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.

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.

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.

As a parent I was thrilled to see all the kids’ stores on the list of shops: Gap Kids, Carter’s, OshKosh, etc. My husband wanted to check out adidas & Levi’s. I couldn’t wait to be let loose in Kitchen Collection. (Why yes, we are quite the stereotypical cast of characters aren’t we?).

I went to Lodi Outlets on a mission to replace our 10-year-old hand-me-down blender. I was prepared to spend up to $75 on a new one. I had done my homework and knew what I was after. I’ll cut to the chase – the deals at Lodi were great. Here’s what $100 bought: 

Matilda got a pair of Reebok running shoes and a pair of Buster Brown sandals at Famous Footwear Outlet. I got tongs, pure Madagascar vanilla extract, a leave-in meat thermometer to replace one that just died and my pièce de résistance – a Cuisinart SmartPower 7-Speed Electronic Blender – all from Kitchen Collection. When I found this Cuisinart for $39 I grabbed it so fast that Mark’s head spun. It was 30% off regular retail. Plus I had picked up some coupons in the food court so I only spent $34 on it – nearly half off regular price.

Just so you know that I wasn’t the only one burning through cash, Mark also scored some great deals from the Father’s Day sale at adidas that aren’t pictured above. A runner can never have too many socks or tech shirts.

The best part about Lodi Station, and a big reason why we will go back, is the things for kids to do there. This is a great spot to shop with the family because mom & dad can take turns – one shops while the other explores with the kids. There is a very nice playground and grassy area near the parking lot. They also have 2 custom-made classic trains that ramble around the property all day and Matilda could not wait to get on one.

Another thing I found was that the staff was extremely kid-friendly. From the Lodi Station Outlet staff working in the food court area to the staff at the shops we visited, everyone was super-nice. Our last stop of the day was in Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for some ice cream. Matilda had $2 burning a hole in her purse and she decided that she wanted to spend it on chocolate. The RMCF staff was so sweet – helping her find what she could afford and what would be the best value for her money. She decided on 4 chocolate coins for $1, went to the counter to pay for it herself and they made such a fuss over her. She was so proud of her first transaction and held on to that receipt like her life depended on it.

  The Madman wants you to know that parents & kids can relax at Lodi Station

Matilda has already asked to go back to “the train mall” a few times. And I’m pretty sure the next trip to my parents’ house will include a stop at Lodi Station; Mark can take the kids on the train while I shop!



Disclosure: I was invited to have lunch, ride the train and shop at the Lodi Station stores. I was given a gift card to do so along with a swag bag of items from some of the shops. All opinions are, of course, my own.

If you don’t already know about Mustard Seed think of it like locally-owned Whole Foods. But better because they’re a local, family-owned business and have been in the community for 30 years. They believe that “Real Food is Good Food” and everything in their stores lives up to these standards:

- Free of Artificial Flavorings and Colorings
- Free of Harmful Chemical Preservatives
- Free of Saccharin and Aspartame
- Free of High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Free of Partially Hydrogenated Oils
- Free of Bleached or Bromated Flour
- Free from Irradiation
- Hormone-Free and Routine Antibiotic-Free Meat
- Cruelty-Free Cosmetics

This means I don’t have to read labels as closely because I know that the things we avoid are not even allowed through the doors. And that makes shopping so much easier.

Since I already shop at and love Mustard Seed I was excited to be invited to tour the Mustard Seed Market in Solon with Abraham Nabors, a second-generation owner of the the business.

So, what new things did I learn from my tour?

- Mustard Seed Market gets much of their seasonal produce from local farms (many of them Amish). In fact, 25 years ago Mustard Seed owner Phillip Nabors worked with area farmers to go organic. Amazingly, for 3 years he paid organic prices for conventional and transitional produce, which assisted the farms in paying for the work and paperwork it takes to become USDA Certified Organic.

- At Mustard Seed “local” = produced in Ohio.

- If you sign up for their weekly sales newsletter you’ll also get great coupons.

- Their prepared foods are awesome. I’ve never been a big fan grocery store prepared foods – even from a gourmet grocery. But Abraham spoke so excitedly about the quality of the salmon that I gave it a try. And it was DELICOUS. Seriously. Like restaurant-quality good. I will be buying it again.

- Their supplement section is enormous and staffed with very helpful (but not pushy) associates. They also offer many free lectures and classes that are open to all. They have a real passion for education.

- If you check-in on Foursquare at Mustard Seed Market from now until June 30, you’re entered to win one of these awesome t-shirts (you can also buy one at the Market)

If you’ve never been to Mustard Seed this weekend is the time to go…They are having their biggest sale in their history on Saturday, June 11. Every regularly priced item is 20% off for one day only:

Here’s the Giveaway: Win a $25 gift certificate to Mustard Seed Market (good at either location):

1) Follow @MustardSeedMrkt*

2) Tweet the following phrase: I heard it from @kakaty: Sat June 11th Get 20% Off @MustardSeedMrkt Click for Details http://bit.ly/jES4ST#MSM20%OFF pls RT!

No purchase necessary. The contest closes on June 11 at 6pm, at which time Mustard Seed Market will select and notify you via Twitter DM if you are a winner. You can enter once per day (Thurs, Fri & Sat) and the only way to enter is through Twitter. All entries must include the full phrase and hashtag; RTs are ok. *You must follow @MustardSeedMrkt so they can DM you if you win.

Good luck!

Disclosure: I was invited to tour Mustard Seed Market and asked to promote the 20% sale and the gift certificate giveaway. I received a gift certificate to Mustard Seed Market after my tour. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.