The first attempts to establish a “Mother’s Day” in the United States were mostly marked by women’s peace groups. A common early activity was the meeting of groups of mothers whose sons had fought or died on opposite sides of the American Civil War. There were several limited observances in the 1870s and the 1880s but none achieved resonance beyond the local level.

In 1868, Ann Jarvis created a committee to establish a “Mother’s Friendship Day” whose purpose was “to reunite families that had been divided during the Civil War”, and she wanted to expand it into an annual memorial for mothers, but she died in 1905 before the celebration became popular. Her daughter Anna Jarvis would continue her mother’s efforts. Several years later, a Mother’s Day observance on May 13, 1877 was held in Albion Michigan.   

In 1934, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved a stamp commemorating the holiday. In May 2008 the U.S. House of Representatives voted twice on a resolution commemorating Mother’s Day the first one being unanimous (with 21 members not voting) The Grafton’s church, where the first celebration was held, is now the International Mother’s Day Shrine and is a National Historic Landmark. This tradition has continued over the years. Courtesy Wikipedia.

Starting the week with the right foods is a good idea.  This include 3 P’s -Planning, Preparation and Practice. This also makes Monday a good day of the week.

• Plan by buying food to cook
• Prepare and cook for the week
• Practice and eat only home made food

How did you start your Monday?

I did my washing today and thought of sharing this. No matter your relationship, you never go to bed alone. Snuggle within your sheets are countless intruders. Growing up, I slept on a mat until I was in the sixth grade. Of course, there were floor mites. (I have shared this in my book coming out soon). I was promoted to sleep on a mattress on the floor just before joining high school. After joining high school, I had a regular bed, which was shared with others siblings.

Nonetheless, I would like to share how regular our bedding needs to be changed. If you live in a country, where there is no washer or dryer, wash your sheets with (toyo) at least biweekly and dry them in the sun. Iron if you can afford.

If you live in a country, where there is washer and dryer, wash beddings in 130-150 degrees Fahrenheit, or use hot water. The dryer should be on hot cycle. This is germicidal; it actually kills and destroys a lot of vegetative material. It also kills the dust mite. You also need to put in the dryer all pillows and blankets that are not washed regularly.

If you look at mattress, it collects debris by gravity. All kinds of things collect on it that is absorbed into its core. Use mattress and impervious cover to protect the mattress.

Human skin cells become dust mites. That is one of the biggest problems associated with bedding. Mites accumulate, along with their feces. However, there is also animal hair, dander, fungal mold, fungal spores, bodily secretions and bacteria. There is also dust, lint, fibers particulars, insect parts, pollen, soil, sand and cosmetics. People perspire differently. Some can perspire equal to a liter a night. It increases with many types of bedding.

All these stuff are disgusting and health risks. It is a threat to respiratory tracts and not an infectious source. Those with allergies or asthma need to me more cautious. This matter can exacerbate.

Suggestion: wash your beddings weekly and dry pillows, covers and blankets biweekly or monthly.  

Clean sheets, sleeping well is part of healthy lifestyle and weight loss.