FAMILY FUN NIGHT AT THE WESTERVILLE COMMUNITY CENTER!  Westerville Community Center, 350 N. Cleveland Ave., Westerville, OH 43082, Phone: (614 )901-6500 (picture from their webpage) This is an awesome family event and easy on the budget! A few times a year the Westerville Community Center offers a Family Night Out for $5 per person! For that $5 you get access to the indoor playground, basketball courts, rock climbing wall, the pool and limited snacks and beverages! Wow, what a deal! For this particular outing I decided to invite some other friends and their families since we do not see them as often during the winter months! When you arrive you can pay cash or charge, but a good tip is to bring cash as that line moves faster! After paying they give each person a wristband to wear for the evening. My kids played for about 10 minutes on the indoor playground in the lobby and then it was off to swim! The pool area has mens/womens locker rooms and 4 family changing rooms and plenty of lockers for your belongings. The pool is set up with a gradual depth entry and features a play area and bubbling fountains for the little ones, 2 large water slides (one body slide, one inner tube), a lazy river, vortex, hot tub, lap lanes and 2 low dives. All of our friends arrived and the grown ups got to chat and the kids swam of course until they were starving. Then we get to hear the pleasures of, "I'm hungry, when can we get a snack?" Of course my response is always the same, "Whenever you want, but we have to put on dry clothes to walk down the hall for snacks and once we change we are done with swimming." Of course I get the same puzzled look everytime and they change their minds and go swim some more. Eventually, the hunger pains cannot be ignored and we leave the pool area. This time around I forgot to give my friends a tip before coming; which is bring your own towels! (Sorry Sue, Steph and Honey!) After changing we headed down for snacks, which consists of chips, pretzels, cheetos, etc. and lots of soda choices and of course water. At previous outings the snacks have run out before we got to them, which is why they say "limited" in the description, so another tip is to pack some "just in case" snacks so you will not hear any whining from your kids. This time snacks were plentiful! After snacks the kids had no energy left for the rock wall this go around so we departed with very sleepy children and for anyone who knows me, my children actually slept in and got up an hour later than normal! Woo Hoo! That's right people, Mom got to sleep in until 7:30am! So for Family Fun Night, it is SMAC Approved!
Next Family Fun Night is March 19, 2011, 6:30pm!
 Climbing play structure at WCC. This is a great and REASONABLY priced place to have a birthday party for your kids. My daughter just had her 3rd birthday party last week. It only costs $60 to rent place for a private party!!! Also, you can have up to 25 kids at the party and get the place for 2 hours.( I have had several birthday parties for my kids here too.) First of all, it is CLEAN! It includes a bathroom, 3 tables with kid size chairs, a climbing wall, a little tykes slide/castle and a giant tower climbing/ slide! Something new that they included was a boom box so that you can play the radio or play CD's while the kids play. When you arrive, (15 minutes before your party starts) you are greeted by a birthday party attendant. This person guides you to where things are located (kitchen, bathroom, fridge, trash cans, etc.) and shows you where extra socks and hand sanitizer can be found too. You are allowed to bring your food-we brought in drinks/cake/snacks. During the party, the kids played and we opened gifts and had cake. At the end of the party, (you have 15 minutes to clean up) you are expected to wipe down the tables (wipes are provided), sweep and stack the chairs on the table. The party attendant returns to double check that everything is in order and then you are done! TIP: You can book this party 6 months in advance! I would strongly encourage you to do this especially if you have a winter birthday! Believe me, slots fill up FAST!
For more information, click on the link below: http://www.westerville-christian.org/ministries/children/central-park.aspx
 'Princess' up do at Sweet n Sassy! Did you buy the Groupon for the $10 Glittery Glam Package (normally $20) from Sweet & Sassy last month? Well, I took my daughter earlier this week and it was great! They start off by the letting the girls pick out a nail color of their choosing. They don't do a full manicure, just a polish. Then they have them sit down at the nail dryer station to set the polish. After that, they ask them to choose between 4 up-dos. My daughter selected the "Princess" up do which is two side braids that tie into a ponytail. (See picture) Then, they spray the glitter hairspray! Next up, the make up! Don't worry, it is just an eyeshadow color (4 colors to choose from-my daughter chose a dark pink color), glitter eyeshadow at the top of the lid, and glitter lip gloss! Finally, they top it off with a their signature star and circle glitter stamp on the cheek! My daughter felt really special and LOVED every minute of it! SMAC Approved!
http://www.sweetandsassy.com/
 Ulta boxed perfume area I don’t know about you, but this never ending winter has me singing the blues. In my experience, only one thing can pull me out of a funk…retail therapy! So I headed over to a new business that I’ve been planning to explore, Ulta Beauty.
