November 1, 2015

Today we celebrate:

National Deep Fried Clams Day - I’m not a big fan of deep fried anything but I understand that these are pretty delicious.  So perhaps I’ll have to give them a try today.

National Vinegar Day - Vinegar is a multipurpose substance.  You can cook with it, can various kinds of foods, and you can clean with it too. I would recommend against drinking it straight although I have heard of people doing that as well.  But just thinking about it makes me want to cringe.

World Vegan Day – Created in 1994 by Louise Wallis, the President and Chair of The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom, for the purpose of commemorating the Society's anniversary.  Explore a vegan diet today, it might just change your life.  

National Eat Your Kid's Halloween Candy After They Go To Bed Day – Halloween is a fun time for kids and they get tons of candy that they will want to eat that same night. However, that would not be healthy for them. Besides, parents need a little reward after dragging their kids all around the neighborhood. So after the kids go to bed, there is no reason in the world why you shouldn't help yourself to some of their candy. You can justify it if you need to by only eating the candy that the kids don't like anyway. I don't feel the need to do that. I figure, the more I eat, the fewer cavities they will have later. They'll thank you for it some day. Maybe. But I wouldn't tell them about this day until they have kids of their own.

All Saints' Day – This is a predominantly Catholic day that honors all saints, whether they are known or not. Other churches celebrate this day differently. My understanding is that the Methodist Church, for example, believes the word “saints” refers to all Christians so they honor and remember all of the living or deceased members of their local congregations.

Day of the Dead – Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday that begins this evening and ends tomorrow. It is a day to celebrate and remember family members who have died. They have festivals and parades and really do it up big.

Give Up Your Shoulds Day – Celebrated for the 7th year, this is a day to give up the “shoulds” that cause so much stress and guilt in your life. For example: I should lose weight; I should clean the garage; I should make more money; I should go visit my parents more often. Pick at least one “should” to give up today and ease the stress in your life.

National Author’s Day – This is a day to celebrate your favorite authors. Writing books is not easy, if it were everyone would do it and no one would be willing to buy books that we could just write ourselves. So honor those who can do what you cannot and whose efforts you enjoy so much. Who is your favorite author?  I hope no one tries to ask me that question because I have too many favorites to count.

National Family Literacy Day – This is a day to focus on participating in things with your family that focus on literacy. Set a good example for your kids and find a literacy event today. Check with your school and local library to find a read-a-thon, book signing, book sale or simply give everyone in your family a book and sit down and read together.

National Go Cook For Your Pets Day – This is a day to show our pets how much we love them by cooking them a nutritious meal today. Make sure you don't use foods that are poisonous to animals.

Prime Meridian Day – Everyone knows that the Prime Meridian is the line of longitude that is 0 degrees. It cuts through Europe and Africa and was first devised by the Greeks way back around 200 B.C. give or take a few years. We celebrate this event because on this day in 1884, delegates from 25 World Nations met in Washington D.C. and established the time zones for the world with every 15 degrees of longitude equaling one hour. That must have been some feat getting everyone to agree to what time it was going to be where. I wonder how much time it took.

The End of Daylight Savings Time - On this day we are to turn our clocks back an hour to officially end Daylight Savings Time for those states that participate in this program.  It means that the sun will rise an hour earlier and will set an hour earlier.  I don’t mind the morning sun, but I really don’t like when it get dark so early in the day.

Zero Tasking Day – This is the day that marks the end of Daylight Savings Time. So we turn our clocks back an hour and gain an extra hour of time. Your job today is to not fill that hour with more stressful work. Use it to decompress, reenergize yourself or maybe even get an extra hour of sleep.

To celebrate today, turn back your clocks and sleep for an extra hour before you read a vegan cookbook and pick out a nice recipe to cook for your pets today.  Then pick a “should” to give up on  your way to church to celebrate the Saints.  Next, decorate your house for Day of the Dead while you explain the Prime Meridian to your kids. Finally, find someone to help you eat your children’s candy and discuss what you like best about your favorite authors.  Tonight fry some clams in vinegar for dinner. Hmmm...can you do that?  Would anyone want to?  Maybe you shouldn’t take my cooking advice.

October 31, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Books for Treats Day - Created by Rebecca Morgan in 2001, this is a day that is meant to “Feed kid’s minds, not their cavities.” The idea is to get a bunch of gently used children’s books, sort them by age level, and put them out in boxes for children and parents to look through and pick one they would like to read.  Apparently kids like this a lot better than candy and if you look around ahead of time, you can find inexpensive books at yard sales and book sales.

