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(305) 351-9457 www.istuetaroofing.com JANUARY 2022 THE HOME & FAMILY TRIBUNE
Beating the Winter Blues HOW TO HAVE A HAPPIER SEASON I love the holidays, but now that they’re over, a long winter lies ahead. With the hustle and bustle of last year behind us, I think it’s easy to feel like there’s not much of anything to look forward to until spring. Between the short days, frigid temperatures, and additional time spent cooped up inside, a lot of people — including kids — become lethargic, irritable, or even depressed.
Yes, the winter blues are real. Sometimes, they rise to the level of a diagnosable condition called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), aka seasonal depression. Other times, they just result in feelings of boredom or listlessness. Either way, feeling down during the winter can have a big impact on you and your children. If you or other members of your family experience the winter blues, rest assured that not all is lost. With some dedication, and by following these steps, you can have a happier winter!
everyone in your family has a warm coat and boots before venturing outside for a walk or snowball fight.
In fact, sleeping too much can be a sign of poor sleep quality, and it has its own effects on mood. Meanwhile, the consequences of not getting enough sleep include irritability, reduced hormone production, and a likelihood of increased stress. Your kids probably have a set bedtime, but you should, too. For the best sleep possible, everyone should follow a simple but regular bedtime routine that includes winding down and dimming the lights. Consistently going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (yes, even on weekends!) will create better sleep, and morning exposure to light is critical to training your circadian rhythm. If these tips don’t work, it’s time to visit a doctor. If symptoms last for longer than two weeks, the “winter blues” can really be SAD. Treatments, including light therapy and medication, are available for all ages, and should be discussed with a professional. Whether you and your kids need professional care or just a little pick- me-up, winter is much too long to spend feeling sad. Despite the cold and the darkness, everyone can have an enjoyable season with a little help.
EXERCISE REGULARLY
Since most people spend more time indoors during the winter, they also tend to get less exercise. However, exercise can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, which is even more valuable when you’re feeling down. You can encourage your kids to get in some activity and also use their need for exercise as motivation to get your own. Because of the sunlight exposure, engaging in activities outdoors is best. You could try ice skating, hockey, or hiking. (Shoveling snow is also great exercise, if you’re looking for an excuse to enlist your kids.) But plenty of indoor options exist too! Take your kids to a trampoline park or indoor basketball court or pool. Dance and martial arts are great activities to keep kids moving, and video games that require movement can trick them (and you) into getting a workout without even realizing it.
GET SOME SUN
During the winter, the days are short and the nights are long. The extra darkness is generally considered to be a major cause of seasonal depression because the sun helps balance serotonin and melatonin levels and replenishes our vitamin D. So, it’s important for adults and children alike to get as much sunlight as possible, even when it’s cold outside. When the only daylight hours are spent at work or school, this can be tricky. You can compensate by opening the curtains to let in as much sunlight as possible and spending all the time you can in sunny areas. The weekends are also a great time to make up for the sunlight lost during the week. Make sure
SET A SLEEP SCHEDULE
A lot of people tend to sleep more during the winter, but more sleep doesn’t necessarily equal better sleep.
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3 Events to Kick-Start Your 2022 DON’T MISS THESE MIAMI GEMS!
FOR THE FAMILY
FOR THE KIDS
FOR DATE NIGHT
The Upside Down Virtual Race
Mini-Camp: Science on the Move
Anjelah Johnson at Improv Comedy Theatre
All month long, any time
Friday, Jan. 21, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Do your kids love “Stranger Things”? If they do, they just might agree to this family fitness event! The 2022 The Upside Down Virtual Race is an online event that your family can run from anywhere, any time during 2022. It kicks off Jan. 1, and every $18 entry fee includes a medal, race bib, and donation to Operation Underground Railroad, a California-based nonprofit fighting to end child trafficking. Since you can run any time and place you like, why not dress up as “Stranger Things” characters while you hit the road and come home to a meal of Eggos? Options for the race include a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or marathon. Visit VirtualRunEvents.com/Product/The- Upside-Down to learn more.
