God, New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees

This snowed in Sunday it seemed appropriate to share this amazing interview of New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees on his faith, New Orleans and the Saints!

I love when my children can see Christian athletes in action like Drew Brees and Tim Tebow! It's a bonus that the Saints are in the Super Bowl! One miracle we New Orleanians have been banking on for 43 years! Drew Brees, New Orleans is blessed to have you! Enjoy!



God Bless you each and every one this Sunday!

Warmly,

Mountain Man Snowboarding - Our North Carolina Snow

Walking in a Winter Wonderland... right here in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina in January 2010!

We ventured out early and the benefits were marvelous - quiet and pristine snow! And cold!



The Best for last, Mountain Man Snowboarding North Carolina !!



Enjoying the beauty and the action!

Warmly,

Got Blonde!

In great preparation for snow day... important things matter most! :) Mountain Man has the wood ready, the TIgers have the sleds at the ready and Carolina Mama - Got Blonde! Okay, after stocking up with my/our favorite things from Trader Joe's!

Got Blonde

We're ready and the snow has covered the ground and is still falling! Will post pics after sledding rounds!

Warmly,

Homeschooling At the Beach and My Vlogger

Here's an up close and personal look at "Homeschooling at the beach!" Seriously, here is Mountain Man and the Tigers holding school while we were all away at the beach earlier this month. Love it!




On this same trip to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina I captured this photo of Tiger B - with my new Flip Ultra - vlogging our trip on the beach! "His mother's child!" As my mama would say. Is that not adorable. I just love it. And he did a great job.



We had an amazing time at Ocean Isle Inn and at the Ingram Planetarium on Sunset Beach.



At the Museum of Coastal Carolina they have a wonderful interactive Tidal Touch Pool. Exhibits showing the erosion of the beaches. And Carolina Shells display. Much more. The children loved both the Planetarium and the Museum.

Museum of Coastal Carolina



Then we were royally entertained at Cinelli's by Peter and his amazing staff. This is awesome Italian food right on Ocean Isle Beach. In fact, we walked from the Coastal Museum of Carolina to Cinelli's! Thank you Peter and we highly recommend your restaurant. The Pizza for our TweetUp was spectacular! So yes! Go try Cinelli's and tell Peter and Friends Hello!

A sincere Thank You to Ocean Isle Inn, Museum of Coastal Carolina, Ingram Planetarium and Cinelli's Ocean Isle! We appreciate your sponsoring the MomBloggers2010 of Ocean Isle Inn! We're loyal fans! See ya real soon!

***Next Ocean Isle Inn update will have Mountain Man's live vlogging of the Dolphins of Ocean Isle Beach, NC! So great!

Warmly,

Steve Jobs Reveals the Gorgeous iPad Tablet

Technology is a beautiful thing... enter Steve Jobs and the Apple iPad - the latest tablet:

Apple iPad

SAN FRANCISCO – Apple Inc. will sell the newly unveiled tablet-style iPad starting at $499, a price tag far below the $1,000 that some analysts were expecting.
The iPad, which is larger in size but similar in design to Apple's popular iPhone, was billed by CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday as "so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone."
read more here...

Pardon me Apple, it looks like a 'large print' version of my iPhone! Seriously, isn't it cute! I wonder what kind of InCase (my case of choice for all things Apple) is needed for this tablet.

Apple beauty and function all in one... Speaking from experience, Apple does everything really well. So I personally can't wait to check it out. any questions? :)



Warmly,

"I Believe!" Saints Will Win the Super Bowl 2010

Tonight "I Believe!" Still Believe and I further Believe They Will Win the Super Bowl 2010!! Much to Mr. Archie Manning's amazement!

Mr. Manning would most likely resonate with Bret Farve's feelings, "If you're going to lose to anyone, it better be the Saints!"
Saints Super Bowl 2010!
Enjoy!




Original Posted November 10, 2009 and titled "'I Believe' The Saints Will Be In The Super Bowl 2010!"

[repost below]
New Orleans is my native land. And you can take the girl out of NOLA but you can't take NOLA out of the girl! The Saints are part of that package! Who Dat?!

My sister sent me this and I love it! Cowboy Mouth did a great job of personifying the Saints the the locals love of them! Here's to the Saints and taking the Super Bowl 2010!

