I CAN'T GET INTO MY OFFICE!

The Camp Fair prizes are flooding our offices. I can reach my desk, my computer is lost in the pile.

You wouldn't believe all the things we have to give away at the Camp Fair (April 12!!!). We've got the newest American Girl doll, Mia, and she is gorgeous. You should see her cute purple tennis shoes. Then there is the huge pile of games from Hasbro, another HUGE pile of collectible model horses from Breyerfest. Then more games and more games, and books and CDs and DVDs and did I mention books?

It's all gotta go! I've got to find families to give these prizes to. So be there on April 12 from 1o a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kentucky Indoor Soccer and Sports just off Reynolds Rd. near Meijer.

Oh, and don't forget! The first 100 kids in the door will get a chance to win one of 4 sets of 4 tickets to see High Shool Musical - The Ice Tour in Rupp Arena on April 17.

See you there!

The Breyer Horses Are Here!!!!

The horses are here! The horses are here! All the beautiful Breyer collectible horses from Breyerfest have arrived in our offices. Some of these will be prizes for our 4-5th grade girls category in our Writing Contest. Others will be given away in drawings at our Summer Camps & Activities Fair. Make sure you visit us there at Kentucky Indoor Soccer & Sports on Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. We'll be drawing for prizes every half hour. See you there!

Here is a sneak peek of this month's cover. A group called KICK (Kitefliers in Central Kentucky) loaned us some HUGE kites and I'm going this afternoon to shoot our cover with one of them.

This photo is a close-up of a 6-foot star-shaped kite. The tail on this thing is 50 feet long!

Keep an eye out for the April issue. It hits the streets on March 27 and its our CAMP ISSUE!!!! Your going to find hundreds of camp options for your kids for this summer.

Which DVDs Do Your Kids Want

Each month we give away two different DVDs on our website and in the magazine. This month its "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" and "BEE Movie." I know these are going to be a big hit as well as April's giveaway (give you a hint: it has singing rodents). Go sign up right now at our website http://www.lexingtonfamily.com/.

But I'm never sure what is going to be a big hit for our readers and what won't. Pre-teen movies like "High School Musical" always score big and "The Prince and the Pauper" that we gave away in Feb. was a huge hit. It stars those cutie-patooties from "Suite Life of Zack and Cody."

But that large purple extinct creature DVDs we gave away a few months ago were not particularly popular. Go figure!

So, I need your opinion before our next giveaway. I've got a contact who can get me "Care Bears" DVDs for our readers. My kids are too old for Care Bears so I'm clueless! So give me some feedback, Moms (and Dads). Should I give away Care Bears DVDs? Is this what your kids are wanting? I'll pick one name from all the commentors and send an RAK your way.

The Prizes Are Rolling In!!!!!!

The first batch of prizes for our Writing Contest have started to arrive in the office. It's a huge box of games from Hasbro. They are so kewl!

Piled up around my desk are Pictureka!, CandyLand Castle Game, Electronic Monopoly and Life, Connect 4, No Brainer, Operation Rescue Kit, Chutes and Ladders, and Sorry Express.

My favorite game is the Electronic Banking Monopoly. You use credit cards instead of Monopoly money and the game pieces are things like a Segway and Space Shuttle instead of a train and plane, a little doggy in a handbag instead of the old scottie dog. It's a hoot.

These prizes are for the three boy's categories in our Writing Contest (deadline March 28 so get working on your entries, guys). Each winner will win almost $100 worth of board games donated by the wonderful folks at Hasbro (Thanks, Rebecca!)

We'll be handing these prizes out to the winners at our Summer Camps & Activities Fair (it's FREE FREE FREE) on Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Kentucky Indoor Soccer & Sports.

See you there!

Camp Fair Prizes Coming In!!!!!!

The prizes are pouring in for our upcoming Summer Camps & Activities Fair. This dragon is from Manhattan Toy Company and he is gorgeous IRL. He's big enough to ride on and sooooo incredibly soft. Glenda (one of our sales reps) keeps trying to take him home.

This is just one of dozens of prizes we'll be giving away. Our biggest is the bunkbed donated by Baby's Room & Kids Too! I'll have photos of that one up soon. But we also will have Mia, the newest American Girl doll (see her below), PLUS dozens of CDs, DVDs, video games (got a couple of Wii games!), books, games, toys and more, more, more, more!!! I'm serious folks this is a serious load of things we giveaway. I'm am literally giving out stuff almost every minute of the Fair!!!

So you know where you are going to be April 12 (from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Kentucky Indoor Soccer). Look for me - I'll be wearing a bright yellow t-shirt that says "Lexington Family Magazine" and Dana, our publisher, will probably make me wear some silly hat. I'll be the one with the microphone, yelling out prize winners names.

The Writing Contest is Officially LAUNCHED!!!

Whooo Hooo! Our 4th Annual Writing Contest is officially launched and I am really pumped. We've got great prizes lined up, teachers are already e-mailing us for more details and I can't wait to get the first entry. (check out our website http://www.lexingtonfamily.com/ for the details)

In 2005 when we launced the first Writing Contest we received 125 entries from kids in grades K-5. The next year we more than doubled that with over 300 entries. Last year we were overwhelmed by over 650 entries. If we double again this year I am in deep trouble - I might be reading 1,200 entries! Just in case, I've lined up several elementary school teachers to help me read them.

The American Girl Company is on board with us this year providing 2 of their newest Girl of the Year doll, Mia, as prizes. Mia is an adorable, freckle-faced ice skater, who comes with a beautiful skating costume and a book about her life.

Check back here soon for photos and details on our other great prizes.......