How Did Father's Day Come About?

Where did Father’s Day Originate? While there are about seven renditions relating to the origin of Father’s Day, the most widely held version is this:

Father's Day originated through a young girl named Sonora Louise Smart, who lived in Spokane, Washington. Apparently, after listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909, she wondered why fathers weren’t celebrated as well. At 16, Sonora lost her mother in childbirth and her dad, a civil war veteran, raised Sonora and her five siblings. Determined to have Father’s Day recognized as a special day, Sonora finally witnessed the first Father’s Day celebration on June 19, 1910. Subsequently, the idea gained popularity all over the US and thus Father’s Day became a national day of celebration.

In fact, President Woodrow Wilson, noticing the depth to which this day became so popular, approved the idea in 1916. Furthermore, it was President Calvin Coolidge, who also loved this idea, proclaimed Father’s Day as a national celebration in 1924. Interestingly enough, in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation stating the third Sunday in June would be officially declared Father’s Day. It didn’t end there! President Richard Nixon permanently established the observance of Father’s Day in 1972.

What happened to the young girl who started it all? You will be happy to hear that Sonora Smart Dodd was honored at the World’s Fair in Spokane in 1974 for her contribution in making Father’s Day a national day of recognition.

Today, Father’s Day is celebrated around the world; however, not all countries celebrate it on the same day. In fact, in Australia and New Zealand, for example, it is celebrated on the first Sunday of September.

Beginning with an idea and the determination to see it through, Sonora Louise Smart was the catalyst who brought recognition to make Father’s Day a day of celebration. It’s amazing what one person can do, isn’t it?

My Celebrity Look-Alikes

This is pretty fun...you should check it out!

The History of Memorial Day

Memorial Day was first celebrated on May 5, 1866 at Waterloo, New York. This was due to the fact that the town commemorated Memorial Day yearly with the entire community engaged in events, including decorating the graves of soldiers with flags and flowers.

Originally named Decoration Day in honor of the soldiers who died in the Civil War, it was John A. Logan, General of the Army of the Republic who, on May 5, 1868, declared that May 30th would be a day in which flowers who decorate the graves of those who died in defense of their country. In fact, at the first celebration of Decoration Day, then General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. honoring the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who fought and died. It is said that over 5000 people helped to decorate these graves with flags and flowers.

Since then, Memorial Day has since become a day of reflection and observance. All businesses are closed for the day, as well as government buildings. In addition, all members of the armed services, from World War I to today, have been so honored. Memorial Day spawned Veteran’s Day, which is observed on November 11th. Subsequently, Congress declared Memorial Day as a national holiday and is celebrated during a solemn ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. One of the most important events is the placing of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, which is usually done by the President or the Vice-President.

The tomb contains the remains of unknown American soldiers from all of the wars American fought. Moreover, every solider was given the Medal of Honor at the time they were interred, and you can see these medals at the Memorial Amphitheater. In addition, the tomb is guarded every day of every year by special members of the Old Guard. It is a fitting tribute to these men, and every year thousands of people visit this site to pay homage to these great men.

Memorial Day has become especially significant, as we have our troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Honoring them and those who died before them is not only fitting, but reminds us that freedom comes at a price, and any soldier would tell you that fighting for their country is worth the sacrifice. Remember the men and women who are in far away lands protecting the freedom of others, as well as our own. Light a candle in their honor; send them a message of thanks or a care package of homemade cookies; let them know you are thinking and praying for them. It’s the least we can do to ensure our Memorial Day history is not merely read from a book, but practiced every day.

Cinco de Mayo - I Stand Corrected

I get a lot of reader email and comments on a weekly basis.

I received one today after I sent out an email "blast" to my newsletter list regarding a couple of new Freebies we have available for Cinco de Mayo and Mother's Day. Here it is in it's entirety:

Dear Tracy,thought I'd let you know that Cinco de Mayo IS NOT Mexican Independence Day. I am some what bothered that a web site that provides so much info wouldn't research first their info. F.Y.I. Mexican Independence Day is the 16th of Sept.

In my email, I had indicated that Cinco de Mayo was, in fact, Mexican Independence Day. I stand corrected (thanks to Margaret Puente). She's correct, Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day, but - according to Wikipedia "is a national, but not federal, holiday in Mexico which is also widely celebrated in the United States. It commemorates the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin over the French occupational forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862."

