Monthly Archives: May 2013

Memorial Day Celebration

Background

Memorial Day started as an event to honor Union soldiers, who had died during the American Civil War. It was inspired by the way people in the Southern states honored their dead. After World War I, it was extended to include all men and women, who died in any war or military action.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. The current name for this day did not come into use until after World War II. Decoration Day and then Memorial Day used to be held on May 30, regardless of the day of the week, on which it fell. In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed as part of a move to use federal holidays to create three-day weekends. This meant that that, from 1971, Memorial Day holiday has been officially observed on the last Monday in May. However, it took a longer period for all American states to recognize the new date.

What do people do?

It is traditional to fly the flag of the United States at half mast from dawn until noon. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials to honor everyone, who has died, and those, who have died in military service, in particular. In National Cemeteries, volunteers place an American flag on each grave.

Memorial Day has become less of an occasion of remembrance. Many people choose to hold picnics, sports events and family gatherings on this weekend. This day is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season for cultural events. For the fashion conscious, it is seen as acceptable to wear white clothing, particularly shoes from Memorial Day until Labor Day. However, fewer and fewer people follow this rule and many wear white clothing throughout the year.

Public life

Memorial Day is a federal holiday. All non-essential Government offices are closed, as are schools, businesses and other organizations. Most public transit systems do not run on their regular schedule. Many people see Memorial Day weekend as an opportunity to go on a short vacation or visit family or friends. This can cause some congestion on highways and at airports.

For all local activities go to
http://arlington-va.patch.com/articles/memorial-day-concerts-parades-wreath-laying-ceremonies-rolling-thunder-01af28f6?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001

However you choose to observe this holiday, make it a special day to enjoy family and friends.

GROW A PIZZA GARDEN AND BUILD A SCARECROW

Grow a pizza garden: Kids can grow the fresh ingredients for pizza sauce – a couple of tomato plants, one each of basil, rosemary and oregano, plus half a dozen onions (use onion sets, which are small onion bulbs) and one green and one red pepper plant. Buy plants in spring, but don’t transplant into garden until all danger of frost is past. Help kids prepare the soil. For fun, make the bed round or wedge shaped, and edge it with orange or yellow marigolds to resemble crust. At harvest time, buy plain pizza crust or pizza dough, and help kids cook up a sauce using garden fresh ingredients. Top the pizza crust with sauce, diced peppers and the usual pepperoni and cheese. How proud they will be to have grown their own pizza sauce!

Build a scarecrow: Collect adult-sized old clothing – an old plaid shirt, a vest or jacket, a pair of jeans, old gloves (for the hands), and boots or socks (for the feet). Use straw, leaves or rags as stuffing. For a frame, use two pieces of wood, one stake tall enough for the height of clothing with 1 ½ feet extra to pound into ground. Cut the shorter stake the length of the shirt with arms stretched out. Nail the boards in a cross-like form. Stuff pillowcase for the head first and tie up the round part with string, then pull the open-ended pillow fabric over the vertical stake and secure string. For facial features, kids can use waterproof markers, or help them sew on buttons for eyes and nose. Fasten a straw hat with safety pins. Put the shirt onto the frame, do up the buttons and add the stuffing, tying the shirt’s waist so stuffing stays in place. Pin or tie ends of pants and stuff. Use a belt through the loops to attach jeans to the stake and shirt. Use safety pins if necessary. Prop leg ends into boots or stuffed socks, and pin stuffed gloves to ends of the shirt arms. Presto, you have a fun scarecrow decoration for the kids’ garden.

Mother’s Day

happy_mothers_day-300x222Mother’s Day is being celebrated on May 12th all over the United States.

It is an annual holiday that recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well the positive contributions that they make to society. In the United States it is celebrated on the second Sunday in May but in other parts of the world,Mother’s Day is celebrated at various dates.

