Help Medieval Maidens fight Cystic Fibrosis

For the month of June 2012, Medieval Maidens will donate 20% of all sales to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).

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.

May Day

Happy May 1st!

Mayday was celebrated in the medieval times but began as a spring festival. The Romans began the celebration as a festival to honor Flora, the goddess of flowers.

In the Christian church, May was seen as the month of Mary, and flower bouquets were brought to churches to honor her.

Mayday is also known for Maypole dances. The Maypole dance is a type of folk dance where dancers circle around a pole. Sometimes long ribbons are attached to the pole and each dancer takes hold of a colorful ribbon.

Also during Mayday festivities, a Queen of May is usually crowned. May 1 originally marked the first day of summer. June 21st was known as midsummer.

In 16th century France, King Charles IX was given a lily of the valley as a good luck charm. He was so pleased with the idea that he began presenting lilies of the valley to all of the ladies of the court. The tradition of giving lilies of the valley on May 1 continues in France today.

May 1 is also the day celebrating workers in many European countries. It is similar to our Labor Day in the United States. In many of these countries today is a national holiday and people celebrate those in the work force.

Meet Gisela, Daughter of Charlemagne

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.

Gevrehan, Daughter of Sultan Mehmet II

Gevrehan was the only daughter of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II. She was probably born sometime after 1450.

In 1453, her father conquered the city of Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul. In the newly named city, he started many colleges and universities. Education and justice were very important to the sultan.

Gevrehan had four older brothers. Her brother, Bayezid, became the sultan after their father. Gevrehan and her family probably lived in the Eski Saray Palace that once stood in Istanbul. Gevrehan would have lived with the other women in the Harem.

There was much trade and business in the city of Istanbul. The Ayasofya (or Hagia Sophia), formerly a Christian place of worship, was transformed into a mosque. Her father was very tolerant of other religious practices and allowed Christians to continue their worship. Great changes were occurring in Istanbul during the time that Gevrehan was growing up. It was a very exciting time.

Creative Child Magazine Toy of the Year Awards

While attending Toy Fair 2009 in New York, I was introduced to the Creative Child Magazine Toy Awards Program. One of my “neighbors” at the fair had just received a Preferred Choice award from the magazine and her booth was vividly decorated with her award.

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.

In Her Own Words, with Medieval Maidens creator Lois Jarman

Our very own Lois Jarman (creator of Medieval Maidens and author of the Gisela, Gevrehan, Adele, and Isabelle series) was interviewed by Girl Scouts of Central Maryland for their "In Her Own Words" column.

Click the image below to read the interview.

Mother and Daughter Team take Book of the Year 2010 and 2011

Jarman (left) and Jansen (right) are
recognized by Creative Child Magazine
 in 2010 and 2011, respectively 

Medieval Maidens, LLC is pleased to announce that Tiffany Jansen has been awarded the Creative Child Magazine 2011 Book of the Year award for children’s literature in the Historic and Educational books category for the Mary, Daughter of Henry VII book set.

In 2010, Tiffany’s mother, Lois Jarman, received the same award for the book set Gisela, Daughter of Charlemagne.

Entries in the Creative Child Magazine Toy Award program are evaluated by mothers and early education professionals during an annual two-day event in Nevada. The award winners are featured in the magazine’s annual Holiday issue which is released in November.
The mother-daughter team began the Medieval Maidens reading series in 2006. The young reader series has ten titles relating to five medieval princesses.

There is a Medieval Maidens badge series for Girl Scouts and the Jarman/Jansen team also created an after school reading curriculum for young girls that is used in Baltimore County.

For more information on the Medieval Maidens series visit the website www.medievalmaidens.net.