To Market To Market to Buy …

No fat pigs were purchased that day, but we did buy a few little jars of tiny rocks.

I should mention that I can attribute errors in this post to having withdrawal from going pretty much cold-turkey with the chocolate on Saturday. John did supply me with half of a tiny wedge of dark chocolate filled with caramel around 8pm, and the other half around 9pm, and when I sweetly begged for some dark chocolate and berry granola around 11:30pm he said I could have a tiny bit.

I have found myself craving chocolate SO MUCH all day long. It’s more of a feeling that comes over me making me feel a bit out of control or overwhelmed, then I think how chocolate would make it go away (or it’s suddenly feeling tired and drained, as when I’m nursing Daniel or while I was playing the bagpipes), and then I can’t get the idea of eating the chocolate out of my head. A few times I actually felt like I started to get flushed as I do when I have a sugar rush from eating too much candy or something. Just a few more sips of iced tea (caffeinated until 5pm and then decaf afterwards – I brewed two pots last night in anticipation of a great need today) often did the trick, but as the evening wore on, it got worse, probably because I was more tired as well. I think it should get easier after a few days when my true dependence on caffeine (what little of it there is in cocoa – I still think it’s affecting me a lot, considering even regular tea gave me the jitters when I was pregnant), and then it will just be the emotionally soothing properties of the chocolate from which I will need release. 🙂 Setting up the punching bag (finally!) in the garage this week should cover some of that (for when I feel overwhelmed) and lying down to rest should help the other times when I am just a bit worn out (and a big piece of chocolate is all the pick-me-up I need….) Anyway, wish me luck!! Tell me if you have problems with chocolate!

Now it’s Sunday night, day two “off the bean” – the cocoa bean this time – and I just finished a chocolate-peanut butter-almond milk protein shake even though it’s 11:30pm. I just couldn’t take another minute without some chocolate!! I made the “rule” for myself Friday night when I started this challenge that I am allowed a chocolate item if I make it myself using cocoa powder. (This means no chocolate chips or using chocolate bars in something.) A quick little shake just now has done the trick. 🙂 Now. Here’s a fun afternoon at the market, as seen by my iphone:

Of course the kids beg for one of these every time we see them – but they are EXPENSIVE!!

lots of these going around

Any trip to downtown with the kids requires a stop at the Kapla Block Store!

The BEST find of the day was this neat little rock shop. Oddly enough, everything you can find at the Swap Meet (okay, not everything) at Aloha Stadium on Oahu was for sale in this shop — at LOWER prices. Tourists frequent the Swap Meet – even driving 30 minutes to get there from Waikiki – because they can find coconut purses, little wooden frogs that “croak” when you pull the stick over ridges on their backs, scarves, bracelets with jade, bracelets with hemp, etc, etc, etc, at lower prices than in the markets and gift shops in Waikiki. It all looks like “authentic” Hawaiian kitsch, but no, it’s probably been made in China, and that’s why you can buy it here, too. The kids loved this store and thought it worthy of their pennies, with which they purchased tiny bottles of rocks.