A Reason to … Celebrate, Remember, Have Fun! (Feb 17-23)

Friday, February 17^th: Shhhhh …. Celebrate today with a moment of silence, well, two minutes of silence. It’s WORLD HUMAN SPIRIT DAY. At 3 PM (Eastern Standard Time) there will be two minutes of silent meditation throughout the world, to focus on the true spirit that flows through everything. Join in silence to bring the energy of universal healing and peace into the hearts and minds of all humanity.

Saturday, February 18^th: ‘When pigs fly.’ No, today isn’t about flying pigs. Today celebrates flying cows! Today commemorates the anniversary of the first COW MILKED WHILE FLYING IN AN AIRPLANE. In 1930, Elm Farm Ollie, a Guernsey cow born and raised inBismarck,Missouri was the first cow to fly in an airplane. She was also the first cow to be milked in flight. During the 72 mile flight fromBismarck toSt. Louis, she produced 24 quarts of milk. Her milk was sealed into paper cartons which were parachuted to spectators on the ground below. Let’s raise our glasses – of milk – in the air to Elm Farm Ollie’s tribute.

Sunday, February 19^th: Engineers; where would our world be without them? It’s NATIONAL ENGINEERS WEEK. Created in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, this week honors engineer’s contributions to society. Engineering is more than just math and science. It is research and a multitude of real-world applications. It’s about planes, trains and automobiles. It’s about safe roads, safe buildings, safe bridges, safe machinery … levees and dams, landfills, water supply and transport … the list goes on and on. Celebrate the week honoring our engineer’s.

Monday, February 20^th: Alpha-Bits cereal, Library Bingo, Library Scavenger Hunt, Design a cover for your favorite book; there are so many ways to celebrate LIBRARY LOVERS MONTH. For more ways to celebrate, check out www.librarysupport.net/librarylovers. There’s free bookmarks to print, free e-cards to send, and a ‘Library Lovers Things to do with Kids’ page. Better yet, stop by your local public library and check out a few books … it’s FREE!

Tuesday, February 21^st: Blueberry, chocolate chip, buttermilk, whole grain … It’s PANCAKE DAY! Also known as Shrove Tuesday, the day is traditionally known for eating pancakes before the start of Lent. Pancakes are made with sugar, fat, flour and eggs, ingredients usually restricted during Lent. Catholic or not, yummy pancakes are calling my name. I believe I’ll celebrate the day with a stack of blueberry pancakes, maybe some blueberry syrup too.

Wednesday, February 22^nd: Hmmmm … let me “ponder” on that. It’s WORLD THINKING DAY today. This day is celebrated by Girl Scouts and Girl Guides (and a few boy-oriented organizations) to “think about their ‘sisters’ (and ‘brothers’) in all the countries of the world, the meaning of Guiding, and its global impact.” February 22^nd was chosen for this annual celebration because it’s the birthday of both the founder of Scouting and Guiding, Robert Baden-Powell, and his wife, Olave Baden-Powell. A theme is chosen each year and the theme for 2012 is “Environment – We can save our planet.” We may not be Girl Scouts or Guides, or involved with their organizations, but we can still join them and “think” with them today. What can we do to help ‘save our planet’? What can we do to encourage children to get involved in bettering our environment? What can we do to increase awareness and sensitivity on global concerns?

Thursday, February 23^rd: Mmmmm… what’s more perfect for a cold winter day than a nice hot bowl of chili? Today is NATIONAL CHILI DAY. Now to debate what makes the best bowl of chili. Beans or no beans? Hot, mild or in-between? Awesome chili recipes reign in more cookbooks and websites than one could count. For a site to get you

A Reason to … Celebrate, Remember, Have Fun! (Feb 10-16)

Friday, February 10^th: What in the world is PLIMSOLL DAY? Unless you’re a seafaring type, you probably wouldn’t know. Possibly countless lives have been saved, thanks to the efforts of Samuel Plimsoll.

In 1853, Samuel tried and failed at becoming a coal merchant inLondon. After a period of destitution, he learned about the trials and tribulations of poverty. After regaining his wealth, he resolved to devote his time to improving the poor’s living conditions. One of his passions was increasing the safety of the crews of what was known as “coffin ships”. At the time, sea merchants often overloaded vessels, many of them unseaworthy to begin with. The vessels were heavily insured, ensuring a hefty profit for the owners, oftentimes with the loss of a ship, along with the crews manning her.

