The first movie that made me cry was Toy Story.  The most recent was Up.  Pixar knows how to get me.  (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button made me cry the most though, that was rough.)  I’m 100% sure that I will be crying during Toy Story 3.  The thought of Andy growing up and forgetting about his toys makes me sad now.  I’m a slightly nostalgic person, and losing ones innocence and childhood seems like the worst thing.

Click on the poster to watch the trailer.

From YouTube.

- izi

In the past two decades, physicians around the globe have found that many issues with feet problems are due to wearing tight narrow shoes. This is particularly common in women and, according to specialists, can begin at childhood. The act of wearing narrow shoes as a child is the beginning of a process. The bodies of children tend to adapt more easily than those of the parent. If your child is raised wearing narrow shoes, then more chances than not, they will adapt to it and not feel comfortable in anything but narrow shoes for the rest of their lives.

Not purchasing shoes with a wide width can cause a number of medical issues. One of the more common is that of Hallux Valgus, also known as Bunion Deformity. This is actually a deformation of the angle of the big toe over a long period of time. Surgery is usually the only option available.

Another fairly common issue is that of Bunionettes. This malady is, in clinical terms, a varus deviation of the toe at the metatarsophalangeal joint. This causes extreme tenderness. The most distressing issue with Bunionettes is that at least fifty percent of the time, surgery is not successful.

Among other possible ailments caused by narrow tight fitting shoes are Hammer Toes and Claws, and Neuromas, a condition also known as Perineural Fibrosis. These can all be prevented by the simple act of making sure that your child is not wearing tight shoes. Save your child years of pain and medical bills in the future. Invest in wide fitting shoes.

Peter Pan

Peter Pan was created by the Scottish novelist and playwright Sir James Matthew Barrie who was born in Kirriemuir in Scotland. It centres around a mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up. Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with mermaids, Indians, fairies and pirates, and from time to time meeting ordinary children from the world outside. Peter Pan first appeared in a section of the novel ‘The Little White Bird’, written in 1902 for adults. Following the highly successful play about Peter Pan Barrie’s publishers extracted chapters 13–18 of ‘The Little White Bird’ and republished them under the title ‘Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens’. This story was adapted and expanded as a novel and published in 1911 as ‘Peter and Wendy’ and later as ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ and still later as simply ‘Peter Pan’.

Peter Pan was based on J.M. Barrie’s friends, the Llewelyn Davies whom he met at they were walking with their nanny in Kensington Gardens. There were five boys and Barrie became their guardian following the deaths of their parents. From eldest to youngest the boys’ names were George, whom Wendy’s father is named after, John who is one of Wendy’s brothers, Peter whom Peter Pan is named after, Michael, another of Wendy’s brothers and finally Nicholas whose name was used as Michael’s middle name. Despite Pan being named after Peter, he was actually based on Barrie’s favorite child Michael who drowned in suspicious circumstances with a close friend just short of his 21st birthday. In fact most of the boys deaths were tragic, George died in combat in WW1 also at the age of 21, John died of natural causes at 65, Peter committed suicide at the age of 63 and at the time of his suicide, he had been editing family papers and letters and he had more or less reached the documents having to do with his brother Michael’s possible suicide. Finally Nicholas died of natural causes at the age of 76. Barrie died of pneumonia at the age of 77 and is buried at Kirriemuir next to his parents and two of his siblings.

There is a statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens where Barrie and the boys first met and it was supposed to be modeled upon old photographs of Michael dressed as the character. However, the sculptor decided to use a different child as a model, leaving Barrie disappointed with the result but the thought is still there.

With all the high tech toys available in the market, children can easily forget about one of the most educational resources available to them: books. There are so many video game consoles and other modern toys out there that even parents neglect to get their children some books. The truth of the matter is, books offer just as much fun as any other toy. You could even get customized books to give as a personalized children’s gift.

