February 14th

February is known as the month of Love. It is a Hallmark, flower, jewelry and candy store financial windfall. I thought that February 14th would be a big day for weddings. I was surprised to learn that in Canada, getting married on February 14th is no higher than any other day of the year. 

I found some other interesting facts about marriage. Canadian married couples are 20.6% of the population, with common-law couples are 19.1%. The percentage of married couples in Canada has declined from 83% in 1980 to 64.6% to date. The mean age for first marriage is 30.7 years. Nunavut has the lowest marriage rate; PEI has the highest. 

My business partner and I spent a Sunday together and took on the orders for "Cookies and Candy by May and Faye". Valentine's Day is a fun day to cut out cookies and candy into hearts. The decorating was endless and with the help of Dollarama it all looked so pretty. The support for our little business is nothing short of amazing and we are having such a fun time with it.

February is also Heart and Stroke month. In Canada, each year, 60,000 cardiac arrests happen outside of the hospital and the chances for survival are 1/10. Automated External Defibrillator (AED) are common in many facilities. An AED is used on people that have a sudden cardiac arrest. It is an easy-to-use medical device that will analyze the heart rhythm, and if required will provide a shock to help establish a normal rhythm. AED's provide early intervention and are a remarkable device in saving lives. 

Heart disease is the top killer of women. Every 22 minutes, a woman in Canada dies of a heart attack. Each year, 24,000 Canadian women die of heart disease, which is nearly five times more deaths than from breast cancer. The heart attack rate among women aged 35-54 has gone up. Women in their 40s are being diagnosed for high blood pressure at an alarming rate. 

Women are underdiagnosed, undertreated and unaware of heart disease. Months before a heart attack occurs, women may experience unusual fatigue, trouble sleeping, indigestion and anxiety. Early signs of a heart attack were missed in 78 per cent of women. Even while experiencing a heart attack their symptoms are more subtle. Women are likely to have chest discomfort, shortness of breath and neck, jaw or back pain. When it becomes more severe, chest pain intensifies, nausea occurs and a sense of fight or flight sets in. 

The majority of heart disease research is conducted on men. Women's hearts and arteries are smaller, and plaque builds in different ways. Standard diagnostic tests like angiograms and stress tests are often not sensitive enough to detect heart disease in women. Persistent shortness of breath is often diagnosed as anxiety in women. Many women have to fight to have further cardiac testing. Research finds women are up to 50 per cent less likely than men to attend cardiac rehab programs, often because they don't get referred to one or face other barriers to follow-up care, including a tendency to minimize their own needs.

I have fond memories of the "Valentines Parties" at school. I would work on my Valentine's box which was a kleenex box covered in red tissue paper and an endless supply of white hearts that I had cut out. I realize we didn't do "crafts" at that time, and it was my time to craft. Valentine's parties took a lot of preparation for me. Once the box was done, I had to decide which valentine card to give to my classmates. I am sure the teacher got the same card many times over, since there was only one teacher card in the whole package of valentines. I had anticipation of the lunch that the mothers provided. I was secretly hoping that the fudge mom did a good job, and it wasn't too soft or sugarery.  

If today is your day to celebrate, do it. If you don't care to celebrate Valentine's Day, find something else because every day is worth celebrating. Today is my volunteer day and we are doing a "Make, Bake and Take" activity. We are "making" a scrunchie, "baking" in a microwave and "taking" home the end results. I am closing out this post with a couple of recipes we will be making today.  

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake 

(Microwave) 

In a large mug mix well: 

4 tbsp flour

                     4 tbsp sugar 

2 tbsp cocoa

1 egg 

3 tbsp milk

3 tbsp oil 

3 tbsp chocolate chips (optional) 

Cook for 3 minutes in microwave.  Serves 2.  

 

Cheerio Peanut Bar 

(Microwave) 

Melt in microwave for 2 minutes: 

1 bag of mini marshmallows 

3 tbsp butter 

½ cup peanut butter 

Pour over:  

5 cups cheerios 

¾ cup peanuts (optional) 

Press into 9X13 pan. You can top with chocolate chips