Christmas Giveaway – Rio Grande Games & Skin MD Natural

In a way, we saved the best for last. I don’t like to play favorites, but I do love a good game, and today’s first giveaway is for the family board game, Gulo Gulo, by Rio Grande Games.

A lot of the really good board games are really geared toward an older audience, but Gulo Gulo is for ages 5 and older – I haven’t played this game myself, but I imagine that Gulo Gulo is great for everyone because Rio Grande Games is so good at coming up with new and unique game concepts for people of all ages.

Here’s the game description from Rio Grand’s product page:

Gulo junior was caught by the lady vulture while attempting to steal one of her eggs and has now been arrested. There is only one thing left to do: get the family together and search for the little bugger, but they cannot resist passing a nest without stealing an egg. Whoever jumps the furthest, gets to Gulo junior first and can win the game.

Sounds fun!

Games are one of my favorite favorite favorite Christmas presents – we bought Carcassonne for our family, another game by Rio Grande Games, for Christmas this year. In this game, you build the board as you go, so it’s completely different every time you play – many Rio Grande Games are like this, which I love. Another thing I love about the Carcassonne game is that there are a bunch of expansion sets, or variations on the game that add different elements and rules. There are also several games in the total Carcassonne line that are similar in concept but with new graphics, components, and themes. I love that we can get expansion sets and other games in the Carcassonne line for future Christmases.

Getting a new game for Christmas is a tradition in our family (and one that I would recommend to you!), and we always choose from the list of Spiel des Jahres, or German Game of the Year, winners. We have several games from that list and have never been disappointed, so we’re sticking with it.

The Spiel des Jahres award is a pretty prestigious award among board games, and Rio Grande has had several winners, including Lost Cities (2008), Zooloretto (2007), Carcasonne (2001), and some in between. They also have several finalists almost every year.Can you tell I really like Rio Grande Games and board games in general?

This is a super long giveaway post, I just love them! One last thing – they have several different categories of their games to help you choose one that would fit your interests. They have abstract strategy games, area control games, auction games, card games, city building games, dexterity games, memory games, medieval games…you get the picture…

So today’s winner will get the family board game, Gulo Gulo, by Rio Grande Games. What a wonderful Christmas present!

Thanks, Rio Grande Games!

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The second giveaway today is for a bottle of Skin MD Natural’s Shielding Lotion.

What is a shielding lotion, you ask? Let’s ask the expert. “According to Dr. Helton, shielding lotions help prevent damage to the skin by bonding with and protecting the skin. ‘They not only add moisture, but also help stop the loss of your natural moisture.’”

Living in such a dry climate has ravaged my skin. My hands are hideously dry and scaly. A girl at the UPS store asked to see my wedding ring a while ago and I was mortified to hold out my hand for her to see! I’ve been using this lotion and really have noticed a difference. It really does absorb so there is no greasy feeling – this lotion would be perfect for summer, for that reason alone! I hate wearing lotion in the summer, although I need it, because it just makes my hands feel more sweaty and slimy.

Skin MD Natural came up with this brand new and unique formula that they call a shielding lotion, and I think it’s a great skin care product. The bottle that our winner will receive is the shielding lotion with sunscreen to protect you from UV rays. Your skin can be damaged even during the winter months when you never see the sun, so this lotion is perfect for year round skin moisture and protection.

Here’s another interesting fact from Skin MD Natural’s website:

A fundamental difference between Shielding Lotions and traditional lotions is that a Shielding Lotion enhances the skin’s own natural protective abilities by turning the outer layer of skin into what could be described as a hydrating invisible shield. This makes Shielding Lotions many times more effective than mere “protective lotions and moisturizing creams”.

Basically, this lotion helps your skin get stronger and more able to protect itself, which I know I need. If you have dry skin and have a hard time finding a lotion that really does the job, you might want to try this out!

Thanks, Skin MD Natural!

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Blog Giveaway Guidelines:

1. To enter this contest, leave a comment on this post between now and midnight PST on Thursday, December 18th.
   
2. You can earn additional entries for this contest, and I would strongly recommend doing so to increase your chances – it’s easy!. To learn how to increase your chances of winning, click here.
3. One comment per person, and you must include your name.
4. This giveaway is only open to residents of the continental United States…sorry.
5. The winners will be randomly picked and announced in a new post on Friday.

If you have a product you would like Vanilla Joy to review and give away, email me at kelsey [at] vanillajoy [dot] com. Thanks!