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Mar 7, 2013

Columbus: Are You Ready To HOOFit in 2013? (Giveaway!)

March 7, 2013 By

Not that you can tell from today’s weather (hello, SNOW!), but Spring is nearly here! While I love the snow, I’m looking forward to warmer temperatures and being able to go outside for walks and runs again.

I’ve been using my treadmill for most of this winter, and I’m ready to get out for some fresh air. I did a LOT of walking at Disney and really appreciated the change of walking for the purpose of seeing things, instead of staring at my wall as I walked in the same place.

I recently found out that OhioHealth is once again partnering with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for another series of HOOFit walks this year. I joined in on some of them last year, and I can tell you it’s a creative idea to get in some exercise in a fun, family-friendly way.

And meet some wild new friends.

This is how it works: come to the Columbus Zoo on any of the HOOFit walk days at the start time and join in on a guided walk through one area of the zoo with a zoo guide and an OhioHealth physician leading a discussion on a specific health topic. You can ask questions of the physician, or just enjoy the walk and the health facts and tips as you stroll among the animals.

It may sound like a strange mix, discussing animals and our health, but from my experience last year it works well. Going to the zoo with little kids is something many of us already do, right? So we might as well learn a little more about how to keep our families healthy while we’re there. It’s a multi-tasking win.

Here’s the schedule for this year’s HOOFit walks:

  • March 14 – Wellness and Prevention
  • April 25 – Stroke Prevention
  • May 23 – Cancer Prevention
  • June 20 – Sports Medicine
  • July 25 – Spine Health (Neuroscience and Orthopedics)
  • August 29 – Women’s Heart and Vascular Health
  • September 26 – Cold weather wellness

There’s a topic for nearly everyone in that list. All walks except for the March and September walks will begin at 9:30am. The March and September walks will start at 10:30am. There’s no requirement to RSVP for the walk, but it’s still helpful for them to get an attendance estimate by joining the event on their Facebook page.

HOOFit is totally free with your paid Columbus Zoo admission. It’s packed full of information and usually a decent amount of fun, too. Kids are welcome, strollers are welcome…all ages and skill levels can appreciate this event. (If you’re expecting a power walk, however, you might be disappointed.)

Want to join in on a HOOFit event? I’ve got a four pack of Columbus Zoo single-day admission tickets to give away to one reader. Obviously you need to be in the Columbus area or planning to travel here to enter. (I swear I’ll have giveaways for non-Ohio folks soon!)

To enter: just leave a comment below telling me your favorite animal to see at the zoo. Easy-peasy. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you’re the winner. One entry per person.

Giveaway is open until Monday, March 11 at noon. At that point I’ll select a winner at random and email you with details on getting your tickets.

Good luck, and I hope to see some of you out at the zoo this year!

Full disclosure: I received no compensation for this giveaway, as my family has a Columbus Zoo membership. I just think it’s a fun way to get in some exercise and promote healthy living.

Filed Under: giveaways, healthy living, local fun


Feb 8, 2013

Ring In The Chinese New Year At Molly Woo’s

February 8, 2013 By

Did you know the Chinese New Year begins on February 10? It’s a little like the western New Year, only a longer celebration with no pesky resolutions to keep up with.

The Chinese New Year is based on the Chinese lunar calendar. The holiday begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the Lantern Festival fifteen days later. Each year is traditionally represented by one of 12 animals. This year brings the year of the Snake.

There are several celebrations going on around Columbus for this holiday, and I found out earlier this week that one of my favorite Asian restaurants will be kicking off the New Year in style. Molly Woo’s Asian Bistro (in Polaris, if you’re not familiar) will be hosting the symbolic Chinese Lion Dance on February 10 at 4pm.

The classic ritual of the Lion Dance is held to ring in the New Year and bestow good luck to those who witness it. What should you expect? Colorful costumes, dancing, drumbeats and cymbals are all part of the festive event. It’s family friendly and a fun way to introduce kids to Chinese culture.

There will be special dishes served only during the Chinese New Year festivities, and anyone born in the year of the Snake can show ID and get a coupon for a free appetizer on their next visit. (Not me, sadly. I was born in the year of the Dragon. But Aaron can get one!)

If you haven’t been to Molly Woo’s, this is a great time to go. I highly recommend the Honey Chicken and the Szechwan Green Beans, but really, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. They even have a gluten-free menu for those who can’t have gluten, like my poor husband.

