Charlotte (and Trenton & six other kids) and the Chocolate Factory

When one of my friends organized a tour of Lula’s Chocolates in Monterey, I didn’t need to be asked twice if we wanted to go.

You may think that taking eight kids (ages 4 and under) to tour a chocolate factory may be a little daunting, but the kids were up for it.

Until the hair nets came out.

Charlotte was not having it.  She went into hissy mode.  But if she wanted to see how the chocolate was made, she had to wear it.  And she did wind up putting it on after much coaxing from Mommy.

We were given the tour by the company’s owner, Scott Lund.  He told us moms that he had five kids of his own, so he could handle our group.

And he did a great job.  He explained things on the kids level.  When Trenton asked about Halloween candy, Scott explained why Lula’s Chocolates are better than Halloween candy.  But, he also told the kids that they shouldn’t eat too much of any candy.

The best part was when it was time for a taste test.

Yum!  Homemade marshmallows!

On the way out, we bought some goodies to bring home (at a great military discount!).

One of the things we bought was hot chocolate.  I knew that today was going to be cold and rainy, and I figured it would be a great day for hot chocolate.

Trenton watched the clock all morning waiting for 10:00 snack time to roll around.

The kids were ready!

I warmed some milk up, added the chocolate, sugar, and homemade marshmallows, and they went to town.

Except Charlotte wanted to lap hers up like a dog.

And mean Mommy told her to use her manners and drink her hot chocolate the right way.

After a few tears, she listened, and enjoyed it just the same.

The faces of hot chocolate fans.

Charlotte got sidetracked about halfway through her cup, and went to play with Trenton.

And I just couldn’t let perfectly good hot chocolate go to waste, could I?

I put the cup in the microwave for a bit to warm it back up.

And Oh. My. Gosh.  The hot chocolate was good, but what really made it were those marshmallows.  They didn’t fade into the abyss like the ones in Swiss Miss (how do you like those rhyming skills?); they melded together into one big gooey, marshmallowy, hunk of heaven.

It’s a good thing I am trying to eat healthier during the Lenten season, or else I’d be drinking Lula’s Chocolates hot chocolate every day!

(To see more pictures from our tour, check out my friend Kate’s blog.)