Little Things

Everyone says, “It’s about the little things.”  And if you think about it, it doesn’t make much sense.  Shouldn’t IT be about the BIG things?  Like wedding days and your kid being born and a new job that made you move across the country?

Well, that “kid being born” part shifts your perspective straight to those “little things.”  Like a first step, first smile, first poop on the potty, first time sleeping through the night (Hallelujah!)

And what I didn’t realize until recently was that it’s also about MY little things. Like mastering the right bottle temperature, surviving my first Gymboree class, making new Mommy friends, remembering to buy strawberry milk because it’s Annabel’s first time with a new babysitter.

But one of my so-called “little things” has always felt really BIG: I don’t cook.  I just don’t enjoy it.  It is something that creates anxiety in me.  I mean, it’s just a pot (or a pan) and some water and some other ingredients, right?  What’s my drama?

My husband is an amazing chef in the kitchen, and he enjoys it, so it defaults to him.  But this Christmas break we were visiting my parents in Maryland and my husband went out with my Dad to the bar on some errands.  It was just me and the kids.  They had come inside from playing in the snow.   By the way, how awesome for my Florida babies to experience snowfall, snowmen, and snow angels for the first time?  They even pounded me with a bunch of snowballs, so we were all wet and chilly and drying off in the house.  And wouldn’t this be the PERFECT time for some hot chocolate?

I looked in the kitchen cabinets and my mom did not have any of that instant hot chocolate where you just “add water.”  But she did have an opened container of Hershey’s Cocoa powder with a hot chocolate recipe on the back.

“PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” Hot Cocoa  (“Perfectly?” Yeah, not intimidating AT ALL.)

Skill Level:Beginner

Prep Time: 2 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 to 3 teaspoons HERSHEY’S Cocoa
•  Dash salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in large mug.

Heat milk in microwave at HIGH (100%) 1-1/2 minutes or until hot.

Gradually add hot milk to cocoa mixture in mug, stirring until well blended.  Stir in vanilla. 1 serving.

 

I’m embarrassed to say that I almost told the kids we can’t make hot chocolate, but then I thought, “It says ‘Beginner.’  It says ‘microwave.’ YOU CAN DO THIS.”

And I did it!  And this “little thing” felt like the biggest accomplishment of the entire trip.   I followed the directions exactly as written while masking any self doubt along the way.  And somehow it all worked out and I made HOMEMADE hot chocolate with whipped cream on top! The kids loved it  They said it tasted GOOD! (Hallelujah!) And they will never really understand that this drink they finished in about 30 seconds gave me the best feeling ever.

I like you, “little things.”