The Carty's become hippies: Step 1

In my life, I have not had much success in committing to things that involve willpower.  The low-carb diet, for example, lasted one week and involved so many tears that when I finally caved I could boil an entire pot of pasta without running the tap.  

I have tried, and failed, to give up drinking soda so many times that I can't even count.  Unlike Lauren and Dad who decide things and they happen, I decide things and then they don't.  But it doesn't stop me from trying!  So here's my latest venture.

I am currently in a no-soda period, which is assisted by the fact that I will not let myself buy it at the grocery store and I ran out at home.  No soda to drink = no soda consumed.  Foolproof.  Unfortunately, if I'm not drinking soda, I'm not staying awake past 2 PM unless I have some form of caffeine.  In lieu of intravenously injecting straight chocolate  (which is obviously the most appealing choice) I have been drinking tea.  Lots of tea.  I am drinking about six cups of tea right when I wake up and let me tell you - I HAVE ENERGY.  Energy and some weird zest for life that motivates me to scrub the toilets and sinks but does not extend to making dinner or cleaning the fish tank.

While under the influence of tea, I had an epiphany: we should be vegetarians!  It would be good for the planet!  I would be good for our bodies!  It would be good for the animals!  It would be good for our budget!  

Finn and Declan don't actually eat much meat anyway.  When we have hot dogs, they just eat the buns.  When we have tacos, they have cheese quesadillas.  When we have pot pie, they have biscuits.  When we have turkey sandwiches, they have peanut butter.  I figured at least these two would be on board, so it was just Ryan and Cael I had to convert.

Ryan was instantly on board because he thinks knows I'm amazing and all my ideas are stellar.  Cael was also an enthusiastic convert - so much so that he would not participate in the first part of becoming a vegetarian: eat all the meat in the freezer because we paid for that and it is going to be consumed, damn it.

Finn and Declan, however, are not fans.  It turns out even though they only eat meat once every few weeks, they are very, very attached to that particular meal.  

Finn has declared that he is going to move to a different family that will let him eat chicken nuggets.

Pretty soon it's going to dawn on him that vegetarians don't eat bacon, and there's a good chance he'll show up at one of your houses with a knapsack full of Angry Birds toys and Star Wars tshirts.

Just take him to the nearest McDonalds and you'll have a Finn for life.