September 25, 2013

Today we celebrate:

World School Milk Day – Celebrated for the last 14 years, this is a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations created day for the purpose of establishing school milk programs all over the world. Milk is an important part of a child's diet and far too many children in the world do not have access to it. http://www.national-awareness-days.com/world-school-milk-day.html

International Ataxia Awareness Day – This is the day to increase awareness of Ataxia. The word “ataxia” means “without coordination”. People with this disease have malfunctioning nervous systems which make it impossible to control their movements and balance. It could affect just a small part of a body such as fingers, eyes, speech, or it could affect many parts of the body. It is diagnosed based on family history and an MRI brain scan. Genetic tests can be performed to see if someone carries the Ataxia gene. It can begin causing symptoms in either childhood or adulthood. http://www.ataxia.org/learn/ataxia-diagnosis.aspx

Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Kids – Celebrated on the fourth Monday in September, this is a day to have a family dinner with your kids. All too often we eat on the fly with each of us grabbing some food whenever we have time between activities. Slow down today and focus on spending some quality time with your kids.

Math Story Telling Day – First celebrated in 2009, this is a day to tell math stories. You can make it a joke or an anecdote using numbers or symbols. Be creative about it and the kids will enjoy it much more.

National One-Hit Wonder Day – Created by Steve Rosen, this is a day to celebrate and remember those artists who had only one big hit in their careers.

National Women's Health & Fitness Day – This day is considered to be “the nation's largest annual health promotion event for women of all ages.” It is held on the last Wednesday in September with a goal of highlighting the importance of health awareness. Physical activity on a regular basis is an important component of being healthy so look into joining a local fitness center or working on your own to increase your level of physical activity. Many fitness based organizations all over the country will be having special events today.

To celebrate today, check the school milk website to see what you can do to help schools all over the world provide milk for their students, then read up on the symptoms of ataxia so you can make sure you don't have any family members who need to be checked for that disease. Listen to some one hit wonders while you exercise in your living room doing some aerobics, push-ups and situps. Finally, tell your kids a math story over your family dinner.