Legoland Discovery Center Chicago Family 4 Ticket Giveaway #giveaway #sponsored

ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama and Legoland Discovery Center Chicago!   

We dig Legos.  We've enjoyed their creative kits since our kids were tots and it's been very cool to see the Legos get smaller as my kids have gotten bigger. We now rock the elaborate kits and have the whole Harry Potter series and many more.   Legos always top the birthday wish lists at our home and we frequently visit the big Lego Store in Water Tower Place. 

Enter below for your chance to WIN ChiIL Mama's Legoland Family 4 Ticket Giveaway!  ($84.00 value)  Entries accepted through midnight 4/30.   Winners will be announced on Winning Wednesday May 1, 2013.   Click the Rafflecopter link here. (Disclaimer:   Thanks to Legoland for providing tickets for our giveaway and a family pass so we can come out to review.   All opinions are our own.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions:

·         Family ticket includes up to two adults and two children

·         Ticket is valid for US residents till the end of 2013

    Believe it or not, despite 12 years of Lego love with my kids and a history of Legos dating back to my own childhood, we've never made it out to Legoland.   We're going to remedy that situation this spring and we'll have a full review for our readers shortly.   In the mean time, check out their site.   Legoland is Free for the under 3 set and features fun rides, games and activities for older kids up through young at heart adults.    Click here for their main site, featuring attraction videos, tickets deals and more.

Day #11 ChiIL Mama's Holidaze 12 Days of #giveaways

Day #11  THURSDAY 12/13/12  WIN FIVE Great New Releases from American Girl.  ($55)

The gift of instilling a LOVE of reading is one of the best gifts ever.   American Girl books were the first series to spark a love of the written word in my reluctant reader, and as a mom and a writer, I was ecstatic that she went for such a great line of books.   

American Girl tops ChiIL Mama's Great Gifts List.  American Girl has an impressive commitment to literacy and philanthropy.  They publish an exciting array of books that get girls interested in reading and engaged with history.   And of course the dolls and accessories are adorable, well made, and so much fun to collect. 

Check back with ChiIL Mama for loads of great American Girl coverage.   We'll have all the breaking new for you about the new 2013 girl of the year after December 28th!   We'll have more author interviews, photo filled features, and giveaways, too.   We also have another Valerie Tripp video coming up soon, with excerpts from her wonderful brunch talk, a cafe birthday party feature, Kathleen Ernst's Chicago book signing video and stills, and more.

Enter here for your chance to win all 5 

of the following:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NEW RELEASES!  5 Great American Girl Books including...  

*Slumber Wonders ($9.99)

*Bored No More ($9.99)

*Picture Yourself Here ($12.99)

*Bound for Snow ($8.95)

*Find Your Way ($12.95)

Click here for all American Girl's new book releases, descriptions and ordering links.

**Click here for ChiIL Mama's photo filled past American Girl features.**

Check out American Girl Place & The Lego Store-Water Tower Place, Chicago decked out for the holidays!

American Girl is huge on literacy and encouraging girls to grow mentally and physically.   This view inside the front doors of American Girl Place Chicago always makes me want to move in and live here.  With a towering two story book shelf and a cozy balcony nook to read in, I could be content for years!

Give the gift that will spark her love of reading!

All 12 of ChiIL Mama's Holidaze giveaways are open till midnight 12/15/12 to anyone 18+ and living in the USA, so enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.  

Click this quick link for all our daily holidaze giveaways in one easy place. 

#1  Diary of a Wimpy Kid Hardback Book ($14)

#2  $100 Psychobaby Gift Certificate ($100)

#3  Go! Go! Sports Girls Doll ($20)

#4  XBOX 360 WIPEOUT 3 game ($50) 

#5  7 kids' CDs including punk favs for kids($90) 

#6  DAVIDsTEA winter loose tea collection & mug ($45) 

#7  Multilingual Chicago 12 weeks of kids' language classes & an adult language boot camp ($420)

#8  Lalaloopsy 3DS Carnival of Friends game by AcTiVision & a Mini Peppy Pom Poms Collectible Character Sew Sleepy #6 of Series 8 ($42)

#9 3 of our favorite video games for PC or Mac/Wii/DS ($86 value)

#10  ChiIL Mama's Holidaze 12 Days of #giveaways

#11  FIVE Great New Releases from American Girl.  ($55)

#12

Wizard World Favs--DC Super Pets,Traegonia, Pinups for Pitbulls, House of Darkley, Legos, Threadless, Gorilla Tango, & Kangoo

 

We've reviewed and given away DC Super Pets books at ChiIL Mama, and it was truly a treat to meet the author!  Check out our past coverage here and our contest winner here.

Speaking of authors and illustrators whose work we dig......do NOT miss Traegonia!    We're working up a give away for our readers and a review of both books, to run in late fall--pre-Christmas, so check back early and often.    We devoured The Sunbow Prophecy and the Ember Rune and were so excited to hear another sequel is in progress!    These mid-grade chapter books are whimsical, creative, eco-friendly and very well written.    And the sculpture creatures the books are based on are truly unique works of art.

This booth also has sweet book marks--silver sticks with magical little vials of colored stones or fairy dust.    We scooped up half a dozen for gifts for ourselves and our friends who love reading.

This is one of our all time favorite booths.    We've  publicized some of Pinups for Pitbulls Chi-Town fundraisers before.  They get bonus points for being dog friendly, punk rock, and uber creative.  Check out their punk band parody tees.    I bought the 7 Seconds one--Walk Together Rock Together and we had a good chat.    Turns out the artist and mastermind behind the catchy twists on lyrics is a good friend of Kevin Seconds. Can you find the pit friendly versions of Minor Threat, Sex Pistols, Descendants, and more?





There are a plethora of plushies at Comic Con.    But we're suckers for creative, well made, and of course funny signage is a big plus, too.   These were one of our favs.   Show House of Darkley some love and some cash.    These are very cool, hand made, funky and fun.    Please DON'T just stand around and take a ton of pix and then leave without buying anything (this is a reoccuring problem for them at shows!!).   Support the arts.    If you take pixs it's polite to either buy something or put up a feature so other people can. 
   

There were also LOADS of Legos ranging from full sets, hard to find, vintage collector, and more.   Our fav was what I dubbed "the Lego graveyard".   What they lack in presentation and display, they make up for in price.    Kids flocked to the mix n match....everything's $3 table.    And they played there longer than just about anywhere.

Threadless makes the most creative, limited run, artist designed tee's out there.   They also share their time and talents by running kids workshops with great non-profits like Girls Rock! Chicago and 826Chi creative writing workshops.   We adore Threadless!!

 

Though you have to be 18+ to see their Burlesque shows, all ages are welcome to pose with the Gorilla Gals.    Click here to check out our past coverage on Gorilla Tango, including a run down of all the fun parodies they have running this weekend.

We're intrigued and would love to try out a pair of Kangoos. Enjoy all Wizard World Chicago Comic Con has to offer.    If you think you've hit everything wall to wall....check again.    Some of our favs are in yet another section to the front of the main hall.   See you out there.