Check it out and let me know in comments your NFL Team! I am sure it is the Saints! :)


Warmly,

NC Live Library

Hello North Carolina! I am so excited that NC Live LIbrary contacted me about this new program they have. We love education here.

At NC Live, you can access all of the online library resources (magazines, newspapers, videos, journals, ebooks, etc.) that libraries across the state have pooled their money to provide online to North Carolinians.

NC Live is useful to lots of moms out there who don't have time to get to the library but would like to have PBS videos online for their kids, or for moms who want a place to find trusted health and wellness information. They even have full-text online subscriptions to magazines like Consumer Reports.

Homework just got simpler!

How awesome is that?! Can I tell you how helpful this could have been when the Twins were little! Hey, it is hugely helpful now. For homeschoolers, it is awesome to have this resource right in our own home school.

"NC LIVE is a statewide collaborative among the nearly 200 public and academic libraries in North Carolina. Consisting of four Communities of Interest (COIs), the organization ranks include the libraries of the University of North Carolina System, North Carolina Community College System, the public libraries of North Carolina, serving all 100 counties, and the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities.

NC LIVE provides the people of North Carolina with online access to a large and diverse collection of resources aimed at serving educational, economic, and informational needs of everyday life." [read more here...]


Thank you NC Live for your wonderful program and updates! Do you access online live libraries such as this? Would you, could you, should you?!! :)

Warmly,

A Betty Crocker Twins Birthday

Guess what? I have a month to plan a double birthday party for 9 year old Twins!! That's right and we are jumping into 2010 eyes wide open so I was delighted when...

Betty Crocker and MyBlogSpark have offered to host the Tigers' 9th Birthday! How about that! They supplied me with a Flip Ultra to capture the moments. We're starting here with a Birthday Interview!



Stay tuned for more and how I deliver those cakes! Thanks to Betty Crocker I have help! And someone please help me out with this one, how do you handle that persistent request for a real, live Pony?!

P.S. Do you notice the theme, looks like we have a Doctors or a couple of Veterinarians in our midst! (shhh, the Doctor's Kits have already been purchased...!)

Warmly,

New York City! and Fashion!

Today was amazing. It was an awesome day in New York City with the powerhouse fashion group Parigi Fashion! They work with great brands for children like Puma, Baby Phat, Akademiks, and LRG.

This photo says it all, it was a busy, interactive and productive time with the NYC Mamas. Here's what it looked like. I was seated at the end with the white macbook open, see CarolinaMama on Twitter right there!

Parigi Fashion

In many ways, it was a wonderful, NYC whirlwind... here's my whrrl as the day began.

More check-ins at Parigi Fashion

Powered by Whrrl

Keep your eye out for Parigi Fashion and in the mean time, enjoy here.



Warmly,

Lovely Ocean Isle Inn on OCean Isle Beach, North Carolina

We've been live-blogging here at the wonderful, family-friendly Ocean Isle Inn at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. We've seen many local attractions and enjoyed a TweetUp for the Inn along with amazing food by local restauranteur, Cinelli's Italian Restaurant. Thank you to this amazing beach community for hosting the North Carolina Mom Bloggers this weekend.

Here's a snapshot I took this morning beachside....



Have you visited North Carolina's many beaches? How about Ocean Isle Beach?

Enjoy!

Warmly,

Mom Bloggers Retreat 2010 Ocean Isle Inn North Carolina

Thanks for stopping by and following. Here's my picture story of our days so far.


Mom Bloggers Retreat 2010: Ocean Isle Inn

Everything was beautiful. It was peaceful to arrive. When we arrived, we saw young guys swimming in the outdoor pool! :)

Our family had a lovely lunch poolside and beachside on this gorgeous 61 degree day!
















Melanie was a warm welcome at the front desk. They even had lovely welcome bags and caps for all the Mom Bloggers!
















Ella's of Callabash was amazing as before. Fresh seafood in abundance!















We took a walk on the beach and had no problem collecting seashells! It's quite here and family friendly. Tomorrow, we explore all the island has to offer. Stay tuned and join our TweetUp Saturday night at 7pm EST. #mombloggers2010

Warmly,
Carolina Mama

Mom Bloggers Retreat Invite You: Ocean Isle Inn Twitter Party

You're Invited...