Kids in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited to visit the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science during this upcoming Teacher Planning Day! While you work, they’ll spend their time “exploring the museum’s interactive exhibitions, conducting science experiments, and making new friends.” The project of the day involves learning about six different types of machines, then building their own to create clothespin cars and a pulley model of a human arm. As the museum puts it: “It’s not a flex, just the basic principles of engineering.” Head to FrostScience.org/ calendar-events and choose “Science to the Move” to register by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18.
Sunday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m.
If your date night is a comedy show, you’re guaranteed to have a good time. This month, enlist the help of a babysitter and escape to the Anjelah Johnson show at Improv Comedy Theatre. Johnson is a Californian ex-professional cheerleader, stand-up comic, and actress known for guest roles on shows and movies like “Superstore,” “Ugly Betty,” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel.” She also appeared on “MADtv” and “Bon Qui Qui” and has comedy specials on Netflix, Hulu, Central Comedy, and Epix. You can pregame with those, then snag tickets to her live show at MiamiImprov.com.
Embrace Your Inner Bookworm 4 SECRETS TO FINDING TIME TO READ AS A BUSY PARENT
soccer practice, this downtime could be spent reading a chapter of your book.
days, this may last 10 minutes, but other times, they may stay captivated longer. Either way, you are creating healthy habits for your kids while getting in a chapter for yourself, too!
Schedule reading time.
When you think of reading, you might conjure up an image of yourself curled up next to a cozy fireplace, sipping on coffee, and reading the day away. However, with the hustle and bustle of daily life and raising kids, it's tough to find the time to truly dive into a good book. We know it’s important to read to our children, but we forget how valuable it is for them to see us reading, too.
This one sounds quite silly, but as parents know, if you don’t make time for something, it won’t get done. Plan out 30 minutes of reading time each day to allow yourself to get comfortable and read without distractions. The trick here is to make sure you don’t cancel on yourself!
Swap out the movies for books.
Once the kids are tucked in after a long day, it sounds so nice to park yourself in front of the television with a cozy blanket and mindlessly watch a good movie or an episode of your favorite show. However, instead of watching TV for an hour, dedicate some or all of that time to reading. This way, you're still making progress in your book. No matter how you make the time to read, you will be glad you did. Good luck and happy reading!
Make it a family affair.
So, how can you fit it into your schedule?
Don’t leave the house without a book.
Sometimes parents feel guilty when they take time for themselves that could be spent with their children. If this sounds like you, make time to read together — the kids read their books, and you read yours! Some
Whether you are waiting in the pickup line at school, at the dentist’s office, for your order at the coffee shop, or at your kid’s
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Stop Losing Clients Today!
6 WAYS TO RETHINK YOUR RETENTION MARKETING
Create a fund for customer perks and gifts. Celebrating your clients allows you to give them attention when they might appreciate it most. If you know a customer who recently had a baby or is going through a difficult time, consider sending a gift or a card to show you're thinking about them. These gifts cost resources, but as Newswire reports, multiple studies show that customer gifts increase retention. Invest in retention tools. Staying in touch with your customers is the best way to keep them happy and remind them that you care. You can stay on top of this by doing the hard work of reaching out personally each month, but it’s easier and more efficient to invest in recurring communications like automated weekly emails and regularly printed newsletters. Make personalization possible. In order to retain customers, you must build quality relationships with them. This starts with knowing who they are, what they need, and how they interact with your company and your marketing. To figure out those key points, you should gather and interpret a lot of data, both online and off.
Retention is crucial to your business. According to Investopedia, acquiring a new client can cost five times as much as retaining an existing one. And if that doesn’t convince you, research from Bain & Company and the Harvard Business School both show that a 5% increase in customer retention can boost profits by as much as 95%. If you don’t have appropriate retention strategies in place, 2022 is the perfect time to make a change! Here are six ways to completely rethink your retention marketing that will save your team time and money. Reallocate your resources. Don’t just talk the retention talk — walk the walk! In order to truly change your company’s ways, you need to invest in retention and reallocate your resources. Provide your team with additional training on customer service. Important points to emphasize for retention (per Forbes magazine) include frequent and friendly customer communication, transparency, active listening, and the value of relationship-building.
