Just to add one more: If you can't do it, I pity you.

...let me guess. You've never heard of shmoo torte. Trust me, neither had I before moving here! I've been reflecting back on my past year in Manitoba, and have sort of played around with making a "Winnipeg Bucket List". It's not ALL food-related, but it's a list of things I haven't yet done here that I would want to experience before leaving. It would go something like this: Skate on the Red River Try bannock and/or pemmican Eat at Fusion Grill, a "prairie fusion" fine dining restaurant Have a meal at the fanciest steakhouse, 525 Wellington Enjoy a delicious prix fixé menu at Inferno, a French restaurant in St. Boniface Ride the water taxi... if they ever open the dock behind my building! Have brunch at The Black Sheep Giggle at the retro theme while enjoying fries at Ray & Jerry's steakhouse on Portage Take a drive out to Lockport and go to that little roadside restaurant that Shannon keeps telling me about Trek out to Gimli and get some delicious fish I've talked about some prairie-related deliciousness before. These would be things that I've never heard of, but are super-popular here. If I had a loonie for every time I heard, "It must be a Manitoba thing..." I'd long ago checked red velvet cake, honey dill dipping sauce, and puffed wheat squares off of my bucket list. I ticked off shmoo torte only recently, though. In Osborne Village (just a few blocks east of my apartment), there is a FANTASTIC restaurant called Baked Expectations. I've mentioned it before. It's easily one of my favourite little places to go. I'd heard some of my Manitoba born-and-bred coworkers talk about shmoo torte in the past, so I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about. From what I've been able to gather, shmoo torte is made of pecan angel food cake, layered and frosted with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and more pecans. I'd had it on very good authority that Baked's offering was one of the best in the city. A little Googling (and an article from The Globe and Mail) tells me that "schmoo" can mean "gooey" in Yiddish... no surprise then that this is apparently a Bar Mitzvah staple among Winnipeg's large and wonderful Jewish community. (As a side note, my search for the origins of this cake brought me to the blog "Winnipeg o' my Heart", written by a fellow foodie with a similar Manitoba transplant past. There's one I'll be adding to my Blogger reading list!) So after all that, you might ask, "What did the shmoo do for you??" (terrible pun, I know. It's Father's day... I think I'm channeling my dad's sense of humour even more today). To be perfectly honest: I don't think shmoo and I will become the best of friends. I mean, if you put a slice in front of me, I'd eat it... but that goes for just about anything. I'm not the hugest fan of the texture of angel food cake, and pecans certainly aren't my favourite nut. Add to that the relatively plain whipped cream layers, and I was just kind of 'meh' about the whole thing. Now, the caramel shmoo sauce WAS delicious... but anything dipped in that would be good. Overall, I don't think I'll be crawling back for more. Which, I must admit, is a good thing... I don't need any more difficulty selecting a dessert from Baked's extensive menu! Looking forward to checking off more Manitoba to-dos, -Honeybee

Maybe parenthood looks different than how you pictured it, but no matter what, your child is undeniably a blessing. Stop the looks and comments of pity you get from other people with this shirt that tells everyone that your child is a blessing and nothing less. See the whole "I Am a Blessing" collection here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/sunshineandspoons?search_query=%22I+am+a+blessing%22 The design is printed directly on the shirt. The wording prints white on the darker colors and black on the light ones.

Dear Narcissist Ex, It’s taken me well over two years, but I’ve finally figured you out. I should first start out by saying that I don’t hate you. I should after everything you put me through or the lies you continue to tell about me. I gave you love, understanding, and support while you gave me bullshit. But I am a decent human being, therefore I do not wish harm upon those that treat others with disrespect. I do, however, pity you.

Understand how narcissists apologize. And learn how to respond to their apologies to protect your emotional well-being from further harm.