National Increase Your Psychic Powers Day - Do you have any psychic powers?  My kids think I do, and I would appreciate it if you don’t tell them otherwise.  If you also are blessed with psychic powers then apparently today is the day of the year that has the highest concentration of psychic energy.  So today is a day to work on increasing your abilities or, if you don’t know if you have any abilities, this would be a great day to work on finding out.

Reformation Day - It was on this day in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door.  This began the Reformation movement.  Martin Luther thought the Church was corrupt and in many ways he was right.

Carve A Pumpkin Day - I don’t think this day needs too much explanation.  Get a pumpkin, cut open the top, scoop out the seeds, and carve a picture on it.  It doesn’t have to be the standard jack o’ lantern face, it could be anything you want it to be.  Have fun.

National Breadstix (Bread Sticks)Day – Celebrated on the last Friday in October, this is a day for bread in stick form! I love bread sticks and they go with just about any meal you can think of.

Girl Scout Founder's Day – On this day in 1860, Juliette Gordon Low was born. She began the Girl Scout organization in 1912, which has enriched the lives of millions of girls since then. Happy Birthday Juliette.

Halloween or All Hallows Eve – Celebrated on this day every year, it is a time to dress up in a clever disguise and go around your neighborhood extorting candy from your neighbors by threatening them with “tricks” if they don't give you “treats”. Let's all go out and encourage the delinquency of our children.

National Caramel Apple Day – I have never been tempted to make caramel apples or even eat caramel apples, even though I love apples and caramel. It's probably because it looks so darn messy and getting sticky caramel all over my face just doesn't appeal to me. But kids don't mind that kind of mess so watching them eat one of these sweet treats is just funny.

National Knock-Knock Jokes Day – This is a silly day to tell silly jokes and they don't come any sillier than knock-knock jokes. Drag out your best jokes today.  Here, I’ll start you off.  Knock, knock.  Who’s there?  Dwayne.  Dwayne who?  Dwayne the bathtub, it’s overflowing!

National Magic Day – This is a day that honors the most famous of magicians, Harry Houdini. He died on this day in 1926 and I would venture a guess that everyone in the country has heard of him. Try some magic tricks in his memory.

National UNICEF Day – In 1949, Mary Emma Allison from Bridesburg, Pennsylvania, had the idea that children could collect money for UNICEF instead of candy at Halloween. Her husband, Rev. Clyde Allison, shared her idea with local Presbyterian churches and on this day in 1950, their children and many others in the community collected $17 in nickels and dimes in their decorated milk cartons to help European children after World War II. Three years later UNICEF took that concept and ran with it and by 1960 it became very popular all over the country. My children still do it today. The money now goes to a wide variety of programs that UNICEF supports such as aiding victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Samhain – This is a Gaelic festival that celebrates the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the winter season. It may date back to before Christianity began and is believed (by some) to be a time when spirits and fairies are very active in our world.

To celebrate today, carve a pumpkin and concentrate on improving your psychic powers. Then study up on reformation and Samhain before you hand out caramel apples and books to the little ones coming to your door along with some coins for UNICEF, a good knock-knock joke and a magic trick. If you see any girl scouts, wish them a Happy Birthday on Juliette's behalf.

October 30, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Frankenstein Friday - This is a day to celebrate the birth of Frankenstein who is one of the most well known monsters of all.  He was created by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley when she was 21 years old and wrote the story, “Frankenstein.”

Pumpkin Bread Day - I love to make pumpkin bread, there are lots of different recipes out there but I have yet to meet one I don’t like.

National Bandanna Day - This day is all about raising money to support young people with cancer.  It looks like you get some bandanna’s from CanTeen.org and then host a Bandanna Day Fundraiser where you sell the bandannas and give the money to CanTeen.

National Breadstick Day - Celebrated on the last Friday in October, this is a day to eat some delicious breadsticks.  It doesn’t matter if you buy them from a bakery or restaurant, or you make your own.

Sugar Addiction Awareness Day - Celebrated since 2011, this is a day to realize how addictive the many kinds of sugar are.  So be aware of how much sugar you consume in a day and do what you can to minimize it so you can detoxify your body and be less dependent on sugar in the future. Your body will reap the benefits, just be aware that detoxing can be very difficult.  It’s worth it so don’t give up.

