Sunday Routine: What a Chocolatier Does on Sunday

Jennifer Posey is the owner/chocolatier at Hedonist Artisan Chocolates and a busy mom to two young boys. What does her Sunday look like? Family and fun blend together on her day off, with a little work sprinkled on top.

I sleep in until about 6:30am and then I head downstairs make myself a pot of coffee and stare at the wall for about 20 minutes while I pet my cat Kiki Bobo and sip my coffee. I hope my coffee kicks in before my two kids wake up. Charlie Parker is 3 1/2 and Miles Porter is 8 months old.

My wife Maddy also gets to sleep in (until about 7am), then she tries to sneak down without the kids for a cup of coffee with me, but usually the baby is awake and she brings Miles down with her. Then we all wait to hear for the creaking stairs in our old house as Charlie Parker wakes up and comes down.

Miles gets fed by Mommy and I have to go make Charlie his morning cup of Chocolate Milk (no judging, we are a chocolate family).

While everyone is getting settled with their morning beverages, the old Catholic in me turns on the radio to WXXI and we listen to the Sunday Morning Baroque program. Maddy's Grandmother and Father also had this same ritual in their houses growing up.

Then we set off on our days first adventure. Commonly a trip to the YMCA swimming pool, playing dinosaurs in our attic/makeshift playroom, walking to our playground at the end of the street, or a walk up through Highland Park. If the stars aline we may consider going to Sunday Brunch at Dickie's Corner Pub.

Then generally some kind of chore happens. We aren't busy enough during the week so we decided to buy the house across the street and have been working on a remodel since September. Very slowly. We are good at taking stuff apart, putting it back together is proving to be more of a challenge. Maddy is the designer, I am the do-er. You know how that goes :). We only allow 2-4 hours of time to do all the things.

Then we are back to our house for "family day". Which entails a lot. By a lot I mean a lot of Maddy's Family. Ever since having kids we have become "the house" where everyone congregates. It's nice actually. Maddy's Dad comes to visit the kids every Sunday, and sometimes (usually) her Aunt Laurie comes, her sister Katie, her brother in law Eric and sometimes my sister Cindy. We then have a very full house, full of laughter, stories, kid time, tea and snacks. Our favorite snack to get is Chicken Wings from Little Venice. Enough for everyone and then some.

I usually try and get busy during this family time in the kitchen. It's MY day where I get to cook. During the week I am usually too busy, or get home right at suppertime and am too busy with my kids to do much in my own kitchen. But on Sundays I get to play in the kitchen. I make a mental list of all that is left in the fridge. I throw a bunch of old odds and ends together in a big pot and make my own bone broth. Then I might make an egg casserole for the week ahead using bits and pieces of cheese, sausage, steak, whatever is lying around. I then try to come up with some sort of Sunday dinner masterpiece :). It's my fun time and it relaxes me to be busy doing something.

We hopefully get the extra family out of the house by 4pm. :) Maddy makes sure the laundry is done for the week ahead. We have a nice family dinner at the table, Maddy and I enjoy whatever fun dinner I made and Charlie eats Peanut Butter and Jelly with another cup of Chocolate Milk (no judging). :)

We might then hang out in the backyard for awhile, our garage is a giant kid playhouse. And if our neighbors Larry and Nancy are out we get to catch up with them. Otherwise it's another trip to the playground, to the sandbox, to make sure Charlie is really dirty and ready for the bath. We head back to the house and Maddy gives Miles a bath in the sink and I am in charge of Charlie bath time upstairs. He likes to have every toy imaginable in the tub with him, and I sit on the toilet and read him a few pages from LIttle House on the Prairie. It has been our tradition since he was little. Sometimes he listens, sometimes he doesn't but it's what we do. Then we all flop into bed and I watch some guilty pleasure on Netflix until Maddy tells me I'm sleeping and it's time to turn it off.