June bursts onto the scene as a month brimming with sunshine, longer days, and endless opportunities to celebrate.
As the official gateway to summer, June brings longer days, blooming gardens, and the perfect excuse to trade our busy schedules for a little bit of fun. While we often think of June for weddings and school letting out. This month is packed with quirky holidays and heartfelt observances designed to help us savor the season. So, grab a glass of iced tea, put your feet up, and let’s dive into why this month deserves to be celebrated.
Fun facts abound: June beetles make their appearance, and no other month starts on the same weekday as June in quite the same way. Flag Day honors patriotism in the U.S., while outdoor activities beckon everyone to get moving.
National Months in June encourage meaningful awareness alongside the fun.
With something for everyone turn ordinary dates into mini-festivals. Try National Say Something Nice Day, National Go Barefoot Day. Don’t forget to include National Hug Your Cat Day, National Cheese Day, Flag Day on the 14th, and National Go Fishing Day on the 18th. From National Game Show Day to celebrations honoring ice cream, donuts, and more, there’s truly something for every interest and personality.
June shines for sports enthusiasts too, with NBA Finals, Stanley Cup playoffs, baseball in full swing, and the NBA Draft.
Famous June birthdays—from Marilyn Monroe and Paul McCartney to Michael Phelps and Elon Musk—add star power.
Zodiac signs Gemini and Cancer add a touch of curiosity and emotional depth, while birth flowers like the rose and honeysuckle, along with stones such as pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone, celebrate love, devotion, and generosity.
This June, embrace the spirit of “Just Enjoy.” Whether you’re marking personal milestones, joining community events, or simply taking time to appreciate longer evenings and blooming gardens, the month offers countless ways to create memories. Gather with friends, try new recipes tied to food-themed days, explore nature, or reflect on what brings you joy. Here’s to making June unforgettable—happy celebrating!
Brighten up your home during National Decorating Month in April! A fresh coat of paint, stylish fabrics, and furnishings give a tired space a fresh look and make something old look new again.
It’s amazing what we can do with a few strategically placed items. Whether a decorator’s trained eye or a natural sense of color and space leads to a beautiful new space, the achievement is always satisfying.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to decorating projects around the home. No matter where you decide to update, be sure to do your research and prepare. The do-it-yourself handbook has been written multiple times. If you’re hesitant, help can be found in the form of videos, the service counters of hardware stores and decorators, too.
National Decorating Month originated in 1968 as National Home Decorating Month. The National Decorating Products Association (now known as the Paint & Wallpaper Association of America) in association with House and Garden Magazine launch the event.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Decorating Tips and Ideas
Form a painting club. Each member gets a room painted by the club. An ideal size would be six members. If you paint one room every other month, everyone gets a room painted in a year. The member whose room is being painted provides snacks and painting supplies.
If you smoke in your home and are trying to quit smoking, a great motivator is to paint the interior of your home. The freshly painted (and possibly decorated) home may be a deterrent from smoking in the home.
If you’re uncertain of a color choice, purchase a small amount of the paint or swatch of fabric. Paint a small patch or leave the swatch in the room where it will be used. Let the sun rise and set in that room so you can see how the color changes. You will soon know if you love it or hate it.
When choosing furniture for a room, be sure to measure more than just the space for the furniture when deciding on a piece. Measure the openings and corners leading into the room even if there are no stairs. If you cannot get the furniture into the room, you may have to return your new furniture.
Don’t settle for a plain square room. Add your personality to it with some expert advice or do-it-yourself redesign. Use #NationalDecoratingMonth to share on social media.
Break free from expensive cable bills on February 9th by celebrating National Cut the Cord Day! The streaming movement has rapidly grown over the past five years, and it doesn’t show any signs of stopping. As the digital world supplies more choices, it also provides the flexibility, selection, and reliability we’ve been looking for.
We prefer our Prime Account. We already get so many Prime perks. Let’s face it you’re probably already getting goods from Amazon. So our Prime Video just goes hand in hand with it. Great movies and shows, Amazon originals, and of course sports.
Sling TV founded National Cut the Cord Day, to commemorate the day the service launched in 2015. On the fifth anniversary, Sling TV encourages people across the nation to make the leap from cable to live TV streaming by participating in National Cut the Cord Day.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalCutTheCordDay
Cutting the cord has never been easier. With apps and online tools, learn more about the benefits and opportunities of cutting the cord. Weigh the pros, cons and potential savings. When you’re ready to lean into the freedom of streaming on-demand content plus live TV, cut the cord!
Once you’ve decided cutting the cord is right for you, make sure to have the following items before getting started:
High-speed internet access
Supported device
Valid credit/debit card
Valid email address
An idea of content needs – those must-have channels or shows for you and your family
With so many ways to stream live and on-demand content, it may be overwhelming to know where to start. Setting up a streaming subscription like Sling TV is easier than ever by taking three easy steps: make an account, customize a channel lineup and start streaming!
