A to Z and Awww Monday: Open!

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays.  Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that it.

Make sure you get the code from Sandee's site, linked above, and leave a link to your post so we can visit you.  What better way to start the week than with a smile!

The toddler rule is that if something is shut, it must be opened.

First this one, then the next one.

All must be opened!

If the teacher goes behind and shuts it when no one is playing with it, it must be opened again!

I must reopen everything!

Today is:

Adult Autism Awarenes Day -- sponsored by aheadd.org; i know the poster child!

Army Day -- Iran (Rouz-e-Artesh)

Boston Marathon -- Boston, MA, US (120th running)

Goddess Month of Maia begins

Income Tax Pay Day -- US
     related observances:
     Freak Out Day 
     National Griper's Day (after all, you have to pay your taxes)
     Tax Resistors' Day -- good luck!
     That Sucks Day (appropriate, isn't it)

Independence Day -- Zimbabwe(1980)

International Amateur Radio Day/World Amateur Radio Day -- celebrating "ham radio" around the world ARRl 

International Day for Monuments and Sites -- UNESCO

Invention Day -- Japan

Jose de Diego's Birthday -- Puerto Rico (Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement, a/k/a Dia de Reafirmacion del Idioma Espanol)

Landing of the 33 Patriots Day -- Uruguay

Laundromat Day -- the first self-service "washateria" opened on this date in 1934 in Fort Worth, TX, US

Look-Alike Day -- internet generated, a day to try to look like someone you admire; some sites list it on the 20th

Mesir Paste Festival -- Manisa, Turkey (mesir paste is a blend of 41 different spices and is intended as a general cure-all and tonic; lots of craft exhibitions, concerts and sporting tournaments, as well as traditional throwing of paste off minaret of the Sultan Mosque; through Sunday)

National Animal Cracker Day

Newspaper Columnists' Day -- The National Society of Newspaper Columnists in honor of the anniversary of the death of Ernie Pyle

Patriots' Day -- US (in observance of the first battles of the Revolutionary War; always the 3rd Monday, unless this is also Easter Monday)

Pet Owners Independence Day -- the day to let your pet do the work and chores while you lie around and enjoy having only the responsibilies of your pet; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Sechselauten -- Zurich, Switzerland (Six Ringing Festival, traditional driving out of winter through the symolic destruction of the Boog - Old Man Winter - in the form of a snowman)

Sleep Apnea Awareness Day 

Smile Big and Say Hi for No Particular Reason Day -- if some site gave the reason for this, it would defeat the purpose

St. Agapitus Day (Patron of Palestrina, Italy; against colic)

St. Agia's Day (Patron against lawsuits)

"Third World" Day -- the phrase was first used on this date in 1955

Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri -- Furukawa, Japan (one of the liveliest dance festivals, with elements of dance styles from around the country; through the 20th)


Anniversaries Today:

The University of Alabama is founded, 1831


Birthdays Today:

America Ferrara, 1984
Cheryl Ann Haworth, 1983
Melissa Joan Hart, 1976
Eli Roth, 1972
David Tennant, 1971
Maria Bello, 1967
Conan O'Brien, 1963
Eric McCormack, 1963
Jane Leeves, 1961
Eric Roberts, 1956
John James, 1956
John Pankow, 1954
Rick Moranis, 1954
Dorothy Lyman, 1947
James Woods, 1947
Hayley Mills, 1946
Robert Hooks, 1937
Barbara Hale, 1921
Leopold Stokowski, 1882
Samuel Earl "Wahoo Sam" Crawford, 1880
Clarence Darrow, 1857
Lucrezia Borgia, 1480


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Beauty and the Beast"(Musical), 1994
"Real People"(TV), 1979
"Call Me Mister"(Musical), 1946


Today in History:

