If you have to deal with mall drivers one more time, if you’ve got a houseful of I’m-bored-already kids, if you hold your breath and cross your fingers every time you fork over your credit card, if — OK, enough with the “ifs.” I’m getting sweaty, my heart is racing, my chest is tight and I can’t help but feel that a sabertooth tiger is tracking me. Which is exactly why I — and possibly you — need to remember Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz’s “Five Tips for Surviving the Holidays.”
Vacationing kids got you climbing the walls? Get them to do the same
I miss the old Raleigh Rock Yard, a classic neighborhood climbing gym on the east side of town that closed a couple years back. I miss it in part because it was a great place to climb. But what I really miss is the staff. Courteous, helpful, exceedingly polite. And I’ll bet not one of them was over 16.
Study: Exercise keeps your tank feeling full
If you embark on a new exercise program on Jan. 1 don’t be discouraged if you find yourself hungrier than before. The upside: You’re likely to feel more satisfied after a meal — especially breakfast — which should help keep you from overeating at a meal and snacking. This according to a study at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology and published in the October American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
It’s winter break … AHHHHHH!
If you’re like me and have kids in school, it’s probably just dawning on you that THEY’RE OFF FOR TWO WEEKS!!!
Sorry.
Yes, with the holidays comes winter break and a good two weeks of the kids underfoot and constantly asking, “What are we doing today?” And a good two weeks of you saying, “Uh … .” Which is what I found myself saying just a few minutes ago. Which is why I’m here now, hoping that between us we can come up with a few things to do over break to keep the kids busy. And not just to take up their time, because as we all know, planting them in front of the TV for the morning may keep them occupied, but it won’t do anything to wear them out and make them go to bed at a decent hour. We need active options here, folks.
Seeking direction in 2010
I was hiking Thursday afternoon on the Rim Trail at Fires Creek when I was struck by a twinge of melancholy. Odd, because I was in my element: hiking in the Southern Appalachians on a crisp winterlike day, the sun just active enough to cast faint shadows across the forest floor. Perfect hiking conditions, in my book. So what was wrong?