Giveaway!

Want to check out Molly Woo’s yourself (or just visit again)? I’ve got a $25 gift card to Molly Woo’s to give away to one reader. Please be aware that there is only one Molly Woo’s restaurant and it’s here in Columbus. Unless you’re willing to travel here, those from outside the area might not want to enter.

How to enter: leave me a comment below telling me what Chinese animal represents your birth year. Not sure of the Chinese zodiac? You can find a guide here. One comment per person, and please make sure I have a way to contact you if you’re selected as the winner.

This is a short-running giveaway! Entries will be accepted until Monday, February 11 at noon ET. One winner will be randomly selected shortly after the entries close so your gift card can reach you as soon as possible. You should still have time to visit during the Chinese New Year celebrations, although the gift card has no expiration so you can go at a later date as well.

Good luck, and good eating!

Full disclosure: I was provided with a Molly Woo’s gift card for this giveaway as well as a matching one for myself. All opinions expressed here are my own, including my love for any bright, loud celebrations.

Filed Under: giveaways, sponsored


Oct 2, 2012

LEGO Castle Adventure at COSI (Giveaway!)

October 2, 2012 By

I’m not sure why, but the last weekend of September is probably the busiest weekend of the entire year. No one in Columbus coordinated their calendars and as a result there were a billion things to do. (That may not be an accurate count of events, but isn’t too far off.)

We had so many activities going on this weekend that we were forced to pick only a few and turn down all other offers. I’m still exhausted as I look around my messy house and wonder when will I have an empty weekend to get any cleaning done?

But one exciting event of the weekend was visiting COSI for the opening of their new LEGO Castle Adventure exhibit. LEGOs? Castles? Science? It was like some of our favorite things came together in one big package for us.

The exhibit features the science of castle building, allowing older kids to practice building virtual castle walls to withstand a catapult, while also having lots of real LEGOs to build and play with. Professionally built LEGO castles and medieval scenes were on display, as well as a giant LEGO dragon and her baby.

There was also a throne room perfect for photos, and a smaller castle to climb with a slide on the other side.

Did I mention Mira was being a ham that day?

They even had a jousting arena, where kids could face off against targets or each other.

Bins of dress up clothing ensured that most of the kids in the exhibit were looking the part as a knight, king or queen. Mira especially liked dressing up and pretending to be a knight, using her pink unicorn shield to protect me from the dragon.

Cordy preferred to stay in the LEGO building area, creating a fortress to hide a small box she built. She said the box was filled with treasures. Very small treasures.

The LEGO Castle Adventure exhibit was a lot of fun, but after half an hour they were ready to see more at COSI. It’s a huge building, filled with different areas to explore, so we spent the next few hours wandering the exhibits.

We shot water at King Neptune in Ocean.

Mira tried to make a phone call in a 1962 phone booth in Progress.

We looked at tasty works of art, all created from Jelly Belly jelly beans.

And they hammed it up in front of a green screen in the WOSU studio.

It’s easy to spend most of a day at COSI, and we didn’t even have time to check out a movie in their Extreme Screen theater.

Giveaway!

Want to check out the LEGO Castle Adventure and COSI for yourself? I have a four pack of general admission passes, along with four Extreme Screen passes, to give to one lucky reader!

Obviously this is more convenient for readers local to the area, but if you’re planning a family trip to Columbus at any point this year (hey, why not?), these passes are good through the end of the year.

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below telling me what part of COSI you would most like to explore with your kids. That’s it, easy-peasy. One entry per person. I’ll accept entries until end of the day on Monday, October 8, then select one winner at random. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you’re the winner.

Good luck!

Full disclosure: the kids and I received a free one-day admission to COSI and COSI provided the giveaway passes. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: family time, geek paradise, giveaways, local fun, reviews


Sep 5, 2012

Dove Conditioner vs. Fried Purple Hair (& Giveaway!)

September 5, 2012 By

This has been a rough summer on my hair. Beyond the usual hot, humid Ohio weather – which has been hotter that normal, though not quite as humid – I’ve also found new and creative ways to damage my hair. I’m letting it grow again, and the longer it gets the more I have to deal with split ends and damage. I also color my hair which, no matter what the box tells you, is not gentle on long hair.

