Sleeping Beauty Never Had to Put Up With Chocolate That Tastes Like Wax

Update on Husband: Big news today! Husband has an immune system! He's got enough white blood cells to fight off most stuff and he can eat raw foods again. The raw foods thing won't really affect his diet all that much, as he wasn't actually craving a salad or an orange. He's not into popping edamame like peanuts, either. Still, this means I can relax my vigilant recipe scouring for anything not cooked enough.

The kids have delighted in giving him hugs at long last. Little Gary got to snuggle up while his daddy read Chikka Chikka Boom Boom to him this morning.

I gave Husband his last Neupogen shot today. Dang! I was just starting to get good at those.

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I have to say it: American chocolate is awful -- at least the stuff you buy in the grocery store. I know there are a couple American chocolate companies that are producing a quality product on par with Europe, but it ain't Hersheys. Eating a Hershey's Special Dark bar is like eating a chocolate-flavored candle. Even when I slather it in peanut butter I can't get over the feeling that I could stick a wick in it and light it on fire. That's probably for the best, however, as I certainly don't need any extra empty calories. I packed on five or six pounds of stress over the last few weeks, and I'll need all my superpowers to overcome and lose them.

To that end, I went on a walk after the kids left for school. It's been a while, but I have been craving the exercise. I even ran a bit, although I practiced landing on the balls of my feet and not my heels in order to reduce the impact on my knees and back. Still, I'm ouchy this afternoon, sore and stiff. Good. Bring it on.

Last night, I took Sophia, Elannah, and Joseph to auditions for the play "Sleeping Beauty." It's not a professional play with a big production; the rehearsals only last a week and there are two performances on Saturday. I was surprised Joseph wanted to try out, but he gamely stood with the other 70 or so kids and spoke up when it was his turn. He had to run over to me for a few kisses of assurance at first, but as time dragged on and on, he started running over to me with complaints about his hungry tummy. Finally, the hunger grew too great and he decided to go home and get something to eat, unconcerned by then that he would not be in the play. Sophia and Elannah, however, stuck it out. Sophia landed the lead role as Sleeping Beauty, but Elannah did not receive a part. Like the last time this sort of thing happened, there was both elation and tears.  Sophia quietly pointed out to Elannah that Elannah's last play had been a much grander production, spanning several months of intense rehearsal. I told Elannah that tears of disappointment were okay, but there would be no jealousy or whining, just as I had told Sophia months before. Fortunately, Elannah is happily philosophical today. Sophia is ecstatic.

On a completely different note, someone left the garage freezer door wide open all night and probably most of yesterday. Everything in there was completely defrosted by the time Husband noticed this morning, so I had to scramble to pull out all the meat and get it cooked. I still have about 10 pounds of organic ground beef to fry up, but I picked the wrong day to stand around cooking for hours on end (see above about my sore legs). I have done the bulk of it, but the rest will have to wait until tomorrow. I've also cleaned up the blood on the garage floor, in the freezer, and the drips on the kitchen floor. It's enough to make me vegetarian.