My heart aches tonight.

I'm a hiker, a backpacker, a camper, and an outdoors-loving, tree-hugging gal. I've written how influential National Park family vacations can be. And I am fascinated, beyond words and explanation, with bears. Mostly the typical North American (east coast) black bear, but I really do think all bears are interesting.

So obviously, with that in consideration, this story broke my heart.

To make a long story short, a bear mauled three people, killing one, in a campground within Yellowstone National Park about two nights ago. The bear reportedly entered the campground and went on a rampage, entering tents and attacking sleeping campers. It's truly tragic, concerning, and sad in so many ways.

The alleged bear has been captured, and she has two cubs. If her DNA confirms she was the offending bear, she will be killed, and her two cubs' lives will then be in jeopardy due to their witnessing and potential learning of her predatory behavior.

My heart goes out to the families of the deceased, the victims, and the Yellowstone community.

And deep in my heart, I keep hearing an echo of, "Why did this bear do this?" Her behavior is simply not within the realm of "bear." Bears do not typically or really ever hunt humans in the night (though it supposedly has happened once before in the same campground in Yellowstone).

So sorry for the downer of a blog post, but I just had to write about this. As an outdoorsy girl, this story really resonated with me.

And DO NOT take this post as your ticket out of the wilderness-- this is as freak of an occurrence as a shark attack or a plane crash. Do not avoid the woods because of one random bear.

Yummi Bears Organics Review & Giveaway (Closes 4/9)

Take.your.vitamins.

Never was that so impressed to me as when I got pregnant with Gabe. Nutrition matters. And whether your bean is in the womb or on the soccer field, it's a huge responsibility making sure he or she is getting all the nutrients needed to grow up healthy and strong.

So, you look into vitamins, and most of the vits for the kiddies are full of high fructose corn syrup. For the mommies who remain unconvinced by the commercials claiming hfcs "is just like sugar," for the mommies who want their children to eat organic, non-GMO foods, and for the mommies who have little ones with nut allergies, celiac-disease, or other common intolerances, Yummi Bears Organics are a great nutritional option.

Because they are deceivingly delicious. I sampled the Multivitamin, Immunity Shield, and Bone Builder varieties. My husband tried them, a handful of my little cousins tried them, and so did many other grown-up family members. The taste test results were truly positive.

My husband and I could tell immediately which fruit was used to flavor which vitamins. How often does something apple or strawberry-flavored truly taste like apples or strawberries?

When my reluctant-to-try-new-foods 5-year-old cousin (who has celiac disease) was handed a Yummi Bears Organics, my aunt said, "It's like a gummy bear." The response after trying? "Mom, this IS a gummy bear." Duh, Mom, right? Well, these bears aren't of the candy variety, cuz. But the joke is not on my cousin, because Yummi Bears Organics are doing much more for her budding body than candy.

I'm not advocating this, but I love that you could tell your kids they're "allowed" to have three or six bears (serving depends on the variety) as a treat, and they'd be getting vitamins without ever knowing the difference.

They've got lots of nutrients, but not so much of the fake stuff. Their flavoring and coloring are from vegetable juices, such as black carrots, rather than dyes like Red No. 5. They're also pectin-based rather than gelatin, making them vegetarian-friendly. And when it comes to Genetically-Modified Ingredients, they're made with tapioca syrup-- escaping any suspicion of iffy so-called non-GMO corn syrups.

Did everybody like them? Nope. I have to be honest! My 8-year-old not-so-sweet-toothed cousin was not a fan. "They're too sweet," he remarked. So, if you've got a kid who would rather eat the apples and loads o' spinach to get their vitamins, stick with the produce.

And that sweet sweetness is the only real complaint I have about Yummi Bears Organics and every other gummi vitamin out there-- When the first ingredient is listed as something sugar-related (in YBO case, organic evaporated cane juice), as a parent, you think, what am I really feeding my kid here?

But when you look at the overall nutrition, the sugar doesn't seem too frightening when you consider the nutritional gains. Out of 3 Multivitamins, you're getting 4 g sugar and 20 calories, but you're also getting 100% or more daily value of Vitamin A, B6, B12, and Folic Acid, as well as 50% or more daily value of Vitamins C and D3. The Multivitamin is not a good source of Calcium or Iron, but that's why Yummi Bears offers a plethora of vitamin types. Many of them are safe to mix and match.

So, overall?
Organic, non-GMO, non-allergen vitamins with authentic fruit flavor. As an all-about-natural Mommy, I'd definitely give these a shot if I were you.

You can give them a try!
Win Yummi Bears Organics on A Mom Writing!

The Mandatory Entry

Visit Yummi Bears Organics and look at the vitamin varieties.
Comment: Which one would you like your little one(s) to try?

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Questions?
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