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