An update: With ErrorTrap installed, my Sim is able to read bedtime stories to the children and toddler I summoned from the depths of the Wishing Well.
But when I loaded the game, my Sim was invisible when she hadn't been before. I am in agreement with a previous poster that it seems to somehow be connected to a fairy's pixie form, since the Sim's plumbob seems lower to the ground. This issue self-corrected; when my Sim climbed into bed she reappeared.
I got one Script Error that seemed to be related to my store content, but didn't appear to have anything to do with my invisible Sim.
I have yet to test the metals again. I will need to set motives to static.
Another issue I have noticed, though--which may pertain to lag (the server has been very slow for me lately)--is that the game keeps telling me I am using the wrong email/password when I attempt to log in. I know that I have both right; in fact it should have automatically logged me in, but it didn't. This corrected before when I made another new Sims 3 folder, but now it's happening again. It only happens when the game is opened. I can log in at the launcher and on the website.
EDIT: However, books may still have an issue. I used the Multitab Tablet and I'm not sure, now that I think about it, that she had physical copies of the books she read to the children. Will have to test that out now by buying the books before getting the child.