Elk Grove Mom Wins Free SUV in 'Super Mom' Contest

For three months, she bounced between borrowed cars to get her three boys to little league games and youngest daughter to chemotherapy appointments while homeschooling her five kids, but she doesn't think what she does is "super."

"It's a lot of work no matter what your situation is," Christina Love said about motherhood. "There's really nothing special about me."

Love may be shy about accepting the title, but she won the Elk Grove Auto Mall's first-ever "SUV for Super Mom" contest, and on Tuesday received the keys to a brand new, white Ford Flex–free of charge.

In March, she learned her minivan needed a new transmission–among other things–and she and her husband couldn't afford to replace it or get a new car. Love's husband, Jason, drives a car that won't fit all five of their kids, so the family relied on friends and family members to lend out their vehicles.

At one point, Love and her five kids were using a 1990 Lincoln Continental with no air conditioning and windows that wouldn't roll down.

"It made us grateful for anything," she said.

Gabrielle Ingram, one of Love's sisters, said the new car "takes so much pressure off."

She said the family is sure that Love is a "super mom," juggling a busy daily routine and helping 3-year-old Emily battle leukemia, but said many of the other contestants in the "SUV for Super Mom" contest had equally heart-wrenching stories.

"I would start crying hearing what other moms [were going through]," she said. "We think our sister is a super mom, but she's not the only one. … I think our family's not unique in that there's struggle."

In the end, Love's story received the most votes in the online "Super Mom" contest and she won a $25,000 credit toward any dealership in the Elk Grove Auto Mall. She chose the Ford Flex from Elk Grove Ford.

Cale Wood, owner of the dealership, said he was excited to see the prize go to someone "who just really deserves it."

"You couldn't pick a better family," Wood said. "They're probably the most positive people you could ever meet."

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