Restaurant.com Mother's Day Sweepstakes You Could Win

Mother's Day is such a beautiful time of year. Spring representing all things new and life and lovely.  So Mother's Day is a perfect Spring Holiday.  I love Mother's Day as a Mom, Daughter, Granddaughter and Friend. 

This year Mother's Day is going to be totally different because I will not be able talk to or to call my sweet and precious Mom for the first time in many years since I was born.  Oh, the memories we have with her.  She was so wonderful to help me usher in being a Mom. I cherish all of our Mother's Days with her and especially those early Mother's Days where she would take the whole brood out and to a favorite Restaurant to celebrate our becoming parents to Twins.  My brother made her a Grandmother and I was her first daughter of four to have children. 

You can see how as a Restaurant.com Official Blogger, I am thrilled to share with you a way to make your Mother's Day so special and one of you will have that last all year long.  Yes, Restaurant.com is offering a Mother's Day Sweepstakes!  Check out the details.  It's all too fun. 

Win the Restaurant.com Sweepstakes: 

This year Restaurant.com is celebrating Mother's everywhere.  Every Mom is eligible to win 

Win a year of dining out AND the coveted “Mother of the Year."  A few Lucky Moms are being treated to  incredible prizes including a year’s worth of dining. 

So go ahead and nominate your Mom, Grandmother, friend or even yourself.  Who will you nominate for Restaurant.com's "Mother of the Year" award?

Contest Details: 

Contest Launches: April 17, 2013

Entry period: April 17^th, 2013- April 30^th, 2013

Voting Period: April 30^th, 2013- May 8^th, 2013

Winners Announced May 10^th, 2013

How To Win :

1) Nominate yourself, your mom, an aunt or a friend…any mom you think rules! Tell us why this person deserves to win dinner out for a year. Then simply upload a fun photo of this person to enter and qualify for the Grand prize. Nominate yourself, your mom, an aunt or a friend…any mom you think rules! Tell us why this person deserves to win dinner out for a year. Then simply upload a fun photo of this person to enter and qualify for the Grand prize.

2) Restaurant. com will select 12 finalists.

3) The community will vote and four winners will be chosen based on who has the most votes.

   a)  All 12 finalists will receive a $100 eGift Card

   b)  Three runners up will receive a $250 eGift Card

   c)  One lucky winner will be crowned Restaurant.com’s Mother of the Year and win dinner out for a year.

t is that easy to Win!  So go ahead and enjoy nominating someone you love as Mother of the Year.  This is going to be fun... and tasty, too.   And an early Happy Mother's Day to all.

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure:  I am an Official Restaurant.com Blogger.  Opinions are all my own. 

Review: FordFlex Crossover AWD EcoBoost 2013

Review:  Ford Flex AWD EcoBoost  Ford has a fabulous Crossover, the Ford Flex and we love it.  We drove the FordFlex to Asheville, North Carolina.  Come along. 

Here we are in Asheville, North Carolina.  The FordFlex handled really well in the mountains and in the rain.  We loved it.  It was a smooth and steady drive in the mountains and we got a great gasoline mileage.

We got so excited when Ford arrived with our FordFlex for the week.  I had to take a photo with the Driver smiling at us.

Then the boys and I were off for a drive about time and for some errands.  Ice Cream snacks counts as important errands, right?  :)  

Then, Dad drove us to play Tennis in the FordFlex and it drives really well in town with stop lights and slower traffic.

Our family has long been a Ford Family.  I am sure you recall our previous Ford review and sharing we have owned a Ford for many years.  We are so thrilled to have had the opportunity to recently test drive the Ford Flex AWD EcoBoost! 

We love the Technology in the FordFlex: 

The EcoBoost® Engine and the Navigation System with SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Radio were so fun and functional.  We loved the GPS.  The features were many.  I LOVED the iSync for my iPhone and off we go with hands-free talk time.  Now that Tech. 

Technology

• 3.5L EcoBoost® Engine
• Navigation System with SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link
• SYNC® with MyFord Touch®
• 3.5L Ti-VCT V6 Engine
• Sony® Audio System
• Rain-Sensing Wipers
• Rear View Camera
• Active Park Assist

Look at the beautiful black and sleek interior.   We LOVED it. 

Check out the incredible space in the FordFlex.  We had a blast with the three rows of seating. 

The space was incredible and the boys LOVED it. When we went out of town we 

just pushed a button and extended the trunk for ease of packing our bags. 

