Sunday's Adventure

In true JunoMom fashion I jam packed another day of activites for the kiddies. But as I reflect on yesterday, I really wish that things just lived up to my expectations, for once. I know the kids had fun and they could care less if things were more structured or if there was "more to it" but still, I get all excited thinking how great something is going to be and then it turns out to be nothing great. At least the kids got to run around outside and Seena got to see some "castles" as we drove through a very affluent neighborhood.

And our adventure begins....

Church - I take them, and as long as I bring a baggie of snacks for AJ, he can almost sit quietly through the entire mass. I forgot the snacks yesterday and of course that is the first thing he asks for when we sit in our usual spot in the back. I really didn't get much of the mass as I spent most of the time following AJ and keeping him out of the donuts that were meant for AFTER mass.

Maple Syrup Boil Down - I've been actually trying to go to this event for a few years now. The idea sounded great - showing everyone how maple syrup is made, colonial set-up, free cornbread and a tasting of the maple syrup. With Seena learning about George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims, I thought this would be a fun way to visually see how things were like back then. Not so:

1st disappointment was there was only 1 blacksmith shop and the kids just weren't interested in the blacksmith making a sharp tool.

2nd disappointment - there was no taking maple syrup from the trees. The syrup was already boiling in a big pot. How much fun is it to watch a pot cook over a fire? They get to see that everyday at home. I suppose I should have paid more attention to the name of the event but seriously, I thought it would have entailed a little more than an actual boil down.

3rd disappointment - the maple syrup that we sampled was commerical. The honey we tried was from local bees.

Hightlight - I got a great picture of Seena and a hug from a random lady when she saw how frustrated I looked at watching my son scurry away only to trip over every rock he came across.

Chocolate Festival - next on the list was the Chocolate Lovers Festival. Of all the "events" scheduled for this festival only two stuck out as any interest to us; the Tasting (ahem, chocolate) and the Chocolate Creations gallery. They even advertised that one of the Food Network Challenge competitors would be there. I thought THIS would be great. Seena LOVES watching the FN Challenge shows, especially the cake decorating ones. She loved seeing the cakes so I thought she would love to see chocoate creations. Now, in my mind, I'm thinking these creations were going to look like what we see on TV, you know, Vegas style :) Not so. These creations, albiet a few from actual bakeries, were creations made by anyone but professionals. Some (2) were cute. Seena still enjoyed seeing the 5 or 6 that were displayed. Yes, you read correctly. There were only 5-6 creations displayed in the "showing".  I think Seena and I are going to enter next year just because.

The tasting wasn't much better. As I approached the Old Town Hall where the tasting was being held, I saw a line wrapping around the building. Now, a smart mom would have turned around and walked away. Not I. This was a chocolate tasting after all. Plus it was Sunday (a freebie day from Lent - it's true, I looked it up) and after depriving myself from sweets for 2 weeks, I was definitely going to get some!  Anyway, the place was a madhouse. It was jam packed, literally. It  may not have been as bad had I gone alone or with another adult who enjoyed chocolate as much as I do. I think I ended up eating more chocolate than the kids

Highlight here - dipping strawberries in the chocolate fountain. And I got to eat LOTS and LOTS of chocolate :)