But, at this rate, that might not be so bad.

The groundhog made his “prediction” on Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill in the town for which he’s named about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Temperatures were near freezing when he emerged at dawn—unseasonably warm—and were forecast to climb into the mid-40s in a winter that’s brought little snow and only a few notably cold days to much of the East.

Thursday’s ceremony is largely that: Phil’s prediction is determined ahead of time by the Inner Circle, a group who dons top hats and tuxedos and decides in advance what the groundhog will predict.

Organizers expected 15,000 to 18,000 people to witness the furry creature’s prognostication ceremony just before 7:30 a.m. EST.

This year’s crowd was warmer than most. The average early-morning temperature usually hovers around 17 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett was among the spectators this year. Those who couldn’t make it to Gobbler’s Knob could follow the groundhog on Twitter and Facebook, or watch a webcast of the event on his website.

“What started as a small gathering in 1887 has now evolved into tens of thousands of visitors from around the nation and even the world coming to Punxsutawney to participate in this time-honored Groundhog Day tradition,” Corbett said.

The Groundhog Day celebration is rooted in a German superstition that says if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, the Christian holiday of Candlemas, winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says, spring will come early.

Phil has now seen his shadow 100 times and hasn’t seen it just 16 times since 1886, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, which runs the event. There are no records for the remaining years.

The tradition attained a large following with the 1993 Bill Murray comedy “Groundhog Day,” in which a weatherman covering the event must relive the day over and over again. Before the movie came out, Phil was lucky to have an audience of 2,500, said Mike Johnston, vice president of the Inner Circle.

And while the group has records of Phil’s predictions dating back to 1886, what it doesn’t have is a tally of whether Phil was right.

Johnston said the reason is simple: “He’s never been wrong.” Phil is “incapable of error,” he said, because the groundhog smartly avoids being site-specific in his prognostications.

If Phil predicts six more weeks of winter, said Johnston, “I guarantee you someone’s going to have six more weeks of winter.”

———

Online:

http://www.groundhog.org

http://www.twitter.com/groundhogclub

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction….The chain reaction of evil–hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars–must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.

I have vowed to make this year different.

Of course, the most obvious way to salute the legacy of Martin Luther King is at the annual MLK Day Marade. The combination march-and-parade starts at City Park, where walkers will assemble on Monday, January 16. Go here for more information.

If you want to stay closer to home, I have compiled a list of easy activities and crafts you can do with your children.

*In honor of the gifts Dr. King gave our nation, try these five creative ways to help children celebrate his vision of hope and sense of humanity. They include creating a multicultural banquet, decorations, “walking the walk” and visiting a different house of worship.

*This is a simple look at how we can look different on the outside, yet be the same on the inside. Designed for preschoolers.

*Being Treated Equally. This is a powerful way to really drive the message of equality home. Designed for kindergartens, but easily adaptable to all ages.

*Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. with this beading rainbow pin. Children will enjoy creating this craft which demonstrates that people of all colors are part of one family. Even more fun than making your pin is wearing it on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

*Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by learning facts about Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, his life, and his career and accomplishments as a civil rights leader.

*These Martin Luther King Jr. Day crafts can be used to teach children about other colors and cultures, and discuss the principals that Dr Martin Luther King Jr stood for.

*Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Coloring Pages. Get out your interactive crayon and color some of these famous Americans in history, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

*Check out children’s drawings that illustrate the milestone moments in MKLJ’s life.

*Friends come in all colors and sizes! Teach kids about diversity and freedom with these cute little Freedom Friends puppets.

*How much do you know about the young Martin Luther King Jr.? Test your knowledge with this informative quiz.

What are some of your ideas for celebrating the holiday?

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?”

Each year, Americans across the country answer that question by coming together on the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities. The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday has been marked as a day to turn community concerns into citizen action. Join Volunteers of America in helping prepare for their 27th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner! This dinner feeds 1,700 homeless men, women and children.

When: Saturday, January 14, 2011; 10 a.m. – noon
Where: Volunteers of America’s Sunset Park Senior Center, 1865 Larimer Street, Denver, CO 80202
Who: You and your family…children of all ages are welcome!
What: Preparing for Volunteers of America’s 27th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner. Age-appropriate activities will include decorating placemats, assembling silverware sets, preparing hygiene kits and sorting gently used donated clothing from ARC Thrift Stores.

RSVP: Please RSVP to Rachel Dolgin rdolgin@voacolorado.org. Space for this project is limited. Sign-up is on a first-come first-served basis.