I like to keep my readers informed with CORRECT information and I appreciate when a mistake is brought to my attention. My sincere apologies if my error offended any of my readers.

Thank you, Margaret, for keeping me on my toes - I promise to be more diligent in my research and presentation :)

Since this has come about, I decided to begin a new policy. I'm calling it the "Take Your Foot Out of Your Mouth Tracy" award. I'm going to reward anyone who will bring to my attention an error in facts or research that has been published on this blog or the Mom's Niche website.

Margaret will receive one of our Mom's Niche prize packs filled with all kinds of goodies.

Thanks again Margaret for bringing this to my attention and congratulations for being our first award recipient!

Beat Stress with Laughter

Ever laughed so hard at a comedian on TV that you begin to cry? Or perhaps your friend gets you going with some old, funny memories and your laughter becomes uncontrollable for minutes on end. Do you feel the tension wash away from your body?

What you are experiencing is a release of the stress you’ve been carrying for days or even weeks. The old adage, “Laughter is the best medicine,” is very true.

Why is laughter your secret weapon to beating stress?

Laughter = 15 min. on an exercise bike

That's incredible! Not only does laughter lower your blood pressure, but it also increases the endorphins in your body which contributes to a healthier immune system.

Life is hard; why make it harder? If you can determine what makes you laugh; whether it’s going to a comedy club; surrounding yourself with funny people; watching a comedy on TV, or simply reading a book of jokes, you will be amazed how laughter can improve your physical and emotional well-being. Laughter actually distracts you from the underlying stress, and brings you to a balanced and calm state. It is, as they say, infectious.

It is important to laugh as much and as often as you can. It is the cure-all for stress, frustration and, in some cases, depression. Perhaps you’ve used the expression, “One day we will remember this, and laugh our heads off.” By having a positive attitude, and using laughter as a mechanism to celebrate life, instead of stressing over it; you’ll become healthier and less stressed when confronting negative events.

This happened just the other evening while being bombarded all day long with the tragedy of the Virginia Tech shootings...I said to my husband, "Let's just watch something funny for a half hour - we need a break." It's not that we needed to forget or ignore what's going on, but we just needed to laugh and release that stress that had been building.

“Laugh and the world will laugh with you….” As you go through your daily routine, find something to laugh about. Look at the bright side; tell yourself the cup is half full; laugh until it hurts. You may not have control over certain aspects of life, but you can control the stress. Let laughter be that secret weapon to beating stress.

Tips On Avoiding Yeast Infections

We've all had them...we all hate them...yeast infections. If you have managed to escape the joy of one of these in your lifetime, then consider yourself very lucky! Those of us who haven't been so lucky...listen up! You know what a pain it is to get rid of one, so why not avoid one before it even starts?

Try these tips and you may just cut down on those nasty infections:

• Perfumed soaps are a no-no. They don’t lather well, but they make you skin smell great. After a week or so, you notice an itch down below that you can’t seem to get rid of. Itching turns to redness which becomes inflamed almost overnight. Perfumes may be okay for the rest of the body, but they irritate the vaginal area. Candida albicans, the fungus that causes yeast infections are allowed to grow out of control when the good bacteria of the vagina are decreased by the perfume in the soaps. Use a non-deodorant soap to clean this delicate area and rinse thoroughly.
• Avoid antibiotics when possible. Antibiotics, when taken for the full ten day course, cause vaginal yeast infections. One infection is cured, but another that is just as painful crops up. What to do? Eat yogurt. The live bacterial cultures counteract the effects of the antibiotics. As soon as your doctor prescribes an antibiotic for you, load up on the Dannon! Actually any yogurt will do. One container a day should be enough.
• Shed the wet clothing. Fungus and other kinds of bacteria love moist, wet places on the body. They are ideal spots for growth. After a day in the pool or a hard workout at the gym, change out of those damp clothes as soon as possible. You may not feel wet in the vaginal area after a workout, but if you are sweating heavily everywhere else, you are damp there, too.
• Tighter is not better. Tight fitting underwear and pants increase the heat in the vaginal area. There is no way for air to circulate and keep the genitals cool and dry. Loosen up, literally. Choosing cotton underwear over nylon will absorb the wetness and keep it away from the body. Pants don’t have to be baggy, but they should have room to breathe.
• Put away that vinegar and water. Many women feel the need to cleanse their vaginal area after their menstrual period. There are several kinds of douches and sprays on the market for that purpose. My gynecologist told me that there was no need to use anything but plain soap and water to clean the vaginal area. Using a cleansing product internally upsets the acidic environment of the vagina, wiping out the natural bacteria.

