Our First Week-Getting Out Those Father's Day Orders

And so it begins...Blake's first week of being a high school graduate. The timing couldn't have been more perfect as it was the week before Father's Day. This was to be our first major holiday. I did my due diligence and low and behold, The Chocolate Spectrum got a nice amount of orders for our Father's Day Assortment. Most (not all) of the orders came from people who had some sort of connection to autism: parents, grandparents, etc. And they all sent me a lovely note with the order. So sweet and so rewarding for me. But I digress...on to Blake and the chocolate.

It took us 3 days of solid chocolate production to make the products. And then, on day four, which was yesterday, we did the shipping. Day one was fun for Blake. It involved making the fillings for the chocolate. I let Blake help even though it involved cooking over the stove. This was a new experience for him. I made him wear oven mitts on his hands, which was hard for him to get used to. He put them on, but was a little uncertain if he liked them. Eventually, he got used to him. My husband was a bit worried that I allowed Blake to cook on the stove top, but I stood there the whole time, and we use induction heating, which is a lot safer.

Day two and three involved the actual production of the confections. This is where Blake excels as he has to fill the truffle and chocolate molds. Day two was his favorite day. He was busy for about 3 sold hours! I noticed that Blake does his best work when there isn't any lag time. Since we are just starting out, I don't have enough equipment to always keep production going steadily, but today, it just flowed. This works out best for him. On Day three, there was some lag time, and he wasn't as focused. (My birthday is coming up, and I've asked for more chocolate molds from my family, so hopefully for the next large production run, we can keep Blake more steadily occupied.)

Day four, as I previously mentioned, was shipping day. I honestly couldn't have accomplished this task without Blake. It really requires at least two pairs of hands. This involved a new set of tasks for Blake, so I was wary, but he really enjoyed himself. I laid out all the items in advance, and we moved forward assembly line style. This kept the flow going and the wrapping and packaging went quickly. I guess all that time spent in occupational therapy learning to tie bows has paid off, as Blake helped tie all the ribbons on the packages. Blake was a real trooper. I was thrilled. I even took him with me to the shippers, so he could help carry the boxes and that he could see that we were sending away the merchandise.

So, I'm pooped, but happy. At least I know Blake has one activity to keep him busy in his life. He absolutely showed that he can do the work. I am sure he will get better as time progresses, and he will see that he is an integral part of The Chocolate Spectrum.

The icing on the cake is that I had an opportunity to spend a lot of time with Blake this week. The bonding experience makes up for my sore back. But onward. This was a great week!