Let’s just get down to the nitty gritty. Ulta has EVERYTHING! The store is set up into zones. On the left, Ulta has drug store makeup, a section of odds and ends like caboodles and hair accessories, and an UNBELIEVABLE amount of hairdryers, curling irons, flat irons and brushes. Seriously, do not go anywhere else for a hairdryer! They have every one you can imagine ranging from $29-$299…no joke! And if any of you are still wearing drug store makeup this is the place to go. You can actually sample foundations. Try that at your local CVS and see what happens.
Down the center aisle you will see perfume, salon hair products, drug store hair products, and nail polish. I pretty much skipped this section. I was far too interested in the sparkly eye shadow!
On the right side of the store is what they call (imagine snooty voice) the ‘prestige’ makeup. The brands you will find here are the same as Sephora… I’m talking about Too Faced, Benefit, Urban Decay, Smashbox, Bare Escentuals, LORAC, Stila, and more. You will find plenty of helpful employees to walk you through your makeup discovery. The employees will be easy to find because they are all dressed in black, wear a frumpy looking apron, and strangely enough, were all brunettes. (Though I’m sure that last part was just a coincidence.) The prestige side also showcases a Benefit Brow Bar, a facial area, and high-end skincare and tucked in the back is a salon! I won’t call it a full service salon because you can’t get a mani or pedi there, but it’s still a nice feature.
The negative…there always is one. The atmosphere is lacking. It’s very white which is fine. The music is up to date, and that’s fine. But that’s it. Fine. It doesn’t have the same funky, cool energy that you feel when you walk into a Sephora or even into a department store when the beauty counters are jammin. The name Ulta…even the branding of the word Ulta...just seems old fashioned to me. Might as well be Avon.
As for the experience, I’m going to say it was great. Right away I was greeted by a Benefit consultant, Emily, who also worked the brow bar. She was very knowledgeable, helpful, and non intimidating. Yes, I’ll admit it. Even I, a L-O-V-E-R of makeup, can be intimidated by an all knowing beauty consultant. Emily quickly talked me into a free brow mapping. The purpose is to show you exactly where to start the brow, make the arch, and end your brow. Emily confirmed what I already knew…that my brows were damn near perfect. ;) The only help she could provide would be to clear out the vellus hair, which are the tiny white hairs better known as “peach fuzz”. Now, it was a Sunday afternoon and I didn’t have my kids with me so I figure what the chiz? I’ll go for the $20 brow wax. Honestly, I’ve never even had one because I’m a tweezing queen. The waxing went well, didn’t hurt too badly, and the redness was minimal. The procedure comes with a light makeup application and THIS IS WHERE I GOT MY MONEY’S WORTH! Emily was a volcano of knowledge. The store was dead and she spent over an hour with me! I confessed to her that I am a MAC makeup junkie. She asked me about all my favorite MAC products and she gave me alternatives to use from the Benefit line. I told her I have always wanted the Kim Kardashian/Jennifer Aniston/J.Lo glow. She showed me several products that would do the trick. I ended up with a cute little box full of goodies called “Finding Mr. Bright” by Benefit with a $35 price tag. These are smaller than usual sizes, and that is reflected in the price. Inside are four products: 1. Girl Meets Pearl - described as a lit from within glow for all over the face. 2. Posietint – a lip and cheek stain. 3. High Beam – which is a liquid highlighter. 4. Erase Paste- an industrial strength concealer. No, seriously, that’s how they describe it.
