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Archive for August, 2009

Boy gets big wish on his birthday

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 31, 2009 in General

I tweeted about this on Friday (@morebirthdays), but what a great story this is, out of Springfield, Missouri–a 4-year old cancer survivor got his wish to be a fireman, at least for a day, to celebrate his big day.

From KSPR in Springfield:

As the fire truck rolled into Station One, on board was a very special firefighter—4 year old Jackson Wolfe.

Wolfe is a young cancer survivor.

So, a group of Springfield firefighters wanted their profession to be his reality for a day.

“He really liked watching the vehicles pull off in the ditch when we were going down through there. He was kind of upset when we had to turn everything back off,” said firefighter Scott Owens.

While eating some pizza, Jackson opened up to his dad about the ride in the firetruck.

“Did you have a lot of fun on the firetruck? I did. What did it do? It put it’s siren on. When we were in it, it wasn’t very loud,” said Wolfe.

Jackson will also take a trip to Disney World in September with his family. So happy birthday Jackson! Here’s to many more birthdays.

Rivals talk differences over birthday cake

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 31, 2009 in General

At a summit last week, South African President Jacob Zuma surprised his political rival, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, with a special birthday cake, and temporarily settled political differences as the two joked and enjoyed a round of “Happy Birthday” on what could have been a contentious day.

From the South African newspaper, The Times:

President Jacob Zuma surprised his political opponent, Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, with a large chocolate birthday cake this afternoon.

“We just have a small cake to say happy birthday to you,” Zuma said to Buthelezi after meeting opposition leaders at Tuynhuys in Cape Town.

“Why do you do this to me?” a smiling Buthelezi said.

The opposition leaders, who were reported to have held “frank” and “constructive” discussions, launched into a rendition of “Happy Birthday” and “How Old Can You Be”.

“Among us there is one who has a birthday – I am not sure if he is the youngest or the eldest,” Zuma said before unveiling the cake.

Buthelezi, 81, laughed and shook hands with opposition party leaders as he sliced up the cake, which had the message “Happy Birthday Prince Buthelezi” iced onto it.

What a sweet story. Let’s hope we can all learn a lesson about the power of birthdays, and here’s to more birthdays for us all.

3… 2… 1… Happy Birthday!

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 30, 2009 in General

25 years ago today, the space shuttle Discovery took its first journey into space. I’m still amazed that something as massive as the shuttle, which weighs more than 4.5 MILLION lbs (on this planet, anyway), can be launched into space as gracefully as it looks from here on the ground.

I’ve never had the chance to see a launch in person, but I’ve heard it’s a real treat. Discovery, one of three shuttles in the NASA fleet, has made history in many of its 36 missions, being the shuttle which launched the Hubble telescope and the shuttle that took John Glenn into space (making him the oldest person to do so).

Discovery lifted off for its 37th mission on Saturday, to rotate the crew on the International Space Station. I wonder if they have freeze-dried birthday cake… :)

Well, congratulations Discovery. Here’s to many more successful missions and many more birthdays.

King of Pop to get royal tribute on birthday

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 29, 2009 in General

Michael Jackson’s music touched millions of lives (there was many a time when I could be heard belting out Billy Jean in the shower), and his tragic passing saddened us all. So tonight, thousands of fans plan to turn out in Brooklyn to pay tribute to the King of Pop on his birthday at a massive celebration organized by film director Spike Lee (we blogged about this a few weeks ago here).

So many people are expected at the party–five times as many as was originally planned, says Rolling Stone–that Brooklyn police asked that it be moved from its original location in nearby Ft Green Park to Nethermead meadow, which can accommodate up to 10,000 people. Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz will also be on hand to declare the day Michael Jackson Day in Brooklyn.

The festivities are set to begin at 5pm, rain or shine.

Fun Fact Friday: OK to Throw Yourself a Surprise Party?

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 28, 2009 in Fun Fact Friday

logoAre you one of the lucky people who have had their friends or family throw them a surprise birthday party? Lucky you.

So I got to thinking, ‘why do I have to wait for my surprise party to come to me? I’ll just throw myself a surprise party.’ I mean, we all know what kind of party we want for ourselves, right? Well, I went searching for answers on if this was appropriate etiquette and low and behold (as always!), Miss Manners came to the rescue as she once offered up advice on this topic to a reader who had the same idea:

Dear Miss Manners: May I give myself a surprise birthday party? My plan is to invite friends to what will seem to be an ordinary dinner party and then, for dessert, to bring out a candle-studded cake and announce my birthday. I expect that someone will then start a chorus of “Happy Birthday,” and that as we all have coffee and cake, and everyone can protest that they would have brought a gift or card if they had known. To which I will reply that I have what I wanted for my birthday: They came to my party. This is a way to truly enforce the “no gifts” that no one quite knows how to interpret, although I suppose that I might get belated birthday cards as thank-you notes. Can I play the same trick in succeeding years, hoping that those who recognize the date will just play along with me and let the surprise be on whoever happens to be new or to have forgotten?