Au Pair In America volunteers with AFAC

Today, a group of au pairs spent a few hours distributing fliers from AFAC for the letter carrier food drive that will take place all over Arlington on Saturday,May 11th.After a hearty breakfast at their community counselor’s house,they went off and covered the whole Yorktown neighborhood in Arlington.

Thank you girls for dedicating your time to such a wonderful cause.

For more information on ARLINGTON FOOD ASSISTANCE CENTER,  go to www.AFAC.org.

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Mark the date:  Stamp Out Hunger (our second largest one-day food drive) will be SATURDAY, MAY 11.  It’s a short trip to your mailbox!  Please leave non-perishable food items at your doorstep by 9:00 a.m. and your letter carrier will collect the items and deliver them to AFAC.  Recommended items include:  canned protein, low-sugar cereal, low-sodium soup or vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, and cooking oil in plastic bottles.  Help spread the word by telling your neighbors and others in your community!

Teacher Appreciation Day

May 7th is a day to honor teachers – if your child is in school he or she might want to make
a card for the teacher. Preschool age children 3-5 love playing school. Let the child be
the teacher and read you a story or give you homework. You might want to invite some
dolls or stuffed animals into the classroom as well.images1-150x150

Our Annual Birthday Celebration

-1What a great day we had to celebrate  our au pairs’ birthdays. On Sunday,May 5th,we gathered at the Rose garden in Arlington,Va for our Annual Birthday celebration.About 60 au pairs from around the world came to spend a couple of hours with us,mingling and getting to know new people before playing a game-we asked them to create a hat out of 3 pieces of aluminum foil and had them vote for the most creative idea- and eating 2 full sheets of birthday cake!

They all went home with a little gift and a bag full of summer fun crafts ideas and safety instructions.We can’t wait to do it all over again next year!48045_10152388851215021_784073294_n255710_10152388849925021_1575010464_n225734_10152388850100021_1677348806_n

CINCO DE MAYO

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Cinco de Mayo commemorates the May 5, 1862, Battle of Puebla (Batalla de Puebla) in which Mexican troops defeated Napoleon’s French forces. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than in Mexico. Look for the book Cinco de Mayo by Janet Riehecky or visit www.elbalero.gob.mx/index_kids.html for information and activities from Mexico.

Mexican food is a huge part of celebrating Cinco de Mayo. To celebrate this fun holiday and all the tasty meals that go with it, try making these adorable foam tacos and tostadas.

FOAM TACOS AND TOSTADAS:

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What you’ll need:

  • Tan craft foam, cut into a 3-4″ circle
  • Brown, yellow, green and red craft foam, cut into strips
  • White craft glue
  • Hot glue gun

How to make it:

  1. To make the taco, glue brown foam strips to the circle. Be sure they are hanging over the edge so they will be sticking out when you fold the taco.
  2. Repeat Step 1 with each color until you’ve worked your way around the circle. Fold the circle in half as you go to make sure it looks right. Use green for lettuce, yellow for cheese, and red for tomato salsa.
  3. Fold the circle in half and hot glue in place to hold it closed.
  4. For the tostada, smear the circle with white craft glue. Cover with brown foam strips.
  5. Dot white glue on top of the brown strips and add a layer of yellow and orange foam strips for the look of cheese.
  6. Dot white glue on top of the “cheese” and add the “lettuce” by gluing on green strips.
  7. Lastly, cut a few red strips into squares and glue the “tomatoes” on top.

Tips:

  • You can purchase craft foam in individual sheets in many colors, or you can purchase packages of various shapes, sizes and colors. Either option will work since they can easily be cut down to strips.
  • You can add a magnet to the back of your taco and hang it on the fridge!
  • Felt can be substituted for foam in this craft.

MAY DAY

May 1st is called May Day and it is a holiday similar to Labor Day in the US. May Day is a spring
festival celebrating the renewal of nature. May Day was especially popular in England
during medieval times, with children dancing around the Maypole.

Let’s hope Mother Nature will remember this too and bring us some nice sunshine and beautiful long Spring days!

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