Skinny Dip Candles Review and Giveaway! - ENDED!

I had the pleasure of reviewing Skinny Dip Candles recently, and I was really amazed by them! They are truly unlike anything I've seen. You actually burn the candle, let the candle melt slightly, and then POUR the melted oils on your skin!! I know this sounds painful, but it is simply warm, nurturing lotion! My little girls even love it! They constantly ask me to rub it on them! You see, because of the ingredients in Skinny Dip Candles, they have a very low melt point. When fully melted they're just 102 degrees - and that's not even as warm as a hot tub!


This is from the Skinny Dip website:
Ingredients include: cosmetic-grade soy, avocado oil, coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, sunflower oil, cocoa butter, vitamin E, and scented oils for aroma. The ingredients are not only natural, but they are extremely rich and moisturizing. A little bit will go a very long way, so please use sparingly. When you use the right amount, the melted oils will soak into your skin completely within just a few minutes.

How can you use the Skinny Dip Candle?

• Cuticle treatments - it's like a paraffin dip, only better! You don't have to remove the "wax."
• Dry elbows - the Skinny Dip Candle can be used melted, or unmelted and massaged directly into the skin.
• Heels and feet - for dry feet in winter, or bare sandal feet in summer, the Skinny Dip
• Candle will help get your feet softer and smoother in no time!
• Massage - use a more generous portion for a therapeutic, pampering, or sensual body massage.
• Anywhere you skin is dry or flakey. That can be arms and legs, especially if you live in dryer climates.

Would you LOVE to go Skinny Dipping?? :)
The wonderful people at Skinny Dip are offering to one lucky reader of The Vaagen Family Blog a Pamper Pack! Each Pamper Pack comes with a full size Skinny Dip Candle, a single bath sized Dead Sea bath salts in same scent as candle, and a natural lip balm. You can pick your own lip balm flavor and candle scent!

To enter:
1. Visit the Skinny Dip site by clicking HERE, and leave a comment telling me what you love the most!
2. Subscribe to this blog (enter your email address in upper right corner), and comment that you do.
3. Follow this blog (in right hand column), and comment that you do.
4. Become a fan of this blog on Facebook by clicking HERE, and comment that you do.
5. Email this contest out to your friends, and copy me on it at vaagen@bellsouth.net
6. Follow me on Twitter (vaagen) and ReTweet this contest on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/3176927070. Comment below that you did.
7. Favorite this blog on Technorati by clicking HERE
The winner will be chosen by random drawing on http://www.random.org/integers/ on Friday, August 14 at 6pm. Good luck!

Prince Lionheart WHEELYCOW!!!!! - ENDED!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Drop what you're doing. Take 5 minutes to enter this giveaway. You will be THRILLED when you win! The WheelyCow and WheelyBugs are premiering TODAY on Tori and Dean (http://tori-and-dean.oxygen.com/), and this giveaway was scheduled to coincide with the premier! WheelyCows and WheelyBugs retail for $79.99 plus tax on the Prince Lionheart website, but thanks to Prince Lionheart, you can WIN one from the Vaagen Family!

Prince Lionheart was so generous to share their WheelyCow with my family! I believe my two year old has been on it ever since it came in the mail 2 months ago! She asks if she can sit on it to eat!

This amazing ride-on toy is unlike any other I've seen!! And with 4 kids, I have seen my share of ride-on toys! I'd love to share some of my favorite things about the WheelyCow:

1. The wheels GLIDE. They don't leave marks on my hardwood floors!

2. The WheelyCow is QUIET! Even when my little 4 year old rides on it... and that happens very often! No more wondering if it is thundering outside, or if the house is falling down, or if the world is ending when my girls ride through the house!!

3. Easy to clean! The WheelyCow is so wonderfully easy to clean- I simply wipe it with a damp towel, and because it has a super-smooth surface, no spilled drinks get stuck in impossible-to-reach cracks... there are none!

4. Happiness factor. My girls absolutely LOVE this toy. Of all their toys, this is at the top of the list. I can't help but smile when they keep it by the bottom of the stairs. They wake up in the morning, come downstairs, hop aboard the WheelyCow, and ride it straight to the breakfast table! :)

Now you know MY favorite things about the WheelyCow, but let me share my daughters' favorite things about it:

1. "The top is made of 'comfy squishy stuff.'" Remember, I'm passing along THEIR words, here! :) (The top is made of leather, with a soft padding underneath! It is VERY comfy!

2. "It can go really fast in circles!" This toy allows them to "spin out" in one place! The wheels swivel. allowing for MUCH more fun!

