Time change

As the days grow shorter and the weather starts to get a bit crisper, you instantly know that fall is here and the holidays are just around the corner.    With the holidays comes family get togethers, dinners, parties and parties.  Most of us feel the intense need to have a sparkling clean house for those family gatherings and parties.  

For those of us in the south, as this weather cools off, we throw open the windows and let that autumn air in. But now that we have that supposed extra hour, with the time change, and the cooler weather, why not put those two to use?  Along with throwing open the windows to air out the house, put that "extra hour" to good use by getting a jump on that "deep cleaning" for the holidays.

Why not put mother nature to use for you?  Instead of using the dryer and heating up the house, why not hang the laundry to dry in the crisp fall air?  You'll get that fresh clean smell without having to use synthetic dryer sheets or smelly scent extenders.  Plus the sun, which is the original solar dryer, will help to kill bacteria that you don't even know is there hanging out on your clothes.  And the windows open helps to air out all the musty smells that have accumulated all summer.  You know those smells, the ones that have just been hiding - wet dog smell in the carpets, towels or sofas, stinky shoes and socks that just stays hanging around in the closet smelling up the clean clothes, and let's not forget the smelly clothes hamper that accumulates the damp towels, smelly gym clothes, etc.  Let nature come in and remove many of these "hiders" out of the house for you. You don't have to do anything but open some windows and doors, provided you have screens. You won't have to spray any chemical sprays or plug ins to get that fresh clean scent blowing through your house.

If you start now at the beginning of November, with doing one deep clean item a day/week; when it comes to Thanksgiving, your house should be clean and smelling great for when family and friends arrive.

For those up north, you know Colorado, Massachusetts, N. Dakota, etc., it's different for you guys.  What we southerners call "Fall Cleaning" is what ya'll call Spring Cleaning.  But the concept is still the same just a different set of seasons.  You do it for the big spring holidays of Easter and Mother's day.  There are other holidays around the same time, but those are the biggies in the spring, like Thanksgiving and Christmas are in the fall/winter.  The spring cleaning has one big drawback that the fall doesn't..... and that's the loss of an hour instead of the gain of an hour.

Just a little something to think about as the seasons change, and the holiday hustle and bustle begins.  Take a few minutes to throw open those window and drink in the sun.

Every 6 or 7 months we either Fall back or Spring ahead to extend the time that we have daylight hours.  Does this time change affect your pets?  In a simple word - yes!  But it is more complicated than just a simple yes.  

Your pets have a circadian rhythm just like people do.  And so like people, when we have an hours change in our sleep schedule it affects us and them too. They don't care if our clock says 5:00 am or 6:00 am - they just notice the change in their daily routine.  Dogs are creatures of light just like their humans and your animal 's behavioral patterns are deeply tuned to the rhythms of night and day.  Have you noticed that most dogs wake up at daylight and want to go out?  Or that they are ready for bed when the sun goes down?   Just like us, they are creatures of habit and have very predictable patterns, which also explains how they can pick up on our patterns of behavior so fast as well.

Daylight savings time and it's change back to Standard Time can make for some grumpy and testy canine companions.  But there is hope and ways to help your lovable pooch adjust easier to this dreaded time change.

1.  You as the human, can incrementally begin to to change your routine by say 15 minutes day for a couple weeks  Schedule in an little extra devotional time, or some extra morning stretching while your little furry family member waits for his/her walk. Another idea is to start going to bed 15 minutes earlier each night so that after DST begins you furry baby will already feel likes it's 6pm.  These tips and tricks also work on two legged kiddos.... avoid the struggle and fight of trying to get them to sleep before they feel it's time - by adjusting 15 minutes each day for about 2 weeks.  

2.  Along with bedtime or wake in times, you should also gradually adjust meal times so their bodies will have a smoother transition to the new time of feeding schedule.  In the Fall you would merely feed 15 minutes later each day to avoid them having to suffer the full 60 minute change on the day of time change.  The same works for Spring by just feeding them a little earlier each day - especially if you have a dog that is on some kind of medication schedule that requires food be given at regular time intervals (like diabetes or epilepsy like I do).

3.  The one thing that is hard to manage, especially in fall, is your arrival home from work. Since many times it will mean it is dark before or around the time you get home, your pup can get anxious wondering if you will ever come home.   One way around this is to maybe run an errand or two on the way home.  Filling up your car on the way home, stopping at the grocery store for 1 or 2 items, or even stopping in a parking lot to make a phone call or text can extend the time before you get home, giving your little pup a chance to get used to the new schedule.  Then in Spring they will see you sooner than they are trained to, and will think they've hit the lottery when you come home to them "early".

4. Using essential oils can also help to alleviate their anxiety and stress over the change in schedules. Using your diffuser with some simple calming oils can certainly help aid in the transition. Remember to never leave any animal locked in a room with a diffuser going without some way out. This allows them to leave when they feel comfortable enough - or to remove themselves from the oil if they do not care for it. Some oils to try would be Peace and calming, Lavender, Stress Away - each for helping transition through difficult times. Another one to try would be Cedarwood which helps to create a warm and comforting atmosphere - but just make sure to be there during part of the time the oil is being diffused so you can take note of how your pup is reacting and you can adjust as needed.

With these few simple tricks and tips both you and your furry family member can transition easier between Daylight Savings time and Standard Time this year.

To read more about how you can help yourself and your human family members ease the effects of time change as well, this article will help.  https://scentsofvalor.com/blog/49203/does-time-change-really-affect-us-and-our-bodies-