How to Eat Chocolate

                                                       

         How to Eat Chocolate

I have not yet forgotten the moment, the smell, the sight of so many little chocolate bars set before me.
Each with its amount of cacao displayed along with characteristics typical to that type of chocolate.
I was at my first ever chocolate tasting class.

My husband and I were on vacation with our crew of very active children.
We were touring various sites along the East Coast of the United States.
Those of you that have traveled with children or have watched parents travel with children can imagine the
scene. Our boisterous group had just spent a few hours in the car and they were ready for an adventure.
I had spent a few hours as the car seat waitress. Passing fruit snacks, fixing electronic devices, mending
Quarles was the order of business for me. I was in full mommy mode. When that mode hits everyone in the
family can hear in my voice. It is best described as a “Extreme Patience”.

As we entered the building the kids got more excited. They saw the amusement park style ride, and the
make your own chocolate station and they knew we had not failed them. As they were jumping around, all
calling to me about what activity they wanted to do first, I saw my husband return. Honestly, I had not
noticed him walk away. I was busy scouting out the nearest bathrooms to be ready when the inevitable
moment hit, as well as checking all exits and places where a two-year-old might hide. Once I felt confident
I could navigate all the likely mishappens in our new surroundings, I started to organize the events of the
afternoon and do the negotiating necessary to get our whole team on board. At that point, my husband
placed his hand on my arm and handed me a ticket. I turned it over and read “ Chocolate Tasting Class”.
I had noticed that option posted when we walked in. It intrigued me but I knew that was the last place I
wanted to take our entire crew. I realized then that he had only purchased one ticket. He smiled, took
the baby from my arms and lead me to the door of the classroom. I looked in. Everything was quiet and
orderly. A few well-dressed visitors had already taken their seats and were chatting quietly. At first, I
protested. It would not really be fair for me to leave my husband with our rowdy crew, sit for an entire
30 minutes and learn how to taste chocolate. He smiled and left with the kids. The only thing left for me
to do was to quietly slip into a chair near the front.

Sitting there waiting for the class to start, the tension of full mommy mode started to slip from me.
Before  I realized it the class had started and the lecturer was showing us how chocolate was made.
He informed us that chocolate from different locations tastes different and pointed out more interesting
facts about the process. Then he arrived at the lesson that struck me in such a way that I still have not
forgotten it. He taught us how to eat chocolate. Unwrap it, smell it, listen to it snap when you break off
a piece, place a small piece in your mouth and let it rest, feel the sensation of it melting in your mouth,
savor the flavor, notice the different notes of flavor, enjoy it.

Although I had eaten a fair number of chocolate pieces in my life I had never had an experience quite
like this. When I slowed down just a bit there was so much to the experience that I had never noticed
before. The experience, the sensations, the different notes of flavor stood out in stark contrast to the
Halloween night style of chocolate eating that had been my previous experience.

I was startled that in the few moments it took to Taste the Chocolate my perspective could
change so drastically. That little piece of chocolate now had new meaning to me because I
took the time to experience it.

That moment has stayed with me and I began to wonder how many other of the more or less
daily experiences of life could be transformed if I slowed down and learned how to
“Taste the Chocolate.”

Grace Ayuso

Grace Ayuso vive en Manta, Ecuador. Ella y su esposo tienen 4 hijos y disfrutan de verlos crecer. Aqui son  pensamientos de Grace de la maternidad y lo que ha aprendido a través de los últimos 11 años, como una madre y una esposa.

Para tener éxito como madre hay que ama a sus hijos. Se puede sentir el verdadero amor que sienten por ellos y se sienten seguros cuando son amados. Como una madre debe tener fe. Muchas veces en la vida tenemos problemas y nos sentimos que nuestra fe comienza a bajar. Es entonces cuando tenemos que trabajar para aumentar nuestra fe.

Mi mayor apoyo como madre es mi marido. Él me ayuda con todo. Él me ayuda con todo lo espiritual, físico y emocional.