But then in July I decided on a whim to color my hair in a more creative way. I had an overall color applied, but then I also decided to dye the lower 3-4″ purple, with a single purple streak near my face, too. Hey, why not? To obtain this unusual color, though, the portion of hair to be dyed must first be bleached. There are few things as damaging to hair as bleaching it.

The color came out pretty well, but my stylist warned me that my hair would need a lot of extra TLC. It wasn’t until the next day when I understood exactly what she meant. The ends of my hair felt like straw. My stylist had recommended any product with oils in it designed to nourish and repair my hair. She wasn’t kidding – over a month later and my hair still needs all the help it can get.

Blurry pic right after it was colored – it’s a frizzy mess.

I recently had the chance to try out the new Dove Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner on my frizzy, dry hair. Dove’s conditioners have a patented Micromoisture Serum that targets damage, repairing the surface of hair by sealing lifted cuticles. The bottle advertises weightless Nutri-oils that are rapidly absorbed and non-greasy.

A conditioner that is heavy on oils worried me at first. In the summer, my hair gets greasy quickly – wouldn’t oils make it worse? But hey, when your hair is like straw, oils are welcome if they’ll make my hair shiny, smooth and frizz-free.

The first thing I noticed was the Dove conditioner smelled awesome. It has a great sweet almond oil scent to it that reminded me of my favorite body lotion from many years ago. It has a thick consistency, too. Surprisingly, there were no instructions on the bottle regarding how long to leave it on. I was worried about leaving it in too long, so I rinsed it out after about a minute.

The result? My hair was so smooth. I was surprised at how easily my comb went through my hair. It wasn’t greasy at all, and even those straw-like ends felt softer. Not perfect, but softer.

Since I’ve started using the Dove Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner on my hair, it’s felt healthier and has slowly regained the softness it used to have. While Ohio weather will never permit my hair to be 100% frizz-free, it’s so much better now. After all of the abuse I’ve put my hair through, I’m thankful for products like this to help keep it healthy. For more on Dove’s entire line of conditioners, visit dovehair.com.

And for reading all of this, I’m giving you the chance to win a very cool giveaway.

Answer this question for me: what’s the worst thing you’ve done to your hair? Click the link below, let me know your answer on the form and you could be pampering not only your hair but also your face, nails and whole body with a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate.

(NOTE: You must click the link below and answer the question there in order to enter. But please feel free to copy/paste it here in the comments, too, just so we can all share in the hair abuse we’ve committed!)

Giveaway Details!

Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012 – 9/30/2012

Be sure to visit Dove®Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.

 

Filed Under: giveaways, me me me, reviews, sponsored


Aug 22, 2012

End of Summer Trip, Day 1: Cedar Point

August 22, 2012 By

Last week we had the chance to get away for a couple of days before the start of the school year. With only a couple of days to get in some fun, we stayed closer to home and traveled up to Lake Erie. Day one was an amusement park adventure to Cedar Point. We went there last summer, and at that time it was the first amusement park for both girls. We didn’t know what to expect last year, but Cordy surprised us by wanting to go on roller coasters, with her favorite ride being the Cedar Creek Mine Ride.

The entire drive up, Cordy talked about how she wanted to go right to the Mine Ride, followed by the Iron Dragon. We were impressed with her bravery, but reminded her that we had to make sure we went on things that Mira could ride, too. Mira, who was too small for anything but the little kid rides last year, was hoping she’d be tall enough to try some “big kid” rides this year.

When we arrived, we had the kids measured to determine ride height. Doing this outside the gate saves a lot of time, because the kids get colored wristbands that let everyone know how tall they are, so they don’t need to measure at every ride.

Mira was leaning in this photo

Cordy added several rides to her available list with her new height of 52″, while Mira was still a little too short for most coasters, but at 46″ squeaked by for the Iron Dragon.

Going on a Thursday in August is just perfect. The park was full but not too crowded, and lines for most of the rides were under a 15 minute wait. (The big coasters of course are a longer wait.) The weather was also gorgeous that day, with a cool breeze from Lake Erie.

After a few warm-up rides, Cordy really wanted to go on the Mine Ride. So Aaron took Mira to the antique cars while Cordy and I took on the Mine Ride. Cordy suddenly got anxious on the ride, which was a surprise considering how much she wanted to ride it. After the ride, she still said it was a lot of fun.

What a difference a year makes, eh?

