International Day of Families: Balancing work and life
Today, May 15, is International Day of Families.
This annual event was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993. It’s a day for reflecting on the importance of family and for raising awareness of issues affecting families across the globe.
The theme of this year's International Day of Families is "Ensuring work family balance."
Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is one of the major challenges of modern life. We may work longer or shorter hours than our ancestors, but we live further away from family who are traditionally our key support network.
We constantly strive to succeed in our careers, but with the world becoming smaller and more digital, we are always online and always connected so that we can stay on top of our ever-increasing workloads.
According to AOL’s 4th annual ‘Email Addiction’ survey, 62% of people check work email on weekends.
How can we ensure that we reach a healthy balance of personal life and work? Continue reading "International Day of Families: Balancing work and life" »
Mother’s Day: Your stories
We wish all of you celebrating it today, a Happy Mother's Day! May those mothers enjoy a day filled with fun, surrounded by family.
We asked you to share with us via our blog, Facebook page or Twitter, what makes your Mom special. We received some very moving responses from all over the world and selected our favorite ones for publication:
Mother’s Day: Share your stories
As we approach Mother's Day, we focus our thoughts towards our mothers and think of ways to show our appreciation for all they do for us.
Mother’s Day is about reflecting on the special connection we have with our mothers and recalling the happy memories we share.
People say you learn to be parents from your parents. Does your mother share her mother’s characteristics or mannerisms? Do you?
On Sunday, May 13, (Mother's Day in the US), we'll be writing a special post, a tribute to all the mothers out there.
We'd like to hear from you as to what makes your mother special. Tell us in the comments below and we'll share some of your stories on the blog. If your story is published, send your mother the link. It's one of the many ways you could show her how much you care.
This is open to all, so please send us your story even if Mother's Day is celebrated on a different day in your country.
As my mother say's, every day should be Mother's day.
Mother’s Day: Family history an ideal gift
Mother’s Day is an opportunity for families to celebrate their mothers and show them the appreciation they deserve.
Mothers are often compared to superheroes – they appear to have a supernatural ability to look after their family while juggling a million tasks. The time and love they give and the continual self-sacrifice they make creates a unique bond that lasts over time and distance. Continue reading "Mother’s Day: Family history an ideal gift" »
Holiday: Easter around the world
Easter is celebrated in almost every country around the world, although its observance differs.
We asked the MyHeritage international community managers to describe how the holiday is celebrated in their own countries, with a focus on the family aspects.
How do you celebrate Easter as a family? Please share with us in the comments below.
Continue reading "Holiday: Easter around the world" »
Heroines in your family: International Women’s Day 2012
Photo: Galt Museum & Archives on The Commons
International Women's Day is March 8, 2012 and we invite you to submit stories about the heroines in your family. We will showcase the best here in our blog.
We're looking for stories from the major to the everyday achievements of women in your family, whether they saved someone in WWII or raised amazing children as single mothers.
Post your stories and photos on our Facebook page or on Twitter @myheritage with the hashtag #WomenRock.
Here are comments from our own team about what International Women's Day means to them:
Ania - Marketing Manager, MyHeritage:
Continue reading "Heroines in your family: International Women’s Day 2012" »
Leap Day: Birthdays and the family tree
Millions of people around the world will celebrate their unique birthday today – February 29 - or Leap day.
Why do we have leap years? We’ve been taught that each year is 365 days because that's the length of time it takes the Earth to revolve around the sun.
In truth, it takes a little longer (365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds, according to most calculations) and that’s why leap years were instituted every four years to make up the difference.
There are, however, some exceptions to the four-year rule. We do not count a leap year if the year in question ends in a double zero (1900, 2100) unless the year can be divided by 400 (such as 2000), and then it is a leap year.
Continue reading "Leap Day: Birthdays and the family tree" »
Presidents’ Weekend: George and Abe slept here!
George Washington by Gilbert Stuart
Historic houses in many states bear signs reading “George Washington slept here,” or “Abraham Lincoln slept here.”
There weren’t many hotel or motel chains in those days, so famous people - indeed, all travellers - slept in taverns, inns, private homes or camped out under the stars.
Perhaps that’s why Presidents' Weekend is known as the best time for sales of mattresses and bedding, as every US department and bedding store advertises great prices!
Abraham Lincoln
Seriously though, Presidents’ Weekend is relatively new. When I was in elementary school in New York, we celebrated Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays on two weekends in February, each with a Monday or Friday off.
Since they were both legal holidays - with banks, businesses, government offices and schools closed – someone suggested that perhaps the two holidays could be combined with only one day off instead of two. While schoolchildren mourned the loss of an anticipated holiday, the business community welcomed it.
Each state sets its observance of the holiday, and not all US states observe Presidents' Weekend. Read the history here.
Continue reading "Presidents’ Weekend: George and Abe slept here!" »
UK: The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
Sixty years ago today, Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne, and her Diamond Jubilee takes place during 2012.
Although she came to the throne on this day in 1952, her coronation took place on June 2, 1953.
Queen Elizabeth II is the male-line great-granddaughter of Edward VII, who inherited the crown from his mother, Queen Victoria. His father, Victoria's consort, was Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Queen Elizabeth is a patrilineal descendant of Albert's family, the German House of Wettin. This princely house claims other notables, such as King Albert II of Belgium and former King Simeon II of Bulgaria.
Elizabeth's male-line ancestry goes back to Conrad the Greatof Meissen; see Patrilineal descent of Elizabeth II.
Through Victoria - and several of her great-great-grandparents, Elizabeth is directly descended from many British royals:
Continue reading "UK: The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee" »
Black History Month: An important observance
The history of the African diaspora in a number of countries is celebrated during Black History Month.
In the US and Canada, it has been observed during February since 1976. In the UK, it is observed during October. It is also known as African-American History Month.
Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week so that African American history would be considered more significant within American history. According to historian John Hope Franklin, Woodson expressed hope that Negro History Week would outlive its usefulness.
The observance is meant to promote awareness of African American history. It is widely observed through local activities, at museums, at libraries and with television documentaries.
Continue reading "Black History Month: An important observance" »
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