** Please bring at least one hygiene product with you on January 14th. This could be a small bottle of shampoo, some toothpaste, or any unused travel size item you may have. Your donations will be distributed at the MLK Jr. Dinner** Photo credit

Take a moment, stop and watch your child. Just a moment seared in your mind will become a time you will never forget because it will never be again.

As these moments pile up and life speeds by, how can you best capture this time of their life, of your life together?

Put it down in writing, once a year.

I have discovered that if I carve out time after the holidays, sit down and write all I remember from the year past, I create a letter to my daughter. One letter per year. Each a treasure to save for her to unfold in time when she is ready to read them.

This yearly tradition also becomes a way for me to spend time alone and ponder all that has happened during the year. A time to capture every funny quip she spoke. An opportunity to record all the ways she grew and what she learned during 365 short days.

A letter to my child every year is a way for me to record history and relive precious moments I will now only file away in my heart. She needs to know what I have been pleased to have witnessed and to have heard her speak.

So, when the hub-bub of the holidays settles down, try taking time out and excuse yourself from your momma-duties; find a comfy spot and jot down, no pressure, all you remember from the year.

Smile, laugh, cry. It’s okay because it’s your history.

Then, tuck the letter into an envelope, address it to your child but don’t send it. Keep it for future delivery at a time you feel is right. Be it a graduation, wedding or a year from now. All that matters is that you recall and record here and now.

Memories are the best gift you can give to yourself and your child. Priceless.

Here’s to a Happy New Year, Mile High Mamas!

Guest blogger Trish Grodzicki is a proud mom to a two-year-old named Keira and two rambunctious dachshunds. She likes to say she is the mom of three little girls—-some furrier than others. Photo

The 6-pound, 5-ounce girl, born at Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, has a claim as the first Colorado child born in the new year.

Ahlman, 25, said he wasn’t too concerned about missing the game. “This is kind of a better surprise, anyway,” he said.

Aubrey is the Arvada couple’s first baby and was supposed to arrive Saturday, said Ashley, 24.

“We thought she was going to be a really prompt and punctual baby, but she was about two minutes late,” she said.

As for the world in which Aubrey will grow up, Will Fox, creator of FutureTimeline.net, said that by the time she is old enough to drive, electric cars will be widely available with millions of charging stations across the country.

And Fox said medical advances will beat aging and disease.

“A child born in 2012 can expect to live indefinitely really,” he said.

Aubrey’s parents weren’t looking that far ahead. “She is doing well. She sleeps, eats and poops. That is about it,” Ben Ahlman said.

The couple hope to have a few more children but not right away.

“We will see how this one goes. She is beautiful. She is tiny, 6 pounds, 5 ounces and 20 and one-half inches long. She is really skinny,” Ahlman said.

“Like her dad,” Ashley added.

Tom McGhee

1: Happy new year!

8: Argyle Day. Wear some socks with the fun and funky pattern.

15: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr​.’s birthday; the civil rights leader was born in 1929. (You get off school on the 16th).

17: Kid Inventors’ Day. Celebrating earmuffs, skis, popsicles and everything else invented by kids.

23: National Handwriting Day. Observed on the birthday of that guy with the famous signature, John Hancock​.

30: Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

FEBRUARY

National Black History Month

2: Groundhog Day

3: Bubble Gum Day

8: Boy Scouts of America founded in 1910.

12: Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809.

14: Valentine’s Day

18: Pluto discovered in 1930. It was demoted to dwarf planet in 2006.

20: Bun Day in Iceland. Children go to homes in the morning with colorful sticks and are given whipped cream buns.

22: George Washington was born in 1732.

29: Leap Day

MARCH

National Umbrella Month

National Women’s History Month

2: Read Across America Day in honor of the 108th anniversary of Theodor Seuss Geisel​’s birth. He’s better known as Dr. Seuss​.

8: National Proofreeding Day. (Can you spot our mistake?)

15: Absolutely Incredible Kid Day. Which, of course, is in honor of all our readers!

17: St. Patrick’s Day

20: First day of spring

31: The Eiffel Tower opened in Paris on this date in 1889.

APRIL

National Poetry Month

2: April Fool’s Day. (April Fool!)

6: “Barney and Friends” first aired on TV 20 years ago. (You watched “Barney”; even if you don’t remember!)

12: National Licorice Day

15: First McDonald’s opened on this date in 1955.

23: The Boston Latin School opened on this date in 1635, making it America’s oldest public school.

27: Arbor Day. Hug a tree; or better yet, plant one!

