It can only go downhill from here...

Last night, I went out with the girls and had a most fabulous time! We ate delicious sushi, indulged in some hot sake, and then really went all-out and had an eclair each at a nearby Italian bakery. Yumm-mm-m! We were all enjoying each other's company so much that we were surprised when the bakery employees started closing down their shop around 7:30 p.m. What? You're not an all-night bakery? We can't just stay and chat while you mop around us? We very reluctantly parted ways and I got home much earlier than expected.

AJS was watching the kids, and as usual when I'm out for the evening, he refuses to make them anything nutritious. Their dinner was milk plus lots of air-popped (healthier than microwaved, maybe), buttered popcorn. After watching Barbie of Swan Lake featuring Barbie as Odette (Rosie's pick) and Iron Giant (which was my pick for Dash, and wow, it should have been a Disney/Pixar movie! Why doesn't this movie have more of a following? It was wonderful, even tearjerking).  AJS brought out his newly acquired, wide-screen DVD of ZULU. Ahhh, beautiful, young Michael Caine. :-)

Now, I have loved this movie from my first viewing, and I can't stand most military flicks. Through brilliant tactics, a group of about 100 soldiers at a missionary outpost in South Africa—mostly Welsh, with some Brits and Swedes mixed in—managed to wage a defense against 4,000 Zulu warriors. FOUR THOUSAND scary mofos. COMING TO KILL THEM. And this ragtag 100 soldiers not only stand their ground, they SING at the Zulus in 4-part Welsh harmony while they defeat them. 

Only knowing that our kids love to watch The Wind and the Lion (can I watch "pirate movie?), West Side Story (let's watch "Maria!"),  The Adventures of Robin Hood (Robin Hood! Robin Hood), The Phantom of the Opera (we watch Phantom, pleeeze?) and have sat through all the Star Wars franchise and all of The Lord of the Rings series did we consider that they might sit through Zulu. They seemed interested, and Rosie asked lots of questions throughout. Dash was quiet and asked to go to bed (it was getting late) but when I got him ready, he refused. So, as I wanted to see more of the movie and didn't want to get into a struggle, I just grabbed him, his blanket, and hoped he would drift off in my lap.

[TMI warning] After a while, in the most heated part of Zulu with flames on the roofs, and "fire at will," Zulus everywhere inside the perimeter, with guns, spears, and mayhem, I smelled vomit. Dash had puked nasty, partially digested popcorn all over me. After three subsequent sets of soiled sheets + running loads of laundry all night I hardly got any sleep.

To complicate matters, given the sick-kid situation (101 degree fever at noon), AJS and I decided to cancel on our dinner party that I organized at a friends' house. I was introducing two sets of friends who I learned were new neighbors. And the new-neighbor friend (plus wife) is a coworker, so I have his work phone and his work email, but NOT HIS HOME NUMBER. So, I was unable to contact him in advance to warn him that it was going to be a blind couples date. I dearly hope it wasn't terribly awkward for all of them. None of them have kids, so I think they won't really understand why we cancelled. 

Anyway, Dash seems okay now. I am really hoping that I get some sleep tonight. Send me good sleep vibes, please!!!