I have had a lot of people asking me how the vegan “thing” is going, so I thought it was time for an update. I started this animal-free journey back in February at the suggestion of my doctor and a friend of mine named, High Cholesterol. I have not had any animal products since Valentine’s Day when we went out for seafood!

Well, that’s not exactly true.

I did have some egg whites on Mother’s Day when my kids made my breakfast, and there was a nibble of beef at that Mexican restaurant when my husband said, “Just take one bite” which I did, and then he said, “Don’t you think it tastes funny?”

But, other than that, unless I mistakenly ate something of which I was not aware (I’m talking to you, Ambien), I haven’t strayed. Why? Because my doctor said so, and you know what? My doctor was right.

In three months, my cholesterol dropped close to 170 points. For you people who are young enough to not understand that, I will just say that’s like, totally, a lot.

That covers the question I get most often; which is, “Is it working?” Yes. Yes, it is.

The next most frequent question is, “What the heck do you eat?” It may surprise you, but you can actually eat a lot. If it comes from the ground, it’s fair game (so to speak).

Of course, while you’re eating, some people will tell you that you are crazy and that what you’re doing isn’t normal, but I suppose that’s based on perception. It has NEVER been normal to me that we drink breastmilk from an animal and said breastmilk was designed for the health and growth OF A CALF. So, vegan isn’t abnormal in my mind. Just sayin’. Man, I love italics.

Without further ado, here is a peek into the mysterious diet of a vegan:

Breakfast: Cereal w/ soy, almond or coconut milk, oatmeal, fresh fruit, or (GASP!) pancakes or waffles that are made vegan-style with REAL maple syrup. YUM.

Lunch: Tortilla with brown-rice and beans, salad loaded with veggies, or (GASP!) a PB&J. Yes, I said it. If I really, really want to, I can even stuff it with potato chips like I did when I was a kid. On the go? A banana or Larabar (buy these for your kids instead of granola bars, the kind I get have four ingredients; cashews, dates, chocolate chips and sea salt) (Hint: Target sells ’em cheap.)

Dinner: I am downright addicted to these noodles (I make them with whole-wheat spaghetti, throw in onions and mushrooms and then steak for my husband…yes, steak…I’m not anti-meat, my blood is), baked potato or sweet potato, my neighbor’s fabulous pot-pie, pizza with whole-wheat crust, lots of sauce, covered with artichokes, mushrooms, olives and peppers (just no cheese), stir-fry with brown rice, veggies and bean curd, or spaghetti with tomato sauce. I also have an amazing recipe for chili-mac that tastes just like chili. JUST LIKE CHILI, I SAID.

Dessert: My daughter makes amazing vegan pumpkin bread, and I can eat fresh fruit or sorbetto (in which I like to toss a handful of dairy-free chocolate chips). And, there may or may not be a vegan bakery down the street from me that makes chocolate chip cookies that are DEE-LIGHT-FUL. Also, OREOs. They are vegan. Yes, they are.

Also, and this is a big deal, I can still drink beer and eat peanuts. Take that, Major League Baseball.

Overall, I am less tired and bloated and my heart is a lot less angry with me. I have heard that vegans lose weight, but before you go expecting it of me, please see that beer and peanuts thing. I have lost 13 pounds, but this is not nearly enough. *steps away from the hummus*

So, there you have it. Changing my diet hasn’t been a big deal and it has resulted in excellent health benefits. Have I wanted a cheeseburger? Yes, but only for a minute.

And, if veggie burgers were readily available at Wendy’s I wouldn’t have craved one at all.

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Just over 14 years ago, we purchased a house that needed some TLC. Or, we can call it what it really was; a complete tear-down and rebuild. Same difference. We replaced water lines, plumbing, wiring, windows, walls, the roof (twice), put in a new patio, put up a fence and refinished floors. At the end of the process we had a brand new kitchen, three new bathrooms and a mountain of debt.

Then I had a 2 lb. 9 oz. baby and quit my job. Our timing? It’s impeccable.

We didn’t use top-of-the line products as we went through our renovation, so things are starting to fall apart around here. As time, dogs and children have torn things down, we’ve had to put them back up as best we can. Buying new is out of the question and if any work has to be done, it must be done by us.

