Winning the battle against weight gain
THORNTON NEWS
by Cathie Miller

As all of us know, weight loss is a battle and to win that battle it takes a lot of patience and determination.

On Tuesday March 11, I was invited to met Denise Lanski at the local TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meeting. She was beaming with pride and accomplishment because she had reached her goal of losing 70 pounds. I must say she looked fabulous. Denise started her weight loss journey by joining the Thornton TOPS chapter in April 2007 and now, 11 months later, she has reached her goal.

"Through TOPS, I learned how to eat properly, I didn't go on a diet, I just changed the way that I eat," she said. "I can honestly say that for me it was easy. I just had to be patient because, like a lot of overweight people out there, I wanted to lose it fast. But (I) knew that is not the way to do it, as it always comes back."

Denise lost an average of 5.5 pounds per month and in her 11 months never had a weight gain. She says that TOPS will always be a part of her life and she will continue to go to the weekly meetings, where she credits the excellent support of her fellow members as playing a crucial part in her weight loss. Her favourite expression is, "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels."

The Thornton TOPS chapter meets Tuesday evenings from 6:45 until 8 p.m. New members are always welcome.

The Thornton Lions will be holding their pancake breakfast on Good Friday, March 21 from 7 to 11 a.m. It will feature all you can eat pancakes served with sausage, coffee, tea or juice. Proceeds will go towards their pledge to support the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre.

You can drop off your donations for the Easter Food Drive at Trinity United Church on Easter Sunday from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Nonperishable food items, baby supplies or toiletries will all be accepted.

The next Essa Historical Society meeting will be held on Saturday March 29 starting at 1:30 p.m. The meetings are held in the community room at the Thornton library and all are welcome to attend. This month's speaker will be Margaret Baker, speaking about United Empire Loyalists. It's an interesting topic if you have any in your background. The roll call this month is a home remedy. For more information, call Olive at 458-9971.

Following the worship service at Ivy Presbyterian Church on March 2, the outreach committee hosted a vintage dinner. Eight senior members of the congregation (over 80 years old) were invited to the luncheon. They were served an elegant gourmet dinner and thanked for their many years of service and commitment to their church family. The next meeting of the Junior Youth Group Fighting Temptations meets on Thursday March 20 starting at 6:45 p.m. at the Applegate's home. For more information, call 424-2987. You are invited to join the congregation at Ivy Presbyterian Church for their Easter services, as they celebrate one of the most important religious holidays, by joining them at their Good Friday service at 7:30 p.m. or on Easter Sunday at 10 a.m. All are welcome.

The Spring Tonic Maple Syrup Festival will be held on April 5 and 6 at the Tiffin Centre, located at 8195 Concession 8 in Essa Township. You can learn how maple syrup is made and then enjoy a delicious pancake and sausage breakfast smothered with real maple syrup. It features horse drawn wagon rides, crafts, live music and more. The pay one price, which includes all activities and breakfast, is $10 for adults and $5 for children. For more information, call 424-1479.

The staff at Essa Public Library wishes everyone a happy Easter and spring this coming week. For the Easter holiday, the Thornton branch will be open on Saturday but will be closed on Easter Monday, March 24. When visiting the library, take a look through the list of new books that are coming and sign up to get them on your reading list. A new preschooler's storytime session will be starting soon and it is now free. Call or visit the library to preregister your three to fiveyear olds for this fun filled session of stories, crafts and more.

Adam Hewson will be travelling to Peru in April on a humanitarian mission with the Global Youth Network. The Thornton Lions are hosting a coffee house on Saturday March 29 to help Hewson raise funds to support his mission. The entertainment will start at 7:30 p.m., with at least two and a half hours of good local talent to entertain you. There will be tea and coffee served, along with delicious sweets. Tickets are just $10 each and are available from any Thornton Lion, or you can reserve them by calling Warren at 458-9358.

You have until March 30th to purchase your 2008 dog tags. They are available at either Essa Public Library branch or at the township administration offices. Each tag is $20 and you must show proof of rabies vaccination for you pet.

Ivy Minor Baseball will be holding their registration on Saturday April 12 at the Ivy Orange Hall from 9 a.m. until noon. You can sign your children up for T-Ball, Junior and Senior Rookie, Tyke, Peewee, Bantam and Midget teams. For more information, call Charlene at 739-9226.

The Thornton Skating Club will be presenting A Night at the Museum on ice. Their skating carnival will be held Saturday April 5 with 1:30 and 7:00 p.m. shows. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and seniors. For more information or tickets, call Charlene at 739-9926.

Ontario Early Years will be presenting a Positive Discipline Workshop at the library on Monday April 14 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The workshop deals with common parenting concerns such as when children are very active, when children get angry, children that whine or siblings that fight. The workshop focuses on actions that parents might use that aggravate the problems and gives techniques that could increase positive behavior from your children. Visit the library for more information or to register.

If you have any news, announcements, or coming events, you can e-mail me at thorntonnews@rogers.com; call 458-0869 or drop it off at 25 Robert Street. Bye for now.