"Making the best use of interior space was a top priority in the design of the Flex. It's amazing how much room there is for all seven passengers, from the first row on back to the third. Not surprisingly, 2nd- and 3rd-row leg room is best in class.* And with all its luxuries of space, Flex has a new, more contemporary instrument panel featuring SYNC® with MyFord® (SE model) or SYNC with MyFordTouch (SEL and Limited)."  Ford on FordFlex 

Isn't she beautiful.  We love how sleek, and pretty the FordFlex is.  I loved the crossover feel and we had a ton of space.  We LOVED all of the push button features like the third row seats were a button away from extending the trunk.  Awesome!

Here we are off to the North Carolina Mountains.  Plenty of room and look at the fabulousness of the four Sunroofs!  Yes, we adored the natural light of sunshine.

We give the Ford Flex a 5 Star ***** Rating.  We loved everything and it did fit into our garage.  I also quickly became accustomed to parking about town.  The many technology features were so fun and practical for travel.  This is a fabulous family crossover vehicle.  Way to go Ford! 

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: This review is sponsored by Ford. All opinions are my own. 

Wordless Wednesday - Cooper River Bridge Run 10k

Cooper River Bridge Run 10k
Charleston, South Carolina.

Cooper River Bridge Run 10K Family Fun - We Did It

This weekend was epic as our family all completed the Cooper River Bridge Run 10k!  It was spectacular. We had a wonderful time and we met our goals!

The NBC Charleston News wrote about our Family Run. So fun.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/51455329/ns/local_news-charleston_sc/t/cooper-river-bridge-run-filled-personal-stories-goals/#.UWbO8EIs6sh

NBC Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina video. 

We are praying for Boston.

#PrayforBoston

Warmly,Carolina Mama

Tieks Shoe Review - Best Ballet Flats Ever

Oh, my Tieks!   Bucket List complete. :)

If you have heard I need a Tieks Intervention, I do!  I am on the fast track to become a Tieks Ambassador - self-invention!  A girl can dream. I have fallen completely in love with these incredibly comfortable, fashionable and chic ballet flats!  They are oh, so portable.  They travel, in my purse, smaller than my wallet.

Here I am going to Market with my lovely Lemon Tieks.  They make my day shine.  I can toss a pair in my purse on the way to the gym, then when I am running errands or taking the children to the library, I slip them on and feel like a million bucks.  I mean gym shoes are great, at the gym.  These transform me in a few seconds.

Here we are at Starbucks, after the gym, on the way to the library.  See how simply chic they are.  Super portable.

These were my Happy Feet in Tieks Cobalt Blue after my Cooper River Bridge Run 10k Race!  Our family had a blast. And I felt fabulous in these grilling out with the family after the race.

Tieks Boutiek

Enjoy the sparkle and shine of Tieks. This video shares more about the brand.

Miss Oprah loves Tieks.  If they're on the "O" List, you know, they have to be awesome.  

Let's face it, Tieks are fun!  I mean comprehend these whimsical and refreshing Spring colors!  They liven up any outfit.  They are handmade and crafted with rich leather from Italy.  You can just feel the awesome. 

Have you tried Tieks?  Check them out on the Facebook Tieks Page.   Join the revolution. And get happy Tieks feet. :)

Warmly,
Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Tieks. Opinions and comfort are all my own. :)

Shaklee 180 Products and One Month Update

Shaklee180 has been a part of my everyday routines for one month.  I shared my success the first month of Shaklee180 here.  And I am giving it a five star review.  Seriously, I love the smoothies and the protein bars everyday. I also enjoy the convenience of the 10 grams of protein Snack Bars.  Here I am sharing these with you and my excitement over the Energizing Tea Mix In.  This has a hint of sweetness and is a nice addition to your water bottle.






Enjoy and let me know if you have questions.  I am enjoying the journey and plan on sharing a video and post this month.  Meanwhile, I am staying active and on track. Thanks for following and please let me know how you are doing on your health and wellness journey.

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Shaklee180.  Opinions are all my own. 

Best Fundraiser with Food and Restaurant.com

Giving is fun with Restaurant.com  We all love food and no matter the season food and restaurants are a fabulous gift to give.  This is an ideal gift for Fundraising.  So many items sold for fundraising are non-essentials or perishables.  With Restaurant.com, the Gift Cards never expire and we all need our daily nourishment.

