Save Your Hearing Day

Today is all about doing what we can so that when we are older we can still hear just as well as we can now!

It is said that over half of people with hearing loss could have done something to prevent it. So what can we do to help save our hearing.

- Avoid excessive loud noises (such as loud music or concerts)

- Don't stick anything in your ear that is bigger than your elbow.

- Get checked out when you think you have an ear infection, it helps so it doesn't get worse and cause permanent damage.

- Wear ear protection when around loud noises (music, velocity dryer, guns, etc)

So lets go save our hearing!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Graduation Day

Graduation day is part of graduation week. Not everyone graduates on the same day, it just depends on your school! I know that my old high school just had their graduation last night, while a friend of mine has their graduation today!

I graduated a few years back and I remember that it was very windy. We had our graduation at the football field because there were 450 graduates plus all of their family's - way too many people to force us all to sit in a very hot and cramped gym! When your name was called you had to walk across a bridge, and in the middle was the person passing out the diplomas (It was someone of importance, but I have no idea who). You had to shake the persons hand and then proceed to the other side. I remember when I went up, I shook the persons hand and then my hat went flying off because of the wind! It was slightly embarrassing, but I wasn't the only one who lost their hat - we had many other people lose theirs too!

Congratulations Graduates!

Erin,
    Reeses & Blossom 

Put a Pillow on your Fridge Day

This is an actual holiday. It is unknown when or who created this holiday, but it is said that when you put a pillow on your fridge it will bring you and your household good luck. It won't hurt if it falls off the fridge, so lets give it a try!

My moms cat, Hootie, always had very good luck with our fridge. So much in fact, that he figured out how to open up the fridge. Pretty cool huh? Not really. We would come home to the fridge wide open with a good chunk of our food gone. Hootie loved to open the fridge and go straight for the lobster that was in one of the drawers. Once the door was open, my moms lab and basset would go and join in the "feast". It got to a point where we put alarms on the fridge that were to go off whenever the door was open. When that didn't faze Hootie we had to get child proof locks for the fridge. That seemed to do the trick!

So if you want to bring good luck (and an awesome conversation piece) to your household, then go put a pillow on your fridge!

Erin

   Reeses & Blossom

Weather Watchers Day

Today is all about watching the weather! This is an actually thing, were people watch the weather and call in to let others know about the location of extreme weather (such as tornadoes).

I always liked storms as a kid.  I remember a few years back when we were driving home when we saw a funnel cloud touch down and become a tornado as we were driving. My brother was freaking, yelling for my mom to drive faster. My sister chose that time to call us. Now my sister is deathly afraid of any times of storms, let alone a tornado. So my brothers voice becomes very calm and he says "ya, you should probably go to the basement". The second he hangs up he starts yelling "what are you doing?!? Drive faster!!!". As this is going on I am taking photos out the window of the tornado. My brother is yelling at me that I should stop cause we are going to die. My response? "If we are going to die, at least everyone will see what we died from". I did get a pretty awesome photo, and we did make it to a safe location.

So if you are a Weather Watcher, please have fun - but be safe!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Sunscreen Day

Ok, so today might be rainy with no sun, but sunscreen is still very important!

I was in band for a few years in high school. Every August before school started we had to go to Michigan State University for a week for band camp. We would be outside for 7 hours every day. My roommate and I had a routine. Every day we would wake up, have breakfast, go slather on some sunscreen, and go to practice. After practice we would have lunch, slather on more sunscreen and then go to practice. After that practice we would have dinner, slather on some sunscreen, and then go back to yet another practice. Even with applying that much sunscreen everyday we were still burnt by the end of the week. That was nothing compared to the kids who refused to wear sunscreen because they wanted a "tan". Well by the 5th day of camp we had over 30 kids who had to sit out of practice because of sun poisioning, or sun blisters. Instead of having wonderfully tan skin, they looked like giant red lobsters.

