eBay Giving Works Benefits Non-Profit Organizations

Today is my second day home from the bliss of the Blissdom Conference in Nashville.  This was a fabulous time of refreshing, learning and connecting. I loved meeting old friends and getting to know some new ones.  All in such a heartfelt spirit. 

Coming home leaves us all wanting to change the world, right now.   I love that we were challenged to make a difference in the world.

Enter Fashion for a Cause on eBay, now your purchase can benefit a non-profit.  Take these Prada Shoes: 

February is "American Heart Month" and it makes me thankful for the brands I work with who  support various organizations around the world whose missions are to build awareness, educate and raise funding for research about heart health, diseases and treatment. 

eBay is one of those companies. I love learning all of the many aspects of eBay.  Last month, I boldly shared my delight in the eBay Green Team and how utilizing the site can help lighten our footprint on our earth. 

Now through eBay Giving Works, sellers can benefit a highlighted nonprofit (like the "American Heart Association" and "Save a Child’s Heart Foundation") when they list on eBay.  This is fabulous news every eBay Seller can embrace.

"Since the early days of eBay, you have shown us how generous and compassionate you can be. You inspired us to create an easy way on eBay for you to help causes and nonprofits that matter to you. And so, eBay Giving Works was born."      eBay Giving Works

The possibilities are endless.  Sellers can learn more about Selling through eBay Giving Works here.  To date, the eBay Giving Works impact is over $241,000,00!  That's an incredible way to help change the world. 

Follow eBay Giving Works on Facebook here.

Are you eager to participate in this giving on your next eBay auction?

Warmly, Carolina Mama


*I am a member of the eBay Parent Panel.  My own opinion is that I love this program and opportunity to give back.

Back from Blissdom

Back from Blissdom and lively Nashville. What a awesome time. Gaylord Opryland Hotel was outstanding as a hotel and conference center. Very peaceful, comfortable and practical for a conference of 1,000 Moms.

I will share more later. For now, my bags are unpacked, first day of homeschooling is complete and my voice is hanging in there after much communique.

There is lots of learning and yet Blissdom is all about the people and relationships. My favorite speakers were Michael Hyatt and Jon Acuff. Inspirational indeed.

What have you heard about Blissdom?

Warmly,
Carolina Mama

Blissdom Opening Keynote Jon Acuff

The hilarious Jon Acuff on "the deep v neck" - stages, 1, 2, 3. Laughing my face off!

Blessed to be here with the Blissdom crew! Alli Worthington opened with "the Bliss Chicks!" And a Intro by Jim Collins of "Good to Great!"

Checking in from Nashville at the Opryland Hotel.

Warmly,
Carolina Mama

Blissdom Conference 2012 - Nashville Bound

Hey y'all! So excited to be on the way to Blissdom where I will serve as a Family Community Leader. Couldn't be more happy. Exciting to see Jon Acuff again and meet Michael Hyatt and of course, all my mom blogging friends.

We are going to get our Nashville game on and get some learning ;) from some amazing speakers and colleagues.

I'll be live micro-blogging as I am departing Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina this fine Thursday morning at a ghastly early hour in the am. I know it will be worth it went these boots touch down in Nashville in an hour twenty-eight minutes.

Today, I am so thankful for my precious family and doing something I love with really awesome people. What are you thankful for today?

Http://BlissdomConference.com

God bless!
Warmly,
Carolina Mama

NutritionPossible.com Assesments and Giveaway

                                             

NutritionPossible offers an awesome nutrition assessment and I am so excited - they are sponsors at Blissdom 2012!  I cannot wait to go to Nashville, Tennessee (heehaw!) again to "get my Blissdom on!"   This year I am so psyched to be a Family Community Leader at Blissdom!  Hope to see you there.    

How would I know how to make sense of the Vitamin and Supplement aisle? The Vitamin shop at my grocer looks like this:

                                

So I went online to the Nutrition Possible website and signed up and took my assessment.  It was completely simple and took a few minutes.  So just like that Nutrition Possible makes sense of this long and laborious Vitamin and Supplement aisle at my local retailer.... by the way, this was only a fifth of the entire aisle's offerings. 

