Exhale. View from Welch Mountain, NH.

Like so many of us, I am going through the end-of-summer blues. It's been an amazing summer packed with new adventures and tried and true traditions. To help me and the boys make the transition into Fall, we started a new tradition of going through photos taken this summer and sharing what we're looking forward to this Fall. It's a little bit of closure we all need.

What I discovered in this mini celebration is just how lucky we are. A new home. Good friends. Happy and healthy kids. Trips to the beach. Delicious meals. Loving family. Not to get too sappy on y'all, but yeah, life is pretty sweet.

We soaked up the last carefree summer weekend with a family hike and Labor Day cookout with friends. As a reward for completing the hike and to share a sweet treat with friends, we tried a flight of handcrafted, honey-infused Gather Chocolates from Harbor Sweets. OMG were these good. Even our chocolate aficionado friends were impressed. Equally as impressive is the fact that a percentage of Gather sales will be donated to the Pollinator Partnership to aid in their efforts to protect honeybees and other pollinators.

Gather Chocolates was conceived out of a love for nature and the outdoors. And as its name implies, it's a celebration of the gathering of friends and family. I can't think of a sweeter way to celebrate the end of summer.

Disclosure: Thanks Harbor Sweets for giving me the opportunity to try some Gather Chocolates. As always, all opinions are my own.

I have never had fondue up until last week. Hard to believe, right? I did not grow up in the 60s when it was in vogue. Nor did I register for a fondue set when it was in vogue again when we got married. My preconception of fondues was of dipping fruit in melted chocolate. When I saw that The Boston Parent Bloggers was hosting an event at The Melting Pot, I jumped at the chance to join fellow bloggers and discover the art of dipping for myself.

With over 140 locations, including three in Massachusetts, The Melting Pot is America's premier fondue restaurant franchise. More than a dozen other fellow parent bloggers were treated to a sampling of cheese and chocolate fondues. Bowls of bubbling cheese and chocolate are heated on induction cooktops - keeping the fondues warm without the worry of anyone burning themselves.

The cheese fondues came with bread, apples, and veggies.


Strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, Rice Krispies Treats, marshmallows, pound cake and brownies were available for dipping in the chocolate goodness.


Everything was pretty tasty and there was more than enough food and dipping to go around. The Melting Pot was the perfect backdrop for a group outing. It is hard to not have a good time when you are with a bunch of funny and smart people, cocktails and oh yeah, melted cheese and chocolate.

Boston Parent Bloggers Night Out (photo by Ben Spark www.benspark.com)

I don't know if our family will be dipping anytime soon. Sure, I think the boys would love to dip stuff in gooey cheese and chocolate. But unless you get the 4-course meal that comes with the Big Night Out, its not easy to get a complete meal without throwing down some serious cash.

I think The Melting Pot is a great night out with friends or a romantic night out (Valentine's Day has gotta be one of their busiest nights), but will probably wait until a special occasion and/or the boys are a bit older before bringing my family there.

I can now say I tried fondue. I even felt I could have been a good judge in last week's quick fire challenge on Top Chef All-Stars. But I still have some ways to go before I *really* know fondue. Until then, I'll stick to dipping strawberries in melted chocolate with my boys for Valentine's Day!



Thanks to The Boston Parent Bloggers for putting the event together and The Melting Pot for providing the fondues and venue!