Spring ahead: The good news and the bad news

I’m preparing for jet lag this month and not because I’m going on a wonderful adventure to another time zone. The symptoms will arrive when I wake up in my own bed an hour earlier than usual because we’re made to move the clock forward for Daylight Saving Time.

We lose an hour and not just any hour. We lose an hour of sleep. I can think of so many more of life’s experiences that could benefit from being an hour shorter. Sleep is at the bottom of the list. More sleep please.

The timing is great for families with kids that will be hanging out at home during March Break. We “spring ahead” before going to bed on Saturday, March 12. If you can share the time off with your kids, you’ve got a week to get over it, as long as you don’t plan any early morning activities.

If you want help adjusting your kids to the time shift, sleep coach Malia Jacobson has some tips in the Toddler section of this month’s issue. It takes me a couple of weeks to make the leap and settle into the new wake up time. Thinking about it is making me tired or perhaps it’s the giant list of events scheduled for March Break that is affecting my energy level.

For families staying close to home this March Break, there is an exhaustive list of things to do in our traditional March Break feature. One of my favourites is a trip to a Maple bush for a hike and a taste of freshly made maple syrup. The sap is usually running in mid-March but of course it’s dependent on the temperature. 

That’s just another reason that Maple syrup is so Canadian. It involves the weather and that’s one of our favourite topics, by necessity, not choice. It’s what drives many south for a March Break vacation. They can usually be guaranteed great weather.

It’s always a gamble here at home. Some years there’s skiing, others the bikes come out.

No matter the weather and despite the lost hour, “spring ahead” is a warm thought.