The Bluebird Patch

Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico & Central America and acknowledged around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. Conceptually, it is a hybrid, owing its origins to both prehispanic Aztec philosophy & religion and medieval European ritual practice. Scholars trace its origins to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. In ancient Aztec ceremonies, both children and dead ancestors were remembered and celebrated. The Aztecs would bring offerings of food to altars in honor of the dead. They would also place small clay images that were supposed to represent the deceased on these same altars.  When the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, they brought the Christian Holiday of All Soul’s Day with them.

A 5K race for those who would like to run, and 1K walk for walkers, families, and stroller enthusiasts! What is Move For Moms? Move For Moms! is a Fun Run to promote maternal mental health. This event is located in Atlanta’s beautiful Piedmont Park, and includes a 1k for walkers, families, and stroller enthusiasts, and a 5k for those would like to run a longer distance. After the race, refreshments, food, a post-race raffle, an awards ceremony, and family friendly games are all provided as part of the fun. This event is organized by Project Healthy Moms of Mental Health America of Georgia.  Mental Health America of Georgia is a nonprofit organization, and Project Healthy Moms is a subset of the organization dedicated to raising awareness, reducing stigma, and promoting resources for women suffering from postpartum depression and other maternal mental illnesses. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness about postpartum depression and other maternal mental illnesses.

Suwanee, Ga (October 27, 2015) - The Georgia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Georgia SPCA) is excited to announce that one of its longtime volunteers, Charlie Yaeger, will be celebrating his 100 th birthday at the upcoming pet adoption event held at PetSmart’s Lawrenceville location (875 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road) on Sunday, November 1 st from 11 am - 3pm. Charlie is a retired aircraft engine designer who has lived all over the United States before settling in the Atlanta area to be closer to his children after the passing of his wife, Madeline.  Charlie and his family have been ardent supporters of the SPCA and animal welfare causes. He has always had pets, mostly dogs in his life, including a rescue, a black lab puppy who has gone down as the most memorable family pet. Charlie lives independently, still drives a car, and loves to participate in pet adoption events and other shelter activities where he feels he can be of any help. He attributes his

NETworks Presentations, LLC  is pleased to announce casting for Atlanta engagement of  ELF THE MUSICAL .  The show will play  December 2 - 6  at The Fox Theatre as part of the Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta 2015/2016 season. The cast will feature  Daniel Patrick Smith  (Buddy),  Maggie Anderson  (Jovie),  Harper Brady  (Michael),  Ken Clement  (Santa), Michael Fisher  (Store Manager),  Drew Martin  (Mr. Greenway), Gabrielle Mirabella  (Emily),  Audra Qualley  (Deb),  Nicky Torchia (Michael), and  D. Scott Withers  (Walter). The cast will also include  Joseph Fierberg,   Spencer Glass,   Shane Hurst, Ashleigh Junio ,  Erin Kei,   Caitlin Lester-Sams, Tyler Logan, Katie Lomardo, Nicole Pavone, Emily Jeanne Phillips, Benjamin Rivera, Brandon Stonestreet, Jake Swain,  and  Mia Wienberger. Based on the beloved 2003 New Line Cinema hit,  ELF  features songs by Tony Award nominees  Matthew Sklar   and  Chad Beguelin  (The Wedding Singer) , with a book by Tony Awar

I had the opportunity to attend Kennesaw State Owl Preview Day at their Marietta campus and I wanted to share my thoughts about the institution from a parent's perspective.  Owl Nation Preview Day 2015, included an academic department information session, a browsing session with student service departments and an inside look at life in the Owl Nation through the eyes of current KSU students. We also had the opportunity to tour the campus and university housing before the event concluded with a complimentary lunch in their dining facility, Stingers.  Cons 1. Kennesaw State University - Marietta Campus (Formerly known as Southern Polytechnic University) is where the engineering, science technology and architecture department are located. The Marietta campus by itself (I have not seen the main campus) feels dated and stuck in the 90's. This campus is small, there's nothing pretty to look at, and it s creams please remodel me! Like yesterday.... I mean, they hav

