Eat Cake. Lose Weight.

On the news this morning there was a story about a study done in Israel that showed people who ate cake in the morning lost 40 more pounds than those who did not.

I am a believer of the effective, but not popular, weight loss method of a normal diet and exercise, however, this study caught my ear.

I believe this study might be onto something.

I love baked goods. I find I crave homemade cookies and brownies in the morning. I would be quite content to eat my cereal with a side of chocolate bar.

According to the researchers, those who ate a slice of cake with breakfast, spiked their metabolism and then had the day to wear off the calories.

When I don't have baked goods to eat on the way to work, or avoid sweets throughout the day, I tend to eat a lot of junk I don't really want when I get home.

So tonight after work, my guy and I are going to bake a second batch of granola cups found at Mommie Cooks (delicious and fun) as well as a batch of chocolate chip cookies so I can test the theory.

Bad Journalism

On Monday, a story broke about a car accident in a small town near Stratford, Ont. Being billed as one of the worst accidents in Ontario's history, it involved a flat-bed truck and a passenger van. Eleven people died.

Immediately it was implied the truck driver was at fault. The headline on the TV screen said truck slams into passenger van. How did they know this? The police didn't know anything other than it was horrific – the truck driver was dead as were 10 people in the van.

The coverage of this accident was lengthy. A reporter was already at the scene and was talking about the area as well as describing the scene itself.

CP24, we are not CNN and for that we should all be grateful. CNN, and CP24 apparently, should be ashamed of the way they are covering news. They take a story and then have to make news up to fill the 24-hour coverage they have slotted for it.

I like info, but no story, particularly a breaking one, has enough information to allot it that much time. It becomes entertainment and news - especially disasters and tragedies - are not entertainment.

Perhaps CP24 instead, could have used their coverage time to explain to city folk the ways of the country. The passenger van was carrying migrant workers. Farmers, so city people know, hire migrant workers to work their fields.

New stations covering this story have made a point to mention the passenger van was filled with migrant workers each time this story comes up.

Why? What difference does it make who was in the van. They were people. Would it make it more or less sad it it was a van full of tourists or a van full of Canadians?

Journalists, think of your words. There is a reason why people distrust the media and this is it.

How Did this Happen?

Friday we register our son for kindergarten.

How is it that our little guy is at the age where he is going to school?

When I first realized our three-year-old will be getting on the school bus like the “big kids”, I was so sad. While I acknowledged he was likely ready to go mentally, there were a list of things he still isn’t able to do and a whole bunch of things I hadn’t yet taught him.

While he can get dressed himself, he can’t zip up his coat and he still puts his shoes on backwards. While he knows to stop at the edge of the road and look both ways before he crosses, we still need to work on letting other people talk despite having something important to say.

He still likes to nap. We leave the house at 6:10 a.m. This works out because he has at least a two-hour nap during the day. His kindergarten is all day every day. My poor guy is going to be tired.

And then there is school itself.

When my stepdaughter lived with us, it seemed like each week she was asking for money – school trips, fundraisers, pizza lunch.

My guy doesn’t get a lot of stuff. We don’t go to the grocery store and buy him a treat. On our recent Belleville trip, we went into many stores – toy, hobby, book – and he saw many things he wanted but he didn’t get anything.

But the school system seems to not only want your money, but makes you feel pressure to give your child everything because everyone else is doing it.

I suppose I will cross the money issue when it comes but I am feeling better about kindergarten readiness as two friends both told me the children don’t have to be completely self-sufficient, that there are parents in the classroom who help out.

So while I will be a little sad that my guy is starting a new chapter in his life, it will also be exciting to watch this little boy grow up to be an even bigger boy.

If I Were Part of the One Per Cent

The Occupy movement, which is against economic and social inequality, tried to enter the high-security venue of the World Economic Forum today.

I wish I was part of the one per cent of the world’s richest people.

If I were, I would:

• Pay someone to clean my house.
• Hire a personal shopper to help me with the dreadful task of clothes shopping.
• Hire someone to do my ironing and make sure my clothes match before heading out the door.
• Go on a vacation when I felt the need to escape winter or just because I felt like getting away.
• Become a stay-at-home mom.
• Buy a hobby farm with acreage.
• Trap-spay-neuter cats to decrease the feral cat population. Please people, fix your pets.
• Volunteer, likely with animals or children.

On a serious note, there are all sorts of rich people just like there are all sorts of middle-class people.

Often you hear the super rich helping out during a crisis and long after the crisis has slipped the mind of every day people. Many of the super rich use their names to encourage people to donate time or money to a cause.

I think most of the one per cent look beyond themselves and help others. I am sure there are a few of the one per cent who only look out for only themselves. But then I am also sure more of the 99 per cent do the same.

