Withdrawal

Gradually this year, I have wondered how my washer continued to shrink my pants-- little by little. While I pondered this conundrum, I often found myself sucking on my favorite treat: Hershey's kisses (the Hugs version.) Hmm. . .It is amazing I never made a connection!

So, when Lent season came, I did not need to question what SHOULD I give up this year, but rather could I really do it? I have secret stashes of chocolate everywhere. I am the worst at school because I will buy chocolate for rewards for the students, then I will eat the leftover pieces. I have bags in my desks -- in both rooms. At home, I have a few stashes leftover from the kids' Halloween and Valentine's loot.

On Tuesday before Lent, I decided, there is NO way that I can accomplish this task. No way! Yet as I got dressed on Ash Wednesday, I realized that my pants were not fitting comfy despite the 45 minutes of exercise I get every morning before school.

Therefore, I decided to give up my true addiction for Lent: chocolate.

So far, I have done remarkable, but I am amazed at how prevalent chocolate really is. It is in the boy's favorite granola bars that I occasionally eat. It is in Ev's waffles that I pilfer a piece of in the morning. It is in my favorite Protein bar that I eat to bridge the gap between meals. Chocolate is the source of my favorite topping on ice cream. (Mom used to make this killer ice cream sauce that she taught me how to make. Pure decadence!) Basically, it is everywhere.

Now I have one and a half weeks done and many more to go, but I am committed to holding strong, hoping that I can break some of my bad habits along the way. Maybe I'll even be rewarded with a little breathing room. . .