  Fernbank  Museum Hosts Annual Halloween Family Event  Get ready for kooky costumes, not-so-scary stories and treats galore.  Fernbank  BOO-Seum Trick-or-Treat  returns for another frighteningly-fun Halloween celebration on  Saturday, October 24 . From  10 a.m. until 2 p.m. , Museum visitors will enjoy a spook-tacular day of Halloween games, activities, music and treats for kids in costumes. Halloween Treats Look for trick-or-treat stations throughout the Museum. Treats vary from candy to small toys. (May contain small parts.) BOO-Seum Costume Contest Show off crazy costumes and dance to the kid-friendly tunes of Little Beat Music. Register for the BOO-Seum costume contest to win prizes such as a FREE Museum membership and FREE IMAX® tickets. Enter to win for “Best Overall Kid’s Costume” and “Best Family.” Ghoulish Games Try your hand at Halloween games such as  Scary Boo-ling ,  Witch Hat Toss , Spider Web Game  and  Pumpkin Tic-tac-toe  to win treats. Popsicle Stick Mum

The gates of Zoo Boo Town swing open for guests of all ages this Saturday                                                                                                                 WHAT:                     Atlanta’s favorite fun family Halloween festival returns with opening day of Boo at the Zoo presented by Georgia Natural Gas on Saturday, October 17, 2015. The signature fall event continues on Sunday, October 18; Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25; and Halloween Saturday, October 31.                                   Designed to be inclusive of all age groups with its “merry, not scary” approach, the Zoo Atlanta tradition will feature trick-or-treat booths; an inflatable corn maze; music from kids’ party DJ Little Beat; Halloween games and crafts; costume contests; and meet-and-greets with Wild Thing, Ladybug Girl, Splat the Cat, Zhu Zhu the giant panda, Cricket the frog and more.                                   Zoo Atlanta’s grounds will be transformed by H

Limited-edition casks available only during Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween Tours ATLANTA – Historic Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta’s oldest municipal burial ground, has once again partnered with Georgia’s oldest brewery, Red Brick Brewing, to create a specially crafted beer just in time for the Halloween season. Available only at the sold out Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween Tours, Laughing Skull Casket Amber Ale is a blend of Red Brick’s signature Laughing Skull brew and rum-soaked oak chips harvested from oak trees at Oakland Cemetery. “Laughing Skull is one of Atlanta’s iconic brands and a perfect beer for the season,” said Red Brick’s brewmaster and president Garrett Lockhart. “Infusing it with native oak from Oakland’s gardens adds a unique dimension to the beer and ties it in to the terroir of the city, and our historic cemetery in particular.”

Baby Keju has arrived in Atlanta to meet veteran foster mother Madu ATLANTA – October 20, 2015 –  On October 18, 2015, a very special traveler arrived in Atlanta to meet the remarkable ape that Zoo Atlanta experts hope will become her new mother. Keju, a 6-month-old female Bornean orangutan, has joined the Zoo Atlanta family from the Dane County Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wis. In coming days, the infant will have an opportunity to meet Madu, a 32-year-old female Sumatran orangutan who has successfully fostered three youngsters over the past 13 years. Keju has received round-the-clock care from the team at Dane County Henry Vilas Zoo since her birth on April 9, 2015. When it became evident that Keju’s biological mother was not likely to provide appropriate maternal care for her newborn – a situation that is not uncommon for first-time orangutan mothers – the Orangutan Species Survival Plan (SSP) recommended that Keju be transferred to a location with an experienced surroga

