Chocolate is always the answer

I am an extreme chocolate lover. And not in the all-women-love-chocolate way. I mean that I don’t see the point in eating junk food that isn’t chocolate, because why should I waste calories that would be better spent on chocolate? I bake chocolate desserts as stress management. My family now knows that if I warn them something is rich, then they should seriously reconsider a large serve. My Mum asked me to make a cake for a family members birthday, and followed with, ”But something edible.” I also quite enjoy the taste of chocolate dipped in melted chocolate…

There could potentially be several problems to accompany my craving for chocolate, but one I am often faced with is finding an appropriate hiding place for it. When my husband Dave and I had been married for a couple of weeks, I hid the chocolate at the very top of the cupboard. I forgot that as he is 6”4 that it was right in his eyeline. I have not made that mistake since! Now, however, the biggest culprits are my children.

I can’t really blame them, I guess it is just in their genetic makeup. Plus, I probably ate it all through my pregnancy, and the breast milk they had as infants was probably choc milk. Yet I must say I am often kind of impressed (and irritated) with their sneakiness.

When Jack was a small toddler, I had baked triple chocolate muffins and left them on the kitchen bench top while they cooled. While I was out of the room, to my annoyance, he stole SEVEN. When I confronted him, he said, ”But they’re so tasty.” He continued in this pattern of behaviour, as on another occasion, each muffin had a bite taken out of it. He couldn’t just destroy one?? No, he had to taste each of them.

He soon taught his sister Isabel to be his accomplice. I recall the times I would think, “It is really quiet- what are the kids up to?” I would go and find them, in the kitchen. Jack would be in the cupboard standing on a chair while Isabel would be by the cupboard as ‘lookout’. This did help them learn teamwork though.

More recently, I have found a trail of Ferrero Rocher wrappers on the ground and regretted leaving them on my study desk. If I have chocolate, I have learned to mask the sound of unwrapping the foil, and keep my mouth away from them so they can’t smell it on my breath.

Yesterday when Jack found my family block of Top Deck and ate nearly half, it suddenly occurred to me- what an excellent excuse to buy another block. And I have to say, with that cheeky smile he flashes when he’s been caught, as if to say “Oops! But lucky I’m cute!” he has probably earned what he stole anyway.