You can do some of this data-gathering and calculating yourself (for example, you might consider calculating the lifetime value or LTV of each client), but hiring a third-party data analytics company will help you take your retention marketing to the next level. SAS, Alteryx, Kissmetrics, and InsightSquared are great options for small-business owners. Hire (or create) a retention expert. If you truly want to maximize your retention, you need to make it an integral part of your team’s marketing approach. Investing in specialized training for your team is one way to do this. But you can also hire a retention expert or shift one of your existing team members’ roles to focus exclusively on managing and retaining clients. Yes, hiring is expensive, but remember — increasing customer retention by just 5% can increase profits by as much as 95%. That new team member will pay for themselves in no time! Retention marketing mindset shifts will be game-changers for your company. You can start with one of these tips or dive into all of them. Whatever feels right for you, if you try these ideas, it won’t be long before you’ll see the difference in your bottom line.
Inspired by MennoniteGirlsCanCook.ca
DEEP-FRIED NEWYEAR’S ‘COOKIES’
TAKE A BREAK
What do you get when you mix a cookie and a doughnut? A portzelky! This traditional Mennonite “New Year’s cookie” is perfect for sharing.
INGREDIENTS
• 2 tbsp yeast • 1/2 cup water, warmed • 1/2 cup and 1 tsp sugar, divided • 5 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup butter, softened • 2 1/2 cups milk, warmed
• 1 1/2 tsp salt • 4 cups raisins • 7 cups flour • 4 cups canola oil
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine yeast, water, and 1 tsp sugar. Wait 10 minutes. 2. Stir in remaining sugar, eggs, butter, milk, and salt. 3. Fold in the raisins and flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for an hour. 4. In a high-sided pot or deep fryer, heat canola oil to 340 F. Line a plate with paper towels. 5. Drop a rounded tablespoon of dough into the oil. Fry until golden brown, then set aside on the plate. Poke the cookie with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, it’s cooked through! 6. Repeat until the batter is gone.
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INSIDE Save Your Family From Winter Blues PAGE 1 3 Miami Events to Enjoy in the New Year PAGE 2 Make More Time for Reading PAGE 2 6 Retention Strategies That Actually Work PAGE 3 Deep-Fried New Year’s ‘Cookies’ PAGE 3 Why Do Your Ears Pop on Flights? PAGE 4
AIRPLANE EARS
THE SCIENCE BEHIND YOUR EARS POPPING ON FLIGHTS
When it comes to flying on an airplane, you can avoid cramped legs by upgrading to first class or catch a view by picking the window seat. However, there’s no getting around your ears popping during takeoff and landing. Believe it or not, there is a scientific explanation behind this common annoyance. As you read this, you’re likely not on an airplane, and the air pressure on either side of your eardrums is equal. Air is currently passing right on through your eustachian tube, a narrow passage that leads from your middle ear cavity to your pharynx and allows for pressure to be equalized on each side of your eardrums. When you’re in flight on an airplane, air pressure is not equal. During both ascent and descent, your eardrums stretch to try to adapt to the changes. In order to
equalize the pressure, your eustachian tube needs to open and close. When it does, your ears pop! Usually, the ear popping is irritating but nothing more. However, in rare cases, the pressure can lead to ear pain and even loss in hearing, especially if your ears don’t pop. In this case, you may need to make an effort to get your eustachian tube to open by yawning, talking, or swallowing. Sucking on a piece of candy, swallowing some water, or chewing gum may also help! One of the best things you can do is make sure you are not sleeping as the airplane takes off or lands because your eustachian tube isn’t able to open and close normally. If you commonly struggle with congestion or sore ears on flights, taking a nasal decongestant before you
board may ensure that your eustachian tube is not blocked.
If your hearing and ears do not return to normal shortly after the flight, be sure to schedule an appointment to see your health care professional as soon as possible.
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