I have to admit, I did not have a great week.  There were a bunch of issues at work, and all of the Trump-related drama got me fairly depressed.  But don’t worry … that’s pretty much it for my complaining because whenever I find myself getting sad, I have a surefire pick-me-up.  You’d think, based on this blog, that it’s retail therapy, but I shop waaaaaay too regularly for that to serve as any kind of “special occasion” treat for me.  No … true to certain stereotypes, I go straight to the sugar to cheer myself up.  I know lots of people go for ice cream, and while I love pralines and cream ice cream from Baskin Robbins, what really cheers me up is birthday cake …

To which some people reply … what about a pralines and cream ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins?  Isn’t that the best of both worlds?!?

To which I reply … NOT AT ALL!!!

Because when I say birthday cake, I mean those white sheet cakes with the sticky sweet buttercream frosting that they sell at the grocery store (and not at some fancy cake shop like those on that TV show Ace of Cakes).  The grocery store usually has a few with roses or balloons sitting in the refrigerator already made, but you can also flip through that book with the laminated pages in the bakery to order a licensed cake that comes with cool toys on the top.  I’ve been picking out one of those licensed cakes for nearly every birthday I can remember.  Right before I had my son, I think I went with Hello Kitty, but now that he wants the toys on top for himself, I’ve been going with Transformers or Marvel/DC superheroes or Construction Scene (which is way cool):

Of course, there’s no opportunity to plan ahead when you need some cheering up, so that’s when the generic flower or balloon version comes in handy.  In fact, those ready-made cakes were absolutly essential when I was pregnant.  Women sometimes compare their pregnancy cravings, and mine were (i) that onion dip you make with Lipton soup mix and Ruffles potato chips and (ii) birthday cake ((i) and (ii) never being served together, of course).  Standing in the kitchen, I would eat the birthday cake straight off the sheet, not even bothering to put it on a plate.  One night, I ate something like an eighth of a sheet before my husband at the time got home from work and then had a surprise gestational diabetes screen at the doctor the next day.  Needless to say, my blood sugar was off the charts, so we had to re-do the test under less … shall we say “extreme” … circumstances.

I think it’s important that everyone indulge in the foods they love from time to time, so long as it’s a treat and not a crutch.  And whenever I do so, it’s always nice to wear something a little more forgiving so I don’t have to walk around sucking in my stomach.  This Rossella Jardini dress I got from Shopbop (www.shopbop.com), with its full pleated skirt and bodice, is perfect since the extra space just adds to its floaty, ethereal feel.  Whenever I wear it, I can have a huge steak dinner (or, like today, eat birthday cake for breakfast) and still feel like I’m dancing in air a la LA LA Land …