Happy Birthday to Barbie. To celebrate her birthday, the leggy blonde made an around-the-world tour, and her enthusiastic receptions have proved she’s still one of the most respected icons in the world. Read the full story in Time magazine:
Barbie turned 50 this year, and she’s been celebrating her birthday with a whirlwind world tour, christening a new store in Shanghai and strutting the runways of New York’s Fashion Week. As curvaceous and sprightly as ever, the petite doll even paid a visit to the nation’s capital for a recent weeklong convention, and the reception there proved that much of the world still has a love affair with the leggy blonde.
The 29th annual Barbie Convention sold out in two days, and lit up the District in the doll’s signature hot pink, drawing Barbie-lovers aged 13 to 80 from all over the globe, including Russia, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Britain and France. A trio of sisters trekked from Mexico in order to be around other passionate Barbie fans. “There is no Barbie club in Mexico,” said the oldest, Leonor Vidal Rosada…
Here’s wishing her the happiest of birthdays – she sure makes the half-century mark look good!
When a child is invited to a birthday party, some parents think it’s only necessary to respond if you plan on attending the party. This story from a couple in Rock Hill, South Carolina, may make you reevaluate such etiquette:
I mentioned it to my parents, and to cheer our son up we decided to take him to the beach. When we returned and opened our front door, we found assorted wrapped presents with cards attached wishing our son a happy birthday and saying, “We’re sorry we couldn’t come to your party.”
My folks did not tell us they were going to do it. They said they had “found” the presents on the porch and brought them inside while they were house-sitting. Their thoughtfulness and caring — not to mention their creativity — took away much of the hurt. I get tears in my eyes thinking about it. Our son is now in his early teens and has never been told the story.
I would like to thank my parents again and tell them how much their gesture meant. Also, please advise parents that when they receive an invitation to a child’s party — or any party, for that matter — to RSVP! No child should have to feel that kind of hurt.
Thanks to Grandma and Grampa for saving the (birth)day! Here’s to many more happy birthdays to come! To find out how you can help create a world with less cancer and more birthdays, visit morebirthdays.com.
Happy Birthday to Peggy Fleming! The Olympic gold medalist turns 61 today. Fleming has won 5 United States titles (1964-1968), 3 world titles (1966-1968), the Associated Press’ female athlete of the year award (1968), and a spot in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
Fleming didn’t start skating until she was 9, and won her first championship at age 11. She won her 1968 Olympic gold medal wearing a costume her mother made and her artistic performance awed the world, vaulting her to celebrity status. In 1994 Sports Illustrated featured her as one of the most important athletes in a 40-year period.
Peggy Fleming was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and underwent a lumpectomy and radiation. She’s become an outspoken advocate of early detection for breast cancer. Here’s wishing her a happy 61st. Watch her legendary 1968 performance below:
Think back to when you were little… remember those birthday parties with “Pin the tail on the donkey?” I do! Every birthday was a celebration, a time to have friends over and eat cake. Sometime in the “growing up” process the novelty fades, and we tend not to broadcast our birthdays quite as loudly.
But then, when we have kids, birthdays take on a whole new meaning! I remember my son’s first birthday – sitting him on the kitchen counter with his first cake, and getting whipped cream on his baby toes! I remember the Power Ranger party, and the critter party, the magic party and the monkey party. All the kids, all the photos, all the chaos and all the fun! Each birthday is a milestone, another candle on the cake, another wish to create. We see life through our child’s eyes – and it’s magical and sweet all over again. We understand that we are really a kid at heart.
If you’re planning a party, whether for a child or yourself, think about some of these themes to help you celebrate this very special day!
Did you know that the White House regularly sends birthday cards to newborn babies? To get one all you have to do is mail or fax your baby’s name, address, and birth date to the address or fax number below.
White House Greetings Office
Room 39
Washington, D.C. 20500
Fax: 202-395-1232
You don’t even have to be a baby to get a card from the White House. The President himself will send a signed birthday certificate for anyone turning 80 or older. To request a certificate from the President, simply write at least 4 weeks in advance to:
The Greetings Office
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Check out this great post from Karyn Brianne, Blogger Advisory Council Member, at the Fab Giver:
Health has always been an issue close to my heart. Growing up, I had my heart set on becoming a doctor because I’ve always believed that if you don’t have your health, everything else suffers. In college, however, I decided that being healthy starts before the treatment process. Every day that we wake up, there are things that we can do to take steps to being as healthy as we can be. So, I decided to study marketing and use those communication skills to promote healthy behaviors and empower others to take an active role in their health. And, as a member of the American Cancer Society’s Blogger Advisory Council, I’m committed to using my online presence to do just that.
This week marks National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, and recognizing this issue is very important to me. As an African-American, I was blown away to learn that we have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial and ethnic group in the US for most cancers. National Minority Cancer Awareness Week is about recognizing the health disparities that exist within our communities and encouraging action to help shrink the gap. About fifty percent of cancer deaths can be prevented through regularly scheduled screenings, healthy eating, regular physical activity and quitting tobacco use. However, minorities continue to have lower screening rates than whites; report less physical activity than recommended, and consume less fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
These simple lifestyle changes can go a long way towards ensuring that we are around to see more birthdays for ourselves and those that we love. I’m dedicating this post to my maternal grandmother, maternal great-aunt, maternal great uncle, maternal great-cousin, paternal great-grandfather, and paternal (step) grandfather. They passed away due to cancer and build a strong case for why I have to take the necessary steps to be as healthy as I possibly can. I’ll admit that I don’t know all the facts and haven’t been as healthy as I should be, but I’m committed to making that change. This week, I’m setting up appointments ranging from a general checkup to screenings necessary for my health and I encourage you to do the same.