Here is an example of the awesome nutrition information regarding your Digestive System: 

"Thee digestive system converts what you eat and drink into a form of fuel your body can use. Digestion begins in the mouth and continues as you swallow. Then food is mixed with digestive juices, moves through the digestive tract, and is broken down into smaller molecules. The process is completed in the intestines."

Now you can go find your nutrition information tailored personally:

• You can download a high-value coupon for Centrum® products after you complete the assessment on NutritionPossible.com
• Here is the link to take your assessment with NutritionPossible.com: http://bit.ly/O2ONutriPossAssess

Win the Giveaway = $25 AMEX Gift Card: 

• We are giving away a $25 AMEX gift card
• You may enter the giveaway by taking the assessment on NutritionPossible.com, and share something you didn't know you were lacking before the assessment;
• Here are the Rules for the Giveaway: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/cms.php?id=53
• Deadline: This contest ends by Feb 21st 6pm EST.

Warmly,  Carolina Mama

Disclosure: I am participating in a sponsored campaign hosted by One2One Network. While all opinions stated are my own, I make no claims about NutritionPossible.com as a product or its effectiveness."

Rayovac: Kohl's Sweepstakes Win $500

This week is Fashion Week in New York City and what better way to get a 

New Look, New You than the Rayovac Kohl's Giveaway! 

Rayovac just got a New Look and they want you to get one too!   

See the new Rayovac Battery packaging even

 has the Facebook address on the front. I love the fresh new look.

Just in time for Spring, you can Win a $500 Shopping Spree at Kohl's

New You, New Look Sweepstakes! 

So go ahead and keep a Wish List of your favorite Fashion Finds

this week during Fashion Week! And you could win....

Contest is open on Facebook until February 28th!  

Simply "Like" the Rayovac Facebook Page!  

And then Enter to Win! 

You could have the New You, New Look of $500 Shopping Spree, 

Rayovac Batteries and a Remington Hair Straightener! 

I got so excited about the new Battery Look I had to post it on my Pinterest...

Rayovac is sharing the goods on their newly minted Rayovac Pinterest Page. Come Pin! 

And look at these cool styles you could win at Kohl's! 

See I even posted to my Instagram page as well.  It was very well received. 

Was there ever any doubt!  

All the best to you Winning a New Look, New You!

Warmly, 

Carolina Mama 

PS  This is a Rayovac Power Blogger sponsored post. I love the new batteries and a good fashion contest! :)  

Whole Foods No HFCS

My family loves home cooked meals.  Healthy meals and fresh foods.  It's part of our health and wellness and fitness lifestyle.

Except there was my soiree into the Couponing.  We discovered when I was couponing - we did save - we saved BIG.  You know, like saved $200 and spend $59 big.  Except the things I bought home were things I didn't leave the house needing on my purchase list.

i.e. they were packaged and processed foods.

We have circled back around to purchasing Whole Foods like this....

We are avoiding all those packaged high sodium, high-fructose corn syrup filled with preservatives and food coloring products.

At first, I was worn out.  It took me three times as long at the grocery.  Now, I beat the system and go straight to Trader Joe's.  More value and less expense.

I know I am sounding all like a Trader Joe's Ambassador or Spokesmom...  well, I already do that.  No, this is just an honest post about how we avoid unhealthy foods.  TJ's has healthy, organic and natural foods for half the price of Whole Foods and other retailers .

And we totally avoid high-fructose corn syrup *HFCS* products - and that translates into MOST of the grocery store!  It has become a great game and fun to find products without this product.

We buy much more quality items now.   Shopping, cooking and eating are a lot more simple.  It is more work than eating the quick items or just eating out all the time.  Yet, oh my goodness, we are loving fresh, home cooked meals without all these sugar and fat laden fillers added like HFCS.  However, it is annoying and shocking the many items that have HFCS in them.

How do you avoid all of the preservatives and food colorings in foods?  Do you avoid HFCS?

Warmly,  Carolina Mama

NutritionPossible.com Sponsors Blissdom

NutritionPossible offers an awesome nutrition assessment and I am so excited - they are sponsors at Blissdom 2012!  I cannot wait to go to Nashville, Tennessee (heehaw!) again to "get my Blissdom on!"   This year I am so psyched to be a Family Community Leader at Blissdom!  Hope to see you there.

