It’s been too long…

Blogging feels like an old shoe but when you actually get to your computer, it kinda feels like this...

Blogging feels like an old shoe but when you actually get to your computer, it kinda feels like this…

No one will ever tell you that blogging is easy…Blogging with kids running around the house and destroying things makes things even more complicated.  Life gets distracting in my world and as a result, this blog has suffered.  It shocks me that the last time I posted was when I was going to Veganmania in Chicago as a guest speaker on vegan parenting.  While I had a lot of fun in Chicago and I would love to come back soon and hopefully do another Veganmania.  Maybe next time I can bring my whole family.  Speaking of whole family…Let me bring you up to speed on my life:

  • Shortly after Veganmania, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Boston at my sister in law’s house.  It was the first time in a few years where I did not host and since it was hosted at my sister in law’s house, of course there was a turkey but luckily all the sides and the desserts were vegan.  I made sure my vegan family had a vegan roast so it wasn’t just a feast of all side dishes.  Both ways, I think my sister in law did a great job in making sure everyone was happy.  However, my husband and I are not exactly fans on sharing a holiday feast with a dead turkey on the table but it did remind us that the majority of vegans we know do celebrate their holidays like this.  I will be coming up with a Thanksgiving themed post that will address so many concerns associated with this holiday.
  • Nearly two months after Boston…Something just didn’t seem right with me.  I couldn’t pin point it but I wasn’t feeling like myself.  Before I jumped to any conclusions or called the doctor I gave myself what I call a “mental checklist”  where I go over the basics like how much water I was drinking during the day, what was I eating, any changes in my life, when was my last period….And that’s when it hit me-I was supposed to have my monthly friend when I was in Boston.  Before I left for our trip, I packed up enough tampons to make someone think I was using it for currency!  But I never touched them.  So long story short, I took a pregnancy test and it was positive.  Then a few days later my OB confirmed that I was pregnant with my third kid.  This was the first time I ever got pregnant without fertility treatment so this was quite a surprise.  Not too long after my pregnancy was confirmed…I was having a rather rough pregnancy and I was sick 24/7 and had constant trips to the hospital.  Luckily, both me and my unborn child were fine…Sadly this is what wiped me out physically and mentally for many months.
  • Knowing baby #3 was on the way, Chuck (my husband…in case it’s been that long!) and I needed a bigger house.  So we checked out the housing market in our area and nothing really suited us as a family.  Finally, we decided to get a house built.  The process was stressful in the beginning but once all the legal and financial stuff was done, the actual building process was rather easy…I’ll admit, I had to make a lot of choices on things I had no idea mattered but in the end, I got a house with a HUGE kitchen and a place where I can blog in peace.  We moved into our home in late July and in the nearly two months we have been living here, it’s been great!!!  Now with having a HUGE kitchen comes a billion ideas.  So my goal is to hopefully start posting some vlogs that will give you some simple and tasty vegan recipe ideas and also give you ideas on how to live a vegan life on a realistic family budget.  Also I will be reviewing more vegan cookbooks as well.
  • During my pregnancy, I was given many offers to write for various vegan publications.  Those had to be put on hold (since I was technically on maternity leave) but are currently being worked on as we speak.  One offer in particular I am very excited about is my guest blogging gig for a local business in my town called The Happy Cook.  They are more than a kitchen essentials store…It’s a paradise for foodies such as myself!  It’s run by a family that is passionate about food and every product they sell they stand behind because they have personally used it and it was worthy of selling in their store.  My first blog post with them should be up soon and you will be the first to know!  Also, for those of you who have followed my blog from the beginning, T.O.F.U. Magazine is coming up with another issue and you guessed it, I am returning as one of their writers so please stay tuned for my next article with them!
  • Another thing that happens during pregnancy are a new set of goals (which I will go into more detail in an upcoming post).  One MAJOR goal was accomplished and it was an idea I had in my head for years.  I wanted to dispel the stereotype that veganism was expensive.  Here I am, a mom of a family that was only getting bigger and I am making it work beautifully.  In fact, I know nonvegans who want to move towards veganism (or just do a Meatless Monday here and there) but have no idea where to start.  So I wanted to create a business that answered all these questions and more.  That is how Vegan Deals was born…
vegandealslogo

Click on the logo to meet “my other baby”

Since the launch of this site in December, Vegan Deals has reached nearly 900 “Likes” and counting on Facebook.  I did have to take a brief hiatus from this site to recover from giving birth.   But basically, Vegan Deals gives you a one stop shop to get vegan coupons, discounts, and our most popular are the free downloadable e-cookbooks and e-books.  I am hoping at some point to make couponing on our site even more easy by having a full page where all you do is click the coupons you want and print them right off our site like the bigger sites do.  I am far from a computer genius so any suggestions are welcome at this point!  But please keep my site on your radar if you like freebies and saving money!!!

  • Nearly two weeks since my family and I moved into our new home, I became a mom for a third time to a beautiful baby girl who we named Hollis…
Hollis is pretty photogenic...Maybe it's because I am a tad biased ;)

Hollis is pretty photogenic…Maybe it’s because I am a tad biased 😉

For those of you who have been following my blog and have known me since I was a mom to only Raegan to eventually be a mom with Camille and now to Hollis, I am sure you are going to ask me if I will be having more kids.  The answer is that Hollis is going to be our last child.  Three kids was always the max for Chuck and I and needless to say, we are sticking by our word 😉  Life is crazy with three kids all under the age of four and I would be lying to you if I said I wasn’t stressed.  But at the end of the day, every day it gets better as I am finding my groove into this new way of living.

This post is already becoming a mile long but there’s a lot on the horizon and now for the first time ever, I FINALLY have established “hours of business” which helps make blogging an easier task.  For those who follow me and blog yourself, I am sure you know that problem all too well!  So please stay tuned and if you have any questions or an idea for an upcoming blog, please let me know in the comments below!

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