You may have heard it from the rooftop or our friend, Twitter, we're headed to the Mom Bloggers Retreat 2010 at Ocean Isle Inn this weekend. As you know, Ocean Isle Inn has been a sponsor here since Spring last year and we are so excited to return and have an awesome Retreat there. If it's going to be this cold, I'd rather be at the beach.

"A cold at the beach is better than a cold day in town." :)

We want to take you along with us! Yes! We want to invite you to a Mom Bloggers Twitter Party - TweetUp! Saturday night 7pm EST Can you join us?! Let's plan on it!

Our Grand Giveaway will be a FREE Two Night Stay for Two at Ocean Isle Inn! Now that's a great prize especially warmer weather on the way!

Please RSVP here with Mr. Linky: Add your Link to your blog or twitter tweet saying you'll attend! Please use the hashtag #mombloggers2010 And we'll see you there! Every one who Twitters with us is receiving a 15% Off Discount for your own stay at Ocean Isle Inn. Hurry post and tweet or facebook you're coming and leave your link here:



See you all Saturday night on Twitter. I'll be at CarolinaMama

Warmly,

Newest Noodles and Company North Carolina

Yesterday was a busy Monday and Noodles & Company made it a whole lot easier for this Mama. Dinner was on Noodles & Company thanks to their new "Square Bowls" menu.

Thanks to Mountain Man's hometown, Boulder, Colorado, we all have Noodles & Company! We've been long time fans and even the Tigers remembered our many visits when back in Boulder.

Here's our Whrrl of the night!

Powered by WhrrlNoodles and Company

The Sqaure Bowls fed our family of four - see the Mac N. Cheese along with a Penne Rosa we had leftovers! Everyone was happy! Have you tried Noodles & Company?

* This Tip is Posted at "Works for Me Wednesday!" because Square Bowls work for me, they are tasty, feed the family and then some.

Warmly,

Going Local - The Mast General Store

In keeping with "All Things Carolina" here at Carolina Mama we wanted to share a very special North Carolina establishment. The Mast General Store! Where their slogan is: "If you can't buy it here, you don't need it." And "the Store that has everything!" A legend if you will.

Mast General Store, North Carolina

And look at this, they were recently on the Rachel Ray Cooking Show! with their Pop Corn on the Cob!



Want to make 2010 your healthiest year yet? Chef Rocco DiSpirito shares four foods you've got to try!

• Pop Corn on the Cob (Available at MastGeneralStore.com)
It's a dried cob of corn that you microwave for two minutes to get a delicious bowl of popcorn. "I just put a little butter spray on it," Rocco adds. "Basically, it's a very low-calorie, zero fat snack; it's a new way to make an old favorite really interesting."

Really their motto says it all, "If you can't buy it here, you don't need it!" How often does that apply to our 'shopping' habits. In a time of going green and lots of eco-friendly products and 'we recycle' going on, there's still a whole lot of excess. And Mast General Store gets it. Get what you need, need what you get! That's a frugalista's dream come true.

What are your favorite local digs wherever you are?

Warmly,

New Year - New Things!

Hello Friends, That was totally an unanticipated writer's strike. Hiatus if you wish! Surely with Christmas and New Year's and everything else you understand.

We on the eve on one week into 2010! Yes, and I'm saying 2010 - twenty ten - how about you? I like the ring of 2010. And I am liking this New Year!

Life has been wonderful and lovely and quick paced recently. And I think I will just jump in with what's going on right now.

Here's something exciting I would love to share with you all:



Am really passionate about moms, families and you! Looking forward to sharing with you this year. What are you blogging about this year? What are you looking for here? Let me know if you have specific questions or things you would like to see here. :) I am thinking lots of the favorites and some surprises like this new video info - lol - info video! ;)

Jazzed to be on the BSM Media Team and working with mom influencer, Maria Bailey of Mom Talk Radio and Blue Suit Moms.

Writing, Moms, Families, Cooking, Recipes, Favorites, Travel, All Things North Carolina, marketing to moms, blogging information, twitter, facebook information, fashion, fitness, weight watchers and more.

Have an awesome day!

Warmly,