Kids and Lasagna!

     One of my favorite dishes of ALL TIME is lasagna. Seriously! Love it! Love everything about it. The meaty sauce, the cool sour cream mixture, the noodles and of course, the cheese! Mmmmm. Ok look. Don't judge. I may be vegan but that didn't mean that my tastebuds died in the process. O no! I still remember just how it tasted. So, I went on a quest 2 days ago to recreate a delicious Vegan lasagna. I found a recipe for it in one of my many cookbooks and have made it. It was runny and burnt. The noodles were undercooked and there was no cheese. Yep... You guessed it. Not quite the delictable Italian dish I had my heart set on. So, after that devestating blow, I decided that I could do better. Shocker! If you know me AT ALL, my thinking that I have a better way doesn't rock your world in the slightest.
     I went to the store and bought all the necessities to attempt my Vegan lasagna. With the supplies bought, the next hurddle I had to get over was the time. Where was I going to find the time to give to this venture? For those of you who have never been to camp, it's ALL consuming to everyone involved.
     If I may side track for a moment...I enjoy summer. I love being with staff and I love being with the campers. Each week, a new set of kids comes in and I get attatched just like the week before. I love my job and everything that goes with it. Counselors, Campers to Council Ring, Hoe Down to Girls Night, I look forward to every bit of it. I don't like not being at camp because I feel like I'm missing something. On the other hand, these weeks are difficult for my children. I am, for the most part, a stay at home mom. I work during the year but it's not as time consuming as camp. On Thursday night, my baby girl had a little bit of a break down. She was missing her mom and dad. Realizing that I can not save the world and forsake my own family, I took Thursday morning off to spend with my kids in our home.
     Back to the story... it was the perfect time to attempt my new meal and try it on my kids! Hee Hee! I played outside with my kids, monkey bars, trampoline, watered the flowers, put batteries in the bubble machine and played referee between my 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son. Both, of who, have every bit as strong of wills as their parents... Then it was time to prepare lunch! I got the usual request... PIZZA MOMMY! Trying to find the most gentle way to break the news to them that they could not have pizza but mommy was making something better was another hurddle of the day.
     I put on my apron and stepped in front of my stove. I was resolved to make this a success. If I can make Vegan lasagna, I can stay Vegan forever! Cooked the brown rice noodles, seasoned the veggie meat, added crushed tomatoes to get the right consistancy... Made the cool sour cream mixture and added the Vegan cheese. Layer in a dish and bake... I waited patiently as it started bubbling. Just like REAL lasagna! Go me! So far, so good! I got my kids plates down and put together a salad and carrots, both of which require LARGE amounts of ranch dressing. Pulled the lasagna out of the oven! Sliced it and placed in on all of our plates... Moment of truth...I watched as my unsuspecting children took their first bites! "Thanks for lunch, Mommy". My heart leaped for joy as they cleaned their plates. I wasn't far behind them. It was amazing! I had done it! Vegan Lasagna! It was delicious. I have, since then, had it for almost every meal, breakfast included! Still enjoying it as we speak... or write!
     This is just one more push to my new lifestyle. What is the lesson, you may be asking? Well, glad you asked:

Lesson #1 - My children always come first
Lesson #2 - When you want something bad enough, you can acheive it
Lesson #3 - There is always a way... just give yourself to it.

Resolved!

Shoes in the dishwasher...

    I walked in my house today after closing up another week of camp I was greeted by 5 baskets of laundry from my staff. These boys line up their laundry like ants on my floor waiting patiently for the washer and dryer to become available. I smiled, stepped over them and made my way through the house. Strangely as it may seem, I rather enjoy the look of laundry baskets lining my floor. It means that camp is still here and the staff is still around. I made my way to the shower then the couch and my phone started sounding off. A text that simly read, "naps".  It didnt have a question mark after it but I knew the tone. "Sure", went my reply. 7 minutes later, 3 of my favorite boys in the whole world walked through my door. Suddenly, my living room was full. Just how I like it. We started talking about life and mulling over the wonder that is the female gender when my door opened again and another young man entered our conversation. After adding his laundry basket to the line that was now overflowing into my kitchen, he asked me how to wash shoes and a hat. I told him the dishwasher would be his best option. So, i got up and loaded my dishwasher with 4 pairs of shoes and 1 ball cap.
     As I started the dishwasher cycle washing tennis shoes, I couldn't help but smile. What a fun, full, great life I live.
     I sat back down on the couch and started watching the series that the boys had put in my DVD player. As I began looking at what my Saturday had turned in to, listening to the sound of the washer and dryer working overtime, the veiw of the boys all over my furniture and my floor and the shoes in the dishwasher, I was overcome with a wave a gratitude. These boys enrich my life in a way they will never know and I am extremely aware that these moments are precious because they are fleeting.
     I feel so accomplished and spent at the end of every camp session but with every closing ceremony that we go through, we are one ceremony closer to the end. Soon, I will walk through the door of my house and the laundry room will be quiet and empty and my dishwasher will be loaded with simple dishes. I refuse, however, to dwell on that thought. I choose to embrace the moment. And in this moment, I learned the meaning of the word "gal pal", I also learned that I may be one, I learned that boys can sleep anywhere, on anything, at any time but most importantly, I learned that I love shoes in my dishwasher...