What was going on when I was born?

A state district court judge in Oklahoma has granted the Phillips Petroleum Company a temporary restraining order blocking T. Boone Pickens, the Texas oilman, from going ahead with plans to take over the company, Phillips said yesterday. The Oklahoma-based company said the court set a Dec. 14 hearing after Phillips argued that a takeover would violate a 1983 agreement with the General American Oil Company, now owned by Phillips, that prevented Mr. Pickens from acquiring it. Mr. Pickens, meanwhile, said in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that he would turn to stockholders to help him wrest control of the nation's 11th- largest oil producer from its current management. He said he would seek the written consent of a majority of the stockholders to remove the 16- member board.

Deak & Company, the holding company for one of the country's oldest and largest foreign exchange and precious metal dealers with branches worldwide, surprised the investment community yesterday by filing to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code. R. Leslie Deak, the company's president, described the filing as the result of a ''classic run'' on the company's Latin American offices that caused a severe liquidity squeeze. Two subsidiaries, Deak-Perera Wall Street Inc. and the Deak-Perera International Banking Corporation, also filed for bankruptcy.

The domestic spending reductions President Reagan endorsed Wednesday would touch more than 100 types of programs and would fall on Americans in every walk of life. The cuts would affect farmers and Federal workers, riders of trains and subways, veterans, women and infants, and the poor and elderly who need health care. In an effort to protect the economic recovery by bringing down the Federal deficit, now running beyond $200 billion a year, the President is proposing to cut $34 billion in projected nonmilitary spending for the 1986 fiscal year, which begins next Oct. 1. Republican leaders in Congress generally endorsed the President's deficit reduction package today, although they noted that nearly every proposal would draw strong objections from the programs' advocates. Congressional Pay Cut The leaders emphasized that to share the pain fairly, the package should also include a smaller increase in military spending, a 10 percent pay cut for Congress and the President, and possibly a freeze on cost-of-living increases for Social Security recipients. (Page D21.)

BIGGER than life, they loom in the main gallery of the Queens Museum - brides and bridegrooms, kings and drummers, even a woman in curlers. They stand, wooden and stoic, until the tug of a string sets a hand in motion, then a leg. Suddenly, the arcade is bubbling with the imagination of children, bringing the puppets to life. The exhibition, which starts tomorrow and runs through Jan. 13, is one of the many museum programs that New York City has to offer children. Around the five boroughs, there are museum experiences that can provide youngsters with an appreciation of classical art and antiques, and there are innovative programs that bring the culture of the streets into the exhibition halls. Many museums are supplementing their shows with workshops, films and concerts designed to help children identify with the exhibitions. Winter brings a new touch to the city's museums, with displays and programs that celebrate the holiday season. Along with the regular exhibitions, the museums provide an entertaining and educational diversion for children on weekends and especially during the winter holiday vacation. Listed here is a selection of museum programs that are geared to children.

An article in Weekend on Oct. 26, about celebrating Halloween, incorrectly described the captaincy of the sloop Clearwater. The captain was Peg Brandon. Pete Seeger, the folk singer, was aboard as a passenger only.

''If you could dream it, it's possible.'' - Doug Flutie, Boston College quarterback and winner of Heisman Trophy this year. (D28:4.)

THEATERS are filled with magic and mystery during this holiday season, from the magic of Avner, a wide-eyed, loveable character in a one-man show being presented at the Lamb's Theater, to the mysteries revealed to Amahl, the boy in Gian Carlo Menotti's opera about the brilliant star in the East and the three night visitors, which has become a Christmas favorite since it first appeared more than three decades ago. For very young audiences, there are musical variations of Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Pinocchio and other fairy tale characters. There is also the ever-popular Alice May Hall, who will be 93 years old in February and who continues to manipulate her delightful puppets in ''A Visit From Santa Claus.'' There is a choice of enchanting entertainments for all the family, from the classic ''A Cricket on the Hearth'' to the comic- satire ''Grownups'' to the collection of zany skits put on by the Paper Bag Players.

THEY'RE Off Broadway productions, mounted on some of the most expensive real estate in the world. But they have no stars, opening night doesn't mean a thing and nothing as crass as money or credit cards changes hands. As for the critics, let's just say that even a jaundiced eye can't kill these shows but, on the other hand, the most ecstatic reviews won't extend their limited runs. What these productions are, in fact, are bite-size morsels of static theater, more generally known as Christmas window displays. This year, there are enough delicious morsels to reconcile even those who bemoan the commercialization of the holiday season. For while it is true that business concerns don't invest thousands of display dollars out of the goodness of their hearts, it is also true that their interest in whipping up good will makes December strolling a visual delight.

Members of the Board of Estimate yesterday objected to sites selected for huge incinerators as the board heard testimony on a plan to dispose of the city's garbage for decades to come. City officials had held out hope that by obtaining a quick board endorsement of a resolution approving in principle the network of eight incinerators scattered across the city, they might be able to blunt much of the opposition to the unpopular plants from neighboring areas. Everyone on the board said they supported the idea of building plants that would burn garbage and convert it into energy. But during the hours of testimony, most members threatened to vote down the plan unless changes were made, mainly for the sites in their boroughs where the incinerators would be placed.

After resolving last-minute disputes over a bill to raise their pay, state legislators convened today in a lame-duck session and quickly approved a two-year extension of the corporate tax surcharge that subsidizes mass transit in the metropolitan area. The tax measure, which was proposed by Governor Cuomo, would enable the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to hold the 90-cent subway and bus fare and current commuter rail fares through 1985. The tax generates about $280 million a year for the authority. The extension of the surcharge, on businesses in the 12 counties served by the authority, was approved in the Assembly by a vote of 86 to 56. Four downstate Republicans joined 82 Democrats in the majority. The Senate voted 48 to 9, with 8 Republicans and an upstate Democrat voting no.

The Economy The spending cuts endorsed by President Reagan would fall on many groups, from farmers and Federal workers, to veterans and the poor. A document given to the Cabinet lays out the proposed cuts in detail. (Page A1.) The Republican Congressional leadership generally endorsed the plans but also asked for military spending reductions and a 10 percent pay cut for Government leaders. (D21.) Governor Cuomo said he could support the Treasury tax plan, except for disallowing of deductions for state and local taxes. (D1.)

Friday WBAI HOLIDAY CRAFTS FAIR Catnip, in cloth packets silk-screened with weird cat figures, will sell for $1.50 at the annual WBAI Holiday Crafts Fair. At the other end of the price scale, reproductions of 18th- and 19th-century scientific instruments will go for $4,500, and a sculptured weather vane, $8,000. In between, there are such handmade items as African melodic slit drums, wooden jigsaw puzzles, carved pipes, scrimshaw, masks, blown glass, clothing, jewelry, chandeliers and kaleidoscopes - enough to fill two floors of Columbia University's Ferris Booth Hall, 115th Street and Broadway. Through Sunday and Dec. 13-16 and 20-23 (from 5 to 9 P.M. Thursdays and Fridays, from noon to 7 Saturdays and Sundays). Daily admission is $3 ($10 for unlimited entry). Information: 279-0707 and 280-2420. CELEBRATING WINTER SOLSTICE