Medieval Maidens will be participating as one of the many vendors at the 2012 Amazing Baby and Child Expo from 11am-4pm on Saturday August 18th in Sykesville, Maryland.

Admission is free, though all attendees are encouraged to bring a can of food for charity.

Our stand will be manned by author and Medieval Maidens creator, Lois Jarman. Stop by, say hi, and learn more about Medieval Maidens and our line of history books, dolls, and accessories.

We hope to see you there!

*All information can be found in the flyer above. Click the thumbnail to enlarge the image.

Mary’s Story and Mary’s Holiday Story by Tiffany Jansen can now be purchased on Amazon.com for $5.11 each.

The Mary Series won the 2011 Creative Child Magazine “Book of the Year” award for history and education. They have also been reviewed by Alan Caruba of Bookreviews.com and Madeline McElroy at Reader Views Kids.

The Gisela’s series is also available on Amazon. The other books in the Medieval Maidens series will be released at a rate of one series per year.

Our Medieval Maidens online store carries books detailing the lives of Gisela, Adele, Isabelle, Gevrehan, and Mary, who all lived during the Middle Ages and, in Mary’s case, the Renaissance. We also have the Gisela doll for sale as well as Medieval outfits for any 18-inch doll. Purchases can be made via PayPal or by filling out and emailing or snail-mailing our online order form. www.medievalmaidens.net/onlinestore.html

Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk carry Gisela’s Story and Gisela’s Holiday Story.
www.amazon.com
www.amazon.co.uk

No matter what you purchase or from where, 20% of your money will be donated to CFF.

In July, Medieval Maidens will announce the total amount make the donation over to CFF.

Here’s some information on Cistic Fibrosis from the CFF website

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that:

• clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and
• obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

People with CF can have a variety of symptoms, including:

• very salty-tasting skin;
• persistent coughing, at times with phlegm;
• frequent lung infections;
• wheezing or shortness of breath;
• poor growth/weight gain in spite of a good appetite; and
• frequent greasy, bulky stools or difficulty in bowel movements.

About 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis are diagnosed each year.

More than 70% of patients are diagnosed by age two.

More than 45% of the CF patient population is age 18 or older.

The predicted median age of survival for a person with CF is in the late 30s.

Since 1955, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has been the driving force behind the pursuit of a cure. Thanks to the dedication and financial backing of our supporters — patients, families and friends, clinicians, researchers, volunteers, individual donors, corporations and staff, we are making a difference.

For more information, visit:
http://www.cff.org
http://www.medievalmaidens.net

Thank you for your support. Together, let’s make a difference.

Gisela was probably born sometime between 770 and 781. No birth date was ever recorded for her. She was the second or third daughter of King Charles of the Franks (Charlemagne) and his wife, Hildegard of Savoy. Gisela’s mother was Charlemagne’s first wife. Hildegard and Charlemagne had 6 children before Hildegard died.

Gisela was educated at Aachen, the site of Charles’ castle. This town is located in Germany near the city of Bonn and close to the Rhine River. Her father was a very religious man and his chapel still stands today. Charlemagne believed in education and thought it important that his children be able to read and write.

Some girls were sent to monasteries to study, but Charlemagne had his daughters educated at home. Gisela would have more than likely been educated by Alcuin, an Anglo-Saxon scholar brought to the castle by her father. In her lessons, Gisela would have studied Latin. Most books were written in Latin. She would have written on wax tablets with a stylus.

When I returned home, I began to investigate this awards program. Over the course of a few days in April, Creative Child Magazine hosts more than one hundred reviewers in Henderson, NV. The reviewers are parents, teachers, and education professionals who review the many toys and books that are submitted. The reviewers rate each product on criteria established for a variety of categories. At the conclusion of the two day event, the reviews are scored and tabulated.

There are three levels of award: Toy of the Year, Preferred Choice, and Seal of Excellence. The winners of the awards for each category are announced in June on the Creative Child Magazine website and are highlighted in the holiday edition of the magazine.

In 2009, I decided to enter the Gisela Doll and book set. I was hoping for some sort of recognition of the product. My hands were shaking when I opened the email from Melissa at the magazine. I was elated to learn that Medieval Maidens had received a Seal of Excellence award for the category of doll with storybook. I was even more thrilled to learn that American Girl’s Rebecca and storybook was also a winner in the category. My doll had been recognized in the same category as American Girl!

The following year, I decided to enter the Gisela book set, Gisela’s Story and Gisela’s Holiday Story in the historical and educational book category. This time, Medieval Maidens was honored with the 2010 Book of the Year award. An even greater joy was to have the Mary series named 2011 Book of the Year. Having Tiffany’s work recognized was an even greater occasion to be proud.

Creative Child Magazine goes to great lengths to provide parents with detailed information about products currently on the market for their children. It has been our honor to be part of their awards program.

Click the image below to read the interview.