Cedar Point has three areas specifically focused on rides for kids, so we wound through the frontier area and then into Camp Snoopy, where both girls tried out just about every ride in the area. Mira loved that she was tall enough for each ride, and thankfully Cordy was still short enough for each ride.

Mira as the Red Baron

Eventually we found our way to the front of the park again, and Mira begged to go on the Iron Dragon, since she’s tall enough to ride it. It’s a suspended coaster and has always been one of my favorites. Cordy and I rode it last year, and while it scared her a little she wanted to go again this year.

But as we stood in line, Cordy started to get anxious again. I reminded her how much fun she had last year, but by the time we climbed into the seats, she flipped out. As the shoulder harness snapped into place, she looked at the attendant and cried, “Please don’t make me ride this! They’re trying to kill me!” Want to know the fastest and most embarrassing way to get booted from a ride? That would be it. The attendant signaled for the harness to be released and asked Cordy and I to please exit the ride, with no chance to explain. I’m amazed he didn’t call security over that one.

We waited for Aaron and Mira to finish the ride as Cordy calmed down. Mira came out of the exit beaming and shouting to me, “Mommy, I LOVE the Iron Dragon! I want to go AGAIN!” It appears we now have a coaster junkie on our hands! (I’m so proud.)

Cordy did calm down after a little break, but decided she didn’t want to try any other “big” rides for the day. We were disappointed, but understood that her anxiety sometimes gets the better of her. She still enjoyed several other smaller rides, and I’m sure next year she’ll want to try again. While Mira was bummed that she was too short for some of the other coasters, she was still big enough for the Jr Gemini and the Woodstock Express. Despite being small, she had plenty of thrill moments to keep her screaming and cheering.

Note: Cedar Point has a neat feature called Parent Swap to make sure you can ride the rides. You can sign up at Guest Services, then one parent waits in line for a coaster. After the ride, they give their parent swap pass to the ride operator, and the other parent can then walk up the exit and get on the ride immediately. It’s great for those who still want to ride but have kids who can’t go with them.

In the late afternoon, we played games and browsed the shops. Mira rode the Iron Dragon one more time with me so I’d get the chance to ride it. Oh, let’s be honest – she wasn’t doing me any favors, she REALLY wanted to ride it again. At the games, Mira won a stuffed Pokemon in the water gun races (with some help from Aaron), and Cordy won two stuffed frogs.

We were quickly losing our energy around dinnertime, and took one final ride on the midway carousel before going to our hotel.

long arm, in-motion shot

I loved getting to spend the day having fun as a family. There were so many laughs, and smiles and sighs of happiness. Yes, Cordy did have a meltdown, but those certainly aren’t uncommon for us, and she did recover to enjoy the rest of the day.

The kids got to ride just about every ride they wanted to (and were tall enough for), some multiple times. It felt awesome to see our daughters so happy as they skipped through the park, clutching their stuffed animals and looking for the next ride. We had a good mix of thrill rides and taking moments to relax and get ice cream, play games or enjoy a slow ride on the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad.

and hang with Snoopy

There are still things we didn’t get to see, but there’s so much at Cedar Point that it’s hard to do it all in a single day. I think we can call the day a success, though, judging by how hard the kids slept that night. Mira said she dreamed about growing just two inches by next year so she’ll be tall enough for many of the roller coasters at Cedar Point. She has big plans to conquer them all!

Giveaway!

Want to make some of your own family memories at Cedar Point? I’m giving away a pack of FOUR tickets to Cedar Point for one lucky reader. These tickets are good only through the end of the 2012 season (including HalloWeekends), so please be aware of the short date on them!

To enter, just leave a comment below telling me the first amusement park you ever went to. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you’re randomly selected as the winner. Contest is open to anyone 18+ but be aware you have to get to Cedar Point on your own if you live far away.

Entries will be accepted through August 28, 2012. Good luck!

(And if you don’t want to win but just want to leave a comment telling me how my kids have grown a foot since last year, feel free!)

Full disclosure: I was provided with four tickets to Cedar Point as the result of winning a blog contest. (Thanks, Tracey!) Our wallets will show that no other compensation was received, as it took several tries to win the stuffed animals we went home with. Tickets in the giveaway are being provided by Cedar Point. All opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Cedar Point or the folks who witnessed Cordy’s meltdown.

Filed Under: Aaron, Cordy, family time, giveaways, Mira