Samuel fought to pass a bill dealing with the subject of a safe load line on ships. Eventually legislation passed where a mark painted on the ship would indicate the safe limit to which the ship could be loaded. This mark became known as Plimsoll’s mark or line.

Saturday, February 11^th: In honor of Thomas Alva Edison’s birth, it’s BE ELECTRIFIC DAY! This day recognizes his electrical inventions, including the light bulb. Thank you, Thomas Edison. What would our world be like today without electricity? I celebrate your discovery everyday. Check out this sight with some of Edison’s early light bulbs. We’ve ‘come a long way baby’. http://www.edisonian.com/p001b002.htm

Sunday, February 12^th: Strawberry, cherry, lime, orange, pineapple, watermelon … so many flavors, so little time. But wait, there IS time. There’s a whole week to celebrate JELLO WEEK! Now only one question remains …. With or without whipped cream?

Monday, February 13^th: “There is nothing more beautiful, powerful and free than a woman who truly loves herself.” Today is MADLY IN LOVE WITH ME DAY. You know that you love yourself if you:
… Know your dreams, and live them.
… Love yourself, all of her, especially the parts hard to love.
… Settle for nothing less than your heart and soul desire.
… Have only relationships full of unconditional love and respect.
… Are nice to yourself
… Treat your body like a temple (and you love her as she is)
… Take care of yourself, without guilt (you give from the overflow)
… Design a sustainable life that supports you, not exhausts you.

Feel the love, read inspiring interviews, pick one area of self-love that needs enhancing and dare to give it to yourself. See www.madlyinlovewithme.com for lots of free goodies.

Tuesday, February 14^th: Have a heart. Or rather, give a heart – or a kidney – or a liver. Today is NATIONAL DONOR DAY. Instead of following the crowd with the typical chocolates and flowers today, why not give the gift of life? Register to be a donor. One organ donor has the potential to save eight lives. Celebrate life; celebrate life with love. Go to www.organdonor.gov for more information.

Wednesday, February 15^th: Gummy, gummy gumdrops! It’s NATIONAL GUM DROP DAY. Two stories are circulating about who invented them; it’s either Percy Trusdale in 1801 or Hans Reigal in 1922. Either way, they’ve been around a long time. Celebrate the day with gum drops, a game of Candyland (of course visiting Gumdrop Mountain and Gumdrop Pass) and a gum drop craft. Check out this site for directions on how to make a gum drop topiary: http://www.sheknows.com/holidays-and-seasons/articles/808213/easter-crafts-for-kids-three-fun-kids-activities

Thursday, February 16^th:  It’s not too late; not too late for kindness. It’s RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS WEEK, until February 19^th. Help someone whose car is broken down. Let someone in front of you in line. Pitch in some change if someone is short. Help an elderly neighbor with yard work. Pay someone’s toll. Say hello. Bring your co-workers a special treat. What can you do each day for a random act of kindness? As William Wordsworth wrote, “The best portion of a good man’s life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.” See www.randomactsofkindness.com for more ideas and information.

Women’s Heart Attack Week (Feb 1-7)

Wednesday, February 1^st: February 1^st through 7^th is WOMEN’S HEART ATTACK WEEK. Feb. 1^st focuses on ‘Risk & Symptoms Awareness.’ Women’s symptoms typically differ from men’s heart attack symptoms. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) studied 515 women. Results showed that 95 percent knew their symptoms were different a month or more before their cardiac episode: unusual fatigue, sleep disturbance and shortness of breath. Fewer than 30% had chest pain or discomfort prior to their heart attack and 43% reported having NO chest pain during any phase of the attack.

Women’s major symptoms prior to a heart attack included: Unusual fatigue (70%), sleep disturbance (48%), Shortness of breath (42%), Indigestion (39%) and Anxiety (35%).

Major symptoms during the heart attack included: Shortness of breath (58%), Weakness (55%), Unusual fatigue (43%), Cold sweat (39%) and Dizziness (39%).

For more information on Women’s Heart Attack Week, see www.womensheart.org. Celebrate life this week by gaining knowledge about women’s heart attacks. We’re all going to die one day, that’s one finale no one can avoid, but why hurry it along? Let’s take care of ourselves and give ourselves time to live a full, complete life, accomplishing what we came here to do.

Thursday, February 2^nd: We’re celebrating WOMEN’S HEART ATTACK WEEK this week. February 2^nd focuses on ‘Exercise & Fitness’.