Thursday’s Ramble

After our son’s recent skate, the instructor commented to us that our guy is quite the negotiator.

My husband and I laughed out loud because as E was skating, we could tell he was trying to make a deal with the instructor and we were pleased to see she wasn’t buying it.

Our guy is a master negotiator often starting his sentence with “I have an idea.”

Bad Drivers
I was cursing the other drivers on the road recently but when I arrived in to work and attempted to do some writing, I noticed my fingers appeared to be on the wrong keys and everything was going wrong.
Sorry drivers, perhaps it wasn’t you but me.

Seasonal Affective Disorder
I have noticed that since I had my son and received fantastic hours at work, I haven’t been that affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

It might be the combination of having someone else to worry about and returning home when it’s still light outside that has help. However, I still find I am more tired than normal.

Bring on the cold, maybe
SAD might also be kept at bay because of our weird weather this year. The temperature changes often - sometimes warm, sometimes cold.

The bad part about the not-so-cold weather is the chance of freezing rain increases. I would rather deal with a blizzard than freezing rain. So bring on the cold?

Now That Is Taking a Need For Routine Too Far

Routine, it is said, is important for children. Adults, too, get stuck in routines.

For example, I drive the same route to get to work and I when I get there, I turn on my computer, check my voicemail, change my message, start up all the programs I work with, get my water, do some reading and then check emails.

But recently, I ‘met’ a woman who takes her routine a tad too seriously. I think she may have a problem.

After dropping my guy off at daycare, I went to the local gas station to fill up my tank. I went inside, paid the man and then got in my car. I looked up to see a woman in a SUV impatiently waiting for my spot.

This would make sense if the gas station was full. It was not. It was about 6:20 a.m. and I was the only person at the station. All other gas pumps were empty.

I organized myself, put my seatbelt on and drove away. The woman immediately pulled into my spot.

What makes this story that much funnier, in my opinion any way, is that two days later I pulled back into the gas station parking lot and who is at that same pump at the same time – the woman in the SUV.

In the case, this woman needs to learn to change up her routine. Life must be so limiting for her.

Worth a trip to downtown Belleville

Saturday, we visited my stepdaughter in Belleville where she lives while attending Loyalist College.

We have been to Belleville several times in the almost two years she has called that city home, but have never strayed further than the big-box store part of town.
As A. now owns a car, we were able to spend our Saturday checking out the town rather than grocery shopping.

On Friday, I looked up ‘What to do in Belleville’ and came across various trails that could take you along the Bay of Quinte as well as the Moira River in Belleville. Visit http://bayofquinte.com/directory/tag/belleville-trails/ for details.

I opted for the trails that lead along the river as I noticed there was a playground.
When we arrived at my stepdaughter’s place, A. suggested we instead visit downtown Belleville as it has old buildings and beautiful stores – my kind of place.

Not knowing how her brother would do shopping all day, and after spending more than two hours in the car, I thought a walk would do us all well.

We parked downtown for free, then headed to the paved trail along the water’s edge. (Note to self, next time have A, who has a sense of direction, look at a map before heading out.)

The Moira River was moving fast and furious. And close.

I not sure how the City of Belleville can get away with the design of the barrier along the water’s edge.

I appreciate my child is my responsibility, however, the walk along the river was a stressful experience. Our guy kept getting close to the barrier – if you could call it that – that literally sat on top of the river and offered zero protection from falling into the cold and fast-moving water below.

The space between each post of the barrier would fit an adult in some parts, more like four shoulder to shoulder near downtown. As such, I kept our guy between the concrete barrier protecting us from the road and myself.


We checked out an old mill and then walked downtown where we had an enjoyable afternoon checking out the shops in downtown Belleville.

My favourite places were Greenley's Bookstore, which had two levels of books, including a bargain shop at the bottom; Scalliway Toys (what a great name), which had a fantastic selection of unique and brand name toys at reasonable prices; and Stephen Licence Ltd. Bicycles & Hobbies, which had a great selection of trains, bikes, unique games and an owner who has seen it all when it comes to toys.

We stopped by a local coffee shop for a hot chocolate but I was disappointed. Why is a good cup of hot chocolate so hard to find? I am sure it was made with water. My guy liked it for the whipped cream and chocolate drizzle ton top.

We passed by L'auberge de France - Authentic French Bistro, which claimed to offer baked goods.

A said it was a sit-down restaurant so we didn’t go in. A mistake because I read they offer straight-from-the-oven chocolate croissants Saturdays. I bet they would have had a great cup of hot chocolate.

So if you are ever passing by Belleville, a trip to their downtown is a worthwhile experience.

And if you have children and you feel the need for a daredevil trip along the water’s edge, you will find a playground, which apparently is in the shape of a pirate ship.