Living in Calgary in the winter is sure to make anyone’s skin begin to look like reptile’s scales.  There is absolutely no way around getting the dry flaky skin caused by the dry and (snow) flaky weather — especially on your hands and feet.  Or at least that’s what I thought until I was sent some Skin MD Natural shielding lotion to check out for myself.  I was sent a 4 oz bottle of the Face, Hand and Body Shielding Lotion and a couple of sample packs of their Shielding Lotion with Sunscreen SPF 15 to test and review.  What’s really cool is that you too can order some samples to try out before committing to buying a whole bottle.  Go here to get some sample packs for only $2 shipping and handling.  Many store locations that carry Skin MD also have free samples for you to try before you buy so you can skip the shipping and handling charges as well.  This means that you won’t cause any unnecessary waste by purchasing something that you don’t want or need.

This lotion is super silky when you put it on.  It doesn’t even really feel like lotion actually — more like you have an aloe vera plant growing in your window sill and have rubbed it directly on your hand — except not sticky at all!  It’s fresh, light and slightly cooling formula leaves you feeling as though you have literally put on a shield between you and the elements.  I’ve been using it for nearly a week now and have definitely noticed a difference in the reptilian skin on my hands — less and less like a crocodile every day:)  It does not leave a greasy feel at all but absorbs extremely quickly leaving you feeling softer and smoother regardless of the weather.  This multipurpose lotion can also be used in place of your daily moisturizer and fits the bill entirely.  With sensitive skin, I was worried about it clogging my pores or causing a reaction but have found that to absolutely not be the case at all.

“Natural” or “eco-friendly” are buzz words that have gotten a lot of attention in recent days.  They are words that companies often toss around with little regard for the facts.  However, that is happily not the case with Skin MD Natural.  Here’s a few key points about why I love the way this lotion is made instead of just how it works:

• 93% of the ingredients used in this product are all natural or plant based natural ingredients
• The company is completely transparent in what the ingredients of the product really are — check out their comprehensive explanations of each item here
• Manufactured in a 100% solar powered facility!
• Cruelty free — absolutely no animal testing
• Paraben free — this is a preservative that mimics estrogen and has some links to breast cancer and reproductive disorders
• Vegan friendly — no animal products are contained in the formulation
• Shielding formulation maintains your body’s own moisture instead of artificially moisturizing it in the short term
• Prevents irritants your skin comes in contact with from being absorbed — literally keeps the good stuff in and the bad stuff out
• Made in the United States so the carbon footprint of overseas shipping is decreased
• Fragrance and colorant free

This lotion is also supposed to work great for people with problem skin such as eczema and psoriasis.  I plan on using this lotion on some of my daughter’s eczema and posting a review as to it’s effectiveness with her skin as well.  I am completely comfortable using such an actually natural product (as opposed to a green-washed wanna-be natural product) on her skin even though it is very sensitive and prone to rashes.  All I have to do now is wait for her next big flare up and then I’ll post again.  Hopefully it will be a little while before that happens again though…

Additionally, I really like the packaging options available — you can purchase the lotion in a small daily use bottle or by the gallon to cut down on plastic usage.  In fact, the only thing I didn’t like about this lotion is that the bottles are not recyclable as far as I can tell.  It’s pretty easy to overlook that one small downer when you’ve got so much good going on!!  Thanks so much to Skin MD Natural for providing me with samples to review.  All in all, this is definitely a product that I would (and will) buy in the future.

You can check out Skin MD Natural for yourself on their facebook page, twitter account or sign up for their monthly healthy skin newsletter.

Their quality is absolutely impeccable with the garments looking brand new even after dozens of washes.  These are not items that you’ll be needing to replace anytime soon.  These are the ones that will be handed down through family and friends to last through several kids.  The fabric wicks away any moisturize from active kids that have been playing.  I’ve found these perfect for yoga, dance and gymnastics as well as good old fashioned romps in the park.

Their leggings are even made of bamboo — one of the best sustainable fabrics for kids in my opinion.  Bamboo grows without needing much water, quickly replenishes itself by growing 4 to 5 feet a day and needs absolutely no pesticides!  Beyond that, it’s soft, easy to wash, naturally wicks and resists odors even.  Another cool fabric they use is called Repreve which is made of 30% recycled polyester.  Absolutely loving the local companies that use green fabrics for my treehugging kiddos.

Keep your eyes peeled — there may be an upcoming review and/or giveaway in the foreseeable future with Agoo.  Would anyone love to hear about their bamboo leggings?  They’ve got a huge assortment of styles and at 70% off, you absolutely can’t go wrong!

An easy way to get a variety of moving estimates from Local Movers is to check out the Movers.com website.  All of the hassle is taken out of getting quotes whether you are looking for Local Moving Quotes or Long Distance Movers.  The Movers.com website allows you to check out all of the top moving companies without even leaving your house.  That means no paperwork (which saves trees) and no driving (which saves a non-renewable resource and decreases the carbon footprint of your move).  It also means that you save money and time!

Movers.com has a great page explaining how using their company can help to make your move greener.  They also have a variety of tips that can help make your move fit your eco-friendly lifestyle.  A great way to lighten the load of your move both literally and figuratively is to purge before your move.  Decide what items you have that are just dust collectors — items that are not used by you but could be used by someone else.  Next, decide what to do with the items.  There are lots of options including having a garage sale, selling your items online, donating your items, freecycling or recycling.

