Random Tid Bits

A blogger named Mandy on the blog: With Love nominated me with one of those awards that travels around from blogger to blogger. It's been awhile, since I've participated in anything like this. I get nominated for things on facebook, and I have to be honest - I usually ignore them. I really only ignore them because I don't feel like anyone else wants to read it. But you want to read it, right? :)

Another reason why I usually don't post awards like this is because I'm not usually a rule person. That's kind of the reason I stopped doing a Sing Song Saturday Post. I kept getting nailed for not following rules, when I was invited to play along. Sorry, not sorry on that one. I am honored, and I will be a rule person this time around.

Rule 1: Put the award logo/image on your blog. Did it!

Rule 2: List the rules. Doing it!

Rule 3: Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog. Thank you Mandy. 

Rule 4: Mention the creator, Okoto Enigma, of the award and provide a link as well.  Did it!

Rule 5: Tell your readers three things about yourself:

1. I'm a paper pack rat. I hate going through papers! Instead they are everywhere. This is not something I'm proud of. I really need to go through papers before I have surgery. BLAH!


2. We only throw out 1 or 2 trash bags a week. For a family of four I think that's pretty good. We recycle, have an on going compost pile, and reuse many things. 


3. I honestly don't care about somethings: Like if you say soda, pop, or soda pop. Just don't refer to everything as "Coke". It would be one thing if Coke was the only main brand of soda, but it's not. I guess one could argue that because Puffs and Kleenex both rule the tissue world. People say, "Hand me a tissue.", or "Hand me a Kleenex.", but they don't say, "Hand me a Puffs." I grew up with flavored carbonated sugary drinks as being called, "Pop", but my Grandpa called it, "Soda Pop" and in grad school most people referred to it as, "Soda".
   
   I also don't care if toilet paper goes under or over. I try and put it so it goes over, but life is too short to get in a panty bunch about something so small. I think I'm like that with many things. 

Rule 6: You have to nominate 10 to 20 people - No you don't have to participate. These are just blogs I visit on a regular basis. If anything it just will get the word out about your blog:

1. Noelle from 'Jumpin Beans' Go Georgia peaches! She took my girl name Savannah. I love it! It's her girl's name now. She always liked it too, so she didn't really take it.


2. Theresa from Theresa's Mixed Nuts Such wonderful recipes and pretty girls! 


3. Rosey from Mail 4 Rosey Florida life! Oh what I'd do to live by a beach in the summer time.


4. Lisa at Two Bears Farm Farm life! I love posts about her boys. They are so creative.


5. Mitch from Gay NYC Dad Wonderful Giveaways! I love to read men's blogs. There's not enough men bloggers.


6. Indah My Purple World I love her photos: The colors, perspective and more. Plus she gets to go a lot of places. I like her different food recipes.


7. I'm missing Robin from Masshole Mommy Go Massachusetts! I love posts about her boys too!


8. I'm really missing Terry from Journey With Candida Blog She even took herself off facebook. If I stop blogging. I promise to at least say goodbye. I feel like I lost a friend. Yes you guys are friends to me. Anyhow she commented on my blog a lot at one point in time. I loved reading about healthy tips!


9. Liz from Eat Move Make Great travel tips! I always get hungry after going to her blog. 


10. Felicia from Go Grow Go The first blog I started reading on a regular basis. She has 2 adorable boys as well.


11. Terra from Heck of a Bunch She shares my sister's name. They even spell it the same. How fun!


12. Kristi from Moms Own Words Go Massachusetts! I enjoy that her boys are into acting, and band.


13. Harry from Self Sufficient Mountain Living I love that we can comment on each other's blogs even though we are different. I'm not a republican - I don't know that I'm any party, I'm not a gun enthusiast, I've never had anyone in my life that's been in the service except for my Grandpa, and I'd never choose to live in solitude. I firmly believe that we have to learn to live through our differences. Even some family members are very different from me. If we were cookie cutter people, life would be boring. 

Rule 7: Notify them. Kind of did that above.

Rule 8: Ask your nominee any five questions of your choice, one weird or funny questions:

1. What is something creative you did as a child?


2. What is one of your biggest mistakes that you've learned from?


3. Have you ever broken a bone? If so how?        


4. Have you had any fall outs with friendships? Do you wish you still were friends?        


5. Are you a morning person, or a night person?

Rule 9: Add a link to my best post. This is hard. I've been writing, since Isaak was born. Maybe this post: How Did the World Begin

Rule 10: Answer the questions your nominator gave you:

1. What is your favorite breakfast (food + drink)? Baked Chocolate Doughnuts, Steamed Kale, Eggs: With ham, onion, garlic, green onions, and nutritional yeast, a Smoothie: With spinach, frozen bananas, fresh mint leaves, unsweetened almond milk, and ice, and eggs. Can you tell I like breakfast?





2. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Iceland because art is a huge part of their culture, Bjork's from there, and all the photos I've seen look pretty! It's kind of odd I pick there because I'm not really into being cold.


3. What is the weirdest thing you have seen in someone else’s home? We accidentally went into someone else's home. We were supposed to go in a small house/cabin, and thought someone's house was were we were supposed to be. The clue it wasn't were we were supposed to go was the bra on the steps! Yep I didn't see that until Travis went to the bathroom, and the boys were running everywhere. Later Travis realized he left his maps inside that house when he went to the bathroom. He had to re-trespass to get his maps. I felt like we were in an episode of 48 Hours. It was really pretty there though - minus the bra on the steps!






4. If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends and family assume you had done? Trespass, or theft. There was an old house by Kansas City Art Institute that I trespassed in a few times. If it's old and abandoned it's cool! I'm an artist, so if I take something it's because I think someone is throwing it out. I could see me getting busted for that.