THE MAGIC OF HOME IS THAT IT FEELS GOOD TO LEAVE AND IT FEELS EVEN BETTER TO COME BACK! What does home mean to you? This fall,  Marie Callender's  is re-launching the Comforts from Home Project by bringing the comforts of home to those who protect America’s homes every day: the brave men and women of the U.S. Military. Enter the Marie Callender's Facebook Challenge by sharing a photo of what home means to you today to support Marie Callender's USO Operation Celebration! Scripps Networ ks Interactive will donate $1 to the USO for each photo received (Up to 10K).  User photos may be featured on Kitchen Crashers on  DIY Network  &  HGTV  – Airing 11/9 and 11/14, Hello/Goodbye on  Travel Channel  – Airing 11/10, and Guy’s Grocery Games on Food Network & Cooking Channel -- Airing 12/14 and 12/19. In addition, when you buy a  specially marked Marie Callender's ®  packages,  every time you enter a code from a specially marked package of Marie Callender's me

WIN TWO TICKETS TO  TASTE OF HOME COOKING SHOW Drop your whisks, grab your friends and join us for a night of fun at the 11th annual Taste of Home Cooking School show presented by the Gwinnett Daily Post, on Thursday, October 22 at the Infinite Energy Forum (formerly Gwinnett Center) in Duluth and win amazing prizes, see interesting displays, products, and demonstrations! Doors open at 4:00 p.m. with a vendor show followed by the cooking demonstration at 7:00 p.m. In addition to learning helpful cooking tips and techniques, everyone will receive a free gift bag filled with great products, coupons, and Taste of Home magazines! Taste of Home Cookbooks, including the latest editions, will be available at discount pricing - just in time for Holiday gifts! The evening will be filled with incredible prize giveaways, tastings, and lots of fun! Don’t miss it!

The best thing about living in Atlanta is how much everyone loves their dogs! ATLANTA (October 13, 2015)  – Who let the dogs out?  The Atlanta Botanical Garden doesn’t know but happily will welcome them inside its iron gates Saturday, December 5  –  just this one day of the year – for the much-anticipated Reindog Parade. During the eighth annual event, which begins at 11 a.m., pups clad in their finest holiday attire will parade across a stage before a panel of judges to compete for prizes -- or just to show off for fun. Categories include Best Puppy, Best Adult, Best Botanical, Best Dog-Owner Dress-alike, Best Dog Pack, and ultimately, Best in Show. Emceeing the competition will be Atlanta resident Victoria Stilwell, host of the Animal Planet cable TV show “It’s Me or the Dog,” and Atlanta TV and radio personality Holly Firfer. A Doggie Expo will offer canine-related products, services and information, and participants may have photos of their dogs taken with Botanica

Fall is the perfect season to visit downtown and explore all the glorious attractions Atlanta has to offer. Here's a tip you may not know. If you are a resident of Georgia starting this Friday, Oct. 16, through the end of October, you can receive two general admission tickets for $25 at World of Coca-Cola , a total savings of $7 or 20+ percent off regular adult admission. Check all the details below: Details: Discounted Ticket Offer for Georgia Residents -          To take advantage of the offer, World of Coca-Cola guests simply mention they are a Georgia resident at attraction ticketing windows. Proof of a Georgia residential address is required by providing one of the following (must have a Georgia address): o   Valid Georgia driver's license o   Valid Georgia state-issued ID card o   Valid Georgia-based military ID o   Valid Georgia federal, state, county or city government agency-issued ID card  -          This offer is available at walk-

The Bert Show  is kicking off their “ Big Thank You”  campaign this fall, giving thanks to all the men and women that serve our country.  The annual effort aims to provide every service person deployed outside the United States with a handwritten Thank You letter on Thanksgiving Day. Since its inception, The Bert Show’s “Big Thank You” campaign has collected more than one million handwritten letters. School systems, corporations and celebrities across the country have shown their support by writing personalized letters and encouraging students, customers and fans to do the same. The campaign has received letters from all over the United States and generated national recognition, including The Bert Show receiving calls from  First Lady Michelle Obama  and  former President Bill Clinton , congratulating them on the “Big Thank You” campaign’s overall success in previous years. All letters must be submitted by Friday, October 30, 2015 , in order for soldiers to receive the letters o