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A Dream Vacation to Scotland
© Copyright Ian Taylor and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. I have always been fascinated with history. I can lose myself for hours simply researching different civilizations and the ways of life of our ancestors. I am particularly in love with Scottish history. There is so much rich history in the land. From ancient battles, wars with England, battles with Vikings, clan feuds….Not to mention the amazing stories of the people who lived through it all. We all hear about William Wallace (Braveheart), but there are so many more legends and tales that derive from Scotland. All of this has fueled my endless need to learn more. So when asked where I would…
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Penelope’s 2nd Birthday Facebook Party
We are so excited to be celebrating Penelope’s 2nd birthday this coming Thursday, the 24th. The journey to create a children’s book from an idea that came to me while my husband was telling my daughter about Red Beard and his adventures on the high seas has been one filled with ups and downs. It isn’t easy to go after your dreams but I truly believe just about anything is possible if you believe you can do it! We appreciate all of the wonderful feedback over the past two years and always love to hear how much your children are enjoying reading about Penelope and her friends. We wanted to celebrate…
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Reflections: Dropping the Stones
On a soul level there is an inner reckoning that takes place during the holidays. Regardless of whether or not we honor the process, the season grants a pause of contemplation in which we take stock. Specific to this is a measure of our year’s gains, and too a more sullen depth awareness of losses or sacrifices that may have been at stake. We quietly account, if we take the pause to consider within. This is part of the human rhythm which inter-webs us all, and natural as the flux of the seasons or regularity of the here-then-gone-again moon. This year’s reflection seemed to have repeated expression, or in other words, a…
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Instagram Picture of the Week: Trees
We are starting a new section on dandelion moms where people can submit their favorite Instagram pictures directly into the post! This week the theme will be trees. This Instagram picture was taken at a local university near our house. My daughter is hanging out in the center of this large and interesting tree daydreaming. One can only image what a six-year old is daydreaming about! This park is called Aldrich Park and is a 19-acre botantical garden in the center of The University of Irvine. There are more than 11,000 trees and shrubs found in the park. Over the years it has been the site of commencement ceremonies, inaugurations,…
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PBS KIDS WILD KRATTS “LOST AT SEA” SCIENCE SPECIAL Premieres January 21st
When my daughter was about three years old we started to watch the Wild Kratts brothers. She really enjoyed learning about the animals and sea creatures they would feature and I liked that the show was fun and educational. Now PBS KIDS’ is premiering a new science special featuring the Kratt brothers called WILD KRATTS “Lost at Sea,” that will premiere Monday, January 21st and the on-air special will be available on DVD starting January 22nd. The first episoide kicks off with the Kratts heading to the most populated and diverse habitat on Earth — the coral reef — in “Blowfish Blowout.” Then the Wild Kratts decode the secret language of dolphins, among the smartest…
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Artist Robin Kaplan
It is easy to walk into the children’s section of a bookstore and get lost in the magical worlds that the authors and illustrators create. That has always been a favorite pastime of mine to do with my young daughter. There is something special about opening up a beautifully illustrated children’s book for the first time. The ability to illustrate in such a way takes practice and a natural ability to create such worlds. Robin Kaplan is such an illustrator and she will be releasing her first book with Penguin, a young reader’s edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which is coming out February 2nd. Robin is also…