National Candy Corn Day – Pure sugar dipped in white, orange and yellow food coloring.  Yum.  It's a good thing that you can't get these things any other time of the year but Halloween because otherwise, I would weigh as much as my car.  

Checklist Day – This day is all about organization. You absolutely have to make lists and check things off that are completed if you want to have a successful event. On this day in 1935, an airplane crashed during takeoff at Wright Fields in Ohio because of a gust lock that was still engaged. After this tragedy, a few pilots got together to figure out how errors like this could be prevented in the future. They are the ones that came up with the checklist for takeoff, flight, before landing and after landing. These checklists, although I am sure they have been updated as airplanes became more sophisticated, are still used today. You don't need to fly a plane to find checklists useful, all you need to do is forget something important in order to realize that you too can use this handy tool to stay on top of things.

Buy a Donut Day – This is a day for buying donuts. I have no idea why it's a day for buying donuts but apparently donut sales rise sharply on this day so you better go and see what the big deal is.

Create A Great Funeral Day – Ok, this day is taking the Halloween season a little too far, in my opinion. It is a day that was created by Stephanie West Allen for the purpose of reminding people about how important and beneficial it is to create your own funeral or memorial service. The idea is that it is better to plan it out yourself so you can have it the way you want it, and so that your family doesn't have to do it while they are grieving for you. I say that I'll be dead and won't particularly care what everyone does or doesn't do at my funeral and doing this the day before Halloween is sending a vote of no confidence regarding your expectation of surviving the next day.  But that’s just me. I’m not saying that planning your funeral is a bad idea, far from it. I think it’s great to take this burden from the shoulders of your loved ones. I just plan to take care of this some other time of year.

Devil's Night or Mischief Night – This is not my favorite night. It is associated with committing acts of vandalism which I won't name here because I don't want to give any youngsters any ideas if they don't already have them. The adults in the room know what I'm referring to.

To celebrate today, wear a CanTeen bandanna, buy some donuts and some candy corn, plan your funeral and go throw some toilet paper in your bushes so the mischief makers will think your house has already been hit. Next, get some sugar free candy to hand out to the kids tomorrow and have some sugar free pumpkin bread and breadsticks for dinner. Then you can read Frankenstein to see if it scares you.  Finally, check all of that off your checklist and go to bed feeling great.

October 29, 2015

Today we celebrate:

World Stroke Day - This is a day to focus on the warning signs of a stroke.  Strokes are very common but if a person who is having a stroke can get the right kind of help fast enough, their chance of survival is really pretty good these days.  So today is all about increasing the awareness of what the signs of stroke are, and what you should do about it. The theme for this year’s event is “I am Woman”.  Women are more likely to suffer from a stroke than men, and are also more likely to die from it than a man.  If that’s not bad enough, there are certain kinds of strokes that only women are at risk from because of pregnancy, birth control pills, hormonal changes and hormone replacement therapies.

National Oatmeal Day – This is a day to eat oatmeal in any form you wish. There are some delicious recipes for oatmeal cookies or oatmeal muffins. I've even put oatmeal in meatloaf, although my husband wasn't a fan and asked me to stop doing that. Some people like to eat oatmeal for breakfast but I’m not a fan of that practice.

International Internet Day – Celebrated since 2005, this is a day to commemorate the sending of the first electronic message from one computer to another way back in 1969. That was the beginning of the internet, although at the time, they had no idea it was going to become all that it is today.

National Cat Day – This day was created by Pet Lifestyle Expert & Animal Welfare Advocate, Colleen Paige, in an effort to encourage cat lovers to celebrate the cat(s) in their lives and to encourage the general public to rescue and adopt a cat today.

World Psoriasis Day – This day is all about supporting people who suffer with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and spreading awareness of this devastating skin disease. It was created by the International Federation of Psoriasis Association (IFPA).

National Hermit Day - Now this is a day that I can get into.  Who doesn’t feel the need to have some alone time now and then?  I certainly do, although for me it’s an almost everyday longing.  Not that I want to abandon my children and husband all the time, just long enough for a shower all by myself without someone barging into the bathroom with a question or complaint would be nice.  Now I can post a “Busy celebrating National Hermit Day” sign on the door.

To celebrate today, meet with the local psoriasis support group and offer your support in the form of oatmeal cookies. Then close yourself into a room all by yourself and search the internet for signs of a stroke so you know what to watch for and to look at cat pictures or find a cat that you want to adopt.

