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!