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Playhouse Square International Children’s Festival (giveaway)

You all know that I love living in Cleveland. From the great food scene, to the low cost of living it really is a fantastic place to be. And, I think, it’s an even better place to raise kids. We have amazing museums, beautiful parks, the beaches at the lake and easy access to both the city and the country for activities.

One of the gems of Cleveland is Playhouse Square. We all know it’s “the second-largest theater complex in the United States (second only to New York City’s Lincoln Center)”. But visiting it is something to experience. We are so, so lucky to have a venue for Broadway shows, dance of all kinds, comedians, classic plays, and more. I love that I can introduce our kids to the theater by taking them to see world-renowned shows downtown.

Matilda at the State Theater for the Nutcracker

 As parents, one of the highlights of our year is the Annual International Children’s Festival. It starts on Friday runs through Saturday. Last year we bought tickets to 3 shows and Mark and I took turns enjoying the shows with Matilda. She was THRILLED to have “date nights” with us and we all loved the shows. The Festival is absolutely perfect for introducing even little kids to live performances (that don’t include Elmo or Cinderella). Shows range from puppets, to live action; from music to storytelling. There is something for every interest and every age. Stages are set up throughout the theater complex and venues vary from the ornate Ohio Theater to the dance studios. Last year, the show I went to had us sitting on carpet squares – perfect for a squirmy kid who didn’t weigh enough to hold a theater seat down and it put us right up next to the performers. Matilda was mesmerized. And from the educational standpoint, it’s great exposure to different ways of storytelling and viewpoints from other cultures.

Planning our day at the 2011 International Children’s Festival

This year we are hitting up shows on Friday evening. However, if your schedule permits, I suggest you check out at least one show on Saturday. “Why Saturday?” you ask? Well, that’s when the theater district is jam packed with activities and workshops that tie directly to the shows. Make a drum, puppet or hat to continue the Festival stories at home. Check out the Artwalk and don’t miss the 14th Street World Stage to get your grove on to live music from around the world. Seriously, spend the whole day Saturday in Playhouse Square. You and your kids will love it.

If you have kids, from ages 3 to upper middle school, there is no reason not to be at the International Children’s Festival at some point this week. And here’s your chance to win. The Festival has given me a four-pack of tickets for World of Rhythm show on Saturday May 5 at 1:30 PM.
There are 2 ways to enter: 1) leave me a comment about your favorite theater experience
2) Tweet this: “I want to win tickets to the International Children’s Festival from @playhousesquare and @kakaty http://www.kakakakaty.com/2012/04/30/icf/”
you must come back and leave me a second comment with a link to your tweet for this one to count. You can use the Tweet This button below but you still have to come leave a 2nd comment.

Good luck! Comments will close at 6:00 PM on Thursday, May 3. Winner will pick up tickets at will-call.

 

Disclosure: I was provided with 2 tickets to one show. As always, my thoughts are 100% my own. I only share events that my family plans to attend or has attended in the past, so I know they are worth the visit. 

By kakaty on 30 April 2012

Cleveland, magpie, Reviews

One Styling Event (Product Giveaway & Discount)

UPDATE: Congratulations to Marta! I’ll mail out the flat iron this week.

 

Alternate title…how a hairdryer changed my life.

Several weeks ago I attended an event at Spa West hosted by ONE Styling. It was organized by the fabulous Kimberly of Smitten…in Cleveland (seriously, she is the embodiment of the word fabulous) to introduce us to the ONE Styling and Verge Styling lines of products. First up, if you’re just here for the discount code: get 35% off, free shipping and a free heat mat at ONEStyling.com with coupon code KATY35 valid thru 4/30/12.

It was a fun night of hair styling, cocktails and apps. Since I didn’t have my “big” camera with me I’m going to be lazy and link to the photos from the people that did. Once we learned the history behind the team at ONE Styling we headed to the salon to have our hairs did. I turned over my thick, heavy, straight hair to a stylist wielding the dubious looking Verge Bubble Wand. Honestly, I thought the wand didn’t stand a chance…my hair does not hold a curl for anyone (someday I’ll tell you about the double-chemical spiral perms I got in the early 90s during my quest for curly hair).

But, after 40 minutes or so of curls, more champagne and chatting with the stylist my hair was curly. And, while the curls softened to waves, they held until the next evening. This is unheard of in my hair; curls and waves usually abandon ship after just a few hours.

