Month: June 2018

I was just at Target, but I didn’t see any of these people…

Happy Flag Day!  According to History.com, the first Flag Day was celebrated in the U.S. on June 14, 1877 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes – although other sources pinpoint other events in other years in the mid to late 1800’s as the origin of Flag Day.  However, an act of Congress in 1949 created Flag Day as an official U.S. holiday.

The full history of Flag Day can be found on usflag.org.

Your community may not host a celebration given that we just had Memorial Day and the 4th of July is just around the corner – but you can still hang out your flag and celebrate the red, white and blue today!

Do you have a Fitbit or Apple Watch that has made you obsessive about the number of steps you walk a day?  Do you find yourself working for those 10,000 steps?  Well hold on a minute – I may blow your mind.

According to an article I just read in Inc. magazine – which I will grant you is not a leading health authority but bear with me – it isn’t necessarily the number of steps you take in a day that will help you maintain or improve your health.  It’s apparently the pace you keep while taking the steps.

According to researchers from Sydney University, people who walk at a pace of around 3.5mph have a 24% lower chance of dying of heart disease or stroke.  That pace should leave you slightly out of breath and a bit sweaty but it might be worth it to you!

Want more tips about walking as exercise?  Click here!

So let’s pick up the pace and get walking!

I spent some time with my family last weekend so you know I had fun with the kids.  Wish I would have watched this before my trip so we could have done some of these!  It’s a long video – but if you have kids, it’s worth watching to the end.  Who knew you could fix Barbie’s crazy hair with some fabric softener?

When I was in school, I learned that Charles Lindbergh flew the first successful trans-Atlantic flight in 1927.  But as I played around on Google looking for a famous first topic today I found out that I had been taught a lie!

In reality, two British pilots name John Alcock and Arthur Brown made the first successful trans-Atlantic flight – and they did it in 1919 flying from Newfoundland to Ireland.  Sure Charles flew solo and had a longer trip since he flew from New York City to Paris but he really wasn’t first.  Alcock and Brown were celebrated in Great Britain but their feat didn’t get much notice outside the U.K.   At least they received a $10,000 prize and were knighted for their feat – but Lindbergh seems to have gotten more of the glory.

Funny how what we are taught and what real facts can be isn’t it?

 

I don’t always laugh a lot at Carpool Karaoke – but this one got me.  I loved the race at the end!

https://youtu.be/CZkUNPBlJIQ

Enquiring minds want to know – so this Thursday I’m throwing back to old posts and answering questions.

• You might be curious about how the garage sale went last weekend.  I’m happy to say it was a hit!  I cleared nearly $300 – $96 of which came from my sales of cookies/brownies/bottled water.  It was a beautiful day, the crowd was good and I think by any measure we could call it a success.
• My private session on the Pilates reformer was also a success!  When we started out, the instructor told me she was going to take it easy on me since I had never used a reformer before – but within the first 5 minutes, she changed her mind and we went full out.  I’m proud to say that even with taking a kickboxing class later the same day as the reformer, I was NOT sore the next day!  That came the day following….  I definitely worked muscles I didn’t know I had and I’ll be looking into occasional sessions in the future.
• The bruises from my fall a couple weeks ago are nearly healed.  So today is 14 days since the fall – making my healing speed about average for most of them.

Thanks for the interest in my posts – and keep the questions coming!

My Mom passed away when she was 53 from what started as a breast cancer diagnosis when she was 42.  So I have a vested interest in any news about advancements in breast cancer treatment or diagnosis.  If you didn’t see the news about this new direction in treatment this week, I’d encourage you to check out this report:

For more in depth coverage of the story, check out this link to the New York Times article.

Ladies, don’t forget to do your self checks and get your mammograms annually.  Your family wants to keep you as long as possible!

I’m going on a road trip in a couple days – so you KNOW I’ve got a list going for that!  Of course there’s the packing, making sure the house is cleaned up (and cleaned out – there’s nothing worse than coming home to moldy food and the smell of garbage) but because it’s going to be hot, I’m taking special care with prepping my car.

Of course I’ll fill up with gas, but now is a good time to do a few other checks:

• Tire pressure.  We’re transitioning from spring to summer and hot weather can be rough on your tires.  Take a minute and check the pressure.  Incorrect tire pressure can contribute to your chances of suffering a blowout if you hit one of those pot holes left from the winter.   And don’t forget to check your spare – it would be horrible if you took a flat off only to find out your spare isn’t road ready!
• Check your car’s fluids.  Most of us know how to check our oil but your owner’s manual can help you figure out how to check the power steering fluid and brake fluid.  if you aren’t up to it, many garages and quick change oil shops will check your fluids for free.  And don’t forget to top up your windshield wiper fluid to help you wash the bugs off when you can’t see out any more!
• Check all your lights and signals to make sure they’re all working.  And really people – let’s all use our turn signals?  When you’re navigating in an unfamiliar place it may be hard, but it’s the right thing to do!
• Make sure you have an emergency kit in the car.   There are some excellent kits out there that aren’t really expensive.  I this one from Amazon because it includes jumper cables, a flashlight with batteries, a first aid kit and a lot more.  If $33 is too much for your budget, there are other options on Amazon starting as low as $16.  You may never need the emergency kit, but it could be worth it’s weight in gold if you’re stuck on the side of the road.

Last but not least – download the GasBuddy app if you haven’t already to help you find the best price for gas wherever you travel.   Now get packing – we have a road trip to take!

 

You don’t succeed, try, try again.  I love this little saying.  I’m very big on trying again when I mess up or don’t get the result I wanted.  I am nothing but persistent.

But of course as I was saying this to myself for like the millionth time this morning, I thought it would be a good thing to research for the old blog here!  According to Wikipedia, this proverb was popularized by William Edward Hickson – AKA Richman Hopson and W.E. Hickman – who lived from 1803-1870.

After starting out in the family boot and shoe business, Hickman left to become an educational writer eventually becoming the editor of the Westminster Review and is also credited with writing part of the British National anthem.

Hickson is credited with popularizing the proverb:

‘Tis a lesson you should heed:

Try, try, try again.

If at first you don’t succeed,

Try, try, try again.

The proverb itself can be traced back to the writings of Thomas H. Palmer in his Teacher’s Manual, and The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat.

So now you know – and remember, if at first you don’t succeed….  Try, try again!