January events include Birth Defects Prevention Month. Be sure to visit the March of Dime History of Success page. On January 18, take some time to feed your inner child and celebrate Winnie-the-Pooh Day. Which Pooh character is your favorite?

Monthly Events

Birth Defects Prevention Month. The March of Dimes notes that many birth defects and premature births can be avoided with a healthy lifestyle before and during pregnancy. A multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid taken daily before conception, for example, can reduce the chance of birth defects in the brain or spine. For more information visit www.marchofdimes.com/aboutus/14458_18051.asp

National Bath Safety Month. People are injured in the bathtub or the shower every day, children and the elderly are at particularly high risk of injury. Take precautions that you or your loved ones are not among the injured. For more information visit http://brevard.ifas.ufl.edu/FCS/PDF/safetynewsletter/Vol%201%20Issue%201%202009%20webpage%20addition%20(sjt).pdf

National Blood Donor Month. January can be a difficult month for blood centers due to factors that prevent volunteers from giving blood: cold weather, illness, holiday travel, etc. However, blood is required every day in the U.S. for patients in need of transfusion; the goal of National Blood Donor Month is to ensure that blood is available to people who need it. For more information visit http://www.americasblood.org/go.cfm?do=Page.View&pid=29

National Soup Month. According to some sources, soup originated in ancient Greece, where it was sold on the street as one of the first “fast foods.” Americans eat about 10 billion bowls of soup every year, and the cold winter months are just the time to enjoy it.

Weekly Events

Healthy Weight Week. Jan. 17-23. Many Americans who start a diet the first week in January usually blow it off quickly. Healthy Weight Week is a time to stop dieting and start focusing on cultivating eating habits (and a lifestyle) that sustain good health. For more information visit http://www.hooah4health.com/body/fitness/healthyweightwkres.htm

No Name-Calling Week. Jan. 25-29. An annual week of educational activities aimed at eliminating name-calling and bullying of all kinds. For more information go to www.nonamecallingweek.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/home.html

Daily Events

New Year’s Day. Jan. 1. A day to celebrate the new year. Many people make resolutions. Have you made yours?

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Jan. 18. Observed annually on the third Monday of January, this date celebrates the life and legacy of the famous civil rights leader. For more information visit http://www.mlkday.gov/

Winnie-the-Pooh Day Jan. 18. Commemorating the birth of A. A. Milne (in 1882), creator of Pooh Bear, Piglet and Eeyore. For more information on A. A. Milne visit http://www.winniethepooh.co.uk/author.html

Christa McAuliffe Day. Jan. 28. The teacher and six other astronauts perished in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger on this date in 1986. For more information visit http://www.framingham.com/history/profiles/christa.htm