He's a big boy now :')

Twice now, Ronan has done his #2 on the big potty! The things that seem to be working best for him are definitely underwear versus training pants, keeping a potty nearby, and not nagging him about it. Sure, he still has accidents, and we just started nighttime training two nights ago. But he's come a long way, and he's pretty proud :)

Do I have what it takes?

No, this isn't about one of a mom's big questions. This blog is "competing" in Circle of Moms Top 25 Single Mom Blogs contest :) Please click on the pink sticker ---> on the right sidebar and vote for "It Doesn't Get Better Than This," currently holding strong at #22. There are only five voting days left, so trying to keep a leg up. Here's what happens if I get in the top 25:

From Circle of Moms:
"We give our six million moms direct access to Top 25 program participants. The Top 25 winners of each list are featured on The RoundUp, Circle of Mom’s editorial channel. The feature includes a short interview, favorite posts, and a photo of each Top 25 winner. The Top 25 winners also receive a badge for their blog that links to their interview on Circle of Moms. Top 25 participants may also be invited to participate in Circle of Moms’ expert Q&A and The RoundUp editorial platform."

Thanks for your support!

And yes...

That's a VEGAN cupcake in my new title photo at my son's 3rd bday party. They were a hit ;) Recipes from Collen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking and can also be found on my other blog, Being Vegan.

Transitioning a toddler...

I tried to publish this via email two days ago, but it got lost in cyber-space...

Did I talk about this already? I became vegan at the end of 2011, for a number of reasons: cruelty to factory-farmed animals, my health, to lose weight. As I became certain this was someone I was going to be able to commit to, I started trying vegan foods on Ronan. I never really considered him a picky eater until I was trying to substitute his favorite foods.

First came the chicken nuggets. I got a high recommendation for Gardein tenders, and bought a couple bags. I thought they were fantastic! Ronan, however, was not fooled. For two weeks (not every night, I'm not that crazy) I tried getting him to warm up but he was having none of it. Begrudged, I bought more Tyson chicken nuggets and pondered some more.

Second came the hot dogs. Ew! At least I was buying all beef franks before, and not a mixture of, well, whatever. But he wasn't fooled by Smart Dogs or Tofurkey franks either. I couldn't even get him to try more than one bite of cheez.

Then, I found vegetarian chik'n nuggets by MorningStar Farms. Why not? And...he likes them, whew! Next, a tofu scramble...victory! Homemade macaroni and cheez? Well, the noodles were a little al dente so I can't blame him for not having more than a few bites. But he did say it was good.

Why is it so important that my son is vegan, as well? Well, learning what I've learned about the way animals we consume are used and abused sends shivers down my spine...and then I've read up on the health benefits of vegetarians/vegans versus non. What better gift can I give than a life of compassion and understanding and a healthy start from here on? It took me 31 years to get it right...