OOOOOHHHH! Awesome Coffee Cozy GIVEAWAY!- ended- CONGRATS PATW!!!

I am honored to be hosting a giveaway this week for an amazing coffee cozy by Love Miche!

A little bit about the product... I don't believe this is "something that's nice to have around." After owning one, I believe this is an essential household item! I wake up in the morning, brew my coffee, and wrap the cup in my awesome Coffee Cozy from Love Miche. I really can't tell you how much I love it! I fold it, put it in my purse, and take it with me when we go out, because I usually stop for a coffee! It fits perfectly in my car cup holder, too! Yesterday when I was out, someone asked me where I got it, and I had to stop and write down Love Miche's web address for a stranger! :)

Be sure to enter this giveaway! I am telling you, this will be your new favorite item.

Love Miche is sending one of her awesome coffee cozies to the winner of this giveaway! :)

In order to enter, please complete the following in separate comments (each item completed is 1 separate entry, for a possible total of 6 entries):

Mandatory:

1. Visit the Love Miche store, and leave one comment below stating what product you love most

2. Leave another comment below stating why you would love to win

Optional for additional entries:

3. Follow this blog, and leave another comment below stating that you do

4. Follow me on Twitter, and retweet out this contest by clicking here: http://twitter.com/vaagen/status/2566764786 and leave a comment below stating that you did

5. Email out this contest to your friends, and copy me on it at vaagen@bellsouth.net and leave a comment below that you did

6. Favorite this blog on Technorati (small button to the upper right of this blog) and leave a comment below that you did

The contest will end Friday, July 17th at 7:00pm.

Good luck!!

Travel Kiddy Giveaway!!-ended- CONGRATS VERA!!

I am SOOOO excited about this new product that I reviewed.

The company is Travel Kiddy, and simply put, they make products that make parent's lives easier!

As a homeschooling parent of 4 children, I have had all kinds of differing thoughts regarding childrens activities in the car on long trips. When my first child was a baby, I remember being appalled at those who turned on their car DVD player to take a short trip to the grocery store. I just wanted to talk to my son as often as I could, and encourage his love for learning. After I had my second, third, and fourth child, those DVD players were looking pretty cool!! After I bought a car with one in it, I couldn't fathom taking a long trip without one! The car was peaceful, the kids were entertained, and I could THINK.

But as quiet as the car was, I still struggled with the fact that sitting in the car, watching cartoons for hours and hours is NOT the best activity for growing brains. But I also recognized that my time in the car is the ONLY time I ever get to clear my head and relax. There must be a way to keep their creative juices flowing, yet keep them happy and entertained while we focus our minds and our driving.

So, the question remains, "How can I keep my children entertained (and somewhat quiet) on long trips, without turning them into Spongebob-Addict Zombies?"

The answer? TRAVEL KIDDY!!!!!!



When the kid arrived, my kids went bonkers. They were pulling items out of the bag, and yelling out to eachother which treasure they had come across. The phrases, "I love these things!" "Oh wow!" "I haven't seen one of these in a long time!" "I can't wait to use this!" were flying around here like crazy!

Just look at all the items that come in a standard Travel Kiddy Pack!





Parents, Grandparents, Teachers, Sister, Brothers....
Enter this giveaway for a $20 giftcard to the Travel Kiddy Store today!

The giveaway will end SATURDAY, JULY 11th, so get your entries in TODAY!
Good luck!!

To enter (you will get one entry for each item below that you complete):
1. Follow this blog, and leave one comment below that you do.
2. Visit http://www.travelkiddy.com/ and leave a second comment below about which of their products is your favorite!
3. Retweet this giveaway on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/2422855813
4. Post this giveaway on Facebook, or email it out to your friends, and copy me on it at vaagen@bellsouth.net
5. Favorite this blog on Technorati (click the link in the upper right column of this blog to do so)

AMAZING Organic Body Care!! Giveaway!-ended- CONGRATS LILEARTHMUFFIN!!!

Long Winter Farm Organic Body Products GIVEAWAY!
Ok, you guys. Listen to me when I say ENTER this contest!

WOW.

I received a gorgeously packaged, and very gracious product sampling from Long Winter Farm!

If you are unfamiliar with their products, be sure to click on their name above to read more!