5. Is cereal a soup? / Is Boston cream … a pie or a cake? Cereal is not soup. Boston Cream is a Pie. 

Mr. Elbow

Mica is a wonderful child. He gets good grades in school, does things the third time you tell him, and smiles a lot.

He has a few set backs. He forgets things easily, makes a ton of sound effects, and sticks his elbow out a lot.

I sit next to him at the table, and Mica does this elbow stretch all the time. Jab Jab! 

The boy has never been aware of his size. My Mom refers to him as a Pitbull that thinks he's a small little dog. 

I remember when I was pregnant with Mica my coworker that has 7 kids said, "One thing about boys is that they don't like to cuddle like girls do." He may have been right in referring to his own kids, but not mine. 

Are you a cuddle person, or not?

WW: @OmahaLibrary Volunteer {Linky}

Mica's moving up in the world! I asked him if he'd like to be a Youth Volunteer at the library? He said, "Yes!" right away. It is after one of his favorite places to go. The boy loves to read.

I made him fill out his own application. We covered things like why there are 3 lines for an address (if someone has an apartment number), what his skills are and his experience. Luckily he's been on Student Council at school, in the gifted program, and goes to a camp called Banister's Leadership Academy. We had some things to work with.

The library said that he can help out this summer, but not during the school year until he's 13. The boy doesn't turn 12 until August 10. I to would like him to focus on his new middle school experiences and studies during the school year also.

He works volunteers at the library for 2 hours on Sundays. I love it because it gives him more experience, keeps him busy, lets him do something to help our community, and I get one on one time with Isaak.

Isaak and I made some String Art, while Mica was off to volunteer:

Mica was off to volunteer at the library. I think Mica was slightly nervous at first. At least that's how I read the crossed arms.

When I went to pick him up 2 hours later he was still busy volunteering away.

He said, "Mom I have got to tell you about this when I'm done."

He told me that his first experience was ripping books that they couldn't sell apart to be thrown away. "Can you believe they throw books away at the library?" He said. Then he had to shelve books. He said it was easy to do, but that he didn't realize certain letters moved over to the next shelf system.

He must have enjoyed it because he asked to call my parents Grandma and Grandpa to tell them about his whole experience.

I'm so thankful that the library is letting him volunteer. When it comes time for Mica to get a job he'll actually have experience to put down on that application.

What was your first job, or volunteer experience? 

Nutra Kids Multivitamin Gummy Review

Ever since the boys were able to chew, I've made sure they have a daily vitamin. Both boys have allergies. They don't have them nearly as bad as me - thankfully! Because of allergies I think it's important to make sure they have a daily vitamin to keep their systems strong.

Recently I got Nutra Kids Multivitamin for Isaak to review: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GGGUF7O

About Nutra Kids Multivitamin:

• The best thing in my opinion is that it's sugar free. Many vitamins on the market are full of sugar. 

• They are gluten free. Gluten turns into sugar inside your body, so this is a perk as well!

• They are USDA Organic. It's important that companies have gone through the step to be USDA Organic. Anyone can put Organic on a bottle, when it's really not. 

• They are vegan. I'm not vegan, but I have a sister that is. If your needs fit with that, it's certainly a perk to some! They are pectin based, and gelatin free.

• They are certified GMP. I had to look up what that means. GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practice. The importance is that they keep all bottles the same quality, so that they spend just as long on the 200th bottle as they did on the 2nd. 

• They are K Parve, which is Kosher.

• Favor: Pineapple, Orange and Strawberry.

• Cost: $12.99, but on sale for $5.99! It is on Prime. There are 60 gummies in a bottle. In the long run it's better for your kids, and cheaper than most multivitamins that you get in the store!

Are Vitamins Necessary?

I've read a lot about if daily vitamins are necessary to take if you eat a balanced diet. I think if they are full of sugar, than they are not worth taking. 

Nutra doesn't put crappy ingredients in their products. They certainly do not hurt to take. 

I think it's important to have a multivitamin when kids are growing. Vitamins help boost kid's immune systems. It's especially important to boost an immune system if sickness is going around, or if you're like my family that has allergy sufferers. Some kids are picky eaters; vitamins may give them what they may be lacking in their diet. While I do have kids with allergies, I don't have picky eaters thankfully.

Gummies or No Gummies

We're trying to do away with most chewy things. Isaak has a space maintainer in the bottom of his mouth where he was told no chewy things. These are not super chewy like Gummy Bears would be. That's a total perk in my mind. I don't need a piece of vitamin to get caught between Isaak's teeth, or space maintainer. I also don't mind vitamins that can be swallowed or the old school kind that can be chewed, and are not gummy at all. Not all kids can swallow vitamins, so I wouldn't expect a company to make a swallow kind for kids.

When to Make the Transition From a Kid Vitamin to an Adult Vitamin

I often do my own research when it comes to child development. On most kid vitamin bottles it doesn't say what age it goes to. Recently I was looking at Mica and said, "I think it may be time that you start taking an adult vitamin." He weighs 90 pounds, is almost 12, and is getting super tall. Just to make sure this transition was ok I emailed his pediatrician to ask. Sure enough he thought that it is a perfect time for Mica to make the transition from children's vitamins to adult ones. I did see on one website that when kids start hitting puberty they can switch from children's vitamins to adult ones. He's growing up!

Isaak on the other hand still takes a children's vitamin. Nutra Kids Multivitiamin is great for him!

What about you - What vitamins do you take? As for me I take a daily adult vitamin, Acai Flower to lower my cholesterol, vitamin D  only for dark days that never seem to end, and allergy meds right now.

Disclaimer: I received Nutra Kids Multivitamin Gummy in return for writing this post. The store certainly inspired me to write this post. I only review things that I think my family or readers will enjoy, or find useful.