Boleslaw Chrobry is crowned the first king of Poland, 1025
The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid, 1506
The Real Academia de la Historia (Royal Academy of History) is founded in Madrid, 1738
The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and William Dawes, upon seeing two lanterns in the church steeple, set out to warn that "The British are coming!" 1775
Fighting ceases in the American Revolutionary War, eight years to the day after it began, 1783
Billy the Kid escapes from the Lincoln County jail in Mesilla, New Mexico, 1881
The St. Andrew's Ambulance Association is granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria, 1899
Denmark becomes the first country to formally adopt fingerprinting to identify criminals, 1902
Quetzaltenango, second largest city of Guatemala, is destroyed by an earthquake, 1902
The Great San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
The Los Angeles Times story on the Azusa Street Revival launches Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement, 1906
The RMS Carpathia brings the Titanic survivors to NYC, 1912
"The House that Ruth Built," Yankee Stadium, opens, 1923
Simon and Schuster publishes the first crossword puzzle book, 1924
The first "washateria" (laundromat) opens, in Ft. Worth, Texas, 1934
The League of Nations is formally dissolved, 1949
29 nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference., 1955
A United States federal court rules that poet Ezra Pound is to be released from an insane asylum, 1958
The Republic of Zimbabwe is officially established with the swearing in of Canaan Banana as its first President, 1980
The Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings, from the Triple-A International League, begin the longest game in professional baseball history, 33 innings, 1981
The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in a 5-4 decision, 2007
Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f, two planets resembling planet Earth are discovered revolving around the star Kepler-62 in the habitable zone, an area around the stars whose atmospheric pressure can suport liquid water at the surface, 2013

Awww Monday: Peek-a-Boo

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays.  Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that it.

Make sure you get the code from Sandee's site, linked above, and leave a link to your post so we can visit you.  What better way to start the week than with a smile!

When playing peek-a-boo in the Sunday school nursery play area, sometimes you are the one peeking:

I see you!

And sometimes you are the one being peeked at:

Where did she go?

Today is:

Arbor Day -- Brazil

Breakfast, Dinner, and Supper Celebration Day -- Fairy Calendar (Goblins)

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 11, Peace (to coincide with the International celebration; sponsored by We, the World)

Independence Day -- Armenia(1991); Belize(1981); Malta(1964)

International Day of Peace -- UN

International Love Your Files Week -- the week to make sure your filing system is working for you

International Women's Ecommerce Days -- supporting women's online business endeavours and buying power; through Friday

Keiro no hi -- Japan (Respect for the Aged Day)

Kharisteria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate; feast of Aremis Agrotera[the huntress] that became a thankgiving for the victory of the battle of Marathon)

Kwama Nkrumah's Birthday/Founder's Day -- Ghana

Metropolitan Opera in NYC Opening Night

Miniature Golf Day -- golf the fun way! (separate from National Miniature Golf Day in May, since i'm guessing playing once a year isn't often enough)

National Pecan Cookie Day

Pause the World Day -- because we've all wanted to do this at one time or another

St. Matthew the Evangelist's Day (Patron of accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, customs officers, financial officers, guards, money managers, security forces, security guards, stock brokers, tax collectors; Salerno, Italy; Trier, Germany; Villa d'Ogna, Italy)

Student's Day and Spring Day -- Argentina

Throw Away Something Day -- you have the internet's permission to get rid of that hideous gift; if you can't bring yourself to throw it out, donate it

World Alzheimer's Day

World Gratitude Day


Birthdays Today:

Nicole Richie, 1981
Luke Wilson, 1971
Ricki Lake, 1968
Faith Hill, 1967
Darva Conger, 1965
Rob Morrow, 1962
Nancy Travis, 1961
David James Elliot, 1960
Dave Coulier, 1959
Ethan Boen, 1957
Bill Murray, 1950
Stephen King, 1947
Kay Ryan, 1945
Fannie Flagg, 1944
Bill Kurtis, 1940
Henry Gibson, 1935
Leonard Cohen, 1934
Larry Hagman, 1931
Chuck Jones, 1912
H.G. Wells, 1866
Maurice Barrymore, 1849 (family patriarch)
Francis Hopkinson, 1737


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"NYPD Blue"(TV), 1993
"Glengarry Glen Ross"(Play), 1983
"Monday Night Football"(TV), 1970*
"Perry Mason"(TV), 1957
"The Texaco Star Theater"(TV), 1948
My Weekly Reader(Magazine, first issue date), 1928

*Browns 31, Jets 21


Today in History:

