Dear Just Be: My kids and I were wondering how did the Olympics come to be?

It is believed the Olympics have been going on for many years before this, but the first written records of the Olympic Games were held in 773 BC. The games grew and continued until in 393 CE, they were cancelled because of pagan influences. 1500 years later a Frenchman, Pierre de Coubertin, began the revival of the Olympic games. In 1890, he organized and founded a sports organization, Union des Sociétés Francaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA) and two years later, he first pitched the idea to revive the Olympic Games. Two years after that, Coubertin organized a meeting with 79 delegates who represented nine countries. At this meeting, Coubertin spoke of the revival of the Olympic Games and the delegates voted unanimously for the games. Athens was chosen as the location for the revival of the Olympic Games.

For more information on the history of the Olympics check out:
http://history1900s.about.com/od/fadsfashion/a/olympicshistory.htm

Other fun facts about the Olympics and the winter games:

•The five Olympic rings represent the five major regions of the world – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceana, and every national flag in the world includes one of the five colors, which are (from left to right) blue, yellow, black, green, and red.

•The Winter Olympic sports are alpine skiing, biathlon (cross-country skiing and target shooting), bobsled, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hocky, luge, Nordic combined (ski jumping and cross-country skiing), skeleton, ski jumping, snowboarding, and speed skating.

•The first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France in 1924.

•Norway has won the most medals (263) at the Winter Games.

•Three continents – Africa, South America, and Antarctica – have never hosted an Olympics.

Dear Just Be: Isn't the Chinese New Year soon? How can I commemorate the day?

Yes, you are correct. Because the holiday is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. This year it will be celebrated on February 12, 2010.

The Chinese New Year is a celebration of change ... out with the old and in with the new! And this is the year of the Tiger! According to tradition, to have a prosperous and healthy year, you should enhance and stimulate positive energy flow in your life and various environments.

ON NEW YEAR’s DAY:
• Decorate your home with symbols of good fortune. Here are some suggestions:
- Colors: Bright red (happiness); gold/orange (wealth & happiness).
- Fruits: Oranges and tangerines (good health & long life); tangerines with leaves intact (long lasting relationships; fruitful and multiply as in having children); persimmons (happiness and wealth).
- Circular candy tray (candy for sweet and circular for togetherness).
- Flowers: If flowers bloom on New Year’s Day, it will be a prosperous year.
- Red banners or couplets with New Year wishes and symbols of good fortune in gold.

If you want to celebrate by cooking keep these thoughts and recipes in mind:
• Fish and chicken represent prosperity. Always present the fish and chicken as a whole. Do not cut them in pieces. The head, tail and feet (for chicken) must be presented to symbolize completeness.
• Noodles represent longevity. Again, they should not be cut.
• Desserts include oranges, Chinese New Year cake (ni gao) and prosperous cakes (they look like golden nuggets).

You can also find a recipe for Jai, a combination of food that represents good fortune.

Dear Just Be: Valentine's day is this weekend and I want to do something fun with my hair, any ideas?

Want to spice things up a bit this weekend? Looking for a new look? Here is an idea that is unique and sexy for this holiday weekend:

To make a really gorgeous updo that feels fun, creative and a little sassy, try this out:
• Start by buying a load of grips/slides. Lots of functional ones will do great here, but a few decorative, diamante grips will be perfect.
• Wash your hair at least half a day before trying this updo, as the grips will otherwise not hold in place.
• Take two grips, and keep them within reaching distance. Take two sections of hair, one from either side of your head (these should be about a quarter of your overall amount of hair) and bring them to the back of your head. Twist, and then fold them over each other once or twice, depending on the thickness of your hair, and secure each side with a grip.
• Once these portions are securely in place, take another section of hair. Twist this upwards, and secure again with a grip.
• Continue to do this, until all the hair is up.
• This should create a sort of organized mess at the back of your head, and with all the grips overlapping one another, it should stay in place all evening.

We advise you to try it out before hand, not right before your Valentine's dinner date, so that you know what it looks like, and so you can practice placing the grips tightly enough.

Dear Just Be: How do I maintain my clothes?

If you are like one of our readers who has begun going through their spring wardrobe and noticing that their clothes aren’t in the greatest condition, we have some tips for you.

• Before storing your clothes, wash them. Washing your clothes will get out perfumes, oils and perspiration – which can eat away at your clothes.
• If you need to get your clothes dry cleaned, take the clothes out of the plastic bag that they come back in before storing them.
• Store your clothes in cool, dry locations and if possible store in acid-free muslin bags.
• Consider storing your leathers in cold storage.
• Cashmere should be stored in non plastic, acid-free containers
  

Lastly, the easiest step in preserving your clothes is creating a regular schedule for maintaining and storing you clothes. In Colorado that can be done just twice a year.

Dear Just Be: I need some easy treat ideas for my kids upcoming Valentine’s Day party- help please!

Not to worry - these Raspberry Heart Tarts will be a hit at the party and are simple to make!

Ingredients
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup ground walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups seedless raspberry jam

Instructions
1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, egg yolks, butter, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla extract, then knead until it forms a soft dough. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. On a floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut a heart for the bottom of the cookie sandwich, and a heart with a smaller heart cut in it for the top. Brush the tops with the egg whites. Mix the walnuts with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle on the cookie tops. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool.
3. Spread the bottom hearts with a layer of jam and put the tops on. Makes about 26.