In my sampling, I received the following products:

Vanilla Chai Latte Goat Milk Cold Processed Soap
Coconut Oval Lip Balm and
Almond Biscotti Skin Cream

The first thing I need to say is that I am allergic to EVERYTHING!!
But these products did NOT bother my allergies in the least!!!

The scent, of course, is heavenly! Read the names of them... They smell exactly as you would imagine (maybe even better)!

But here's the best part- the texture of them is PERFECT. The lip balm is silky, and absorbs perfectly. The cream is also silky, and not greasy. It penetrates wonderfully as well.

The soap is VERY moisturizing, and fabulous. And it... well, I do have one problem with the soap. Two of my kids tried to EAT IT! I am completely serious, here. I stopped them just in time. Then, we had to have a mother-child meeting about how NO ONE was to eat it, because it was not, in fact, a desert- even though it looked like one. :) It really is THAT pretty!

It is decorated just like a gorgeous slice of pie, or cake, or vanilla chai latte CAKE?!? Any way you slice it (no pun intended), this stuff is fabulous!

Don't miss out on this giveaway! These are AMAZING Christmas gifts! They come packaged beautifully, with gift tags attached, and the whole nine yards!

TO ENTER:

Each of the items below will give you one chance. If you do each of them, you will be entered SIX times!

1. Follow my Blog, and comment that you do

2. Retweet my giveaway tweet on Twitter. You can follow me by clicking the birdie in the right hand column. Comment below that you follow me.

3. Mention my blog and giveaway on Facebook, and comment that you did. I am at www.Facebook.com/Anna.Vaagen

4. Link to my blog on your site, and comment that you did.

5. Visit the Long Winter Farm site, and comment below which products you are most interested in!

6. Favorite this blog in Technorati by clicking the Technorati link in the upper right of this blog.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, July 11th at 6pm.

Good luck!!

"Blue Like Play Dough" Giveaway!!-ended- CONGRATS SPACEGRRL!!

Hey all you Moms! This one's for you!


I am fortunate enough to have in my possession a copy of Tricia Goyer's new book, "Blue Like Play Dough!"

This book is a no-holds-barred account of Author, Tricia Goyer's journey through motherhood, while God makes appearances in some unexpected ways! You will laugh, cry, sympethize, and be surprised! Ladies, don't miss out on this one! And you KNOW you could use a little "reading time" in your life!! This is the PERFECT book for it! Enter today!

In order to submit your name for the drawing, do all of the following:
1. Become a follower on this blog, and leave one comment below stating that you did.
2. Leave another comment below about why you would like to win this book.
3. If you are on Twitter or Facebook, post the link to this blogpost on Facebook, or Tweet it on Twitter and copy me on it (my username is vaagen), and leave a third comment below that you did. If you are not a member of Facebook or Twitter, skip this step.
4. Visit the Author's website at: http://www.triciagoyer.com/ and leave a 4th comment below about which of her other books you might be interested in reading.

I will enter your name once for each comment you left, and I will draw a winner on July 9th, 2009 at 7pm! I will announce the winner here, and your book will be shipped to you!
Good luck!!

FLOWERZ IN HER HAIR GIVEAWAY!- ended- CONGRATS DONNA!

OK Moms!

This is a FABULOUS giveaway that I am so excited to be conducting!!

Flowerz In Her Hair produces absolutely stunning clip flowers, hairbows, hair bands and even knit caps!

When mine arrived in the mail, I put them on my daughters immediately, and I have to tell you- I fell instantly in love!

Here are some pictures of two of my girls wearing the gorgeous products!

Ashlyn loves that the knit cap is so soft, she can barely feel it! You can also weave a ribbon through the edges of this cap for a different look- you can see that idea on her website!

Avery loves the hair accessories SO MUCH that she asked me to do something similar with her American Doll's hair. I suppose I should start ordering 2 of everything!

The items come beautifully packaged, and they ship very fast! They would be perfect for a gift!

Flowerz In Her Hair is offering for giveaway a $20 giftcard!! You will be able to choose whichever items you would like from their store!! And the items are so reasonably priced, you will really have a lot to choose from!

In order to participate in this giveaway, please do each of the following:

1. Become a follower/subscribe to my blog (click the follow button in the upper right corner and fill out your info. No information will ever be shared or sold.) Leave one comment below stating that you follow my blog.