Richard the Lionheart captured, 1192
Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa orders Jews of Holland to wear a badge, 1451
John and Nicolaas van der Heyden patent a fire extinguisher, 1677
Nathan Hale arrested for spying, 1776
The Pennsylvania Packet & Daily Advertiser becomes the first successful US daily newspaper, 1784
Joseph Smith, Jr. claims that the Angel Moroni gives him the gold plates from which he translates the Book of Mormon, 1827
The Duryea Motor Wagon Company becomes the first auto manufacturer, 1895
"Kit Carson", the first cowboy film, premiers in the US, 1903
Publication of Tolkien's "The Hobbit", 1937
Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations, 1971
Sandra Day O'Connor is unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate as the first female US Supreme Court justice, 1981
Brunei joins the United Nations, 1984
Deep Space 1 flies within 2,200 km of Comet Borrelly, 2001
The Galileo mission is terminated by sending the probe into Jupiter's atmosphere, 2003

The Nursery

 The baby nursery at church is the place to go when you want to take care of a baby and enjoy time with some little ones, without having to bring it home later!

That's why i don't mind at all when i'm assigned in there, as i was yesterday.

What's really enjoyable about being in there is that, since none of them are my full time responsibility, i can observe behavior in an almost detached manner.

There was the little girl with her hair in two little pony tails on top of her head, like Little Cindy Lou Who.  She was content through most of the morning just crawling around and entertaining herself.  When a new baby was dropped off, she would stop to observer, and, in the case of a couple of them whom she recognized, she would crawl over and leverage herself in position to give the other child a big kiss.  Only once did she fuss, and that was when she was getting a bit hungry.  Setting her in a high chair, she fed herself some little puffy cereal type of snack pieces on the tray in front of her.

One little guy, who is about the size and shape you would expect of a boy named Huey, tried to fuss, but then, after his kiss from Cindy Lou, decided instead to try to do everything she did.  His limited mobility (he's not crawling as well as she is) hindered him, but he tried to keep up, and never gave up.

The twins, Mike and Ike (and no, without name tags no one can tell the difference except the parents), are 6 months old.  Because they were two months premature, though, they are still little sacks of flour like a four month old would be, and i felt sorry for them, seeing them go from stroller to a baby swing or bouncy chair.  So for quite a while, i held them, a lump on each side of my lap, with our crier, Jack, in the middle.  It was easier that way, as i could put one toy in front and spin it, or push the buttons, or whatever it did, and keep them all entertained at the same time.

Lindy is four months, and spent the whole time lying on her tummy, pushing up and watching the others, and trying to play with whatever toy we rolled or pushed her way.  Only one tiny cry came out of her, when her still not quite steady head bobbled forward and she bumped into a toy.  She's such a content little thing that she was comforted quickly and went right back to playing, and smiling.

This was in contrast to Nate, who cried the whole time, at least, until he fell asleep in the arms of one of the nursery workers.  He then slept the whole morning away, probably ruining his afternoon nap.  That, though, is not something we can help.

Each little one has such a unique personality and way of interacting with each other and the world, and that's something i didn't always have time to stop and study when i was in the thick of raising my own.  So, no, even when we have screamers, i don't mind nursery duty one bit.

There's no way i'm ready to be a grandmother (diplomas and rings on fingers first, please! i'm old fashioned), so this will do nicely.


Today is:

Ana-hachimangu Yabusame -- Tokyo, Japan (demonstration of ancient art of horseback archery)

Bathtub Day -- can't confirm this one, but it's as good a day as any to be glad you have one!

Blue Shirt Day / World Day of Bullying Preventionhttp://www.stompoutbullying.org/index.php/campaigns/blue-shirt-day-world-day-bullying-prevention-2013/

California Rideshare Week -- California, US (designed to encourage commuters to take personal responsibility for reducing traffic and smog by pledging to rideshare)http://www.metro.net/about/commute-services/rideshare-week/

Child Health Day -- US

Country Inn, Bed-and-Breakfast Day -- across North America (special events to introduce people to the wonderful world of country inns and bed-and-breakfasts)

Feast Day of Ma'at -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Festival of the Deerk Toes -- Fairy Calendar (celebrating the toes on a fairy's "deerk", for which there is no human equivalent)

Labour Day -- ACT, NSW, QLD, & SA, Australia

Lepanto Day -- Greece

Nagasaki Kunchi -- Nagasaki, Japan (harvest festival, through the 9th)

National Child Health Day -- US www.mchb.hrsa.gov

National Education Day -- Kiribati

National Flower Day -- US (anniversary of President Reagan signing the bill, in 1986, that made the rose the US National Flower)

National Frappe Day

Nones of October -- Ancient Roman Calendar; other observances
     Festival of Juno Cutitis and Jupiter Fulgor
     Victoria, Lady of Victories Day a/k/a Pallas Athena -- also celebrated by the Ancient Greeks