3. "The horns." I guess they felt like this part was self-explanatory. The horns on the front of the WheelyCow are on springs, and they wiggle like little bobble-heads! :)

4. "The handle is not like normal ones." The handle bar is a semi-circle, which I love for two reasons. First, safety. My girls like to fly around on their riding toys, and they have landed across a square handle bar before, and that hurts! The WheelyCow has a soft, semi-circle handle, which would be much more comfy in that situation!

Thank you SO MUCH to Prince Lionheart for allowing me to review this AND the Stroller Accessory package! I truly LOVE your products!

Readers, do yourself a favor, and enter this giveaway today!

To enter:

1. Comment below, with your email address
2. Visit the "Prince Lionheart" site by clicking HERE, and leave a comment telling me which WheelyBug or WheelyCow you like the most!
3. Subscribe to this blog (enter your email address in upper right corner), and comment that you do. **SUBSCRIBERS may leave 2 comments (2 entries) stating that they subscribe! I love my subscribers! Thank you!!**
4. Follow this blog (in right hand column), and comment that you do. **FOLLOWERS may leave 2 comments (2 entries) stating that they subscribe! I love my subscribers! Thank you!!**
5. Become a fan of this blog on Facebook by clicking HERE, and comment that you do.
6. Email this contest out to your friends, and copy me on it at vaagen@bellsouth.net
7. Follow me on Twitter (vaagen) and ReTweet this contest on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/3070106224. Comment below that you did. You can do this once per day, and leave a comment each time you tweet the contest for an extra entry!!
8. Favorite this blog on Technorati by clicking HERE

The winner will be chosen by random drawing on http://www.random.org/integers/ on Saturday, August 15th at 6pm. Good luck!

JISHAKU!!! - ENDED!

Have you ever heard of Jishaku?

Better yet, have you PLAYED Jishaku??

This game is the perfect combination of skill, strategy, and plain old LUCK.

Jishaku is the Japanese word for "magnet," and the game centers around the game pieces, which are magnetized rocks! Each player places their game piece into the unique game board, hoping to collect their opponent's pieces! Think of it like a magnetized game of chess!

Jishaku has won several awards, including:

• Jishaku Awarded National Parenting Seal of Approval
• "Cookie" magazine profiles Jishaku in September issue Click to see article
• Jishaku wins iParenting media Award Click here for the full release
• Jishaku wins "Major Fun Award" Click here to see the review
• JishakuTM wins Prestigous Mr. Dad Seal of Approval Click here for the full Press Release

... And it wins my family's seal of approval! All 4 of my kids LOVE this game. Actually, my 2 year old simply attemps to run off with the game pieces. But, the rest of it LOVE playing! It allows us to teach our children patience, strategy, chance!

And now you can win your OWN copy of this fabulous game!

In order to win your own Jishaku game... enter this giveaway!!

To enter, please do any or all of the following:

1. Comment below, with your email address
2. Visit the "Jishaku" site by clicking HERE, and leave a comment telling me what you think you will love about Jishaku!

3. Subscribe to this blog (enter your email address in upper right corner), and comment that you do.
4. Follow this blog (in right hand column), and comment that you do.
5. Become a fan of this blog on Facebook by clicking HERE, and comment that you do.
6. Email this contest out to your friends, and copy me on it at vaagen@bellsouth.net
7. Follow me on Twitter (vaagen) and ReTweet this contest on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vaagen/status/3063067564. Comment below that you did.
8. Favorite this blog on Technorati by clicking HERE
The winner will be chosen by random drawing on http://www.random.org/integers/ on Friday, August 7th at 6pm. Good luck!

NEW Recipe Blog!

Hi Everyone!
Check out my NEW recipe blog!
http://4HungryKiddos.blogspot.com
More recipes to come!!

AWESOME Record Bowl!! ENDED

This contest has ended.

This is SOOOOOO cool. I LOVE my Roberta Flack "Killing Me Softly" bowl, made from a recycled record!!

Check out The Golly Pop Boutique's items!

The hole is still in the center of these records, so you could screw them into the wall, or fill them with items (like below), or even place cheese spreaders and toothpicks in them for a party! They are ABSOLUTELY adorable!!!



Mine will be in my basement room, just between my Audrey Hepburn "Breakfast at Tiffany's" picture, and my "Rat Pack" picture! Here is a side view of the record bowl.

The Golly Pop Boutique is offering to a lucky winner a $10 gift certificate to the winner (not valid on shipping/handling fees and non-transferable).

To enter, please do any or all of the following:

1. Comment below, with your email address
2. Visit The Golly Pop Boutique by clicking HERE, and leave a comment telling me which product you love the most, and where you will put it if you win!

3. Just for fun, comment again, telling me if you are also singing, "Lollypop, lollypop, oh lolly, lolly lolly..." just like I am each time I read this company's name!!