October 28, 2015

Today we celebrate:

International Animation Day - On this day in 1892 in Paris, France, the first public performance of Emile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique was shown at the Grevin Museum.  We started celebrating this and all the animated films that came after in 2002.  It has spread to countries all over the world and on every continent….well, except maybe Antarctica.  So today watch an animated film of some kind made with any kind of medium.

Lung Health Day - This is a day to focus on your lung health.  Having asthma myself, I know how debilitating it is to not be able to breath properly.  It is one of the most scary circumstances to experience.  There are a lot of lung related diseases.  So focus on your lungs and if you can do some deep breathing exercises, don’t that that ability for granted.  Be grateful for each breath you are able to take because not everyone can do it.

Statue of Liberty Dedication Day - On this day in 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, was dedicated.  It represents the strong friendship between the U.S. and France since the American Revolution.  It is one of America’s most famous landmarks.  Millions of people have come from all over the world just to see it.  I guess that makes it pretty sad that I have lived in New York almost my whole life and I have still never been to Ellis Island to see it.

St. Jude's Day – This is a day to honor St. Jude, the Patron Saint for the Hopeless and Despaired. He was one of Jesus Christ's apostles and was martyred around 65 AD.

Plush Animal Lovers Day – This is a day to show your stuffed animals how much you love them. Carry them around with you as long as you don't have too many. If you have as many as my daughter does, you'll have to either pick your favorite to hug today or switch them out periodically.

Wild Foods Day – On this day we celebrate raw foods that are gathered outside and eaten without any kind of processing. Examples include nuts and fruit and vegetables straight from the gardens or trees. If you go out to gather your own wild foods, make sure you can identify the edible vs. non-edible (a.k.a. poisonous) varieties.

To celebrate today, take a deep breath and find a book about St. Jude and read it to your plush animals over a lunch of wild foods on Ellis Island before you tour the Statue of Liberty. Tonight watch an animated movie.

October 27, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Boxer Shorts Day - This is a day to celebrate underwear that used to be strictly for men. But now women have decided that they are very comfortable and so they have women’s boxer shorts as well.  

National Pharmacy Technician Day - Pharmacy Technicians are an invaluable resource for pharmacists.  They can do a lot to support pharmacists in many ways making a pharmacists job much more manageable.

Occupational Therapy Day - Occupational Therapists help us to learn how to live our lives as normally as possible after an injury.  They also help children with disabilities learn how to do things that other children find easy.  this is a day to increase awareness of all that they do that can benefit many others in the world.

Sylvia Plath Day - Sylvia Plath was a poet who went to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.  That is where this day began when 1,000 people in that area signed a petition to honor her. She was what is called a “confessional” poet because she imparted a great deal of personal information in her poems. In 1982 she became the first poet to win the Pulitzer Prize posthumously.  

National Potato Day – Back on August 19th, we had Potato Day. This one is just like that one except it is National Potato Day so the whole nation will be celebrating by eating some form of potato today.  It doesn’t matter if that potato is baked, fried, mashed, boiled, broiled, grilled, peeled, painted, sliced, diced, grated, or anything else you can do to a potato.

Navy Day - We just celebrated the Navy’s Birthday, but this day was created in 1922 by the Navy League of the United States.  This day was chosen to honor President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday.  President Roosevelt used to be the Assistant Secretary of the Navy and was a strong Navy supporter.  It was also this day in 1775 when a special committee of the Continental Congress issued a report suggesting that America should purchase merchant ships in order to create an American Navy.

American Beer Day – On this day, grab an American beer for yourself and a few dozen of your favorite people and celebrate American made beer. No imported beers will work to celebrate today.

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage – Our entire world today is dependent on audiovisual recordings. This day commemorates the 1980 adoption by the United Nations General Conference, of the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images. That big fancy name just means that they want us to know how important it is to keep the world's audiovisual documentation safe. Particularly the early generations of audiovisual medium because they are the most susceptible to the degradation and deterioration that comes with age simply because they are the oldest.

To celebrate today, wear some boxer shorts and read poetry and watch some old home movies that take place on ships while you eat potato chips and drink some American beer with some Occupational Therapists and Pharmacy Technicians.

October 26, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Worldwide Howl at the Moon Night - This is a day to jump in with the wolves and take your turn to howl at the moon with them. It wouldn’t be too bad to be like a wolf.  They are loyal, social, friendly as long as you are not food, and very smart.  There are definitely worse animals to take after.