2. Visit the www.FlowerzInHerHair.com website, and leave a comment below about why you would love to win.

3. Leave one more comment below telling me which are your favorite products from the www.FlowerzInHerHair.com website.

BONUS: If you are on Twitter, Tweet your friends "Flowerz In Her Hair Giveaway!!" with a link to this post (http://vaagenfamily.blogspot.com/2009/06/flowerz-in-her-hair-giveaway.html), and you will be entered an extra time!! You will likely have to shorten the URL to make it fit on Twitter.

By doing all of these, you will get THREE entries in the contest! If you complete the BONUS, you will be entered four times!

A winner will be randomly drawn Tuesday, June 30th at 6pm.

Good Luck!!

(Keep in mind, it will take a moment for your comments to show up, as they are moderated first.)

Our Homeschool Room

I've been meaning to post some pictures of our updated homeschool room, but I just got the chance to do so today. We had a couple of dilemmas. First, we wanted the homeschool room in the basement, because then, we can be away from other daily distractions. I also wanted it in where we used to have the playroom, because there is plenty of natural light there. It used to be carpeted, but we wanted hardwood... but that was a little pricey, and I thought the kids might destroy it, so we went with pergo, which we installed ourselves. The largest dilemma of all was that the room was a playroom when I started homeschooling, and with two of my kids still being very young, I didn't want to sacrifice the playroom. The solution to that was to make it a multifunctional room!

I'll try to take you on the visual tour here:

This is the hallway at the bottom of the stairs leading into the basement. The entire wall is a chalkboard (created with the chalkboard paint you can buy at any Walmart, Home Depot, etc). We also have the little ones' toy piano here, because it was too loud for the homeschool room! :)

I did all the muralling in the homeschool room. I did it in a Dr. Seuss theme, because I've always been a fan. Here is my son working at the desktop computer in the room. Inside the computer desk is all the software we need for classes, plus the kids' computer games.

To the left of the computer, you will see my daughter sitting at her homeschool desk. Her 3-ring binders are in her desk, along with all her markers, rulers, pencils, highlighters, bookmarks, etc.

...and here is where the play part comes in... Behind the school desks, you will see my baby girls' doll station. The door leads to a full bathroom. On the wall, you will see the Lorax, the Truffula Trees, and the Barbaloots in their Barbaloot suits. :)

On the next wall to the left, Horton! :)

I have placed some more doll toys, a rocking chair for yours truly, some maps, an alphabet chart for my youngest ones, and to the left of that...

A reading area and more young child toys, all on a comfy, furry rug. I love my Melissa and Doug calendar above the sitting area, because it is magnetic and super-customizable. There are more maps here, as well.

To the left of that area is the door leading back to the chalkboard wall and the stairs going up. I love the baby kangaroo, who loved to say, "Hmmph too!"

To the right is the toychest, the play kitchen, and more charts and maps. Straight ahead is our loving lizard, Romero :), and a bookshelf containing the majority of our curricula. And how could we forget the Cat in the Hat?? He's juggling quite a few things, which I think is appropriate for this room! In the cloud, it says, "The more that you read, the more you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you go." - Dr. Seuss

Another look at the play area (and the star-bellied Sneetches!) :)

A further out view

The bottom line is, when you fully embrace homeschooling, you must accept a little chaos. I have decided the best way to multitask effectively is to contain the chaos to the best of my ability. I think this room keeps everything in a specific place, keeps everything within close reach, and most importantly, keeps everyone entertained, during the day!

Thanks for stopping by!! :)

Homeschool Supplement Review

I came across a product I really love, and wanted to share it with you!

I have 4 children in very different stages in Math, and in school in general! My daughter is focusing on memorization of multiplication and division facts, and my son can always use a brush up on them so he can answer faster. My 4 year old is learning addition and subtraction, along with the value of money. All 4 of my kids are learning states and capitols.
Can you believe I found a product that will help all of them with all of this?!?!You buy the hot dots pen for about $9, and then you buy each group of flashcards for $9-10 each. The pen talks and makes fun noises to let the child know if they have chosen the proper answer. My kids are all techies, and this turns the mundane task of studying flashcards into a technological treat!
To order, click here:
http://www.learningthings.com/searchresult.asp