Therein lies the problem. I don’t have the time and my husband doesn’t have the desire. May I remind you of his microwave repair?

I recently attempted the tear-out and replacement of the caulk in my shower. I thought I did a pretty good job, but a few weeks later, it started to peel away. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon tearing it out again.

And, I feel that in the interest of self-disclosure I should show you that my husband isn’t the only one who takes short-cuts.

Because until I have the time to do this job right, it’s duct tape and trash bags for us.

Who knows, it may catch on?

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I get emails on a daily basis from people who want to start blogging and who are looking for tips and advice. I want to tell them that I stumbled into this profession and that it’s all been dumb luck, but I suspect they’re looking for something more concrete.

If you want to blog for a hobby, or just have a place to journal, then you can move along. Nothing to see here. Go on! Git!

For the rest of you, who want to join the ranks of the 181 million blogs worldwide (NielsenWire, March 2012) and make money doing it, then read these pros and cons. There is no advice here, just the cold, hard facts of what you’ll face when you get started. Okay, they’re really just opinions. But, they’re my opinions and that makes them facts in my mind.

Con: If you want to be a successful blogger, you have to be involved in all aspects of social media to promote your content: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.

Pro: Social media is where you will find an amazing community of like-minded people. They read your posts, comment, give you affirmation, and commiserate with you. Sometimes, they even make you laugh.

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Con: It takes a lot of time to be a professional blogger. See this graph from Technorati? It doesn’t lie.

Pro: If you can put full-time hours into blogging, you would be hard-pressed to NOT make money from it (unless your content is awful, and in that case I got nothin’). And, if you can make money from blogging, there is no better job in the world. Last week, I got paid to take my family to an amusement park. Today, I’m working on a review for Michelob. Also, I’m wearing yoga pants.

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Con: You work from home. Sure everyone thinks working from home is fantastic, but just for a moment, picture yourself working on spreadsheets, or trying to do your taxes, with two kids fighting, playing loudly, the dog barking, people coming to the door selling candy bars (okay, that’s not so bad) and being surrounded by the mess that you can never get completely cleaned up. Not to mention, that most nights I find myself working until very late into the evening. It’s not uncommon for me to still be plugging away at 11:00pm. My husband loves that.

Pro: Yoga pants.

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Con: People don’t take your profession seriously.

Pro: If you’re a blogger, then you’re a writer. Call yourself that and people are immediately impressed. It also helps if you wear blazers with suede elbow patches, just not with your yoga pants.

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Con: You have to know how to use blogging software or pay someone who does.

Pro: You can teach yourself. I am 100% self-taught. I can’t embed videos, but I’ve only been blogging for five years. Give me time. For the stuff that was over my head, I waited until I had earned money and hired a designer. See that tree in my header? If left to my own devices, it would look like this:

Don’t be intimidated by my skills.

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Con: People think it’s easy. It’s not easy. You get writer’s block, you get a ton of emails, you have all of the ups and downs that go with self-employment, your spouse won’t understand WHAT THE HECK YOU’RE DOING ONLINE ALL THE TIME, you have to write proposals, create presentations and self-promote, self-promote, self-promote.

Pro: All the hard work is TOTALLY  worth it.

Blogging has changed my life, introduced me to brilliant, successful, hilarious people and been the catalyst for a whole new career.

Really, need I say more?

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I spent a little bit of time tidying up our yard this weekend. This mostly involved spending money that we don’t have on a new patio umbrella and hanging baskets to dot the flowerbeds.

In my defense, when we purchased our last umbrella I think we were drunk, because it’s mesh. Mesh. You may not know this, but mesh doesn’t do a good job of blocking out the sun. Now you know. You’re welcome.

My husband also spent some time putting up his new golf net. Though we live in the city and don’t have a huge yard, our former neighbor had a simple, pop-up, golf net that he was able to use in the small spot of grass behind his house. This is what I was expecting.

Instead, I looked out the window to see my husband and the kids with poles and banners and realized this wasn’t anything simple.

Or, little.

At least it partially hides the unpainted fence.

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