I know many people have strong feelings one way or another about Valentine's Day (yes I am talking about Valentine's day more than a week later, really are you surprised?) But for us, it's all about chocolate. If I could, I would rename it Mid Winter Chocolate Cheer Day where tired mommies and cooped up children drown their seasonal affective disorder in that intoxicating mix of sugar and cacao beans. Isn't that better than cheesey Hallmark poems and overpriced roses?
It started with Eric Idle. If you and your little ones have never heard him read Charlie and The Chocolate Factory in the
audio book version of Roald Dahl's classic you must download it or get your paws on it somehow. Aside from Idle's spot on interpretations of everyone from Grandpa Joe to Mike TeeVee to Veruca Salt to Willy Wonka himself, you can truly smell melting chocolate by the end of the story. Or maybe it was the brownies we were making.
The brownies were good. But the melted spiced chocolate at the
Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian was divine. They held a chocolate festival the weekend before Valentine's Day and the faithful flocked to partake in the good bean.
(grinding cacao beans. a few went home in his pocket and are in a place of honor next to the mongoose skull from hawaii. boys and their treasures.)
The museum itself is always a fabulous place to spend the day. They have, hands down,
the BEST lunch food in all of Washington DC (this is not opinion, it's local fact). And the building itself is relatively new and full of eye candy. Our favorite are the giant prisms in the walls and ceiling that cast rainbows all over the museum throughout the day.
Happy chocolate addicts were then treated to some amazing traditional dancing from Bolivia. Zach loved the colorful costumes (hey mom, they have
chullos just like me!) Naia wanted to boogie along with them.
Reason number 268 why I love homeschooling in the DC area. Thank you taxpayers. And here's wishing you all had a wonderful Mid Winter Chocolate Cheer Day!
7 comments:
Love your take on V-day! And your pics of the dancers-stunning. We've put that museum at the top of our list for DC outings this spring.
Okay....thanks for the head's up. I'm planning a trip down there for spring break, to visit my sister. I think I MUST see this beautiful museum. love, Beth
You should have gone to Kansas and had Grandma make you brownies!!
ps As I am typing this with my sick daughter beside me she looking at all the pics of Zach and saying "Mommy, I want to go see Zach again."
Ahhh, young love.
I listened to a clip of Eric Idle read the story on the link you provided. His voice brought me back to childhood and watching Faerie Tale Theater. Eric Idle told the poetic, rhythmic story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and also played the Pied Piper.
http://www.amazon.com/Faerie-Tale-Theatre-Piper-Hamelin/dp/B00061UI00
Thanks for the memories!
um, chocolate....festival?!! oh please sign me up. ;)
oh yes, their food fabulous! there's no comparison, esp. to the other museums. we've gone there once or twice just for the food.
I'm going to have to keep better track of the activities there so we don't miss fun things like this. We last went for a special event 4 years ago (my 3 yr old girl learned how to hula). we've been back, but not for a special event like this.
How fun! I was definitely jealous when you mentioned you were going. It looks like a great time!
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