Skin cancer runs in both sides of my family. It is also one of the fastest growing cancers due to tanning. When we get a small sun burn it might not seem like much, but if it is happening everyday, it can add up. So lets do all that we can to help keep our skin as healthy as possible by wearing sunscreen.

Keep your skin safe as long as possible - Wear Sunscreen!

Erin,
   Reeses & Blossom

Raining Helicopters Day

Oh no! We are all going to be crushed by helicopters raining down from the sky! . . . Don't worry though. I'm not talking about the big metal flying machine that can transport people from place to place. I'm talking about the little seeds that fall from trees and spin in such a way that it looks like the spinning of a helicopter.

The most common tree to have the "helicopters" seems to be the Maple tree. The seeds are designed in such a way so that when they fall they fly away from the tree. That way it can find it's own place to grow and can continue to grow the maple tree population.

As a kid I loved to go out side and put as many helicopters that I could find in a bucket. I would then throw them up in the air and watch them spin all the way to the ground. I would sometimes also peel away the "dead" part so that I was left with just the seed. I would then try to grow my own tree (with  not much success. . . )

Have a great day, and enjoy the natural confetti that mother earth has provided for us!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Memorial Day

There have been many people in my life who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Both of my grandfathers and my great uncle served in World War II.  I have cousins who have served in the more recent wars. There was even a kid that I went to school with that lost his life in 2009.

Memorial Day is NOT just about getting the day off work and having a huge bar-b-q. It is about honoring and remembering those individuals who where strong enough to stand up and fight for our country. Our country would not be what it is today if it wasn't for those men and women who risk their lives to defend it.

So take the time today to not only thank the veterans in your life, but share stories. Let them share their story. Share stories of those who are no longer with us. Let the future generation know of the strength and determination that they had and that we hope they will one day grow to appreciate.

Thank you to all of the Veterans and Thank you to those vets that are no longer with us.

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Towel Day

Towels. Most of us use at least one every day. I know I use them after I get out of the shower, when I'm washing dishes, and when I'm cleaning. Today is all about celebrating the towel, which gets wetter as it dries!

As a kid I had really long hair. At one point it was down to my hips. I remember when I was younger, learning how to wrap my hair in a towel after a shower so that it would help absorb the moisture. It took me a while to be able to perfect it so that the towel wasn't falling off my head every time I moved, but I eventually mastered it. Then when the first Harry Potter movie came out, a friend and I would wrap our heads up in a towel and pretend that Lord Voldemort was under it, talking to us. . . .Yay imagination!

So go use a towel!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Lawn Mowing Day

One of my favorite smells is the smell of freshly cut grass. How my yard looks and smells after I cut the grass makes the time spent mowing worth it.

When I was a kid, my dad would have me and my brother go and pick up everything in the backyard before he would mow. We had to pick up our toys, the dog poop, and any other type of object that might get in the way of the lawn mower. We also had to bring the dogs inside so that they wouldn't have the opportunity to get too close to the mower and get hurt. When I got older, I didn't mind mowing the grass. Compared to my dad and my brother, I didn't get poison ivy every time I did yard work. The hardest part was getting our old lawn mower to actually start up. It sometimes took 20 minutes of pressing the button, pulling the string, and repeating before it would turn on. When I got my current house I got a riding lawn mower since I have a bigger piece of property. As lame as it sounds, it is rather fun to cut the grass. It is like you are kid riding a really loud go-kart.

So go out and mow your lawn!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Poppy Day

Poppy is a bright orange flower that blooms right around Memorial Day every year. It doesn't have much of a smell, but it is very pretty!

I bought my house almost two years ago. When I moved in I had no idea what type of plants were growing around my house other than lilacs (because the previous owner told me they were the property line between my yard and my neighbors). My Aunt came over to help me pull weeds and garden. Over by my shed I had a giant mass of weeds that I wanted to pull up. I was about to pull those weeds up when my Aunt rushed over and stopped me. She told me that they were Poppys and that they would bloom right around Memorial Day. I was very skeptical, because to me they just looked like over grown weeds. But I let them be, knowing that Memorial Day was only two weeks away. Right on Memorial Day was when they bloomed that first year. I was so excited! I actually had a flower that I didn't accidentally destroy! So this year I knew not to mow over that patch of poppys that looks like weeds!