E-how Health states, “Exercise has been clinically proven to help prevent heart attacks. In fact, a rigorous cardiovascular exercise program is one the most beneficial things you can do to prevent a heart attack, or to protect yourself from subsequent heart attacks if you’ve already had one. Exercise is especially important for women, who suffer fatal heart attacks four to six times more than men, especially after age 65. If you or a loved one are at risk due to genetics or medical history, then you should know how to use exercise to prevent heart attacks.”

For more tips and information, see their complete post at: http://www.ehow.com/how_2048172_use-exercise-prevent-heart-attacks.html

Friday, February 3^rd: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well, maybe an apple, a fish, a little broccoli … February 1^st through 7^th is WOMEN’S HEART ATTACK WEEK. Feb. 3^rd focuses on ‘Nutrition & Supplements’. What we eat (and DON’T eat) plays a huge role in a heart healthy diet. See these two web pages for some good basic information: http://www.livestrong.com/article/373078-what-nutrition-helps-heart-health/ and http://health-heart.org/.

A few supplements that may benefit heart health are: fish oil, krill or flaxseed oil, fiber, coenzyme Q10, or vitamin E, along with increased fiber from food sources or supplements.  See these web pages for additional information: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplementing-your-heart-health-omega-3-plant-sterols or http://www.health-heart.org/vitamins.htm.

Here’s to a healthy diet and a healthy heart!

Saturday, February 4th: Stress … does it or doesn’t it? It’s WOMENS HEART ATTACK WEEK. Today focuses on Holistic Health & Stress Management.

Dailyheal.com states, “While most people know that not smoking, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet can all help to prevent the onset of heart disease, new research reports that practicing meditation daily in conjunction with living a healthy lifestyle can lower the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with cardiovascular disease …

Research showed that 20 minutes of meditation practiced twice daily reduced a participant’s chances of dying or having a heart attack or stroke by 47 percent. The study compared the meditation group to those who received only traditional care.”

For the complete article, see: http://dailyheal.com/meditation-news/can-meditation-reduce-the-risk-of-heart-disease/

Sunday, February 5^th: Here a pill, there a pill … This is WOMENS HEART ATTACK WEEK and today focuses on Medication Safety.

Here’s five ‘Dos and Don’ts’ from webmd.com. These 10 drug DOs and DON’Ts can help you make sure that your medication works safely to improve your health.

DO take each medication exactly as it has been prescribed.

DO make sure that all your doctors know about all your medications.

DO let your doctors know about any other over-the-counter medications, vitamins and supplements, or herbs that you use.

DO try to use the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions, so that they can help you keep track of everything you’re taking.

DO keep medications out of the reach of children.

DON’T change your medication dose or schedule without talking with your doctor.

DON’T use medication prescribed for someone else.

DON’T crush or break pills unless your doctor instructs you to do so.

DON’T use medication that has passed its expiration date.

DON’T store your medications in locations that are either too hot or too cold. For example, the bathroom cabinet may not be the best place for your medication.

Monday, February 6^th: Our health, be it heart related or any other medical condition, benefits most from a team approach. It’s not just us; it’s not just the doctors. It’s WOMENS HEART ATTACK WEEK and today focuses on Health Care Self Management.

Familydoctor.org states, “In self-management, you and your doctor are partners in care. Your doctor can provide valuable advice and information to help you deal with your illness. However, the treatment plan that works best for one person with your condition won’t necessarily work best for you. Talk to your doctor about the different treatment options available and help him or her create a plan that’s right for you. After all, nobody knows more than you do about your feelings, your actions and how your health problems affect you.”

It’s your life, it’s your health. Be involved. Ask questions. Make a plan. Know what’s best for YOUR health.

See the entire article at: http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/healthcare-management/self-care/self-management-taking-charge-of-your-health.html

Tuesday, February 7^th: A positive outlook, laughter and a positive self image all improve our lives and our health. It’s WOMENS HEART ATTACK WEEK and today focuses on Positive Self Image.

Here’s some recommendations from ehow.com to build your self image:

z         Exercise 20 to 30 minutes daily in the sunlight.

z         Eat healthy meals and snacks. Healthy eating can lead to physical and emotional wellness.

z         Avoid negative people.

z         Bring a pet to work.

z         Wear clothes that make you feel good.

z         Create a positive affirmation journal

See more at http://www.ehow.com/how_7161881_build-positive-self-image.html