It's official. Winter has arrived and has finally brought a snowfall worthy of shoveling. I look outside my window and smile at how beautiful everything is all covered in the fluffy stuff. But as I smile, I can feel the tightness in my skin. My lips are also starting to feel chapped again, too. Oh, how I dread the "winter itch." Then I remind myself: Have no fear. Green Beaver is here!

The Green Beaver company, a proudly Canadian company, has developed a natural winter skin care line called Green Beaver Après-Ski. These products, naturally rich with shea and cocoa butter, have been formulated to protect and relieve the driest and itchiest skin. They are also enriched with skin soothing colloidal oatmeal and other plant extracts such as aloe.

With all this rain we've been having, I thought we'd never see some sunshine. It seems most days, after I pick up my kids from daycare, we have to rush indoors to avoid getting wet. All the kids want to do is go outside and play with their next-door neighbour. Is it too much to ask for a little sunshine? I mean, we're very well prepared for it. We have a brand new certified organic sunscreen to try out, courtesy of Green Beaver, doncha know?

Ever since we first sampled Green Beaver Jr. bath products as well as their Green Beaver lip shimmers well over a year ago, we have seen more and more of their products on the shelves of the natural food market where do most of our shopping. You can also find them in our cupboards, too. And now you will find them in my purse and travel bag, namely Green Beaver's chemical-free sunscreen for kids. It has recently been approved by Health Canada. And because it's fragrance-free and biodegradable, and comes in a recyclable tube, it will now be my sunscreen of choice. They also have sunscreen for adults with the same SPF 30 as the kids version but I'm not quite sure what the difference is between the two. When I compare the ingredients as listed on their site, the lists are identical. In the end, however, since Green Beaver sunscreen is eco-friendly, safe for kids and proudly Canadian, I hereby declare it the first product to receive the Toronto Teacher Mom Seal of Approval!

When I went out shopping today, I saw the Green Beaver kids lotion in the store window of a new shop that I just love. It's called The 100-Mile Child and it carries mostly Canadian-made and/or local merchandise geared towards kids including eco-friendly toys, organic clothing, and crafts. It's a tiny store but it's jam-packed with lots of neat stuff that you don't see around too often. Located on the Danforth, you can check out their online store Wildminds.ca as well which currently lists the Green Beaver Sunscreen for $21.99. Or, if you plan on heading down to the Danforth this week, the Big Carrot has both the kids and adult lotion on sale for $15.99, which is regularly priced at $19.99, if I can recall correctly.

Update: I just came across Dan Thompson's review on YummyMummyClub.ca and was happy to read his statement that Green Beaver sunscreen is "an excellent formula for the whole family that really delivers excellent protection." Coming from a cosmetic industry specialist such as Dan, it's definitely reassuring to know.

Disclosure: I was sent a sample of the Green Beaver sunscreen for kids to help facilitate this review. The opinions expressed within this post are my own.

Last month, I posted a review on Green Beaver Company. Founded in 2002 by biochemist Karen Clark and husband Alain Ménard, microbiologist, the company currently distributes their products to hundreds of natural health stores all over Canada. The best thing about their products is that they are made with organic Canadian ingredients that are edible, vegan and gluten-free, or ecologically wild-crafted. They do not use artificial, synthetic, chemical or petrol-derived ingredients, nor do they test their products on animals.

You're probably wondering what types of personal care products Green Beaver carries. It would be easier to name what they don't carry. They seem to be inventing chemical-free and biodegradable formulas even as I'm typing. From EcoCert-certified organic foaming hand soap to their luscious lip shimmers, you name it, they got it. They have something for the whole family and have recently added Green Beaver Jr. for Kids.

And I, er... I mean... my kids had the wonderful pleasure of testing their first ever foaming hand soap, along with a foaming body wash and bubble bath. First off, let me say that the packaging is a real hit. The colours are fun and bright, and the bucktooth beaver on the label is cute, too. The bottles are even molded to give a better grip when using them in the bath or shower. As soon as the package arrived, my 4-year-old daughter couldn't wait to try out these products. Having her own personal and coordinated bath products instantly made her feel so proud and so grown-up and her mother slightly jealous. It comes in a Boreal Berries scent which my kids love, especially my son who could devour a bowl of berries faster than you can say, "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." If Mary Poppins were to rate Green Beaver Jr. products, she might say that they're (insert Julie Andrew accent here) practically perfect in every way. However, she'd probably challenge the makers to come up with a formula that changes scent with each pump. Heck, if they could make a bottle of cough syrup that changes in colour and in flavour back in the 60's, I'm sure they can figure something out in our current millennium.

In any case, Green Beaver Jr. has successfully made hand-washing and bathing that much more fun in our household and for that I'm grateful. I'm especially grateful that their products are biodegradable, vegan, and gluten-free, are made in Canada and that roughly 99% of the ingredients are of natural origin. It just makes me feel better should my kids decide to sample a drink of their bathwater while I'm not looking.

Keep reading for information on the giveaway.

Calling all Canadians!

Do you like pure, natural and organic products?

Do you prefer to support local farmers?

Does eco-friendly packaging effect your choice of products?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, then you've come to the right place. My friends, I have recently had the pleasure of sampling two great products from the Green Beaver Company: the Winter Body Lotion from their Après-Ski line and one of their newest products, their delicious Lip Shimmer.

Here's a little tidbit of information about the company:

Now on to the product review.

The Winter Body Lotion is great. On the Green Beaver website, it states that their winter skin care products are:

.formulated to protect and relieve the driest, roughest and itchiest skin. The products are naturally rich with shea and cocoa butter for maximum hydration. Après-Ski products are enriched with skin soothing colloidal oatmeal and other nourishing plant extracts such as aloe.

After a few minutes of applying some lotion on my terribly dry hands, I noticed they felt silky smooth and that the cracked skin on my knuckles felt soothed. I could also smell a nice medley of thyme, oregano and rosemary which kind of sent me into an herbal zen-like state. Don't laugh. It's true! It's like when I walk into natural or organic health stores. That's what the smell reminds me of. It makes me feel like sitting in the Lotus position, listen to a babbling brook, practice yoga breathing and focus on my Brow Chakra.

The new Green Beaver Lip Shimmer is absolutely fabulous. If you want soft, sumptuous lips, you will delight in knowing that they have added Canadian-grown carrot and cranberry seed extracts. Other fantastic ingredients include vitamin E and carotenoids which help provide long-lasting moisturization. I love it! These tasty shimmers are available in the following colours:

What are some of the additional benefits of using these products?

Just an FYI: not only do they have a couple of baby products on the market, I have also been informed that they will be coming out with a kids' line this summer. Yay!