So go enjoy the Poppys!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Red Nose Day

So you will probably hear quite a bit about Red Nose Day on the tv and radio today. I actually just found out about Red Nose Day last week when I went into Walgreens and the red noses were at the register when checking out. I guess that the proceeds for buying the red noses goes to children in poverty. NBC is also doing a big show for it tonight (in which I found out through the radio less than 10 minutes ago because I don't have cable!). So if you haven't already, go out and get yourself a red nose!

I had a paper route for 7 years when I was younger. I always wished that I had a clown nose during the winter. Why would I want a clown nose for my paper route do you ask? It actually wasn't so that I could look like a goofball, but more so that my nose could stay warm. Our wonderful Michigan winters usually means that we get lots of cold and lots of snow. For the most part I would stay warm because I would bundle up in my hat, gloves, scarf, coat, snowpants and boots. But there was really nothing for my nose. Since I wear glasses I couldn't cover my nose up with my scarf because my glasses would fog up so I couldn't see through them. A clown nose would be great to help during those super cold days!

Have a great day!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Be a Millionaire Day

Who doesn't imagine how their life would be if they had a million dollars? It would probably be completely different than right now. Since today is Be a Millionaire Day, we are going to talk about what we would do if we were a Millionaire!

First off, if I was a Millionaire I would pay off my house, and any other bills that I might have. I would then use a good chunk of money to open up the worlds largest Cookie Monster museum out of a barn in my back yard. Every year I would paint a giant mural of Cookie Monster doing something awesome on the barn/museum. Of course, the museum would have a giant mountain of cookies and some of the old fashion glass bottles of milk to enjoy. I might then have to purchase more land because the museum will continue to expand in size and become more and more awesome over the years. The rest of the money would be used to care for my dogs and any other animals that I might have.

So what would you do if you were a Millionaire?

Erin

   Reeses & Blossom

Drum Day

Who didn't like playing the drums when they were a kid? I know that I loved to pound and make "music" that most others would just call noise. So today is all about drums!

When I was a kid I did not own a drum set. The only time that I actually played on a drum set is when I would go to my Aunts house for our family Christmas and they would have a drum set that us kids could try. Most of the time though I enjoyed trying to make my own drum set. I would find lots of pots, pans, boxes, and big wooden spoons, and start to create my own musical world. My brother would join in too and we would create "wonderful" music until we were told to cut it out, or we would start hitting each other with the spoons!

Even if you don't have access to drums, you can make drums out of the things around you. I know that when I am in the car driving and a good song comes on the radio I tend to drum with my hands on the steering wheel.

So have fun, and lets make some noise!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

I love Reeses Day

I'm sure that this holiday is talking about the Reeses candy, but we are going to use it to say how much I love my goofy, photogenic dog!

I got Reeses in 2007 from the Humane Society in Detroit. He was found in an alley about a week before we got him.  He was a very skittish puppy, but loved to play and cuddle. They were estimating that he was about 6 months old, and the shelter had given him the name Amos. I hated that name, and decided to name him after what he looked like - A Reeses peanut butter cup!

Since then Reese has grown and has not only learned his basic commands, but has taught me lots of stuff too. If it wasn't for Reese I wouldn't have my current job, and I wouldn't have one of my two favorite snuggle buddies.

I love you Reeses!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Pack Rat Day

Pack Rats. They're not just rats who have backpacks. They are people who like to save everything and not throw anything away - sometimes that includes garbage! So how do we stop ourselves from becoming pack rats. Here is a few tips:

- Don't save literal garbage (wrappers, broken things, etc). Just throw them out!

- When you look at an object think about how long it has been since you have used it or worn it. If it has been a while (as in a year or more), then get rid of it!

- For every new toy or clothing that you bring into the house, get rid of that many that you already have.