Now what exactly is a personalized children’s book. It is one that incorporates the child into the storyline. He or she becomes an essential part of the story as the hero or the heroine. In the past, it was quite expensive to have customized children’s book printed. Fortunately, because of modern technology in printing methods, personalized books are now made affordable for anyone.

Personalized children’s books can be fairy tales or stories with monsters and dragons – anything that children love to see and read about. By adding the child’s presence into the story, their imagination is stimulated as they have fun while learning and associating things and concepts. The child would be filled with excitement as they see their own name as well as his or her friends and the people close to him or her interacting with one another in the story.

Buying your child personalized children’s books offer a lot of benefits for both the parent and the child. First, they offer a fun way to learn and discover new things. They enjoy reading about themselves playing a role in the story. They are encouraged to read and connect one event to another. They can also help in the literary development of the child. The self-confidence of the child reading the book is also developed as they see himself as a significant individual important in the story. Finally, books always make great and lasting gifts. Even when your child grows old, it would be something worth keeping and remembering. It can also be something that can be passed on when he has children of his own.

You can find more about persoanlized novels at http://www.customizedclassics.com

May your day be full of fun with family and friends. Remember your pets and the business in the house… keep them safe and provide a quiet place for them. Have a great day.

Hi all

Just a quick reminder about the exciting things coming up at Serendipity Sam’s over the next few days…

• Smallprints Fingerprint Jewellery
  Our friend Wendy from Smallprints will be at our Romsey centre on Sunday 29th November between 11am and 1pm, and again at our Christchurch centre on Thursday 3rd December between 11am and 1pm.
  Smallprints offer a great range of fingerprint jewellery, a really different and very special gift idea for a loved one – from a loved one.
  If you would like to find out more about Smallprints, see the website at www.smallp.co.uk
• Members Go Free Day
  From time to time we offer our members a chance to take part in our Members Go Free Days, a chance for us to thank our members for their support. Members can visit either or both of our centres, and they will be admitted free of charge – so long as they present their membership card. The next of our Members Go Free Days is on Monday 30th November, and the fun starts from 9.30am when the doors open! Remember your membership card so that you can also take advantage of our members meal deal!

Please also don’t forget that there is still time to book your Christmas Party at Serendipity Sam’s, we only have a few places left at each centre, so book now to avoid disappointment – call 0845 450 7200.

‘Tis the season to be baking! 

This December, the Children’s department is excited to host our first-ever Family Cookie Exchange!  Join us on Wednesday, December 16th with 2 dozen of your 2 favorite holiday treats.  This is a great opportunity to show off your baking skills!  Whether it be cookies and bars or candies and fudge, we want to see them here!  Hot chocolate will be on tap to wash down the treats.  Make sure that you bring copies of your recipes to share with others as well as an empty container so you can take home some samples!  This event will begin at 6 p.m.

If you would like to participate in this event, stop by the Children’s desk and pick up a “Save the Date” gingerbread man.

If you are looking for some baking inspiration, why not check out one of the following books:

• Taste of Home Cookies (641.8654 T186)
• Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen by Georgeanne Brennan (641.568 B75)
• Cookies and Cakes  by Susannah Blake  (J641.8 BLA)
• Southern Living Best Loved Cookies: 50 Melt-in-Your-Mouth Southern Morsels by Susan Hernandez Ray  (641.8654 R211)
• Pillsbury Best of the Bake-off Cookbook: Recipes from America’s Favorite Cooking Contest  (641.71 P646)

Here are some pictures from our recent Thanksgiving storytime activities!

Click here to see more of the pictures on the “flickr” website

Go to
http://tinyurl.com/astonkidsevents
to register for storytime!

Starting on Thanksgiving Day (tomorrow!), Old Navy is running 3 days of amazing sales! They’re calling it Gobblepalooza. Get up early tomorrow morning, throw on your shopping duds, lace up your shoes, and get ready to SHOP. Top off the day with some turkey and stuffing, and watch some football. Now that’s a GREAT Thanksgiving!