I have to tell you…I absolutely cannot wait to put these products on tomorrow!!! Unfortunately for my bank account, this is only the beginning of my love affair with Ulta. I will be back…sooner than my husband would like. I’m already dreaming about “hello flawless” and “bella bamba”. I’m thinkin’ I got some free time on Wednesday…
Two Central Ohio Ulta Beauty locations:
Polaris Town Center, 1285 Polaris Pkwy, Columbus, OH 43240
Easton, 3720 Easton Market, Columbus, OH 43219
www.ulta.com
 Ulta beauty brow station Have you been Ulta? I went there last Thursday to get a "hair blowout" for FREE! (normally, then charge $30) They were promoting "Physo" haircare products. So since I have curly hair and never straightnen my own hair, I thought I would check it out! The Salon at Ulta is a full hair salon--from haircuts to haircolor! Jess, was my stylist and she shampoo'd and conditioned my hair first and then moved me to the chair for my blowout. First, she put the Phyto anti-frizz balm in my hair. She told me that when I use the balm to start at the shaft and then move to ends. This helps whether you are going to straighten your hair or leave it curly. Then she kept adding the Phyto serum as she said it adds moisture--she said my hair needed plenty of it. She blew out my hair with a round brush and then used a flat iron to straighten it even more. I did wind up buying the $26 Physo hair product because I never use anything in my hair. She said once I bought that at the front desk, then I come back to get my free trial size sample of the Physo anti-frizz balm. When I went to get checked out, the cashier asked if I would like to become a member of the Ulta Beauty Club. I said "Sure" and then she proceeded to type in my information in the system. When she asked for my birthday and I told her it was the other day, she said "Oh, because you are entitled to a FREE eyebrow waxing every year on your birthday!" Well, of course, I took advantage of that! Then, I went over to the eyebrow beauty bar station and proceeded to get my eyebrows waxed! Amy, who was the waxing person, told me that they first use a liner on your brows to mark exactly where they are going to remove your hair. She said they do this so that their is no confusion as to where they will be removing the hair-they show you in the mirror before they proceed to wax. After looking like I just got marked up for some plastic surgery, she started to apply the wax. I noticed that the wax wasn't a clear honey color and asked why. Amy said that the wax they use has zinc oxide so it made for more sensitive skin. After being waxed and tweezed, she applied a moisturizer. Then she went to my face and started applying some foundation and then some creamy balm. I really liked the cream balm (Dr. Feelgood balm) because I get a lot of dry patches on my face. So once again, I went to the counter to purchase that and spent another $28! So with tips and purchases I did spent $60! But I have to say that Jess and Amy were very friendly and helpful at the Ulta Polaris store! SMAC Approved!
http://www.ulta.com/
Just a little curious about where Mom's volunteer. Volunteering is a great way to be around other grown ups, build your resume', improve self confidence and feel good about helping others! Let us know where you volunteer! Don't be shy, leave a post!
Ulta at Polaris--call 614-785-0594
 This store opened a few weeks ago and I obviously needed to go because my daughter is having a birthday party next weekend! This store really does have all of your party needs! The have all of the Nick, Disney, sports theme party items for your kids and simple partyware as well. There is also something very different about this party store compared to the others--they have open bins of party favor items and candy that you can buy induvidually! I mean not everyone needs 12 Dora erasers when you are only have 8 guests at your party. Also, there were 10 CENT party favors-I bought rubber balls, bazookas, and pinwheels I also bought 5 for $1 swedish fish and15 for $1 dum-dum lollipops! There were also 15 for $1 Hershey kisses, gum and much more--look at the picture that I took of the candy tower! Today, I bought candy, party favor items, 2 packs of 8 crazy straws and, 2 packs of eight Dora plates for $20! The staff was also very friendly and helpful. For your next party needs, go visit the Party City at Polaris! SMAC Approved!http://www.partycity.com/
 Have you been to the newest store at Polaris? Hobby Lobby! I must say, this is my first venture to a Hobby Lobby store. It is HUGE! There is soo much stuff to buy--home furnishing decor, lamps (yes, lamps!), fabric, crafts, dry flowers, frames, party supplies, wall art decor, etc. It has a huge assortment and depth of many merchandise categories-that's retail speak. To put it in simple terms like my friend Rene said "It's like they have stuff like JoAnn's but just more of it!" I was just in the store briefly today but I could have easily spent an hour browsing through the store-I had to call my friend in the store to locate where she was in the store! I was there for just one thing which was valentines stickers which were 50% off. My friend Rene bought some paisley paper plates and bowls for her party. This store is priced reasonably but if an item is at regular price, you are allowed to use JoAnn's and Micheal's coupons or their own 40% coupons. This place is definitely worth the trip! http://www.hobbylobby.com/SMAC Approved!
Looking for way to save more $$? If you buy a gift card at Giant Eagle (i.e. Giant Eagle, Home Depot, Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, Friday's, etc) and use them for yourself to spend, (must be for every $50 you spend) you get .20 off of every gallon of gas at the pump! For example, if you regularly shop at Home Depot, why not buy a $50 gift card and get .20 off of gas at the pump! Our one friend one time bought $700 worth of Dick's Sporting Goods gift cards at Giant Eagle and then bought their family a basketball hoop! I also saw at Giant Eagle that there is a $500 gift card too (looking to purchase a HDTV anytime soon??) What are some ways dollar savings tips that you would like to share with our readers..
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