Get Sun Certified With Banana Boat {Review & Giveaway}

Summer is officially here! Here in sunny Florida, though, it has felt like summer for a while now. Last week our temperatures were over 100 with the heat index! On days like those, we are so lucky that we have a pool. My kids love to be outside, so our pool gives us the opportunity to get out of the house and still keep cool.

My little fish know, though, that before we do any type of outdoor activity they have to be covered in sunscreen. Rylie and Bryce have very fair skin and would probably burn easily. Thanks to sunscreen products by Banana Boat, we haven't had to find that out yet! Of course the big worry surrounding sun exposure is skin cancer. I want to protect my children in every possible way I can, and protecting their skin from the sun's harmful rays is something that I can easily do.

Did you know that you are supposed to wear sunscreen year round? Yes, that's right! A lot of us only think about sunscreen during the summer months, but you should wear sunscreen every day, even if you are just driving in the car from one indoor place to another. The UVA rays pass through car windows, and hey, you have to get out of the car sometime! Read about more ways to protect yourself by downloading this great Sun 101 Fact Sheet.

This sun season, Banana Boat sun care is setting out to raise $101,000 for The Skin Cancer Foundation by “sun certifying” 101,000 Americans. As part of the brand’s Sun 101 education campaign, Banana Boat is helping to teach Americans about the basics of sun protection.

You can get sun certified on Banana Boat's Facebook Page, by taking a short “Sun Certification” quiz. (You will want to read the fact sheet I mentioned above first.) You will receive a “Sun Certified” badge to display on your own Facebook wall and trigger a $1 donation to support The Skin Cancer Foundation’s sun education initiatives, for a total donation of up to $101,000.

I got Sun Certified and received my badge! Now go get yours and help raise that $101,000!

We have used Banana Boat products for several years now. I remember the first time I looked for a sunscreen for the kids, I think it was the only one I could find that was "tear free", so we gave it a try. We continue to use the Banana Boat family of products today!

Banana Boat has some NEW product options for 2011:

• Tear Free, Sting Free – the #1 line of Tear Free Sunscreens, Banana Boat Kids & Baby, adds a clinically proven “Sting Free” claim to its products.
• SPF 110 UltraMist Sunscreen Continuous Clear Sprays – Continuous Spray sunscreens with SPF 110, the highest protection available in a continuous spray.
• Family Size Sunscreen – 12 oz. Family Size Pump bottle. Available in Banana Boat Sport Performance SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion and Banana Boat Kids Tear Free Sting Free SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion.

We received a bottle of the SPF110 UltraMist Sunscreen and a Family Size bottle of the Tear Free, Sting Free Sunscreen for review. I mentioned that we have been using the Tear Free, Sting Free product for a while now, and we really like it. I do like the sprays better than the lotion, because they are so easy to apply, especially on the little ones that don't like to hold still for much of anything. The coverage is always great, and we never have any problems with missing spots.

The only drawback to the spray bottles is that you will want to use them outside. If you use them inside, the over spray will get on your floors, or any furniture you are near. That is why it is always good to have a bottle of the lotion on hand. I also like to use the lotion when the kids have regular clothes on so I don't get the spray on their clothes.

We are 100% satisfied with the Banana Boat products we have tried. Not only do we use them on the kids, Brian and I use them also, and they protect our skin just as well!

My kids are used to getting sprayed with sunscreen before we go swimming, or participate in any other kind of outdoor activities. They know to hold their arms out and close their eyes. Rylie will even go get the sunscreen before we go outside. She already knows it is part of our routine.

You will always want to reapply sunscreen every two hours or after swimming. After lunch is usually a great time for this!

During the summer months, and all year round, make sure your skin is protected from the sun's harmful rays. Banana Boat has a wide variety of products to fit your skin care needs!

~*~One of my readers is going to win a Banana Boat Prize Pack!~*~

Prize Pack includes canvas tote bag, water bottle, Banana Boat Kids Tear-Free Sting-Free Lotion  SPF 50 - Family Size and Banana Boat Kids UltraMist Sunscreen Continuous Clear Spray SPF 110. ARV $33

Mandatory entry: (This must be done in order for any optional entries to count) Tell me what your favorite summer outdoor activity is.

Optional entries: After you make the mandatory first entry above, you can get one extra entry (unless stated otherwise) for each of the following (please leave a separate comment for each):

* Get "Sun Certified" - Read the Sun 101 tips and let me know something you learned
* Like Banana Boat on Facebook
* Follow @bananaboat_ on Twitter
* Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (sidebar)
* Subscribe to my blog by email and confirm your subscription (sidebar)
* Like The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial in your comment)
* Share this post on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the bottom of this post
* Follow @thelifeofrylie on Twitter (leave your user name)
* Tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting this tweet and leaving me the link to your tweet (you can tweet daily for an extra entry each day):

Get Sun Certified with @bananaboat_! Enter to #win a Banana Boat prize pack from @thelifeofrylie! http://bit.ly/mOvNuJ #giveaway

* Post my button on your sidebar or your blog roll for TWO extra entries (leave me two comments with a link to where I can find it)
* Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post for THREE extra entries (leave a link to your post in three separate comments)

Giveaway will end on July 14th at 9:00pm EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. I will notify the winner by email within 24 hours, and you will have 48 hours to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, I will pick another winner. Please leave your email address or make sure it is in your profile so I will have a way to contact you. I will announce the winner once they have been confirmed. This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received the Banana Boat products mentioned in this review at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. Energizer Personal Care is providing the prize(s) for this promotion at no cost to me. This promotion is not being administered or sponsored in any way by Energizer Personal Care or its affiliates, but solely by The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! Any questions or comments regarding this promotion must be sent to me at The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! and not to Energizer Personal Care.