Week in Review and Giveaway Winner...

Thank you all for participating in the supplement poll. It was interesting to hear your comments as well as see what everyone does or does not take. I hope I did not imply that everyone should be taking some kind of supplement because that certainly is not the case.

The American Medical Association recommends all adults take a plain multivitamin. And multiple sources state all women of childbearing age should be taking at least 400 mcg of folic acid a day. Actually, women of childbearing age would benefit just from taking a prenatal vitamin with extra iron - since this age is also a risk group for iron deficiency anemia. Although, sometimes these are tough to stomach - best with a large meal.

Ideally, we should be getting all the nutrients we need from our foods but that is actually a pretty hard thing to do. Often nutrients are cooked out of our foods. And some people simply do not consume enough calories to do so. Or, if you're like me, and live in a higher latitude area (northern states/countries) then between November and February you are not exposed to enough sunlight for the body to produce sufficient vitamin D. And I don't drink milk which is fortified with vitamin D.

Bottom line, review your diet, take inventory to see if you're meeting your nutritional needs, then supplement if necessary. Mega-doses of vitamins have not shown enough efficacy for the CDC or US Preventive Task Force or the National Institutes of Health to recommend their use. In fact, too much can actually cause harm. Some supplements have risks of bleeding or liver toxicity or can interact with drugs. Talk with your health care provider before starting any kind of supplement to ensure safety. Remember - more is not always better - it's just more.

All in all, the presentation was a success and I am just waiting for my grade.

Thank you to our giveaway winner "Misha's Mom". She is a pharmacist and here's what she had to say about her supplement use:

Very interesting project! Even back in the school days I was pretty intrigued by vitamins and supplements. I take a prenatal vitamin daily and will continue to do so for these few years (and I take prescription ones during pregnancy). Otherwise, I would just take a regular multivitamin daily, which is something I started doing even before college. I got calcium chews, but I am kinda non-compliant... Vitamin C is only taken to boost my immunity, taken in higher doses when I feel under the weather. As a pharmacist, I must say, I am somewhat anti-herbal, or at least extremely cautious about them. Because of known potential drug-herbal interactions, I don't usually recommend them to patients. Except when benefits out-weight risks, and if they are backed by good efficacy data. Have fun with the project!

Here's what she's receiving:

Lavender spray and glycerin soap - handmade by my cousin.

It is now officially spring break and I've already started a few projects:


More bibs and some pants for the T Rex Princess

I am planning several more pants for T Rex as well as some PJ pants but I am still looking for just the right material for those. I took both kids to the fabric store with me today - quite an adventure - baby in the chest pack and T Rex in the cart - they love looking at each other. I am sure in a couple months T Rex is just going to be cracking that little girl up. She already stares and smiles at him so adoringly.

Oh, look what our neighbors dropped off for the T Rex Princess this past week:

That's just awesome! Thank you Neighbors D & M.

Last, but certainly not least, some photos from a recent visit from Aunt P and Uncle B. They would be T Rex and T Rex Princess' great aunt and uncle. Aunt P is T Rex Dad's mom's sister - make sense? T Rex loves Uncle B's name and says it over and over and over again.

I'll be updating the kids' blogs too (see side bar) if you're interested in what they've been up to. T Rex Princess had her 2 month well check and T Rex has been planting some seeds.

Now back to potty breaks, diapers, projects, spring cleaning, and most importantly - NO SCHOOL!!!!!