The ACS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-227-2345 to help answer any questions about cancer and provide information on what resources exist for free or low cost cancer screenings. Get the facts, understand your medical history, and commit to your health! Some might say that it’s easier said than done, but when has that ever stopped us?
To learn more about the American Cancer Society, please visit cancer.org.
You never forget birthdays that are special to you… for me it was my 7th birthday and my mom orchestrated a surprise party in our garage. She did it with such secrecy and pizazz and that I will never forget… It was a typical Saturday at our house. I had a soccer game in the morning and my mom had made cupcakes for the team instead of the usual orange slices. I had told my mom I wanted a party but it was a week or so away so I wasn’t really thinking about anything happening until then… After the game was over, we headed home and as my mom opened the garage door, there were my friends and family waiting to say, “SURPRISE!” Indeed I was suprised. My mom had pulled off an unbelievable birthday celebration for me and managed to keep both of my older brothers from spilling the beans!
The reason this story is so memorable is because this was the last time I remember my mother healthy… shortly after this, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and although she was a fighter, she gave up her battle on June 14, just 2 1/2 years after her diagnosis. She was 41. She died 1 week before her 42nd birthday…
So you see, birthdays are not just special, they create lasting memories when there are no more birthdays to celebrate with loved ones gone before us…
Treasure each birthday and treasure each day… remember someone, somewhere is making a memorable birthday today.
This weekend, my 12-year old daughter and her friends are hosting a surprise birthday sleepover for one of their friends whose mother lost her very short battle with lung cancer this past July. Each year, her Mom would have a huge sleepover birthday party for her which all the girls looked forward to. This will be the first birthday she will have without her Mom and it will probably be difficult for her and her Dad and brothers.
I am so touched by the extraordinary compassion and sensitivity displayed by my daughter and her friends. While they are just 12 years old, they instinctively knew what to do for their friend. So, Saturday evening, think about the 10 twelve year olds who understand the meaning of more birthdays!
Birthdays…for some it’s a special day to acknowledge another year of life and for others it’s just another day. For me, something always comes up on a birthday whether it be my own or that of someone I know…
In the summer of 2002 birthdays took on a whole new meaning. For 7 months I was sick on and off. I had suffered from fevers of 102, 103, and sometimes 104 degrees. I had drenching night sweats to the point that I would wet my clothes and the sheets of my bed. My lymph nodes were enlarged and in less than a couple of months I had shed a little over 20 pounds. These symptoms would come and go during the 7 months and when summer came I knew this all couldn’t be, “just another cold.”
In July, my mom who is a nurse had me stop by her clinic to see the doctor that she had worked for. There I told him my symptoms and he had examined me. When he was done he told me that I had Lymphoma. At 23 years old I had no clue what that meant. He had left the room to tell my mom the news. When she returned to the room it was clear she had been crying. I thought to myself, “Oh God, I am dying…” I asked my mom, “What is Lymphoma?”
On July 24, 2002 which is my dad’s birthday I was officially diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Stage 3. From there I underwent chemotherapy for 6 months and my cancer went into remission. Four short months later while randomly scratching my neck I found a lump. The cancer had returned. For my 2nd battle with cancer my oncologist suggested that we do an Autologus Stem Cell Transplant. It’s a transplant procedure where they harvest your own stem cells and re-infuse them back into your body. It’s like taking apart an old car, getting rid of the bad parts and rebuilding it with new parts. So, since the cancer didn’t hit my bone marrow, I was able to be the donor and recipient of my own stem cells.
On June 21, 2003, my 23rd birthday I sat in a chair for several hours with an IV drip of various chemo drugs instead of behind a table with a birthday cake. For several weeks after that there was more preparation for the transplant. In August I was admitted to the hospital for more chemo and to complete the transplant process. I was scheduled to be there for 30 days straight.
On August 18th, my oncologist’s birthday; he re-infused me with my stem cells and I also had 5 blood transfusions that week. Weeks later, I was released from the hospital on August 31st, the day before my son’s 3rd birthday. Jacob was born on September 1st which was also my OBGYN’s birthday. I made her miss dinner with her family that day due to Jacob’s arrival which was actually 3 days late. I have been in remission since October of 2003!
As you can see birthdays are not just another day for me…even if it’s not my own. Prior to my transplant my friends and co-workers celebrated my several times in the month of June to make up for having chemo on my special day. Every day of life is precious! Celebrate the birthdays in your life because you never know what someone else is going through that day. This year is my 30th birthday and 6 year cancer free anniversary. It’s also the 25th anniversary of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. So, how am I celebrating all these special events? I am attending 25+ Relay For Life events this summer from March through August. I’m a 2 time cancer survivor so what better way to live out the rest of my life than to… CELEBRATE, REMEMBER, FIGHT BACK!
For my 18th birthday, I was a senior in high school. I was at school for 15 hours that day because on top of school, it was Tech Week for our Winter Play. When school let out for the day, my friend and I hung out with our friends down in the Robotics Lab before grabbing a bite to eat for dinner and heading for rehearsal. Rehearsal went very well, and when it was over, the Stage Manager told my friend and I to organize the prop closet. Later, she came back and told us to sweep the stage. When I came onto the stage, the entire cast and crew was standing there, and started to sing Happy Birthday to me, and my other friend brought out the cake he made for me. I was completely surprised, and that made me so happy!
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This weekend, my 12-year old daughter and her friends are hosting a surprise birthday sleepover for one of their friends whose mother lost her very short battle with lung cancer this past July. Each year, her Mom would have a huge sleepover birthday party for her which all the girls looked forward to. This will be the first birthday she will have without her Mom and it will probably be difficult for her and her Dad and brothers.