Freshly Curled

The next night (ignore the dark eye circles)

Color me impressed.

Other ladies tried out the Curl Styx (with interchangeable barrels) and the Epic Flat Iron: all with great results.

The wonderful ONE Styling team sent us all home with a HUGE bag of products to try. Like…ALL THE PRODUCTS…wow, just wow.

Over the past weeks I’ve been trying them out. First up – the Epic Pro Dryer. Also known as the hairdryer that has changed my life. No joke. Like I said, my hair is thick and heavy. It tends to retain water like a pregnant woman on a summer afternoon. On the days I blow dry I give myself 45 minutes because it takes that long to get it to damp-dry. But, the 1st time I used the Epic dryer it was dry in 20 minutes. Dry, like not damp-dry but dry. I was gobsmacked. And every time I’ve used it since then I shake my head in wonder that it takes so little time. The bonus is that my hair is so much healthier and less frizzy since I’ve started using this dryer. I know I got it free, but it’s 100% worth the money.

And, like the dryer, the Epic Flat Iron has cut down my hairstyling time. It heats up to super hot temps super fast. The process of drying and flat-ironing my hair has literally been cut in half by these two products. I highly recommend them both. Seriously, go buy them using the discount code above.

The other product I’ve had fun with is the previously mentioned Bubble Wand. Matilda calls it the “funny bubble curler” and it’s the only time she’s ever let me curl her hair.

Although she has some natural curl, she has stubborn hair like mine, but these curls managed to hold up through a day of play and bike helmets.

Overall I am super impressed by all the ONE Styling products I tried and would recommend any of them to you. A big thanks to ONE Styling, Kimberly and the stylists at Spa West for such a lovely evening!

And here’s my gift for you…I have a ONE Styling Crush Flat Iron (1″) for one lucky reader. Just leave a comment with your best hairstyling tip or trick (it can be anything). Tweet the following for an extra entry (or just use the tweet button below): I want to win a @onestyling Crush Flat Iron from @kakaty   http://www.kakakakaty.com/2012/04/19/one-styling/

Make sure you come back and leave me an comment with the link to your tweet. (total of 2 entires per person). Entries due by midnight eastern on 4/26/2012.

Good luck!

 

Disclosure: I was invited to a blogger event and provided a gift bag full of ONE Styling products. I was not asked to blog about the product or host a giveaway. As always, my thoughts are 100% my own. 

By kakaty on 19 April 2012

Cleveland, Reviews

LEGO KidsFest – Giveaway

If you’re in Cleveland you need to know about this upcoming event at the I-X center:

LEGO KidsFest is coming to Cleveland, Ohio!
November 4 – 6, 2011
LEGO KidsFest brings all of the creative hands-on, minds-on fun of LEGO building and experiences together in one activity- and entertainment-packed family event for children of all ages and builders of all skills and interests.

 

Who doesn’t love LEGO? Below are some of the things I can’t wait to check out:
• LEGO Model Gallery: 40 life-sized models made entirely from LEGO bricks. I’m always amazed at what can be built with LEGO.
• LEGO DUPLO®: Younger visitors can explore imagination through building. It’s not just for older kids!!

• Master Builder Academy: learn skills that will make you a better builder. I have a feeling I may lose Mark to the Academy for a while.
• Race Ramps: build your own custom car, then race it down the ramp against friends. I know Matilda will love this.
• Brick Pile: a gigantic pile full of LEGO bricks for creative play and enjoyment. How amazing does this look?

Visit the LEGO KidsFest site for a complete list of activities

LEGO KidsFest tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for children and can be purchased at LEGOkidsFest.com.

Want to go for free? I have 1 pair of tickets to Sunday, Session II on Nov 6th from 3pm-7:30pm for one lucky reader!

There are 2 ways to enter the giveaway:
**You must leave a separate comment on this post for each entry**

1) Leave a comment telling me your favorite LEGO moment (either from your childhood or with your child).
2) Tweet: “Want to attend #CLE #LEGOKidsFest? @kakaty is giving away 2 tickets: http://www.kakakakaty.com/2011/10/19/lego-kidsfest-giveaway”.  (you can also just use the Tweet button below)
• You MUST leave a comment with a link to your tweet.
• You can do this 1x per day, just leave a comment with a link for each tweet.

