Vegetarian Pursuits

In my vegetarian lenten pursuits,

(of which, I have fallen off the bandwagon 3x - 2 of which I am going to say that I was sick and was just trying to get any kind of nutrition to stay in my system but I know that it is a pretty lame excuse - and 1 because my friend "forced" me to eat a mini chicken taco that she made for me as a snack and I didn't want to be rude, also a lame excuse)

I have discovered a tasty combination. I roasted vegetables with Wegman's Basting Olive Oil (basically olive oil with herbs) at 400. Roast whatever you like for however long you like in terms of "doneness." I used red onions, asparagus, red bell peppers, carrots, and cauliflower.

Mix with some feta. Serve warm.

That's it! I loved it! The feta was a nice bit of saltiness to balance the sweetness of the bell peppers, carrots, and red onions. I love eating feta because I think it's only 60 calories for 1-2 tbspn of it, which is A LOT. A little Feta goes a really long way flavor wise.

Culture in The Middle of Nowhere, PA

On Sunday March 4, I convinced Brian to go as a family to see the Lincoln University Symphony perform Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham.

It was free and perfect for kids! They did a great job of it and Michael was particularly enthralled, especially compared to his classmate there to the right:
He sat on the edge of his seat and watched the whole thing! I was pretty proud of my little theater-goer.

In my mind, I have huge hopes that he'll come with me happily to see musical performances. But knowing that he is a Besancon, I'm thinking that going to hear the symphony will probably not be his favorite thing to do.

The orchestra did a great job and brought out each group of instruments to the front to demonstrate to the children the high/low pitches of each instrument.

It was like a Baby Mozart, but in real life.

After the show, they had a Musical Instrument Petting Zoo! So all the kids could try out trumpets, touch violins, and bang on drums.

Michael was pretty impressed with the violin. Embrace your Asian Heritage, son:

Then, we waited in a pretty long line for the percussion section.

Here are father and son, playing on stage:
Michael at the instrument that makes a train whistling noise:
Rockin' out on the drum set:
Can't leave the section without swiping the wind chimes:
And if you run out of music stands, just go to the University of Delaware and pick up some extra:

Michael really enjoyed himself, and that was the goal! He told me his favorite instrument was percussion and that he wanted to start violin lessons! DONE AND DONE!

It was a really great show that was free and super close by. I was glad for Michael to experience something that is important to me, music. And he genuinely enjoyed it - which brought warmth to my heart. There will always be a part of me that remembers being on the stage with all those bright lights and playing music. And loving it. And now as a parent, I wonder if Michael will want any part of that.

Last Sunday, Michael told me:

"Mommy! I like church now! I like the kids liturgy that I go to."

Well how about that. And after that, we find him saying part of the Our Father that he picked up on his own. Michael's funny that way - it will seem sometimes that he is not paying attention or doesn't know something - and then one day - he shows you that he's known all along and was just waiting for the right time to show it to the rest of the world.