Cuando me siento triste y necesito alguien con quien hablar, él está allí para escucharme. Sólo escucha mientras comparto mis pensamientos. I es agradable para descargar mis preocupaciones.

También ayuda con el trabajo de la casa. Al principio, cuando nos casamos y me gustaría ayudar con el trabajo alrededor de la casa de su padre y su hermano se burlaban de él. Eso no le impidió ayudarme. Ahora, su padre y su hermano han visto su ejemplo y ayudar a sus esposas también. Este acto ha hecho este cambio para todos ellos.

Vida en Guayaquil Ecuador

Hoy en día nos encontramos con Jenny Moran. Ella vive con su marido, mi hija (11) y dos chicos (8,5) en el Cerro Santa Ana, Guayaquil Ecuador.




Jenny y su familia tienen una tienda de barrio donde ella y su esposo trabaja todos los días excepto domingos y festivos. Ella es bien conocida y muy querida en su barrio. Jenny comparte sus respuestas aquí acerca de la maternidad.

# 1. ¿Cuál es la parte más dificil de la maternidad? Creo que la parte más dificil de ser madre es aprender a comprender a nuestros hijos. Cada niño tiene un temperamento diferente y un modo diverso de expresarse. Creo que el verdadero reto de la maternidad es de aprender cómo llegar a cada uno de nuestros niños.

# 2 ¿Qué es lo que más le gusta de ser madre? Me gusta pasar tiempo con ellos. Disfruto de cada día. Crecen demasiado pronto y entonces están en una etapa diverso de la vida, así que trato de disfrutar hoy.

# 3 ¿Qué consejo le darías a tu hija, cuando ella se convierte en madre? Mi consejo es tener paciencia.

# 4 ¿Qué aprendió de su madre que es valioso para usted hoy? Yo aprendí de mi madre para hacer lo correcto siempre. Ella me enseñó a elegir siempre hacer lo correcto. Ella siempre estaba conmigo y siempre me da consejo. A pesar de que no siempre me gustó que estaba siempre conmigo y siempre me aconsejaba
. Más tarde me enteré de que estaba siempre en mi mejor interés.

# 5 ¿Qué consejo le daría a otras mujeres, y otras madres? Yo diría que siempre debemos tener metas. Si tenemos meta siempre podemos estar trabajando para ser más. No debemos decimos a nosotros mismos que sólo soy una madre. No todos los días un gol de lograr. Si tenemos metas y sueños, y estamos trabajando para acomplish ellos, Dios nos ayudará a alcanzar nuestros sueños. Podemos tener confianza en él.

Mothering with Grace.

Grace Ayuso lives in Manta, Ecuador. She and her husband have 4 children and enjoy watching them grow. Grace's thoughts on motherhood reflex what she has learned through the past 11 years as a mother and a wife.

To be successful as a mother you must love your children. They can feel the true love you have for them and they feel safe when they are loved. As a mother you must have faith. Often in life we have problems and we feel our faith begin to go down. That is when we need to work to increase our faith.

My greatest support as a mother is my husband. He helps me with everything. He helps me with all things spiritual, physical, and emotional.

When I feel sad and I need someone to talk to; he is there to listen to me. He just listens while I share my thoughts. I is nice to unload my concerns.

He also helps with the house work. At first when we were married and he would help me with the work around the house his father and his brother would make fun of him. It didn't stop him from helping me. Now his father and his brother have seen his example and they help their wives as well.  This act has made this change for all of them.

Life in Guayaquil Ecuador

Today we meet Jenny Moran.  She lives with her husband, daughter(11) and two boys (8,5) in Cerro Santa Anna, Guayaquil Ecuador.

Jenny and her family own a neighborhood store where she and her husband work everyday except Sunday and holidays. She is well known and well loved in her neighborhood. Jenny shares her answers here about motherhood.

#1. What is the most dificult part of motherhood? I think the most dificult part of Motherhoos is learning to understand our children. Each child has a different temperment and a differnt way to express themselves. I feel that the true challange of Motherhood is to learn how to reach each on of our children.

