimmer of silver...hummm...OH NO! It registered that it was the handle of my makeup brush...GONE! I flushed it...but as the water kept draining back and forth I could hear the tinging and pinging moving around back and forth in the base of the toilet and then it got quieter and quieter and moved away....

I ran out and grabbed the twins and asked them in the kindest sweetest voice I could find "Where's Mommy's makeup? Have you seen it?" They both skipped over to the toilet and with large smiles blabbed, "Here! Right there....Mommy."

So FYI, a large full bottle of foundation and an over-priced Kabuki brush CAN FIT down your toilet!

Wordless Wednesday - My Mama

My mama will KILL me if she knows I put her picture up for public viewing...But I'm so happy to have her for a few days I had to share her! This is a picture taken at the softball field after some rain and sitting in hours of Florida humidity... She'll kill me! But the only way she'll find out is if she can turn her computer on, get online and find my blog...and that's doubtful... ♥

For more Wordless Wednesday visit www.5minutesformom.com

Mama's Champion

Photograph by Ryan

I've been a little neglectful of my blog the last few weeks....but it's because I'm the luckiest mom in the world! I have great kids....all of them are just incredible. So far all are athletes (thank goodness) and have let me live vicariously through them.

So today I'm going to dote on my second born... Cooper!

She's quite the stud and I absolutely 100% LOVE LOVE LOVE watching her play sports. Right now, we've been neck deep in her softball and I can't begin to tell you how much fun I HAVE been having...Yes, I have been having the fun!

Last year her softball team won the Florida State Little League softball championship in a cakewalk! From districts, sections, to state, they out scored their opponents somewhere in the ballpark of 70 runs to 5. It was incredible. We're talking 12 year old's hitting the ball out of the park kind of stuff!

This year, her team is back at it again. However, there's a little more excitement added to the package...this year, they can advance out of state to the Southern Regionals (West Virginia) and then to the World Series (Portland, Oregon). For the past 2 years these girls have played year round together in the hopes of making it to the '09 World Series. They have practiced HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS...played in oodles of tournaments and have managed to stay friends...best friends through it all.

Districts Champions - Done

Section Champions - Done

Florida State Champions - Heading out Thursday

I'll be enjoying this once in a lifetime opportunity so if I'm MIA, that's why! I can't miss a second of this amazing moment. But I'll try and keep y'all updated and keep your fingers crossed they make it through as the State Champions!!

Family Yearbook Challenge 2009 - Week 22

If you're new to the Family Yearbook Challenge click HERE & then HERE
Don't forget to leave a comment and check in...I'm keeping track of all the comments posted in the Family YB Challenge for a big giveaway at the end of the year....so go back and check in each of the FYBC posts if you haven't done so.

Homework July 20 - July 26:

1. Friends & Extended Family - Who has gotten married? Any new babies in the family? Graduations, big moves, exciting news? Remember the exciting moments and stories that you have been a part of this year that have involved your friends and extended family.

2. Highlight a Family Member - With many families traveling and spending time with each other now is the time to capture another interview with a family member. Pick someone you want to know more about and record their stories and special qualities. Snap some pictures of them too!

Now COPY and paste any photos that you have that go with these events and questions into a new folder titled June. If you'd like to rename the photos you can with july 1, july 2, july 3 and so on and so on. If you have any memorabilia that is NOT digital, scan and save as a jpg. minimum 300 dpi to your July folder, named and labeled. If you have a "story" you can hand write it or "type" it into a document and save in the same folder.

Jump Start Summer & Another GIVEAWAY!

Don't miss My BIG Celebration Giveaway!!! Click here for another one!



Are YOU are driving your kids nuts??? Come on....are you driving them nuts yet??

I push mine outdoors and we have lots to do, most days, but once in awhile it's nice to come in the house, shut down the shades, crank up the A/C and let them veg.
My little Z-man has found his veg... it's this!

Jump Start online has been his new little passion...or should I say obsession...and a good one I might add! Before school got out, every day he'd come home and say, "Mom! Can I PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE play the cool jumping game!! Please...." I gave him 20 minutes after school each day to play some Jump Start....and I was so impressed with what he learned in that short period of time.

Here's a list of a few of our favorites features!

• EASY to navigate - He had NO trouble at all using www.jumpstart.com and CD game "3D Virtual World - Legend of Grizzly McGuffin"
• Creating his own avatar - "Jumpees"...he LOVED this part!
• The games are educational, but fun! As he enjoyed playing "video games" and didn't even realize he was learning so much....actually, I take that back. He did realize it. He called me over to the computer about every 26 seconds to show me a new word he could spell or a math problem he solved.
  
• Another great feature is it's personalized for each child and it's creative, bright, and let's them use their imagination....it allows them to create and think.
• Progress Reports! Yes, I get his progress reports emailed to me that show me what he's learned and completed....oh, yeah, and they have a Parent section...oh and a blog!
  
• He loves AdventureLand!! They can explore and are given missions. Here are a few screen shots of his adventures...

So I guess what I'm trying to say is...Jump Start has created a great online World and CD program for kids! I give it 2 thumbs up....and so does Z-man!!!

you can't hear him right now....but he's asking to get on and play as I type....

Sonia, over at Jump Start has offered a lucky reader a 3-month membership to www.jumpstart.com! A free upgrade to use and take advantage of the entire site!! Perfect for the summer months! It's a great tool to keep your kid's minds thinking and not forgetting everything they learned over the past 9 months of school....it's so much better than a "workbook"....and who wants to sit down and do a workbook during the summer?? NOT ME!