How would I know how to make sense of the Vitamin and Supplement aisle? The Vitamin shop at my grocer looks like this:

At NutritionPossible you can take a free assessment of yourself to help you make an informed decision: "{They} want to be your personalized nutrition partner, making it simple and easy for you to understand what you can do to improve your health and nutrition. We know that everyone is different and that our lives and needs are constantly evolving, so we provide the tools you need to help you sort through the abundance of available information and figure out what‘s right for you. Nutrition Possible™ is always there for you—wherever you are, whenever you need help—to make it possible for you to stay on the path to health and wellness."

Their thoughts on Supplements: The key to nutrition is making sure you are getting the right nutrients. We have the information you need to make more informed choices about how to augment your diet with supplements.

How do you make Vitamin and Supplement decisions?  Are you going to take this Assessment on the Nutrition Possible site? And foremost, Who will at See at Blissdom?! :)  

Warmly,Carolina Mama

Raleigh Run for the Roses 2012

Today we a fabulously, chilly and sunshiny day for the Run for the Rose!

We were so thrilled Tiger B came in 1st place! And Tiger A - yes, the one that just recovered from a broken foot, came in 5th place!

We are so thankful!! We love running? And are thankful the boys do as well! How was your weekend?

Warmly,
Carolina Mama

Wisdom For The Heart 2012 Banquet

We were blessed to attend an amazing banquet to support the incredible ministry, Wisdom For The Heart!

Wisdom For The Heart has a motto "to know Him and to make Him known.".

Pastor Stephen Davey Bible expository teachings and messages are available to all for free downloads at WisdomOnline.org. His teaching is in many countries around the world.

It was inspiring to be a part of this ministry and to see the vision and reach it has globally. And the international fare was tasty. The evening was a blessing and hopefully the gospel will go further because of tonight.

Bertolli Meal Soups Satisfying Week Night Dinner

Can anyone else believe it is February?!  I mean Valentine's Day and the Tigers' Birthday are both just around the corner and then it's Boulder Mountain Man's Birthday.  I love this time of year.  Yet, it is a very busy and challenging time of year.  

As much as I love to cook and find homemade dinners that are healthy and satisfying for my family, I love a simple, satisfying Week Night Dinner! :)  How about you? 

Thankfully Bertolli has us covered with Bertolli Meal Soups for our dinner tables.  We had the best Weeknight Special Meal this evening. 

We enjoyed the Bertolli Meal Soups with hearty Spinach Bread. 

Bertolli Frozen Meal Soups are hearty and fresh-tasting with lots of vegetables, lean meats, pasta and herbs. They are individually flash frozen at the peak of freshness. 

Bertolli Frozen Meal Soups are available in the frozen aisle, and can be prepared on your stovetop in minutes. 

These robust flavors and rich textures are available in four varieties: 

  

         *  Chicken Minestrone

         *  Roasted Chicken & Rotini Pasta 

         *  Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken

         *  Tuscan-Style Beef with Vegetables 

Look how hearty and rich our Meal Soup was this evening.  It was very filling and with the Spinach Bread, it was even more so. 

Here are the cute packages to find Bertolli The Freezer Soups -  IN THE FREEZER SECTION. :)  Just so you know, I kinda need the caps lock 

reminder here since I was um, looking elsewhere in my store. :) 

Follow Bertolli on the Bertolli Facebook Page and on Twitter @Bertolli 

Warmly, 

Carolina Mama

Disclosure: "I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge." 

Autism Awareness with Autism United

When our Twin Boys were barely two years old, a lot of my neighbors had children who were talking by two.  They had been in all day daycare settings and had begun... well, a lot of things early.  Once we were at the pool and I befriended a young Mom and was hoping to get a potty training idea or two. (Her daughter was a year ahead of my boys.)   When I asked, she said, "the Daycare taught her."  Bummer, there went my 'resource.'  We didn't have the Community we have now on all of our social networks.

So when our boys were not fully talking by two, these same Moms said our boys needed to be tested for hearing issues, Autism and more.  As a young naive Mom, my head was spinning.  I had not a care in the world until these folks began to tell me that since our boys were not essentially ready for Kindergarten at two, we had a problem.  Hearing issues, and what is Autism.