- Make a good will box in your house to fill up with things you don't use anymore. When it's full, take it there so that it is no longer in your house.

- If it is something that you absolutely can't get rid of (such as my Cookie Monster collection) then put them in plastic totes and label them so you know exactly what is in each tote. Then store in a safe location.

If it is really bad (hopefully it's not!), just rent a dumpster and do a deep clean of your house!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Love a Tree Day

Who doesn't love trees? (other than my sister who says she doesn't love the outdoors). I love trees. There are so many different types of trees in many different colors, shapes, names, and varieties. Plus they produce oxygen which keeps us all alive!

Today is all about trees! So what can we do today on love a tree day?

- Plant a tree

- Recycle paper products

- Use the back of a used sheet of paper for writing your notes

- Make your craft out of used sheets of paper.

- Go outside and sit under a tree

- Take photos of trees

So go out in nature and enjoy the trees!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Nylon Stockings Day

Nylon Stockings has been around since the 1940's. Although they are not as popular as they use to be, they are still used today.

I remember wearing nylons as a kid. I would get so excited because it meant that I was dressing up for some type of event. My mom had to help me get them on and I would put on my dress and twirl around in circles. Somewhere throughout the day I would get a snag in them and I would get a huge run in them. I was never very easy on nylons.

Even if you don't wear nylon stockings, you can still use them for many different things. Here are a few examples:

- Dress your dogs up in nylons

- Make a puppet out of them

- Use to store all of your plastic bags

- Practice tying knots

- Wear as a crazy hat

Let me know if you have more fun things to do with nylon stockings!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Laundry Day

Who doesn't like wearing clean clothes? I know I like having clean clothes! Today is all about doing the laundry!

When I was growing up my dad did the laundry more than anyone else. When I got a little bit older I thought that it was fun to pour the soap in the machine and press the start button. Then it wasn't as much fun anymore because I didn't have to help with the laundry, I had to actually do the laundry. Even though I did my own laundry, I never did my dads. Primarily because he had a very specific way of folding his clothes. . . . and I never mastered it properly.

Hopefully you have a washer and dryer! If not go to your local laundrymat or do the old fashion way with hand washing and drying your clothes on a clothes line.

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Hide and Seek Day

Hide and Seek was one of my favorite games to play as a kid. I was never any good at it, but we had a blast anyways.

I remember as a kid that my sister was the best at hide and seek. She would hide up in trees or under a bush. We had a grill that had a fabric cloth cover over it. My sister unzipped the cover, got under the grill, zipped it back up, and hid under the grill. The only way we found her was thanks to our dogs.

Another time I was playing it was starting to get dark. I was it and I couldn't find anyone who was hiding. They ended up going to the middle of the yard and laid in the grass and because it was dark, I couldn't see them at all. Probably not the smartest to play hide and seek in the dark, but it was fun!

So go find the best hiding spot!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Backgammon Day

Backgammon is a game that is not very popular today. In fact, most people my age or younger don't know how to play backgammon, or have never heard of the game. The best way to describe backgammon is that it is like checkers, but a lot better!

I learned how to play backgammon a few years back from my mom. She had a old backgammon set that she found in the attic, so she taught me how to play. It is actually quite a bit of fun. It is not super complicated, although I would recommend being at least ten or older before learning how to play. I enjoy this game a lot more than Euchre (but thats mainly because no matter how many people try to teach me euchre, I never understand it!)

If you don't know anyone who will play backgammon with you or you don't own a board, there is an app that you can get for your phone to play.

Have fun!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Eat what you want Day

Ever get the urge to dunk your pizza in some chocolate? Or to slather jelly on your grilled cheese? Well today is all about eating whatever food your heart desires!

This holiday always makes me think of Scooby Doo. Both Scooby Doo and Shaggy eat some of the craziest things - and they don't care what other people think! They eat pizza with M&M's along with many other different food combinations. I know that I have always had cravings for weird things. For example, one of my favorite foods are grilled cheese with grape jelly and ketchup. Why? I'm not sure! It just tastes good! I also love honey on mashed potatoes, the cinnamon stick icing on my pizza, and chocolate on almost anything. I guess I just have way too much of a sweet tooth?

