The holidays are over, which in and of itself is a bummer. More importantly, though, my kids have started back at school. I am not saying that I do not want my kids to go to school as I know the importance, but it is sad to go back into a routine. I loved the holiday break as my kids did not have to wake up at a particular time nor were we on a time crunch to get to an after-school event or to a lesson for one of their activities. At first I thought I was the only one who did not mind my kids being home from school, until I spoke with my sister. She shared the same thoughts as I did about being relieved her kids were out of school for a couple of weeks. Sure I hardly got any work done and had to separate them a few times for fighting with each other, but other than that, it was nice to say to them, “hey let’s go ice skating for a couple of hours so you can get some activity in you.” It was also a good stress-reliever for me as well. 

On the positive side, this is a good thing for me to go back into a routine as now that the kids are back in school, I can focus on my work and all the other items I need to get done. Yet, there still is a tinge of sadness. Sure, there are plenty of natural remedies to dissipate these blues such as eating omega 3 fatty acids, 

eating foods that contain the awesome amino acid tryptophan (you know the one that causes you to sleep after eating that good Turkey meal), 

 

getting plenty of vitamin D, 

and eating more fruits and veggies (Hokemeyer, 2015). 

But, I already consume most of these foods or take a multivitamin, so the best thing for me to do is get used to this routine and think there is only 4 more months until summer break, so that’s something to look forward to…

Hokemeyer, P. (2015). 4 foods you should eat to stave off seasonal depression. New York Post. Retrieved on January 4, 2016 from http://nypost.com/2015/02/11/four-foods-you-should-eat-to-stave-off-seasonal-depression/

I do not typically make a resolution for the New Year. I am not sure why, but it likely has to do with the reason I do not stick with that resolution. For example, one year my resolution was to wake up earlier. So I set my alarm an hour earlier and the next morning when it went off, I hit the snooze and slept until I normally get up. I attempted to wake up early the next day since I did so well the first and the same thing happened. I decided waking up early was not in my cards. In any case, when writing this post, I decided to see what others indicate as their resolutions for 2016. Here are the top 5:

1. Enjoy life to the fullest

2. Live a healthier lifestyle

3. Lose weight

4. Spend more time with family and friends

5. Save more, spend less (Kirkham, 2015)

I must point out GoBankingRates administered this survey to 5000 Americans in which the responses above were their only choices and they had to check which one(s) was the most important to them. Now I am a scientist and conduct research studies, so I understand the rationale for reducing the number of choices people have to improve statistics and prevent variability. However, these choices could mean something different to everyone. For instance, “enjoy life to the fullest”. Sure who doesn’t want to do this? I would mark this and make it a point to travel the globe. Someone else may interpret this to volunteering and helping out more in their community. Regardless of which one(s) you would potentially mark above, I wish you a wonderful New Year!

Kirkham, E. (2015). “Enjoying life to the fullest” is 2016’s top resolution. Time: Everyday Money. Retrieved from http://time.com/money/4163867/top-new-years-resolution-2016/

As an assignment in a high school English class we had to recite a poem. We had learned about Robert Frost, so I recited this poem. I likely choose this poem at the time because it was quite easy to remember compared to his other poems and I thought at the time the meaning was quite simple. However, the meaning is much more complex and if you ever walked through the woods on a snowy day, you may guess the complexity of his poem. Well, enjoy!

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

Frost, R. (1951). Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171621