Contest ends Sunday, October 30 at 6:00 PM. I will select a winner using Random.org and will announce the winner’s name on my blog.
**Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry**

Good Luck!

Disclosure: I was provided tickets to LEGO KidsFest for my family. As always, my thoughts are 100% my own. I only share events that my family plans to attend or has attended in the past.

Images Courtesy of LEGO® KidsFest.

By kakaty on 19 October 2011

Reviews

Fall In Love With Your Skin – Sponsored post

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://moms.dailybuzz.com/channel/style.

Ahh, fall. The crisp blue skies, the cooler temperatures, the changing leaves. Apple picking, pumpkin patches, cider and doughnuts. I love fall. It’s my favorite season.

But with the change in temperature come the inevitable: the day the furnace kicks on.

I live in Cleveland – land of short summers – and in a 90+ year old house with radiant heat which means no humidifier. This translates to the fact that by Halloween I must have my winter skin arsenal in place or I will end up with lizard skin by Thanksgiving. So when the leaves start turning I head to the drugstore for my cooler weather tried-and-trues. And check out these brilliant leaves I spotted near the pumpkin fest we attended this weekend:

I had to snap this. It’s so rare to get cloudless blue skies here. And those leaves were such a vivid orange.

Looks like it’s time to shop. Here’s my typical shower and bathroom line up come fall:

Eucerin Calming Body Wash Daily Shower Oil. I love this stuff and when I follow my shower with some plain coconut oil my skin is happy. It still flakes some and I get a few itchy spots, but it’s so much better than when I don’t use it.

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Oil. I’ve been a long time devotee of Moroccan Oil and discovered this little drugstore alternative about 6 months ago. I can’t tell the difference but my wallet sure can. I can’t imagine getting through the cooler months without some Argan oil in my hair. (I’m also currently using the Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner and like them a lot.)

Buzz Balm. Made by a little local company and this stuff is amazing! I adore it and get nervous when I’m running low.

Oil Cleansing Method. This is something I learned about last winter and worked very well for me. It’s too much oil for the summer months but now that the air is getting cooler and drier it’s time for me to get another big bottle of castor oil and work on my ratios again.

You’d think I’d leave an oil slick in my wake, but last year it just barely kept me from having the cracked skin and brittle hair that I know from years past. And truthfully, I’m kind of excited to go shopping for new stuff…I love trying new products.

What parts of your routine do you switch when the weather cools down? Any great product that I should try?

Thank you to Walgreens for sponsoring this blog post. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

By kakaty on 10 October 2011

general musings, Reviews

Disney on Ice Giveaway!

 Matilda turns 5 this Friday. A perfect gift for a 5 year old? Taking her to see Disney on Ice presents Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey at Quicken Loans Arena (Shows daily from September 29 through October 2.)

We’ve been to 2 Disney on Ice shows in the past and she loves loves loves them.  Seriously, she talks about them for months after the show. And this year the birthday girl will be chattering away about this:

Make imagination your destination! Join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse on a journey into the magical worlds of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Peter Pan and Lilo & Stitch. From Ariel’s enchanting undersea kingdom to Never Land with Peter Pan and his sassy fairy friend Tinker Bell, you’ll be captivated by the music, beauty and laughter in a journey so magical, you’ll never want to go home.

And here’s a gift for you: I have  Family 4-pack of tickets* to giveaway for the Thursday, September 29 at 7 p.m. show!  Just leave a comment on this post by 6 PM on Monday, September 26 and I’ll use Random.org to select a winner from all entries.

Purchasing tickets in advance? Save $6 in on each ticket with CODE: FFA6 — or save $3 on each ticket on the day of the show with CODE: FFA3. Valid at the Quicken Loans Arena Box Office, online at theqarena.com, or by calling 1-888-894-9424. (Restrictions: FFA6 code valid through September 28, 2011. FFA3 code valid September 29 – October 2, 2011. Not valid on Discount Drug Mart Front Row and VIP seats. Limit 6 tickets per transaction.)

And from one parent to another – Disney On Ice presents Dare To Dream comes to The Q in January… guess what Matila’s getting for Christmas?

*Winner can pick up tickets at The Q’s will-call window the night of the show.

Disclosure: I was given 3 tickets to Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey by Feld Entertainment, Inc.

By kakaty on 21 September 2011

Reviews