Once you have decided what to take, make sure that it is packed in an eco-friendly way by re-using packaging materials and boxes.  You can also look into green moving supplies in your community for boxes that are made of recycled materials or packing materials that come from sustainable resources or are recyclable.

The Movers.com website has many articles suggesting a variety of ways to make your move fit into your planet friendly ways.  I absolutely love that the site has taken the planet and the needs of it’s customers into account.  I would definitely recommend using this website for anyone wanting to find a moving company to take the hassle out of their move and reduce the damage to the planet while they’re at it!

This site, like most of the CSN store sites, has an easy to use function on the main page’s tool bar called “Go Green”.  All of the eco-friendly options available from that site are shown with the simple click of a button.  That makes it easier for those of us trying to live our lives in an earth friendly way to shop.  I really respect a site that offers their customers easy and clear ways to find exactly what they’re looking for.  There are many green options for you to change your lifestyle with your buying power.

When you click the “Go Green” button and look for laptop messenger bags, you get quite a lot of cool options.  One of my favorites was this recycled sail messenger bag by Ella Vickers.  Her company saves over 20,000 yards of sailcloth every year from landfills and upcycles them into gorgeous bags.  She is inspired by her days of sailing as a first mate on an American Cup winning boat.  Her first bags were made by herself and for herself.  She carried them to the regatta and people around her literally bought them right off of her arms!  Each bag is slightly different depending on the sail it came from.  This gives your bag a sense of individuality and personality that anyone would be happy to pack around.

Another green option available on CSN luggage site is the Tubus bag made by the Krejci company.  The founder began by making bags out of grey industrial felt but then received a bag of old deflated innertubes as a gag gift at Christmas.  This joke gift sparked her creativity and the new line of innertube bags was formed!  This material, much like the sailcloth, proved to be extremely durable and practical.  It also gives the bags an eye catching look.  I love products like this that speak of their previous lives.  It will lead people to ask you about it and open up the door to talk about recycled and repurposed materials.  This is a great way to help deliver the message of changing choices to promote a healthy planet through simply carrying around your messenger bag!

I look forward to another review opportunity with CSN stores in the upcoming days.  Maybe next time I’ll be reviewing eco-friendly toys or eco-friendly cookware.  That’s right, you can buy that through a CSN store too!  Definitely worth checking this company out.

Breastfeeding provides the baby with all kinds of antibodies to babies leading to healthier kids in the long and short term.  Breastfeeding moms also benefit from breastfeeding.  They heal from the birth faster, spend incredibly bonding time with their babies and even have lowered incidents of breast cancer!  Breast feeding is recommended for at least the first 6 months of life as the sole provider of nutrition.  Recently, a research study suggested that huge amounts of money and lives could be saved simply by having more breastfed babies!

The impact on the environment is also huge from breastfeeding.  There are no wasted formula containers, no bottles, bottle liners, plastic nipples, no garbage created, no waste of any kind really unless you count the stinky bums!  The health benefits of breastfeeding also lead to benefits for the planet because less drugs would be used, less resources directed towards ill people, etc. etc.

Okay, now that we have a basic understanding of why breastfeeding is so important, lets get down to the fun stuff of the MoBoleez breast feeding bonnet!  For review, they sent me a gorgeous hat in blue.  It is made of 70% cotton and 30% bamboo which is a great sustainable choice for a fabric.  The hat is incredibly soft and easy to wash.  It can be thrown right into the washing machine and should be laid flat to dry.

I breastfed my daughter for 2 1/2 years.  Unfortunately for me, she never liked to be covered so it made feeding in public places difficult at best and usually completely impossible.  I always found that it was easiest to feed her in a quiet, calm environment with just the two of us.  As lovely as that is, it’s just not always possible.  We went to strollercize classes, playgroups and all different kinds of activities during the time she was nursing.  She would always get too hot and kick off any blanket that I used to shield her from distractions.

Also, although the world is changing so that breastfeeding is now more acceptable, I’ve found it is very slow to change.  More than once I’ve tried to breastfeed inconspicuously in the corner of a coffee shop and gotten a ton of dirty looks and rude comments.  This meant a lot of feedings sitting in hot cars or even worse, bathroom stalls.  Can you imagine if those uptight people were forced to eat their lunch sitting on a toilet?  People really need to lighten up.  It’s just a boob and that is exactly what it is there for!!

This hat would really come in handy with kids like my daughter who preferred not to be covered or who overheated quickly from blankets and covers.  It is an extremely breathable fabric and fits comfortably on a little one’s head.  This hat would also satisfy even the prudish prude out there as it absolutely covers the action.

It does more than that though — it covers it in style!  There’s a range of cute colors and designs such as “The Milky Way” and a Teddy saying “Mmmmm”.  This hat is truly for the yummy mummy quite literally!  The sweetest touch that I saw was that if you peeked on the nursing babe by lifting up the brim, there’s a message going around the edge that says “Hi Mommy!”.  Adorable and it shows a true eye for attention to detail, humor and a love of breastfeeding.

I can’t say enough good things about this hat.  MoBoleez has come up with a truly ingenious product — simple, stylish, practical and fun way to celebrate the bond of breastfeeding!  Their wide selection of hats is available to buy online for only $29USD or $34USD for their couture line.  They also have a special line of small hats sized 0-3 that are available to purchase.  Half of the proceeds of these small hats goes to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation which is definitely a great cause.  These hats would make a great shower gift or coming home gift for any new mom who intends on nursing.  What a different, cute gift idea!

Thanks so much for the great review opportunity.