#2 What do you most enjoy about being a Mother? I enjoy spending time with them. I enjoy each day. They grow up too soon and then they are in a differnt stage of life so I try to enjoy today.

#3 What advice will you have for your daughter,  when she becomes a mother?  My advice is to have patience.

#4 What did you learn from your mother that is valuable to you today? I learn from my mother to do the  right thing always. She taught me to always choose to do what was right. She was always qwith me and always giving me council. Even though I didn't always like it she was always with me and always counciling me. I learned later that it was always in my best interest.

#5 What advice do you have for other women, and other mothers?  I would say that we should always have goals. If we have goal we can always be working to become more. We should not say to ourselves that I am only a mother. There is alway another goal to achieve. If we have goals and dreams and we are working to acomplish them, God will help us reach our dreams. We can have confidence in him.

More...Great Parenting Advice from Real Mothers.

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"Don't you quit. You keep walking, you keep trying, there is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon. Some come late. Some don't come until heaven. But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in Good Things to Come." --Jeffrey R. Holland 

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This is a quote I read recently in the book ʺTeaching Children Responsibilityʺ by Linda and Richard Eyre
ʺPraise every incident of honesty, of politeness, of sharing, of good decision making. Make the praise direct and clear. Look the child in the eyes and tell him how proud you are of that action. Then take the compliment beyond that one incident by telling him that he is that kind of person (ʺyou are a very honest boy...you remember to say thank you so much better than you did last yearʺ and so forth.) If there is one simple and profoundly important truth about children, it is that they live up to their reputations. They will do what they think is expected of them.ʺ

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ʺDon't put it down; put it away.ʺ I read that in a book a while ago, and just having that simple phrase going through my head helps me keep my house so much cleaner and eliminates me doing a job twice. When I come in from the car, rather than just setting everything inside the door, I try to walk over to the cupboard to put it away. When cooking, rather than set something back down on the counter, I try to put it in the trash or back in the cupboard. When I am done with a dish, I try to put it straight in the dishwasher rather than set it on the counter or in the sink. When I look at a paper, I try to decide right there what I need to do with it, do it, and put it either in the trash or in the place to store it. Anyway, that little phrase has changed my habits so much and BONUS, I don't have to look at the mess in between setting it down once and picking it back up again!! 

Also: Random fun idea for a young child: Mix about 1/4 to 1/2 c of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water in a bowl, and let them play with their hands in it. It provides quite a bit of entertainment...especially for those kids who just have to TOUCH everything! :)

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My secret probably isn't much of a secret to more experienced mothers, but for the past couple of months I've had my 17-month-old son help me with chores. He was always interested in what I was doing, and for a while I thought he was too young to work, but I had the realization that he can learn to work at this age, too. It has required more patience on my part because his ʺhelpingʺ makes the housework go slower, but I like to think that it's helping him learn chores, appreciate the value of work (eventually), understand that he's required to help with the household, and it helps me feel like we're doing things together instead of me ignoring him while I try to get things done. I give him ultra-simple tasks, like putting a fork/spoon in the dishwasher, closing the dishwasher or dryer door when I'm done loading, pressing the start button on the washing machine, taking clothes off the drying rack and bringing them to me to fold, etc. It's not a whole lot, but I'm hoping it gets us into the habit of working together and sharing responsibilities. At the very least, it has made completing some of the necessary evils more enjoyable for both of us.

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Great Advice From Real Moms--- Enjoy!

Make a ʺBefore You Freak Outʺ list. I never knew I had a temper till I had 3 boys, and two of them toddlers. The toddlers like to nip at my heels all day...I usually reach my limit at around 4ish in the afternoon and a freak out ensues. As much as I'd love to put myself in time out, I can't. Hence the ʺBefore You Freak Outʺ list. I try to include things on there that are a little more rare for them like pulling out the special train set or stickers or paint. But most importantly items on the list need to be something they can do without my supervision, so I can take a breather. My favorite go to activities are a bowl of ice, for some reason they love this. And a shower for my 3 year old. He is especially clingy so those 15 mins are heaven.