Thankfully for Moms like me, there are resources like Autism United that are a valuable resource for families.

Another blessing, thankfully we did test the Twins and the first "word" one of the boys said was, "I can hear you!" :)  Tears of joy and relief came over me.  They could hear and all was well.

However, Autism isn't always so easy.  Many we know are touched by Autism, like my sweet friend and amazing blogger, Nan at A Mom Blog.   I love that today there are resources for Autism Awareness like this site:


"When it comes to autistic children and adults, many people are led to believe that it is the most complicated ailment to deal with. Here at Autism United, your Autism Awareness community, we are dedicated to bringing you quality information and support so you never feel alone again. Those that deal with autism everyday know all about the importance of  Autism Awareness and how the support behind many autistic resources is astounding."     -AutismUnited

Autism United  is committed to being a valuable resource for families effected by Autism.  There site is full of definitions, explanations, and more.  Here is an example of the definition they share and some of the early symptoms of the disorder:

"Autism is a disorder that is usually first diagnosed in the early years of life. There are several main signs and symptoms of Autism that involve communication, social interactions and repetitive behaviors.

Studies have shown several different signs and symptoms with autistic children that tend to be the first signs of autism. These signs and symptoms include some of the following:

• Problems speaking with others
• Difficulty making eye contact during conversation
• Lining up of items before focusing on other tasks
• Repetitive use of sentences to calm themselves down
• Extensive body movement to express moods
• In some instances, inability to talk"

Getting the information you need is vital.  Check out the Autism United Facebook Page for a Community where you can connect and share resources and successes. 

The Autism United site offers a Autism Store with various Coupons and Codes like this one fromL TOMS, TOMS Shoes, TOMS offers a Coupon Code in support of Autism.

Remember:  Knowledge is power, and it can help you cope with your child’s symptoms.

Has Autism effected your life in some way?

Warmly,  Carolina Mama


*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post regarding Autism Awareness.  Story above and opinions are all my own.

Friday Mom Fashion - Nautical, Stripes and Brights

Spring is dancing around the corner. And I am taking a peek -especially in the Mom Fashion Department.

And I am so excited to see the Nautical looks, Stripes are so this year. Were they ever not!

Just to give you the same glimpse, I am sharing my Mom Fashion Board on Pinterest. See, I told you to join the fun, here she is along with my favorites like Lands' End, Hanes, Banana Republic, and more. Enjoy! Are you waiting for Spring?

See my complete Mom Fashion Board here.

What are your favorite Mom Fashion Items this Spring 2012? :)

Groundhog Day Ceremony Raleigh, NC 2012

Today was a perfect Spring day for the traditional Groundhog Ceremony here in Raleigh, North Carolina. With blue skies and sunshine, the crowds gathered at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences for the annual arousing of Sir Walter Wally, the resident Groundhog from the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Here we all sang "The Groundhog Song" to wake him up. Oh, what fun it all was.  You'll see Wally's findings were consistent with Punxsutawney Phil of Pennsylvania, more Winter.  Wally said, "The good news is, 'this is Winter!'"  A day of Sunshine and 60s!  We all agreed this is the kind of Winter we can take for another six weeks!

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/02/1825521/sir-walter-wally-sees-his-shadow.html#storylink=cpy

                              

Our Homeschool loved the Festivities of this Field Trip. We were so thrilled to be there. 

I quickly snapped these and look how excited the children are to pet Wally. :) 

My sweetie was very careful and happy to get to pet him. 

Here are at the words to "The Groundhog Day" Song. We all loved it. 

The boys got to meet Mr. John Connor of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. 

He lead the festivities. And was kind enough to pause with the Tigers! 

Waiting for the Ceremony to begin! I nice young Mom with her baby in a stroller

next to us snapped this. :) 

See my happy boy with his moment with Wally! 

After petting the Groundhog, the boys lit up when the educator let them know

all sorts of snake facts. See the gleam in their eyes. I love it! 

At the Festivities! Love my boys and their joie de vive! Their eagerness to 

learn and know. After the Ceremony, the boys thanked me and said, 

"This the best field trip ever - can we make this a Tradition!?" You bet! 

I've already iCalendared myself for 2013~ 

See ya there! 

Warmly, Carolina Mama