I will admit, I love to help Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, etc. but I do not like to eat the packaged foods that are full of additives.  So with the Restaurant.com Fundraising, everyone can order what is best for their diet when they want it.  That's a Win!

Restaurant.com Gift Cards can be used to help your local organization – kids’ soccer team, church, charity etc – fundraise?  Gift cards can be purchased for significantly less than retail value.  That's right, the Gift Cards are available at special bulk rates for fundraising groups, enabling them to purchase the cards for less than face value in order to raise money for their organization.

The Restaurant.com Fundraising Packages allow up to a 75% profit margin for participating organizations!

Restaurant.com Gift Cards are a terrific alternative to typical fundraising tools, like perishable food items, because they have broad appeal - everyone loves to eat and we offer thousands of restaurants! Plus, Restaurant.com Gift Cards can be ordered in $10, $25, $50, $100 increments.

Remember, these do not expire and come as physical gift cards or as electronic codes that can be emailed.  Participating is simple and includes zero shipping expense.

Large Organizations: Restaurant.com will work with organizations that don’t want to pay a large up-front cost by providing a pre-order sell sheet, which allows fundraisers to determine exactly how many cards they will sell prior to placing an order.

For more information on Fundraising with Restaurant.com click here And for your convenience in whatever city you visit download the FREE Restaurant.com Mobile APP.

Hope your Fundraising endeavors are successful.  What organization do you participate in that would benefit from Restaurant.com Fundraising?

Warmly,
CarolinaMama

FTC Disclosure:  I am an Official Restaurant.com Blogger. All opinions are my own. 

Spring Fashion Finds: Gigi New York Leather Handbags

Spring has come.  We waited for her and it has already been well worth the wait.  And look what we are featuring as one of our favorite Spring Fashion Finds - Gigi New York. 

I chose this fabulous Lemon Teddie Tote.  I know, I am a Totes girl. Remember the Gigi New York Teddie Tote.  Love it.  I love the pop of color that the pretty and bright yellow give my outfits here in April!

Gigi New York Teddie Tote Yellow Lemon

So, I know you just swooned over the Monogramed Nametag.  So chic and it's included with the bag. 

And I love the Gold nameplate shown above which says Gigi New York. :) Very subtly and classily.  I don't like a HUGE GG on the purse. Just saying.  I Love the simple signature gold plate Gigi New York. Style y'all.

Now, let's get down to business - where I show you the inside of my Purse! :)  Isn't it the most beautiful leather and this is such a smooth and soft interior.  I have tons of room for my iPad, my Wallet / Clutch, mints, my Paris hand cream, pins, notebooks.  And just so you know, my Mac Book fits in here. Oh, yes it does.  Right by the Pink iPad :) you can see the two interior pockets. This are well placed and fit my camera iPhone so I can be organized and get to my Instagram or Pinterest whenever I need it. :)

You didn't think I would show you everything did you? :)  Well, almost. Here is the zip pocket.  I usually put my keys in here.  Or, the lipstick I need to get to immediately.

See how happy my Teddie Tote makes me. :)  This was me on Easter Sunday.  Fun!  I felt fabulous and even though it was raining, I brightened the world with my Lemon Yellow Gigi handbag.

If you follow New York and like the "Mint" they chose for the Spring it color, check out the 

best Mint Green Bag, I have seen all season.  This Mint Ellen Bag with Embossed Python by GiGi New York.  LOVE it! 

In the Summertime, I wear a lot of nautical colors like this Red, White and Blue look so I chose the lovely Lemon as my Spring Color. And I adore it.  The yellow makes all of my outfits pop with fun and a splash of sunshine.

Here are some more of the details about the handbag, including more of the gorgeous colors this bag comes in at GiGi New York: 

YELLOW TEDDIE TOTE - EMBOSSED PYTHON

	The popular, take-everywhere tote features full interior pocket and magnetic closure. Its lightweight feel, generous interior and luxuriously soft handle make it chic yet practical bag. Full-Grain Embossed Python Leather Large interior zipped pocket Two interior slip pockets Protective metal feet Handles with 11" drop Personalization available up to 3 initials Initials stamped to match the hardware Size: 17" W x 11" H x 6" D View Personalization Options Available in

Which bag did you like best, the Ellen Mint Handbag or the Lemon Yellow Teddie Tote?  Or, one of the colors listed above?  It's hard to decide. I could go for one in each color. 

Warmly, 

Carolina Mama 

FTC Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by GiGi New York.  Opinions are all my own.