Vaginal yeast infections are not life threatening, but they can interrupt your daily life. Pass these tips along to the young ladies in your household too. If they begin to follow these simple tips and incorporate them into their daily hygiene regimen, they can live their life hopefully yeast-free!

Y'all May Think I'm Crazy...

I think my previous post needs a little explanation. I was just playing around with "Mobile Blogging." This is pretty cool...I take a pic with my cell phone camera, type some text and send it to post on my blog...neat, huh?

So, you may be seeing some "mobile" stuff from me here in the near future. A way to get a little more up close and personal...

Potty Training - Open to Suggestions

Potty training...anybody have any good suggestions? You would think since I've been down this road two times before, that I would know what to do...WRONG!

My youngest just turned three last week. She has always been very verbal and able to communicate. We never went through that frustrating time with trying to find words and throwing tantrums when said words couldn't be found. So, I'm thinking..."life has been a breeze with her for the first three years, why would potty training be any different?"

HAHA, was I in for a RUDE AWAKENING!

She has been using Pull-Ups, and pretty successfully, for the last year or so. We've been talking about becoming a "big girl" with this birthday and even got some Dora underwear in the stocking from Santa.

This past Friday, I decided it was time. She was home with me for the day and we would have a 3-day weekend to work on it. We traded in the Pull-Ups for Dora. I quickly became aware that my little angel's halo was slipping and she was going to put me to the test. All of a sudden she became defiant - I would tell her to go sit on the potty..."No, I don't want to" - EVERY time I put her on the potty this happens. We go through a HUGE power struggle and I'm trying like hell not to let her win.

This is the kicker right here...she goes to a private babysitter 3-4 days during the week. This babysitter has been taking care of her since she was about 10 months old. She's awesome. Livvie loves her and everything is hunky dory.

I'm getting to my point...the babysitter tells her to go sit on the potty...AND SHE GOES AND SITS ON THE POTTY. She even pulls her own pants down, does her thing, pulls her pants back up, washes her hands and BOOM, she's successfully gone to the bathroom by herself.

Of course, I'm thinking I'm the biggest failure of a mom who ever lived. This shouldn't be that tough..I'm smart, educated...and for God's sakes - I'm 36 years older than this child!

Okay mommies out there - this is an official cry for help.

I'm looking for some great advice...don't let me down now.

Update: it's now two days later and we've had TWO DRY DAYS!! All day long...even through nap time. Maybe I was wrong...maybe I AM a genius after all :)

Update - 8 days later: Okay - I want to thank everyone for the kind words and advice, but I really think we have this thing licked! She has had 1 accident since this past Saturday. She is still wearing the Pull-Up for nighttime (and she's been dry all night a couple of times), but she's "big girl underwear" all during the daylight hours. WOOHOO!!

Chamomile - What is It?

We've all had the opportunity at one time or another to drink a cup of chamomile tea. It tastes good and is soothing, but do you really know what chamomile is? File this under "I learned something new today."

This herb has been effective in treating insomnia, and also soothes and calms at the same time.

Chamomilla, the plant that spawns the chamomile flower is found throughout North America and Europe. The oil that gives chamomile its medicinal qualities is called chamazulene alpha-bisabol. The strain of chamomile with the highest concentration of this oil is the German chamomole, called matricaria recuitita. Chamomile tea is specifically made from this oil.

Chamomile is used primarily to treat stomach cramping and pains, including menstrual cramping and diarrhea. Aside from the treatment of aches and pains, doctors and researchers have found that chamomile can be used effectively to treat skin and eye problems, mood disorders, and the flu.

For stomach pains, take one ounce of chamomile, two-thirds ounce of peppermint, one ounce caraway seeds, and two-thirds ounce of angelica. Mix together, and add one teaspoon of mixture to one cup of hot water. Steep this for ten minutes; then strain and drink. This mixture soothes the gastrointestinal tract.

For skin conditions, take one ounce chamomile, one ounce dandelion, and two-thirds ounce of fennel. Mix together; add one teaspoon to one cup hot water. Steep this for five to ten minutes then strain and drink. This stimulates the metabolic activity in healing skin conditions.

Chamomile is mild enough for everyday use, and almost everyone can enjoy it. The only people who shouldn’t use it are those who suffer from ragweed allergies.

Now, sit back and enjoy...