Short for Software Application, apps quickly appeared as our mobile cellular phones incorporated smart technologies. As the power of our phones increased with processing chips, internet connectivity, and touchscreens, so did the apps that became available.
Since that time, apps continue changing how we work, live, and play. They offer opportunities, too, by creating thousands of new companies, millions of new jobs, and billions of dollars in revenue.
Apps accelerated in growth with the advent of Apple’s iPhone in 2007. In 2008 Apple introduced OS 2.0, which included approximately 500 apps and allowed third-party app generation. Today there are over 3 million apps on both the Apple and Android platforms and thousands more introduced daily.
From social networking to productivity, apps function in every part of our lifestyle. They control the lights in our house and keep our playlists at our fingertips. We stay in tune with the world around us through news apps customized to our interests and stay connected to the people who mean the most to us.
NATIONAL APP DAY HISTORY
Platinum Edge Media and its founder CJ Thompson created National App Day in 2017 to celebrate the importance of apps as they change our collective culture by organically promoting creativity and innovation.
My goto Apps that I use practically everyday include:
Prism – Money and Bill Pay. We use this App for almost all our bill paying. It not only keeps track of when it’s due, but gives me balances, and real time payments directly from the App. Actively helps me from being a victim of identity theft.
Digical – All calendar. Appointments, To Do, reminders, and blog reminders.
Medisafe – Keeps my prescription medications on track with scheduling and reminders. Also a very conventional way to have a current medicine list on your phone in case of emergency, hospital stay, Dr visits and more.
My Sugar – As a diabetic this app links to my meter and gives both short and long term readings on my blood sugar. Helps me stay informed and make good diet decisions as well.
Lose It! – Calorie counter, dieting App. Keep track of what you eat, calories, carbs, food diary, and fitness logs. I was amazed at how much more contentious just keeping the food diary helped me choose healthy eating and loose weight.
News Break – News source that gives local, State, National, and worldwide news.
Google Weather – Accurate conditions
YoWindow – the weather both now and forcasts
WordPress – If you are reading this post, it’s where I blog. Easy to use visual and html, let’s me build my site.
Canva – create stunning social media posts, pins, and graphics.
Calligraphy – Add text to photos, and create graphics like you see on my site.
Polaris Office – Write, spreadsheet, newsletters, slides, slideshows, word and text documents.
My Drive – Cloud storage. Store pictures, documents, receipts, and backup info. I regularly keep digital copies in cloud storage. If you’ve ever lost or broken a device or need to access legal documents cloud storage gives me access no matter what device I’m using.
Googl Keep – My husband swears by this App. He keeps everything from grocery lists and To do lists to passwords and reminder notes.
Samsung Notes – I like this one as my Notes can even be written with stylus. Keeps notes, lists, observations, and reminders at my fingertips.
Walmart – Like most of we do our shopping for groceries and household often. Shop in store or online, checkout on your mobile device. Have it delivered or shipped straight to your door. Saves me so much time and money.
Shipt – Publix, Winn Dixie, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Petsmart, Office Depot Office Max and even GNC. Groceries or even better imagine not having to trudge through a store. Get it delivered.
Instacart – Get everything I need for dinner in 2 hours or less. Gives me delivery from stores like Aldi’s in my neighborhood.
Amazon Shopping – Amozon is so well known now. My Prime membership gives me perks, savings and access to products simply not sold locally.
Ibotta – Cash back at the grocery store! We all have to eat. So why not get cash back on what’s you’re already buying. Seriously I make enough cash back to get Thanksgiving dinner free! This year it’s Christmas dinner too.
Fetch – Shop & Save Money! Scan Receipts to Earn Gift Cards. Your Shopping & Saving Superpower! Fetch brings you a fun and exciting way to shop and save, turning all your receipts into rewards in a snap. Earn points by scanning receipts, then choose from hundreds of your favorite rewards. Shop personalized offers, play free point games daily and connect with your friends.
Rakuten – Cash back on the most popular shopping sites online. Great deals from the app or browser extension. We save on things like Daytimer, Amazon, Chewy, and do many more.
Temu – While similar to Wish the shipping deals have made this my new favorite this holiday season. Gifts for lots and something for myself too.
Restaurants and food delivery – Uber Eats, Door Dash, Postmates, Grubhub, we learned about during the Covid pandemic. Now delivery from your favorite restaurants is at your fingertips. We love getting McDonald’s, Burger King, Popeyes, Panda Express, Captain D’s, Chili’s, Texas Roadhouse, Taco Bell, Applebee’s, Cheddar’s, Greek, Mexican, American, you name it they can probably deliver it.