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary -- Catholic Christian

Peat-Cutting Day -- Falkland Islands (Spring Holiday)

Ride-Share Week 2013 -- Ventura County, CA, US (encouraging car dependent Californians to drive less, save money, keep the air cleaner, and carpoolhttp://www.vcapcd.org/rideshare.htm)

St. Justina of Padua's Day (Patron of Padua, Italy; Santa Giustina, Italy)

Territory Day -- Christmas Island

Thanksgiving Day -- Saint Lucia

Try To Start An Argument Over Which Is the Best Muppet Day -- Kermit, hands down (argue below, if you wish)

World Habitat Day -- UN



Birthdays Today:

Simon Cowell, 1959
Michael W. Smith, 1957
Yo-Yo Ma, 1955
Vladimir Putin, 1952
John Cougar Mellencamp, 1951
Bishop Desmond Tutu, 1931
R. D. Laing, 1927
June Allyson, 1917
Vaughn Monroe, 1911
Andy Devine, 1905
Niels Bohr, 1885
James Whitcomb Riley, 1849


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Cats, 1982
Your Hit Parade, 1950


Today in History:

The epoch of the modern Hebrew calendar (Proleptic Julian calendar), BC3761
The first public burning of books in Louvain, Netherlands, 1520
Ralph Wedgewood patents carbon paper in London, 1806
The first chartered railway in the US, the Granite Railway, begins operations, 1826
Spain abolishes slavery in Cuba, 1886
Henry Ford institutes the moving assembly line, 1913
Georgia Tech defeats Cumberland college in the infamous 222-0 football game, 1916
160 consecutive days of 100*F+ temperatures begin at Marble Bar, Australia, 1924
Beat poet Allen Ginsberg reads his poem "Howl" for the first time at a poetry reading in San Francisco, 1955
U.S.S.R. probe Luna 3 transmits first ever photographs of the far side of the moon, 1959
Nigeria joins the United Nations, 1960
Oman joins the United Nations, 1971
Cats opens on Broadway and begins a run of nearly 18 years, 1982
The Great Flood of 1993 ends at St. Louis, Missouri, 103 days after it began, 1993
Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, is found tied to a fence after being savagely beaten, 1998
The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan begins, 2001

It was a whinin'...

...and a cryin', and a fussin', and a wailin'.

Sung to the tune of "Wishing and Hoping", the one sung by Dionne Warwick, that's the song that rattles in my brain right now.

Talking about the church nursery, where i served yesterday.

My first assignment was the room for the 2's, but there was enough help in there, so i got moved to the older 3's.  Again, another extra person showed up, and everyone was behaving, so after i tidied while the other teacher did story time (it was hilarious hearing those little mouths try to pronounce Mephibosheth), i got moved again, this time to the baby room.

Three volunteers at that moment, seven children under 12 months, and three of them screaming their little heads off.

By the time we had five volunteers, we had 10 babies, and five screamers.

It was quite a morning, to say the least.

The one who was no trouble was four-month-old Lucas, who sat in the swing and ate his fists and his bib until his mom showed up to nurse him.  We never heard a peep from him as he watched the activity of the room with his big eyes.

At one point, while holding a screaming baby on my hip with one arm and sweeping oat circle cereals off the floor with the other, i thought, this, this is why i didn't have more kids.  Although i was laughing as i thought it.

As the morning went on, the fussing rose and fell, with a couple of occasional lulls.  Anther little guy who was mostly happy, sat in a high chair a good bit of the time, eating.  He had a voracious appetite, especially for banana.

The one whose cries were the longest and loudest was  Cole, and his screams didn't bother me a bit.  He's one for whom the whole church was praying last September when he was born, and he almost didn't make it.  For him to even be there, and screaming in my ear at that, was a good thing.

By the end of the morning, though, all of us were ready for the moms to come.  Of course, the ones who had been at it the longest and the loudest had the parents who came the latest.  Yep, i thought, they know their kids!  Again, i thought it with a laugh.

Taken altogether, though, it was a good day.  Watching the little just barely able to crawl girls play near each other and watch each other closely reminded me of a lot about babies that i have missed.

