When Lloyd Robertson, Canada’s long-serving and easily most recognizable news anchor, released his autobiography, I knew I’d love it. I certainly wasn’t disappointed – Robertson depicts the “story behind the story” and details the coverage of events such as 9/11, the Quebec Referendum, Kennedy assassination, royal weddings, and a myriad of Canadian elections. But Robertson also dives deeper – giving readers insights into the changing face of news (a great throwback to my journalism class), his troubled childhood, and how he learned to balance a skyrocketing career and family. He makes sure to provide some laughs as well – from conversations with Prince Philip to a hair dye snafu to on-air flubs.

If you love news and want to learn more about the man who brought us the stories for so many years, I definitely recommend The Kind of Life It’s Been. And if nothing else, you’ll appreciate that the next time you eat candy at work and get it stuck in your teeth, at least you’re not being broadcast to a national audience.

Today’s Friday favourite will actually be three…

1. Making it to this month in the calendar.
2. Accomplishing goals!!
3. Avon nail polish… great colours and long lasting. This is four days in with no top or base coat and no touch-ups… not bad at all!

Have a great weekend! I’ll see you back here on Monday.

• It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear.
• Not our job to send the right message but to release the right response!
• Check your ego: Before people encounter your message, they encounter you!
• Do you overestimate what you say but underestimate your audience?
• Run your messages through a filter – how will your audience respond?
• “What” is a supporting character, “Who” is a lead character!
• Get an image consultant: Do you know how you’re coming across? Draw on the wisdom of people who have different perspectives. Become a student of everyone – they can save you from you!
• Learning about your audience helps you to predict their response.
• Keep it simple: if you want to maximize the response, minimize the options.
• People only notice what they’re looking for.
• Are we bombarding people with too many options?
• Spend more time curating, less time creating.
• “A generation ago, the question was ‘What is truth?’ Today, it’s ‘What’s the point?’” – Billy Graham

The morning workout was supposed to be added to this routine… but as we all know, that hasn’t been working out so well. It could also be the reason why my pants have started to feel a bit tight.

Lack of morning workout aside, I’ve found a huge boost in my morning routine comes from having my lunch already packed and ready to go.

Carlo Mendoza for Canadian Family

This week, I’m packing a quinoa salad recommended by Rachel at the Blissful Bakker. If your lunch needs a toss-up, this one’s for you. It’s ridiculously easy to make (and substitute-friendly to suit your tastes), very filling and yum-o. Never before have I had cravings for the salad that I know is waiting on the other side of the refrigerator door.

Now that the lunch question is answered for the rest of this week, I’m back to focusing on the elusive morning workout. One failed morning down, four attempts to go…

• Prairie Girl chocolate-chocolate cupcakes
• Friends to share great conversation, food and a trip to the Distillery District with
• Naps on the couch during Friends reruns
• Tea on a cold day
• Finally finding tahini at Bulk Barn after two unsuccessful grocery store trips (recipe post coming soon!)
• Great biographies to read on the subway (again, the subject of an upcoming post!)
• The fact that I worked out this morning to get this week off to a great start*
• And once again, grace. Always, always, always grace.

*I’m writing that one in faith – I’m writing this entry on Sunday evening… so hopefully I will be thankful for getting myself out of bed and to the gym!!

Ummm… go Argos? (This coming from the girl who just had to Google if it was “Argos” or “Argoes”.)

This is a simple quote that my mom and I have been thinking about this week. My mom calls it “switching the channel in your head” so that you focus on something positive and change your outlook. Tough to do but definitely worth striving for!

It all started last weekend when I agreed to attend the Santa Claus parade. I came home inspired to complete my Christmas card list. After that, I dug out my box of Christmas decorations. I had no intention of decorating yet but decided to dig out the box to be ready for when December rolls around. Very innocently, I opened it up to look at the decorations. Next thing I knew, my apartment was decorated for Christmas…. 2 weeks before December even began!

Now there seems to be no stopping me. Yesterday I bought Voortman Christmas cookies (another thing I usually would save for December). Today I stopped to buy cleaning supplies at Canadian Tire and found myself wandering the Christmas aisles, admiring all the decorations. Not only that, I bought something! And voila, this week’s Friday favourite. It’s so cute that I may have to start decorating in November every year. Seriously, what has gotten into me?!?

*I should note that the “not before December 1″ rule does not apply to Christmas shopping. I like to have that done by the end of October to avoid the Christmas pandemonium at the mall. You may now proceed to leaving comments accusing me of being Scrooge.

1. Drink as little pop as possible. (I’m working on it!)
2. A delicious cookie from the college cafeteria is only allowed on Fridays.

It has already been Friday three times this week.

How about you? Any healthy endeavours? I hope it’s going better than my once-a-week cookie rule.