For optional additional entries, please…

3. Subscribe to this blog (enter your email address in upper right corner), and comment that you do.
4. Follow this blog (in right hand column), and comment that you do.
5. Become a fan of this blog on Facebook by clicking HERE, and comment that you do.
6. Email this contest out to your friends, and copy me on it at vaagen@bellsouth.net
7. Follow me on Twitter (vaagen) and ReTweet this contest on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/2837552516. Comment below that you did.
8. Favorite this blog on Technorati by clicking HERE
The winner will be chosen by random drawing on http://www.random.org/integers/ on Monday, August 3rd at 6pm.

Good luck!

THE WOOBIE SHOP Giveaway!!!! ENDED

This contest has ended.

I came across the most adorable shop on Etsy.... It's called The Woobie Shop, and the owner makes the coolest crafts!!! As a matter of fact, she was so booked up, we had to schedule this giveaway in advance! :)

She was so generous to send me a sampling of her items- my girls have LOVED them! As you know, we are in the car ALOT, and these items have not only helped with our car organization, but have helped to keep the kids entertained! You will love the variety of items she has in her shop!

The package included the following: A crayon holder/wrap, a reusable, lined snack bag with velcro closure, a Kleenex cover, and an adorable button hair bow to match!!!! Check it out-

Here is the crayon roll, all tied up and ready to go!

The reusable snack bag was a big hit- my 4YO had to run off immediately and fill it with snacks! The velcro enclosure ensures that nothing will sneek out of it!

How cute is the Kleenex holder???

And this just took the cake- a matching button hairbow!! I love it!!

And THIS is the gift I bought for my neice's birthday! How adorable is it??? The Woobie Shop hand-stamps these necklaces with the initial of your choice, adds a Swarovsky Crystal, and ships it off in an adorable tin!! I love them!

The Woobie Shop is offering a $10 shopping spree to one lucky winner! her prices are so affordable, you will be able to choose most any item!

To enter, please do any or all of the following:

1. Comment below, with your email address
2. Visit "The Woobie Shop" store by clicking HERE, and leave a comment telling me what you love in their shop!

For optional additional entries, please…

3. Subscribe to this blog (enter your email address in upper right corner), and comment that you do.
4. Follow this blog (in right hand column), and comment that you do.
5. Become a fan of this blog on Facebook by clicking HERE, and comment that you do.
6. Email this contest out to your friends, and copy me on it at vaagen@bellsouth.net
7. Follow me on Twitter (vaagen) and ReTweet this contest on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/2837082564. Comment below that you did.
8. Favorite this blog on Technorati by clicking HERE
The winner will be chosen by random drawing on http://www.random.org/integers/ on Monday, August 3rd at 6pm. Good luck!

SCENTSY!!!

This contest has ended.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm in love.

Oh, with my husband and children, of course! But there is a new love in my life- by the name of Scentsy.


Now, I am a candle kind of girl. I have them in every corner of my house, and I have many of them on display! I love all shapes, colors and scents of candles! But there are some things about Scentsy that are very, very different!

First, you don't need to light anything to burn this candle! You are simply burning scented wax over a light bulb! Therefore, there is no smoke, no harmful chemicals, no worries over fires from spills... they are simply low maintenance! They are leadless, wickless, flameless and smokeless!

Another thing I really love about Scentsy is the fact that their products quickly fill my entire home with fragrance, yet they are not at all overpowering! They emit a subtle, yet definite scent. The bulb that is included in their warmers can be replaced at an everyday hardware store!

Take a look at Kara Egan's (Scentsy Founder and Superstar Director) website! You will fall in love with their burners! The scents are absolutely heavenly. I wish you could smell them through the website!

Trust me, readers. You really want to win this giveaway!
Kara is offering to one lucky winner an August warmer of the month, entitled "Surfs Up," along with a 3 pack of bars including the new scent of the month, "Tangerine Tango" and two others!

To enter this giveaway...
To enter, please do any or all of the following (please leave separate comments for each, so you can enter multiple times!):

1. Comment below, with your email address, and tell me if you've tried Scentsy before!
2. Visit Kara Egan's Scentsy site by clicking HERE, and leave a comment telling me which burner is your fave!
3. Subscribe to this blog (enter your email address in upper right corner), and comment that you do.
4. Follow this blog (in right hand column), and comment that you do.
5. Become a fan of this blog on Facebook by clicking HERE, and comment that you do.
6. Email this contest out to your friends, and copy me on it at vaagen@bellsouth.net
7. Follow me on Twitter (vaagen) and ReTweet this contest on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/2765898678. Comment below that you did.
8. Favorite this blog on Technorati by clicking HERE

The winner will be chosen by random drawing on http://www.random.org/integers/ on Saturday, August 1st at 6pm. Good luck!