--Amanda Frost

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Don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but we think it stems from our encouraging our 3 1/2 yr. old in her earlier age, to bless our food before a meal... Now, it's gotten to the point where she blurts it out before anyone else can volunteer, and our older son pouts because he doesn't think it's fair, and our 2 yr. old starts shouting NO NO, because he wants to say it. Well, enough was enough, so I painted an entire dining room wall with chalkboard paint and trimmed it with wood trim. Then I added our weekly menu, daily reminders, family business, AND YES FINALLY, a Prayer Chart- so everyone knows when it is their turn to ask a blessing on our meal...It's working great and incidentally, our 2 yr. can recognize his own name now. It's been a blessing.

--America 

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Reading is not my forte; I know it's important and I want my kids to be good readers but I am not a big reader. Besides the Ensign, scriptures, and occasional things online, I'm not usually caught with a book in hand. My husband is a reader, and in fact learned to read when he was 3. In his busy schedule he is often fitting in time to read a book. I hope my kids inherit his love for and speed in reading. He is usually the one to read bedtime stories or take time to read to them after work. As the school started this year I have my first kindergartner and so I've been reading with him for 15 min/day as prescribed by his teacher. As a result I've read more to my 3 yr old as well. Even if I have to interrupt folding laundry, preparing for a lesson, or even skip an attempt at a nap, I'm doing my best to read aloud more to my kids, esp when they bring a book to me and ask me to read it. This is hard for me because I don't have a lot of energy these days and it takes energy to read to them. But I know it will pay off! My mom read a lot to me as a child, and listened to me read as well. She was not a fast or avid reader but she did her best to help us like reading. Hopefully I can help my kids in the same way.

--Amy

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I have found that if I am rushing to get things ready to leave the house in the morning and my kids are squabbling and generally irritating one another (aged 1 and 3), if i put on the cd of children's songs it really calms them down. The pushes and shrieks don't completely stop but they do lessen and I am more likely to find then quietly looking at books than fighting. It could be a complete coincidence but I don't think so! I just need to remember to use it as a tool more often!

--Angela 

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I have always been very deliberate in what I put on my walls. I use a lot of the blue painter's tape, and if there are things I want to remember to teach my children, I often have reminders hung down where they can see. For instance, I have ABC cards and pictures hung up by where I blow dry my hair. Without fail, my 1-year-old comes over and I can talk to her about the pictures while I'm getting ready for the day. I have pictures depicting the Articles of Faith by my kitchen table. I have pictures of farm animals behind my daughter's crib, my kids' names above their beds, and pictures of the Savior and temple in key places. I have a calendar closeby. I have maps on the wall I can use whenever talking about places comes up (across from the chair where we normally read books - they're often very handy). Anyway, I've found that when things are out and accessible and visible to me and the kids, I use them more often because of the reminder they are to me and because the kids are naturally curious about them. And, I've seen their learning increase. 

--Brittany

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"The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.ʺ --Pablo Casals

--Carolyn 

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One thing I have found to help me keep the SMILE on is to play with my kids. If we are at the park they think it is great if I swing with them or try the monkey bars. They get a laugh; I get a bit of exercise and we bond having fun together. On of my children is motivated by fun and feels love when we have fun together. It helps to have spend the day playing together when it is time to get everyone motivated to finish the housework.

--Jana

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ʺWe sometimes fail to understand that the everlasting peace Jesus promises is an inner peace, born in faith, anchored by testimony, nurtured with love, and expressed through continual obedience and repentance. It is a peace of spirit that echoes through the heart and the soul. If one truely knows and experiences this inner peace, there is no fear from worldly disharmony or discord. one knows deep down inside that all is well as far as the things that really matter are concerned.ʺ --Elder Ballard

I had a friend in college who came from a big family. Once we were talking about her parents and how she never saw her dad lose his temper. Even with teenagers. I was amazed. That is quite an accomplishment. She told me that his ability to keep his cool really made all of them respect their dad so much it really helped keep them in line. When he disciplined they new they deserved it and they didn't want his disappointment. That has always impressed me and is something I try to remember with my children.

--Jen

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