And no, i still don't want any more myself, or any grandbabies for a while, either.  We are holding out for them to be old enough to be settled and able to handle such things.  As i used to tell mine, until you have a decent job to support you and a ring on that finger, don't even think about bringing me a grandchild.

We will make do with the grandcats for now.

 
Today is

Be a Dork Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, which encourages you to wear goofy clothes and fall off a swing set today and be proud of Dorkiness

Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera / Munoz-Rivera Day -- Puerto Rico (obs.)

Central Maine Egg Festival -- Pittsfield, Maine (more fun with eggs than you ever thought you could have; through Saturday)

Cigarette Warning Day -- anniversary of the 1968 law passed in the US that requires health warnings on cigarette packaging

Feast of Rowana/Rauni -- Druid/Cornish/Flemish (rowan tree goddess; date approximate)

Festival of Castor and Pullox -- Ancient Roman Calendar every five years (celebrated with a cavalry and chariot procession)

Festival of Santa Rosalia -- Palermo; Sicily (remembrance of the Patron saint of the city on the date, in 1624, when she stopped the plague)

Global Hug Your Kids Day -- information here

Gorestnici -- Bulgaria (fire festival of 3 days duration, honoring the ancient belief that today and the next two are the 3 hottest days of the year)

Gummi Worm Day

Hakata Gion Yamagasa -- Kushida Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan (festival of floats, dates back to the 13th century, includes dousing teams carrying one ton floats with water as they race!)

Hundadagar -- Icelandic tradition, the "dog days" of summer begin, through Aug. 23

Ides of July -- Ancient Roman Calendar

I Love Horses Day -- all over the web with no specific reason given, but do you need a reason to celebrate horses?

National Get Out of the Doghouse Day -- the day to work out any troubles with people you care about, so that you "get out of the doghouse"

National Tapioca Pudding Day

No-Hitter Day -- George Bradley of the St. Louis Brown Stockings pitched the first officially recognized no-hitter in MLB against the Hartford Dark Blues on this date in 1876

Petal-Hopping for Beginners Day -- Fairy Calendar

President's Day -- Botswana

Respect Canada Day -- because Canada deserves it!

St. Bonaventure's Day (Patron against intestinal problems; of Bagnoregio, Italy; Cochiti Indian Pueblo; St. Bonaventure University, New York)

St. Swithin's Day -- Saint Swithin's Society Annual Celebration in Toronto, ON, Canada; the weather prognostication associated with this saint says if it rains today, it will rain for the next 40 days (Patron against drought; of Stavenger, England; Winchester, England)

St. Vladimir of Kiev's Day (Patron of converts, parents of large families, reformed and penitant murderers; Russia; Ukranian Catholic Diocese of Stamford, Connecticut; Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Sultan's Birthday -- Brunei Darussalam

Tisha B'Av -- Judaism (begins at sundown, through tomorrow; fast in remembrance of the destruction of the First Temple in 586BCE and the Second Temple in 79AD)

Umi No Hi -- Japan (Ocean Day / Marine Day)



Birthdays Today

Tanner Maguire, 1998
Emily Roeske, 1991
Brian Austin Green, 1973
Beth Stern, 1972
Forest Whitaker, 1961
Kim Alexis, 1960
Jesse Ventura, 1951
Linda Ronstadt, 1946
Jan-Michael Vincent, 1944
Alex Karras, 1935
Clive Cussler, 1931
Mother Fraqnces Xavier Cabrini, 1850
Thomas Bulfinch, 1796
Clement Clarke Moore, 1779
Rembrandt Van Rijn, 1606


Today in History

Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final assault of a difficult siege, 1099
John Ball, a leader in the Peasants' Revolt, is hanged, 1381
Alexei Chirikov sights land and sends men ashore in a longboat, making them the first Europeans to visit Alaska, 1741
The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign, 1799
Zebulon Pike begins an expedition from Fort Belle Fountaine to explore the west, 1806
Napoléon Bonaparte surrenders aboard HMS Bellerophon, 1815
A fire destroys the ancient Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, 1823
Georgia becomes the last of the former Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union, 1870
The stratovolcano Mount Bandai, Japan, erupts killing approximately 500 people, 1888
In Seattle, Washington, William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporate Pacific Aero Products (later renamed Boeing), 1916
Eighteen Nobel laureates sign the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons, later co-signed by thirty-four others, 1955
AOL Time Warner disbands Netscape Communications Corporation; the Mozilla Foundation is established on the same day, 2003