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508 Friday Blog Roundup

Perhaps I only posted about this on Facebook (because I can’t find a post on my blog mentioning it even though I know some type of social media discussion took place when I first stated it) but many months ago, I was diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency.  As in, my body makes pretty much no vitamin D.  At all.  There was the amount your body needs to produce to be considered abnormal, and I was well, well, well under that number.  So I went on prescription vitamin D and brought up my levels, and then months later, was weaned to a normal, daily vitamin D tablet.

All was well.

Then my brand of vitamin D started adding gelatin to the tablet.

And I do not ingest gelatin.

So I went out trying to find a vegan supplement.  This proved to be (1) harder than I thought and (2) grosser than I thought.  Because along the way, I learned where vitamin D comes from.

I let myself shudder vitamin-D-free for several months until my doctor noticed during a blood test that my vitamin D levels were back down to nil.  So I had to suck it up and find a vegan supplement.

I found one at the local organic market.  It cost more than vitamin D should cost. (Like… $20.  Doesn’t that sound high for a few months of vitamin D?)  But I am back to rickets-free living.  I hope.

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Yes, this is your weekly reminder to back up your blog, social media accounts, and email.

Seriously.  Stop what you’re doing for a moment.  It will take you fifteen minutes, tops.  But you will have peace of mind for days and days.  It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments in order to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

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And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week.  In order to read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

Okay, now my choices this week.

Inconceivable has a post about the true meaning of finding balance.  I love this post because she points out that balance isn’t necessarily a happy space.  It is more existing in the center of You-ness, not so focused on the Joneses or whatever else is out there.  Balance is about bringing it back inward, not having the external forces rocking you like a Weeble Wobble.  It’s a fantastic reminder in a world that is constantly pushing everyone off-center.

Family Building with a Twist has a post saying goodbye to summer.  I am having a hard time with the end of summer, so this was the perfect read for me this week.  This resonated with me so much: “Most of it is due to my worry that we didn’t maximize our time here; you know, sucking the marrow out of our beach week and all that. We didn’t play in the water as much as we would have liked. We didn’t collect as many shells. We didn’t spend as many evenings chatting into the wee hours while the ocean breezes blew.”  Especially knowing there is never a point where you reach “enough” of a good thing.

Lastly, the Road Less Travelled has a two-part, must-read post set on finding peace with the disappointments (or… larger than disappointments… tragedies.  The advice covers a wide range of situations) in life.  One of my goals for the year is to develop some resilience since I would say that is a life skill missing from my tool bag.  The two posts are chock-full of helpful information.  Bookmark them.  Come back to them a hundred times.  (Or however many times you need to commit the advice to heart.)

The roundup to the Roundup: My D3 is gelatin-free.  Your weekly backup nudge.  And lots of great posts to read.  So what did you find this week?  Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between August 15th and August 22nd) and not the blog’s main url. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week?  Read the original open thread post here.

13 comments

1 Katie { 08.22.14 at 7:43 am }

I know it was written last week, but I would like to draw attention to A+ Effort’s post, The lump in my throat (http://apluseffort.com/2014/08/15/the-lump-in-my-throat/). I think it’s one of the most poignant posts I’ve read about transracial adoption in the wake of the Michael Brown shooting.

2 Persnickety { 08.22.14 at 7:47 am }

suddenly really glad i didnt by more vit d when the last bottle ran out. I try to get my vitamin d by spending time in the sun, but have to balance the whole increased skin cancer risk against better vitamin d levels.

3 a { 08.22.14 at 9:24 am }

While I applaud your ability to stick to your principles, my need to not pay$20 for some Vitamin D would far outweigh any cares about where the Vitamin D came from or how it was made. Priorities – they’re different for everyone! (I suspect that my Irish heritage allows the 10 seconds of sun I get most days to adequately kick-start my Vitamin D maker. I am the only one in the family who does not have low or deficient Vitamin D.)

4 Ana { 08.22.14 at 11:19 am }

you reminded me that I haven’t taken my vitamin D in…years. I’m sure it doesn’t expire, right? My levels were also nil last time I checked…3 years ago, while pregnant.

5 Ana { 08.22.14 at 11:22 am }

BTW I just checked and Amazon has a billion versions of vegan vitamin D…not sure the dose you need, but take a look—some are much cheaper than $20 for 30!
Also, there are liquid prescription strength vit D preps available—you can ask your doctor if they can prescribe that for you (not sure it’d be covered by insurance, but worth a try)—shouldn’t have gelatin in those.

6 Geochick { 08.22.14 at 12:12 pm }

I’m afraid to click on the link telling me how they make Vitamin D supplements…I’m a freak of nature anyway and have high levels of D. I took it for a while thinking I needed it, and when I was tested I was in the toxic range. ooops.

Hope you are able to find a vegan supplement a bit cheaper!

7 Jessica { 08.22.14 at 5:37 pm }

I have a severe vitamin D deficiency, too. And it turns out, so do most Americans. We just don’t spend enough time in the sun to absorb it naturally.

8 Queenie { 08.22.14 at 9:49 pm }

Me, too. In fact, that reminds me that I’m supposed to retest. I think my last low level wS from living in dreary Northern Europe, though. Although, I’m not seeing the sun much more right now, since it’s technically winter in this neck of the woods.

I like this post a lot: http://nokiddinginnz.blogspot.com/2014/08/gifts-of-infertility-series-1-we-are.html. It’s about finding the good that sits along next to the awful stuff that happens in life.

9 Aerotropolitan Comitissa { 08.23.14 at 10:23 am }

I didn’t hear about the Vitamin D, no. But yay for treatment! And boo for expensive treatment. But hopefully your levels will return to normal.

10 Amel { 08.23.14 at 2:58 pm }

I second Queenie’s link on Mali’s post: http://nokiddinginnz.blogspot.com/2014/08/gifts-of-infertility-series-1-we-are.html

I can’t wait to read the other posts in the series. 🙂

11 JustHeather { 08.24.14 at 3:08 pm }

Living so far north where our winters are dark dark dark, Vit D is prescribed for all kids (in liquid form). I believe adults should take it too, at least in the winter. I think my multi-vit has some, but I don’t take it specifically. I guess if I started feeling more blue and down during the winter, I would take more of it. I hope you are able to find something that is vegan and not so expensive!

12 Katherine A { 08.24.14 at 9:04 pm }

Thank you so much for including me!

Sorry to hear about the vitamin D – that does sound expensive. Hope you are able to find something that’s both vegan and decent on the wallet.

13 loribeth { 09.01.14 at 7:05 pm }

Belated thanks for the shoutout in the Roundup. 🙂

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