National Mule Day - A mule is the child of a male donkey and a female horse.  They can get rather large depending on how big their mother is. They are typically stronger and have more endurance than either of their parents so they are bred as work animals.  Today is a day to honor and learn more about these amazing creatures.

National Mincemeat Day – Mincemeat used to feature actual meat, but these days it is mostly made up of a variety of brandied fruits and only occasionally a little beef. My husband loves mincemeat pie, it's one of his favorites so we have it every now and then.

Day of the Deployed – This day has been celebrated every year on this day since 2006. It is a day for us to have the opportunity to honor the brave men and women who put their lives at risk every day to protect our country.

To celebrate today, make a mincemeat pie and hop on your mule to take you to the nearest military base to share it with people who are about to be deployed.  Then go home and howl at the moon.

October 25, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Punk for a Day Day - This is a day to dress and act like a punk rocker. I’m sure you’ve always wanted to do that but never had the courage. Well, today is your day to give it a shot no matter how old you are.

Pumpkin Day – Always celebrated on the Sunday before Halloween, this is a day to utilize pumpkins in any way you see fit. You can cook with pumpkin, burn candles that smell like pumpkin, or decorate with pumpkins. I’m not thinking of too many other options so if you do, let me know.

World Pizza Makers Day - On this day in the year 2000, Pope John Paul II blessed 2,000 pizza makers at the Vatican general audience.  There were pizza makers from all over the world and they made a special pizza for him that they called “Papizza”.  It had mozzarella, zucchini flowers and yellow peppers and looked like the white and gold Vatican flag.  Then they gave away 50,000 slices of the pizza to anyone who wanted one.

Chucky, The Notorious Killer Doll Day – I am not a horror movie fan, but I know that many of you are so you can celebrate this day without me. All I know about Chucky came from the little bits and pieces I have seen on advertisements and heard from people who felt the need to educate me.  Then, while researching this day, I read a brief summary of all of the movies and that is all I needed to give me nightmares and make me get rid of all the dolls in my house.  My daughters weren’t too happy about that but you have to do what you have to do in order to sleep at night.

International Artist Day – This is a day to support the artists of the world.  There are so many different kinds of art and different kinds of artists that it is amazing to contemplate.  It’s not all about paintings and sculptures that you find in museums.  I recently learned of an artist that makes pictures by burning paper into different patterns.  She does some beautiful work.  Artists bring huge contributions to our society and not just in a visual way.  What would we listen to if it were not for artists?  The plain truth is that without art, this would be a very dull, quiet and colorless world. Do something to support an artist today.

Sourest Day – This is a day for sour people, sour candy, or sour food. It is supposed to emphasize the balance of nature. I don't particularly understand that thought, and too much sour food makes my tongue hurt, but my son really enjoys it so I guess he will enjoy celebrating today.

World Pasta Day – Celebrated since 1995, and created by the World Pasta Congress (who knew that there even WAS a World Pasta Congress?), this is a day to honor the creation of pasta way back in 5,000 B.C, give or take a few years. With over 600 different shapes and sizes, I think you should be able to find one you've never had before and give it a try.

National Greasy Foods Day – We all try to eat healthy most of the time, I’m sure.  That means eating lots of fruits and vegetables and lean proteins, cooked in healthy ways. Well, throw all of that out the window for today and load up on nothing but greasy food. You don't get to do this very often, so jump at the chance today.  Fast food, here we come!

Visit A Cemetery Day - Celebrated on the last Sunday in October, this is a day to remember your loved ones who have died by taking a trip to the local cemetery, even if there is no one you know in that particular cemetery.  If you do know someone there, bring some kind of tribute to place at their grave and then stay for a while. Enjoy the quiet while you walk through, find a place to sit and read a book, take pictures of the gravestones and read the epitaphs.

Mother-in-Law Day – Celebrated on the fourth Sunday in October, this is a day to celebrate your Mother-in-Law. Mother-in-Law's are the ones who raised your spouse, the one special person in your life that you choose to be a part of your family. Honor the one who raised that special person by taking her out to dinner or giving her some flowers.

Reformation Sunday – Celebrated on the Sunday on or before October 31st, this is a day to remember the Reformation. This day is typically celebrated by Lutheran and some Reformed churches because it honors Martin Luther in particular.

To celebrate today, dress like a punk today and share some greasy pizza and pasta with an artist while you carve pumpkins and eat sour candy. Then reform your mother-in-law by taking her with you to visit a cemetery. Finally, this evening, watch one of Chucky’s movies if you can tolerate that kind of thing right before bed.