Gentle Reader: That is exactly the trick that Miss Manners proposes in place of the awkwardness of instructing guests not to give presents, which presupposes that they were otherwise expected to do so. Not a nice assumption on the part of a host. And besides, they do anyway.

What a great idea, if I do say so myself. I should start writing these things down. ;)

So get the invitations ready, prep the balloons, its time to throw a surprise party! Hope it’s a great one and here’s to many more.

Teen Celebrates Birthday on the High Seas

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 28, 2009 in General

Do you remember your 17th birthday? Maybe a movie with some friends or some cake and ice cream with your family? Well, Mike Perham has one up on all of us.

On Thursday, Mike, who’s 17 and from the UK, set foot on dry land in England after becoming the youngest person to sail solo around the world. He’s been at sea since November 18 of last year, which means he was out in the deep blue for more than 9 months, and celebrated his 17th birthday in the middle of the Indian Ocean! Phew.

In all, Mike traveled 28,000 miles around the Earth, surviving on mostly freeze-dried food and battling mechanical failures and repair delays. Mike also met up with the world’s oldest circumnavigator, who’s 75 and has apparently made the trip quite a few times.

But the best part about coming home? Being reunited with dad,

“I’m very much looking forward to the reunion and his cheesy smile and all the rubbish jokes he brings along,” Perham wrote.

So congratulations, Mike. Happy belated birthday and good luck on your future journeys. And here’s to many more birthdays, hopefully closer to home!

Theme Thursday: Pony Party

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 27, 2009 in Theme Thursday

cool-ponyPonies and horses have always been a favorite with kids of all ages, so I thought I’d make sure I dedicated a theme Thursday post to the venerable pony party. Luckily, there are plenty of ideas out there, and many of them you can pull off even if you’re on a budget. Here’s a great list I found on amazingmoms.com:

HORSE OR PONY BIRTHDAY PARTY DECORATIONS
Set your table with matching horse party items and solid colored plates in yellow, green and blue. Cover the table in a white sheet, my personal party favorite! Cut horse photos from an inexpensive calendar (dollar store). Glue them to a strip of green felt, or butcher paper to fashion a unique table runner. Add individual place settings, using toy horses. Write the guests’ names on the horses, with a permanent marker. Tie a balloon bouquet to a favorite Breyer horse and place it as a table centerpiece. Decorate the party area with balloons and streamers. If you have horse tack available, then add that to the party area with a few posters of horses.

HORSE PARTY GAMES AND ACTIVITIES
The games and activities you choose for your party, will depend on the size of your party space, whether your party is held indoors or outdoors and the ages of the children. Prepare 2-3 games and one craft activity. We also recommend that you be prepared with an extra no-fuss game, just in case.

[click here for many more of these pony-themed ideas]

Birthday Traditions from Vietnam

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 27, 2009 in General

han-hanoi-children2-2I started exploring birthday traditions from around the world a couple weeks ago, and now I can’t stop looking for more — they’re incredibly fascinating. It really is amazing how something we consider so universal can take on so many different meanings in different parts of the world. Here’s a birthday tradition from Vietnam, from kidsparties.com:

Everyones birthday is celebrated on new years day. Not only is Tet the beginning of a New Year, it is also everyone’s birthday. The Vietnamese do not know or acknowledge the exact day they were born. A baby turns one on Tet no matter when he/she was born that year. Children say they were born in the year of the symbol of the lunar calendar for that year. On the first morning of Tet, adults congratulate children on becoming a year older by presenting them with red envelopes that contain “Lucky Money,” or li xi. These envelopes are given to the children by parents, siblings, relatives and close friends.

Wow, talk about one big birthday party!

Take me out to the ballgame

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 26, 2009 in General
Can you believe that 70 years ago today, the first Major League Baseball game was televised? Way back on August 26, 1939, the Cincinatti Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers made history from Ebbet’s Field in Brooklyn, NY.

The sport affectionately called “America’s favorite pastime” brings back lots of great family memories for lots of Americans. Whether it’s taking the kids to little league or going out to a ball-game with the whole family, a baseball game is a great opportunity to bring loved ones together.

So here’s to an American legend, and to many more years of taking time out of our hectic lives to spend time with family and friends.

Happy Birthday, Rachael Ray

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 25, 2009 in General

Happy birthday to TV chef and author Rachael Ray. Most of us know Rachael from her show “30 Minute Meals,” but she has since built on her fame as a TV host, starring on other Food Network programming and NBC’s the Rachael Ray Show, as well as publishing her own magazine and line of cookbooks and other products.

I have to admit, I can never change the channel when I see that Rachael is on. The other day I even caught the episode of Iron Chef America where she and Mario Batali take on Bobby Flay and Giada, one of my favorite episodes (of course, Rachel and Mario came away with the win).

So have a “yum-o” birthday, Rachael. Here’s to many, many more!

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