Snow is the word of the day around here. A lot of it. School has been cancelled, the pantry has been stocked and I am thinking hot chocolate. A lot of it. I imagine there will be plenty of movie watching, pj wearing and all around hibernating going on as well. Oh, and Minecraft too, it’s the latest boy obsession.
Today, I am over at ‘The Creative Mama’ sharing a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate. It’s the latest addition to my growing list of warming winter drinks. Enjoy!
At the slightest hint of cold weather my children start asking for hot chocolate. This is a bit ironic, given the fact that they don’t love to wear winter coats, hats or mittens. In all honestly, if it’s above 40 degrees they think it’s okay for shorts. Crazy boys. All that said, they do love their hot chocolate. I do too. Once the cold hits I’m chilled to my bones until the spring thaw, so I often have a mug of something warm close by.
While traditional hot chocolate is lovely, it’s fun to change it up every now and then. Last week, while stocking up on tea, I came across a box of Chocolate Chai. My first thought? Genius! The creamy flavor of chocolate and the spice of chai, it seemed the perfect match. Because I love the challenge of making things on my own, upon returning home I quickly headed to the kitchen, to try my hand at creating a homemade version. A few batches later, I had a family approved chocolate/chai inspired drink.
We even took a thermos with us on our Sunday morning hike. After a cool morning of crunching leaves, collecting acorns and walking sticks it felt good to share a cup of something warm.
It’s a funny thing about siblings. One minute they can be fighting like cats and dogs, the next, the best of friends. My boys were apart for a few days this week. The oldest and youngest went to visit grandparents, leaving the middle boy with me. I thought he would love his turn at being an only child, but the truth is, he was pretty lost without his brothers. Eventually he settled in to a rhythm of his own, even mentioned that it was nice playing legos without interruption. But I could tell by the frequency that he brought up the subject of his siblings, he was really missing them.
Yesterday morning, they were reunited and once again, all was right in my middle child’s world. We have often told him that being the second boy out of three is the best spot in the family. He gets to be both a big brother AND a little brother. Watching him with them yesterday he was soaking up every bit of being in the middle. Occasional squabble and all.
As the afternoon crept in, I put my youngest down for a nap and sent the other two outside with a quilt for some reading time, with promises of their favorite lemonade. I could tell from the sound of the giggles floating through the windows there wasn’t much reading going on.
Strawberry Lemonade
adapted from Sunset’s, The One Block Feast
2 pints strawberries, hulled
3/4 cup honey
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (5-6 lemons)
4 cups water
ice cubes for serving
In a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries and honey. Pour the strawberry puree into a pitcher. Stir in lemon juice and water. Serve over ice.
I’m over on ‘The Creative Mama’ today sharing how we like to top our hot cocoa…frozen whipped cream dollops. Did I have you at whipped cream? Yea, I thought so….
I also want to share a couple of great links from my fellow Creative Mamas…
Hayley Morgan has written this fantastic e-book, ‘The No-Brainer Wardrobe’, she’ll help you to make the most of your wardrobe and find affordable must-haves to pull it all together. She’s got me looking at my closet in a whole new way! Seriously, it’s the best $7.99 you can spend friends!
And from Erin Cobb, ‘Clean Color’, here you will find a video where Erin shares her workflow as she edits her gorgeous images in Photoshop. Be sure to check out the free intro video!
Enjoy your Wednesday!
Alison
One of the things on our summer lists this year was to have a lemonade stand. My 3 small entrepreneurs thought this would be a great way to make a little money (little being the key word) and sip on their favorite drink at the same time.