MAY

2: Great American Grump Out. Can you go all day without being grumpy?

3: National Day of Prayer. Whatever you believe, pray for a better world.

4: Star Wars Day. “May the fourth be with you!”

13: Mother’s Day

18: Bike to Work (or School) Day

28: Memorial Day

JUNE

9: Donald Duck’s birthday. He first appeared in a movie on this date in 1934.

16: World Juggling Day

17: Father’s Day

20: First day of summer

27: “Happy Birthday to You” birthday: A schoolteacher wrote the music to this famous song on this date in 1859.

JULY

National Ice Cream Month

National Hot Dog Month

1: The nation’s first zoo, in Philadelphia, opened on this date in 1874. Admission cost 25 cents for adults; 10 cents for kids.

4: Independence Day

7: Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day

16: Global Hug Your Kids Day

20: First man landed on the moon on this day in 1969.

25: Chincoteague Pony Swim

AUGUST

5: National Underwear Day. (We recommend that every day be National Underwear Day.)

9-13: Perseid meteor showers, catch a falling star and put it in your pocket!

13: International Left-Handers Day

19: Black Cow Float created on this date in 1893. Features root beer and vanilla ice cream.

26: National Dog Day

SEPTEMBER

Happy Cat Month

2-8: National Waffle Week

3: Labor Day

7: Google founded on this date in 1998. (Don’t believe us? Google it!)

9: National Grandparents Day

15: International Eat an Apple Day

19: International Talk Like a Pirate Day

22: First day of fall

OCTOBER

1: The first CD player went on sale on this date in 1982. It sold for $625.

10: Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work Day

15-19: National School Lunch Week

16: Dictionary Day

23: Apple unveiled the first iPod on this date in 2001. It sold for $399.

30: National Candy Corn Day

31: Halloween

NOVEMBER

4: The tomb of Tutankhamen, the boy king of Egypt (also known as King Tut​), was discovered on this day in 1922.

6: Election Day

7-13: Dear Santa Letter Week. (Because it’s never too early to write that special note.)

15: I Love to Write Day

18: Mickey Mouse’s birthday. He first appeared in “Steamboat Willie” on this date in 1928.

18-24: National Game and Puzzle Week.

22: Thanksgiving

DECEMBER

8: Hanukkah starts

21: First day of winter

21: First crossword puzzle was published on this date in 1913.

25: Christmas

26-Jan. 1: Kwanzaa

31: New Year’s Eve. Celebrate: We made it through another year!

-The Washington Post

My three-year-old daughter has a December birthday and we are inundated with toys and “stuff” from our very generous family. We appreciate their gifts, but are all a bit overwhelmed by the amount of new toys. My daughter tends to leave them strewn about the house bouncing from one activity to the next, then struggles to clean them up usually ending in a meltdown.

We need ideas to help find some balance with it all.

(photo credit)

~Appreciative, But Overwhelmed Mama

Dear Appreciative, But Overwhelmed:

December birthdays can be challenging to manage, both in making it special as well as handling the amount of gifts all at one time. You can add some structure to support your daughter in handling her bounty of new toys.

First, work on the clean up process. Begin teaching her, with support and redirection, to put away the item she is playing with before getting out another one. This can be a bit frustrating at first, but with practice (and a lot of reteaching) in the long run will it make clean up at the end of the day a much easier process.

Organizing toys so they are easy to put away is another step that helps with clutter and clean up. Plastic bins with lids are great because they are easy to stack for clean up and easy to store when it isn’t their turn.

Limit the toys that are available for play at any one time. Talk with your daughter about which toys she is most interested in playing with right now.  Set a limit of four or five options and then put the rest of the toys away. Depending on her level of interest in them, you can rotate toys in and out weekly or monthly. When you pull out toys she hasn’t seen in awhile, it’s like getting a new present again.

In planning ahead for next year, you may want to suggest gift cards instead of toys from some of your generous family members. That way when spring and summer role around she can choose toys for the new season that she wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Also, ever the literacy advocate, ask for books or bookstore gift cards, too!

How do you other Mamas of December babies handle the holiday and birthday frenzy?

Motherhood is an amazing journey that can have its share of Mama Drama. The Mama Drama column runs on Fridays with everyday mothering questions from readers and answers providing strategies to tackle these daily challenges. Send your questions and challenges to Lisa@milehighmamas.com, and your Mama Drama could be in next week’s column! Lisa is also available for private consultations. All emails and identifying information will remain confidential. Read more of Lisa’s parenting perspective at her Laughing Yoga Mama blog.