Here are the entry rules:

• For one entry just leave me a comment
  

• For 5 Entries: Visit www.jumpstart.com. (click the link and scroll down) They have HUGE list of skills that Jump Start helps kids with...Just leave a comment and let us know which skills your kids could use some help and/or refreshing on.
  
• For 5 Extra Entries: Follow my blog
• For 5 More Entries: Follow me on Twitter @cherishbound176 and Tweet about it. Please leave tweet URL in comment
  

Please leave separate comments for each entry (just 4 separate comments...you don't have to do 16 comments), and you must leave your email or have your email in your blogger profile or a new winner will be selected. Giveaway runs until, Sunday, July 26 @ 11:59pm. Open to anyone who can get online!

And I also saw that they're going to have Jump Start For the Wii soon! Hopefully they'll let me review that one too! {WINK-WINK}!!

It's a Celebration! Happy Day to Me - Giveaway!

Well, there is much to celebrate here at my blog this week!

1. This is my 400th post!
2. My Birthday is next week - July 23rd
3. My Blog Birthday is Monday
4. My Wedding anniversary is mixed in with it all too

So I'm doing a big fat yummy Giveaway in celebration of all these things...

• To survive 400 posts, even if I blog to myself is huge...for me! How many hours have at sat staring at this blog?? Too many to think about ;o)
  
• And I love birthdays...I'm not afraid of turning 35...Yes, I'm 35 next week, can't believe how young I still am! It's incredible... (apparently, I have no idea how old I am. I'm turning 34. Just figured that out - 07/16/09 @ 9:16pm EST.
  
• My 2nd Blog Birthday is Monday, and again, that's a big deal for me because I have ADD and the only thing I've stuck with longer than this blog is being a wife and mother.
  
• And of course my wedding anniversary is arriving again....the 15th one! Can't believe we've managed to survive these amazing 15 years....but to be completely happy is worth celebrating! Right?!

So lots to be happy about....

Yesterday on my Wordless Wednesday post you saw those YUMMY delicious HOMEMADE cinnamon rolls that I made right? I'm a wannabe baker, and I'm okay with that. I'm finding myself in the kitchen a lot more these days, but I'm loving it, not fighting it. I love to bake. I've always loved to bake, but have been intimidated by mixers, yeast, sifters, temperatures...you know all the "stuff" that goes with baking. Well, I've discovered that it's actually harmless, it's very hard to get hurt baking, and there are amazing products out there that make baking...enjoyable and easy for people like moi!

Cinnamon Rolls happen to one of my most favorite things to EAT! I lose total control when cinnamon rolls arrive...I have NO guilt, NO limits, NO worries. So when I finally made a batch that worked and tasted good all by myself....I had to share and celebrate! I'll share the entire recipe next week.


I'm going to give credit where credit is due though...without these two products ain't NO WAY it was going to happen. I'm wanted for killing yeast all over these parts, so I pretty much gave up on anything that required the use of that small, single-celled plant. Until....I found this!

SAF Yeast by Red Start

You CANNOT KILL THIS STUFF! It's "tara-proof"...that's saying A LOT! If you're looking for ways to make baking with yeast more enjoyable and successful, look no further! You must get this yeast! Also, they have GREAT recipes, ideas, and other yeasts for those that need gluten free or specialty yeasts as well over at www.redstaryeast.com

Second...I'm all about making from scratch, but I love buying "mixes". I love having some fun varieties to play around with, but I'm also into building my family's food storage in the event of an emergency, disaster, even a job loss and income change. You just never know...

One of my favorite sites for stocking up on Food Storage is the Food Storage Depot. They have a great selection of Food Storage products AND their prices are very affordable. They have lots to choose from from basics to gourmet and monthly to yearly supplies.

• Emergency Food
• Dehydrated Food
• Home Food Storage
• Freeze Dried Food

They also have my favorite MIX! Aunt Kate's Quality Roll Mix! That's the amazing mix that helped me make those delicious cinnamon rolls! They have truly revolutionized food storage!

So what am I giving away...Can you smell the rolls??

• Food Storage Depot has generously offered one of my readers a bag of Aunt Kate's Roll Mix.
  
• The winner will also receive a 16 oz. package of SAF yeast from Lesaffre Yeast Corp. Woo!
  
• And...the winner will also receive a Mini Cherish Bound Recipe Story Starter from ME
• $29 publishing credit to make your own 5x7 recipe book from ME!
  

That's right.... The winner will get ALL OF THIS!

So wanna know how you can win ALL OF THIS? There are TONS of way to get in on this!!

1. Leave a comment letting me know what your FAVORITE thing to bake is (1 entry)

2. Follow My Blog (1 entry)

3. Tweet About this Giveaway & leave the link (1 entry)

4. Put my Button on your blog (1 entry)

5. Post about this giveaway on your blog. Make sure you share your favorite thing to bake and then link back here to the McLinky FOR 5 EXTRA ENTRIES!

Make sure each entry is a separate comment. US Residents only. Giveaway ends on July 22, 2009 at 11:59 pm. I'll announce the big winner on July 23 (my birthday)! Make sure you leave your email in your comments if you don't have a blog or your email in your profile.

My Daughter on Fox 13 News!!!

My Daughter made the Fox 13 news...her name is Kylie!