Studying at Home

Studying at Home

By Kiertsan Garbutt

Our first full year of online school is coming to a quick end! As finals are right around the corner it is time for some hardcore studying! During finals it is important to stay on track or even work ahead. This way when editing final papers, you have the time to do so. Also, if you work ahead, any leftover cramming for exams can take place. 

To stay on track, I recommend planning what you need to get done everyday in order to complete tasks on time. Additionally, making to-do lists for each day makes your tasks seem less overwhelming because you planned when you are going to complete something. Also, during finals, specially essays or final projects, you should aim to have them done a few days before the due date. In case anything goes wrong, technology wise, you have a couple days to fix the problem and still make the due date. Planning ahead is crucial.

It is really important to keep trying your best. I know that we all feel burnt out at the end of a term and rather get it over with. However, all your hard work during the semester is ineffective if you don’t keep trying to finish it off with a bang! Burning out is a tough feeling to manage and seeking help for this feeling is your best bet. To help deal with a burn out, remember to take study breaks, eat food to fuel your brain, and get enough sleep. Best of luck with all your studying!

Snacks for Studying

Snacks for Studying

By Kiersten Garbutt

It is important to stay fueled during stressful times. Here is a list of quick snacks you can make while you study!

A smoothie bowl! All you need is some frozen fruit, yogurt, and around ¼ cups of either water or milk. Once this is blended you can add your choice of toppings. You can add chia seeds, granola, fresh fruit, nuts, coconut, etc. This snack is healthy, and quick and easy to make.

Next up, are sweet potatoes chips! All you need is a sweet potato, your choice of seasoning, and some kind of oil. First you are going to thinly slice the potato, next lay them on a cooking sheet and coat the potato in oil and then sprinkle the seasoning on top. Bake at 400F for 20 mins, flipping the chips halfway. This snack is not time consuming to make and still very delicious. 

Additionally, there are a lot of snacks you can make just using peanut butter. If you are feeling lazy, here are some foods you can pair with peanut butter. You can pair apples, celery, crackers, and bananas with peanut butter to make a really fast and yummy snack. 

Finally, cheese and crackers. Cheese and crackers are super easy to make all you need is crackers and cut up some cheese. If your feeling fancy you can add salami or ham or even pickles. 

Remember it is important to fuel your brain during studying. Instead of reaching for a bag a chips take a few extra minutes to make a healthier option! 

Valentines in Isolation

Valentines in Isolation

By Kiersten Garbutt

Valentine’s day like any other holiday we spent in isolation will be hard. Valentines day is often spent with the person you care for the most. So, its not wrong to say spending it apart will be tough. Here are some fun isolation valentine ideas to use if you will be apart from your significant other this year. 

The first idea is just to have a movie night together, you can try the feature called Netflix party where you can stream movies together. This feature takes away all the hassle of trying to set up a movie manually by syncing you both up automatically. Its definitely not the same as in person. But you can prepare your favourite snacks and spend the night in together but apart!

Have an arranged facetime dinner! You both can cook your own versions of the same meal and have a fancy virtual dinner date. If you are not into cooking, ordering in is also an option. Either way having a meal together can be a lot of fun!

If you are able to see each other on valentine’s day, then here are some creative date ideas you can do at home instead of going out;

A painting night is a great activity to indulge in, especially if you both enjoy the arts. There are many painting tutorials available on YouTube, and Bob Ross episodes can be found on Netflix! An at home spa day is also a great idea, you could pamper each other with facemasks and bubble baths. If your not feeling up to anything too crazy, a movie night will suffice. I mean as long as your spending the day together its hard to go wrong! 

Overcoming Procrastination: Time management

Overcoming Procrastination: Time management

By: Kiersten Garbutt

The art of procrastination is something I’m sure we have all mastered. But since mid-terms are quickly coming, it is for the best that we all use our time productively. The key to managing your time is to get a calendar or agenda of some sort. Keeping track of important due dates will let you work ahead, and you will have a general idea of your busier weeks, so you can prepare accordingly. Many of us have to work during the school semester, which can be really hard to manage. Like previously stated, writing your schedule down weekly will help you plan ahead. Making a to do list for everyday weekly will help you remember important assignments; this is important because stressing about when you have time to complete an assignment can raise your stress levels even more. This way you know when you will be devoting your time to each of your assignments. The trick to time management is to get assignments done a few days before they are due, when you are working ahead you have more time to study for big tests or mid-terms and to carefully edit essays. Additionally, working ahead allows more flexibility in your life, if you wanted to pick up another shift or hang out with a friend you can and probably would experience less guilt when doing so. 

Studying can be a really hard task when we have distractions like our phone right beside us, I recommend putting your phone on do not disturb and throwing it to the side when you are studying. While studying it is important to limit your distractions, even listening to music can alter how much you are retaining. Studying with limited distractions will cause you to get your work done faster, which in the end makes you more productive. Also, while studying it is very important to take breaks. I recommend a method where you are productive for thirty minutes and then take a five-minute break. This gives your brain a mental break and will allow you to retain information so much easier. While taking your break it is important to leave the ‘productive’ spot. Separating your productive area and your relaxing area is very important, it will trick your brain into thinking that once in the productive spot you should be doing something productive. To conclude a huge part of having good time management skills is using your time wisely and to your best advantage.

DIY Christmas Gift

Let’s BAKE it Happen

Kiersten Garbutt 

This Christmas will surely match how the rest of the year has gone. We will all struggle as local stores shut down or are only allowed to sell essentials. If you are unable to order online, then this article is the one for you! This Christmas, instead of gift-giving items, give some baked goods as an alternative! Here are some easy-peasy recipes that anyone can make! 

Cinnamon buns have always been a family favourite and really, who would pass on such a delicious treat! You are going to need 2 eggs, 1 package of active dry yeast, 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, ¼ cup of white sugar plus 1tsp set aside, 1 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/2 cup water. Step 1, mix water, 1 tsp of sugar, and yeast and let that mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. While you wait, warm the milk in a pot until it starts to boil, then take off heat and add the rest of the white sugar and ¼ of butter. Step 2 get a larger bowl and mix the yeast mixture, the milk mixture, and the eggs. While mixing, gradually add all the flour. Then knead for approximately 8 minutes. Step 3 is to oil a bowl and let the dough sit for an hour with a damp cloth covering the bowl. Step 4 while the dough is rising, melt the leftover butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar together. Step 5 is to cover the bottom of your baking pan with the brown sugar mixture, make sure to save at least half of the mixture! Step 6 once your dough is finished rising, roll the dough out in a rectangle and then brush the brown sugar onto the dough. Step 7 tightly roll the dough and then cut into approximately 15 pieces, then place into the pan. Cover again and let rise for another hour. Finally, place them in the oven at 375 degrees and cook for 25-30 minutes. (recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/21461/ooey-gooey-cinnamonbuns/?utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=allrecipes_allrecipes_11686958&utm_content=easter_verticalimage&utm_term=easter_202002) 

Another recipe is a Christmas classic: sugar cookies! For this recipe you will need 3 sticks of unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp almond extract, 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, and 1 tsp baking powder. First step is mix butter and sugar, then add all wet ingredients and mix, lastly add all the dry ingredients. Once all mixed roll dough into a ball and wrap in saran wrap or place in a bowl and freeze for 30 minutes. Next, roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness. Use cookie cutters of your choice! Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees! Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before decorating! (Recipe: https://www.handletheheat.com/easy-cut-out-sugar-cookies-with-icing/) 

Hope these recipes help you with the gift giving season! Stay warm and stay home!