So make sure that you eat whatever you want today. Good, bad, or weird, it is your choice to eat what sounds good to you!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Mothers Day

This is a day dedicated to moms and all that they have done to make us the people that we are today. 

So lets learn some fun facts about moms and mothers day:

- The highest officially recorded number of children born to one mother is 69, to the first wife of Feodor Vassilyev (1707-1782) of Shuya, R . ussia

- The odds of a woman delivering twins is 1-in-33. Her odds of having triplets or other multiple births was approximately 1-in-539.

- Tuesday is the most popular day of the week in which to have a baby, with an average of more than 12,000 births taking place on Tuesdays during 2001.

- Many of the sweaters worn by Mr. Rogers on the popular television show, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, were actually knitted by his real mother.

- A female oyster over her lifetime may produce over 100 million young.

- Kittens are born both blind and deaf, but the vibration of their mother's purring is a physical signal that the kittens can feel - it acts like a homing device, signaling them to nurse.

Happy Mothers Day, and go do something special for your mom!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Lost Sock Memorial Day

Other than today being my birthday, it is also National Lost Sock Memorial Day! It is a day all about remembering that sock that you lost or misplaced (or in my case that became the dogs chew toy!).

I remember when I was a kid my dad use to do our laundry. When he sorted our stuff into baskets he had a separate basket that he would put all of our socks in. Myself and my two siblings had to go through the basket and find our socks and then put the matching pairs together. I couldn't stand hunting thru all of socks and finding the pairs. Half the time the missing sock was gone forever, wether it was from the dogs or getting holes in them. I would purposely start wearing mis-match socks so that I wouldn't have to sort my socks. . . My dad hated it.

I guess that I started a trend before it became popular. There are now socks that you can buy that has no pair to match it. I own quite a few of them myself!

So take the time to remember those old socks that you no longer have, and all of the special memories you have with them!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Smell the Flowers Day

Happy Smell the Flowers Day! So what is this holiday about you ask? Let me tell you! Today is all about going outside and enjoying what nature has to offer.

So how do we celebrate?

- Take a walk outside

- Tend to your garden/yard

- Take pictures of plants/trees

- Plant new flowers

-Smell the flowers!

So have fun, and enjoy the beautiful day!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Food Service Appreciation Day

When I was a kid people would ask me what my moms job was and I would say that she was a food circus director. In reality she was a food service director. My mom was the manager of the people who passed out food at our local schools. She would also help prepare and serve the food to the students.

I remember when I was in school my favorite day was Tuesday. It was chicken nugget day. That was always the day that there was the longest line. Everyone loved the chicken nuggets and the mashed potatoes. I still miss those chicken nuggets. I'm not sure why they tasted so good - but they did! A lot of the other students loved the pizza. It was always greasy and some kids would use napkins to soak up the grease. I also loved the chocolate milk. It was always fun to teach the younger kids how to open up the carton of milk.

Yay for Food Service workers!

Erin,
   Reeses & Blossom

Beverage Day

Today is all about the things we drink - otherwise known as beverages.

There are all sorts of beverages; Water, juice, pop, milk, alcohol, cider, along with many others.

So how do we celebrate this holiday?

- Drink lots of different beverages.

- Try a beverage that you have never had before.

- Learn more about a beverage that you like to drink (ex: Diet Pop)

- Make your own fresh beverage (lemonaide, orange juice)4

Have fun and stay hydrated!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Teacher Appreciation Day

Today is all about appreciating the people who helped us become the people that we are today. Our teachers. Teachers come in all shapes and forms. If your home schooled it could be your parents, or if you went to public or private school you had multiple different teachers. I know for me I had different teachers for math, science, social studies, english, choir, band, art, ceramics, gym, spanish, speech, along with a ton of other subjects. Sometimes we don't love the teacher that we might have that year, but I know that I usually will learn at least one (usually more) thing from them each year.