Some of the sale items include:

• 50% off outwear for the family
• $10 5-pocket jeans for kids & toddlers
• buy 2 get 1 free Collectabili-TEES for the family (excluding NFL & NCAA)
• $15 5-pocket jeans for adults
• $10 active wear for women
• $5 long-sleeve tees for kids & toddlers

Be sure to visit their site to see all of the deals, and pay special attention to their one-day-only deals. Different deals on different days!

Find an Old Navy near you.

Poems by Dr Seuss
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
Burglar Bill – Janet & Allan Ahlberg
Fantastic Mr Fox – Roald Dahl

Costa Rica has many interesting museums, especially in San Jose. Tourist could visit The Golden Museum, located in the Plaza de la Cultura, along with other Museum of the Central Bank, such as the Numismatic Museum and the Art Gallery. There are other museums about the history of the country, such as the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, the Jade Museum (Museo de Jade), and the Children Museum (Museo de los Niños). On the other hand, there are many art museums and importan galleries, such as the Costa Rican Art Museum, among others.

The Museo del Jade, which real name is Museo del Jade “Marco Fidel Tristán Castro” is an archaeological museum located in San José, Costa Rica. The Museum was founded in 1977 by Fidel Tristán Castro, who was the first president of the INS, that is why the Museum has his name. The museum has a vast collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, such as stone tables (metates), ceramics, ceremonial heads, adzes, and other decorative pieces from 500 BC to 800AD. The Jade room of the museum also displays beautiful translucent jade pendants and other incredible archeological pieces.

The Museo de los Niños (Children’s Museum), is located at the Centro Costarricense de la Ciencia y la Cultura complex in the capital of San José. It contains great interactive displays educating children in various topics from Astronomy, natural planet and ecology to science, human life and communications. Children walk through 39 rooms learning and interacting to discover new interesting information. Visitors can experience a simulated earthquake, make music by dancing on the floor, or see themselves in weird mirrors.

Costa Rica’s most important historical museum was before an army barracks, which was in use while the historical fighting, the civil war of 1948. The National Museum was created by the end of the XIX century, following a liberal project of “order and progress”, trying to save the cultural part of the city. In 1887, former president Mr. Bernardo Soto, created the Museum as a public establishment to deposit, classify, and study natural and artistic products found around the country. Even now, visitors could see hundreds of bullet holes on the turrets at its corners, as they approach the building. The now Museum is a traditional Spanish-style courtyard building, which hosts many displays on Costa Rican history and culture from pre-Columbian times to the present.

Visit Costa Rica

 Aardvark Kids – Easy Listening Christmas by Aardvark Kids Music

2009 (23 tracks, 32:15)

children’s

What a steal! The Disney Outlet store has princess tees for girls for just $2.99! At this low price, they also have the classic Minnie Mouse ringer tee, High School Musical tees, Power Ranger tees, and more for both boys and girls. I’ve just discovered this store… Amazing!

Thanks, DealNews!

AllSaints are offering a lovely 20% off for a limited time only – however, this does include New Arrivals! Bonus round! The ’selected styles’ not included in this online only promotion are Leathers/Footwear/Accessories.

Cx

I met little E on Friday and we had a fabulous session.  Her mom was very concerned about the amount of light that their house gets after hearing that I shoot almost exclusively natural light, and for good reason.  When she said that house was dark, she meant it!  Part of the fun of being a photographer is figuring out how to overcome the obstacles, though, and we managed to get some great light in the nursery and have a wonderful session.  This little one was so incredibly laid-back, and you would never guess that mom only has two and a half weeks of mommy experience on her resume.  When I arrived, she had been fed just enough to take the edge off, but not enough to make her drift off into dreamland.  We did some wide-awake shots in a couple of different outfits, Miss E had the rest of her lunch and was soon fast asleep, and we finished out the session with some beautiful sleepy-baby shots.   What a sweet baby girl…