Prime Video – Streaming is so much better than high priced cable bills. Live Football, original series and movies all directly to your smart tv. What to see a new movie, simply purchase and stream. Pausing when you need a snack, or a break is ultra convenient.
Kindle – Amazon’s answer for Ebooks. I love my Kindle! Not only is it available on Amazon devices but you can seamlessly change from phone, tablet, Kindle, or even a desktop computer. Now I can take my book literally anywhere my phone goes. As a bibliophile, you’ll never find me without a great read.
Amazon Music – Load your favorite playlists, and let the music play. Prime members enjoy lots of tunes. No need for a separate device. I just load my phone widget and press play. Bluetooth connection let’s me play it on the surround sound system, my personal Bluetooth speaker, ear buds, air pods or headphones.
Love Nikki – We all need to unwind. This dress up game is like having both a fantasy adventure and a never-ending closet. Put your fashion sense to the test to save Mirland.
Facebook – Who hasn’t heard of this one by now? This allows family and friends to communicate, check up, check in, and share easily. Pictures of the grand babies, how school is going, or just video chat with Mom. Remember to check you feed!
Pintrest – My #1 bookmarking spot. Recipes, lists, books, movies, celebrities, crafts, shopping, new products, home decor, gardening, games, Journaling, you name I’ll bet there’s a pin. Pin your likes to your own boards. Keep ideas, thoughts, planning, and even wishlists and vision boards.
Nextdoor – Do you know what’s going on in your neighborhood? Giveaways, Yard sales, stolen packages…. Communicate with each other. Chances are even if your just curios you’ll find something near you.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalAppDay
Post your favorite app on social media. Share how apps make your life easier, too. Beyond games, what tools do you use to save money and time? While you expound on your favorites, explore new apps, too. What kinds of apps do you predict for the future?
Join the conversation using #NationalAppDay, and be sure to include why you couldn’t imagine life without your favorite apps.
National Streaming Day on May 20 recognizes the advancing and growing technology that makes our mobile lives run more smoothly.
The first computer was invented in the 1940s. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that streaming became accessible. Since then, technology has made huge advancement, resulting in the option to stream just about anything. Luckily, the attraction of streaming pushes technology to improve speed and accessibility. As technology changes, so does are need to meet our streaming expectations.
Streaming plays such an important part in our daily life we overlook the benefits it provides us. If you look past what we expect, most people would understand the amazing benefits streaming provides. Streaming provides:
Opportunity to take the service with us just about anywhere.
Ability to customize our own video preferences.
Businesses and organizations optional training methods and coordinates meetings.
Connection with people from across the world in real time.
A cost-efficient alternative to conduct daily activities.
Entertainment.
Streaming formats also come in all shapes and sizes. Some services offer music and video streaming, while others offer on-demand services. Despite the varieties available, all streaming services provide benefits to our modern lives.
Today, almost everyone uses some sort of streaming device. Unsurprisingly, there are many types of streaming devices available. Choosing a streaming device is often based on personal preference. The most popular streaming devices are:
Roku Stick 4K Plus, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV.
Today you can stream so many ways from Amazon Prime Video to Netflix, Hulu, and so many channels like Starz, britbox, AMC, Hallmark, Paramount, MGM, HBO. Don’t forget Sports like ESPN, MLBtv, Nascar, NBAtv, NFL and NHL.
A STREAM OF HISTORICAL FACTS
In 2014, Roku founded National Streaming Day to celebrate their 10th Anniversary.
1993: During a usual gig, a few computer scientists and engineers from California decide to try out a new technology to their musical performance with friends and family live.
1995: RealNetwork introduces the first live streaming service with capabilities known as the RealPlayer.
1999: A company by the name of Excite@Home Network casts the first webcast for the Democratic Leadership Council.
2008: YouTube holds its first live event called YouTube Live.
2011: Twitch.tv introduces a new streaming platform for video games nabbing 45 million users per month.
2014-2016: Restream.io, Twitter and Facebook/Instagram introduce live streaming services for social media platforms.
2018: Facebook dominates the live streaming market with over over 3.5 million views.
2019: Facebook dominates live streaming with nearly 1.1 billion hours of live videos available for viewing.
2022: Every platform uses streaming options as a way to share information, including National Day Calendar.
STREAM TO CELEBRATE
Watch movies, work videos, and television shows at a time that is convenient for you.
Listen to a variety of music, podcasts, or books on any device.
Teach an elder how to stream.
Share tips to people online on how to stream online.
Share your favorite apps, service and shows. We use Prime Video as our main source. We can add in extra channels if needed, but we like Amazon exclusives. We added Starz just for Outlander.
Describe your favorite way to stream and tag #NationalStreamingDay on social media.