Growing up I was what most people would call a teachers pet. I liked hanging out and helping the teachers. It started when I was young. My dad was a teacher, and I would go to work early with him and help him staple papers or run different things to other teachers. I also got the fun job of climbing on top of a counter to turn the lights on in the gymnasium. I thought that was so 'cool'. As I got older I would help my other teachers too. All through high school I would come to school an hour early and help my English teacher with random errands, grading, or her bulletin board.

Your teachers have had a big impact on your lifes. So today, make sure to thank at least one teacher for all of their hard work!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Anti Bullying Day

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you. . . . not so true. Words might not hurt you physically, but they do hurt mentally.

When I was in elementary school I was bullied all the time. It started in 4th grade when I switched schools. Within the first week of school I had a group of girls come up to me on the playground. They surrounded me and started kicking me. I met my first, and that year, my only friend because she warned me that they were coming back. Thankfully I was a fast kid, and after 2 weeks of not being able to catch me, they gave up. I was called all sorts of mean names and I begged my parents every day to go back to our old school. I hung out a lot with the teachers and school staff because it was the only time that I wasn't picked on. That only increased peoples thoughts of me as "a teachers pet" along with other names. I hated recess because that was when it was the worst. I took out my frustration by chasing a kid in my class around. I didn't realize until a year later that he hated it, and I stopped, realizing that I had become a bully myself.

Bullying is still something that happens today. It might be a little different because of social media, but it is still something that hurts. It makes a person feel as though they aren't worth anything. That they are worthless. So before you start talking behind peoples back, or even to their face, think about what you are doing. How would you feel if the rolls where reversed?

Stand up to bullys, and lets show everyone that they are not better because they know how to pick on others.

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Lemonade Day

Lemonade has been around for a long time. Although it is not my favorite drink, a lot of people love to have a cool glass of lemonade on a warm day. So lets learn some fun facts about this drink!

- The first lemonade “soft drink” debuted in Paris on August 20th, 1630. The drink was made from sparkling water and lemon juice sweetened with honey.

-  Frozen lemonade made its debut in 1840 in Naples, Italy.

- The earliest documented lemonade stands were introduced by a young entrepreneur named Edward Bok who formed them in Brooklyn street cars from 1873 to 1876.

- The “ade” in lemonade means that the product is not 100 percent juice.

-  Grape juice is added plain lemonade to make commercial pink lemonade.

So enjoy a glass of lemonade today!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Scrap Booking Day

Pull out those silly scissors, paper, and photos! It's a day all about scrap booking!

When I was younger my mom hated when I would scrapbook. Primarily because I would use her really good sewing scissors to cut the paper and the pictures. I would spend forever working on one page, cutting up photos and paper, to make a piece of work that we could look at later. As I got older I started getting into the more "modern" version of scrap booking, which was online scrap booking. My Aunt is a consultant for Heritage Makers, which allows you to upload your photos, pick the style book you want to make, and create your own digital scrap book. Once completed, you could print off as many copies as you wanted. You could also go back and get more printed if a relative wanted a copy, or something happen to your current one (such as if your house caught on fire [which hopefully it doesn't!]).

So no matter if you like to physically make a scrapbook out of paper and scissors, or go online and personalize a book, today is all about being creative and being able to present and remember your photos for years to come!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Batman Day

Batman has been around since the late 1930's! He first started off in comics and most kids know him now from television or movies. So let us learn more about this super hero.

- Batman was created in May of 1939 by Bob Kane and Bill Finger for the Detective Comics #27.

-  Robin was originally planned to only appear in one issue, but the fans loved him so much that they kept him as Batmans sidekick.

- Batman has been in many different things; Comic strips, books, radio dramas, tv, and even on stage.

- Some milk cartons back in the 1950's had a batman mask cutout on the side of the container for when you drank all of your milk.

- There is a movie where Scooby Doo meets Batman and Robin.

- Batmans theme song is one of the most recognizable super hero intros.

Have a great Batman Day everyone!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom