January's not all bad, right?

They don’t call them the ‘January blues’ for nothing: saying goodbye to friends, dealing with empty pockets, opening and closing bare cupboards, a constant grey sky and absolutely nothing to do.

 

But surely that’s not all there is; there has to be a few good things about this month, right?  

 

Well, last night, I was determined to find something positive about this time of the year, and I actually succeeded in thinking of quite a few things with very little effort.

 

So here goes:  

 

1. The kids already have new toys to play with so even if it is raining outside, they have no excuse to complain of boredom. None.

 

2. We learn to be frugal with our cash. A new year, a new start and what better way to improve your skills than by learning how to get by on little or no spare cash. Silver linings and all.

 

3. Creating an incredible dinner from scraps is a skill that few are blessed with. But January provides us with the perfect opportunity to practice.

 

4. We can’t rely on trips to the cinema or the aquarium (not that we go there any other month, if we’re being honest here) to keep us amused in the dark evenings, so we have think outside the box and use our imagination. It’s still there, I promise.

 

5. Family board game nights are actually pretty fun. Well, that is until someone gets a little competitive - usually the seven-year-old. Twister is actually the best.

 

6. Do-overs. If last year was a little bit crappy we can start all over again. Let’s make it a good one, ladies.

 

7. We are finally back to some form of a routine after a long two weeks. Yes, we loved the time off, but to be honest it is a long time to be cooped up in the house with family. A long time.

 

8. Finally, we are that one step closer to summer. Whoop!

 

See. Always look on the bright side of life – well that’s my resolution for 2015.

 

Mary Byrne is a staff writer at MummyPages and mum to a horse-crazy, sports-mad, seven-year-old girl.