I love Mickey Mouse. From his big, black, round ears to his skinny little tail, I just love Mickey Mouse.
There are lots of great Disney characters like Donald Duck, Bambi and Dumbo (just to name a few), but some wonderful new characters too. The Toy Story characters are very popular of course. Julia (Miss nearly 4) just adores Buzz Lightyear, but she can also tell you the names of almost every character in Toy Story 3. And she's only seen it once!
The Disney Fairies and Princesses are popular characters too. Julia's favourite is Cinderella because "she is so beautiful and she has beautiful clothes and at the end she gets married".
Whilst there are so many new characters to love, the original Mickey Mouse is always a favourite. Created in 1928, he is now one of the most recognisable cartoon characters in the world.
To celebrate 900 Facebook "likers" for Jelly Bean Books, it's time for a giveaway competition!
A limited edition personalised book - Mickey Mouse - is up for grabs. For a chance to win this fantastic personalised book, all you have to do is tell me who is your favourite Disney character, and why!
Details and entry are on my website, just follow this link and god luck!
Giveaway Competition
To be drawn 9pm Sunday 31st October 2010
Enter now at Jelly Bean Books.
Three is such a wonderful age. Julia (Miss nearly-four) is such a joy - she is inquisitive, can speak her own mind, can make decisions, and can take me on such wonderful rides on the waves of her imagination. She wants to learn, and absorbs everything she sees and hears with a beautiful clarity of recollection. And every day brings new joys and new discoveries.
The suggestion of a trip to Gran's house is met with shouts of joy. Imaginary friends are always coming over to our house to play. Shops and dress ups are favourite games. Cutting and glueing are favourite crafts. It seems so simple, and yet the simple things are usually enjoyed the most.
She is starting to assert her independence too. Julia's favourite lunch is "make-your-own-lunch" which is usually a sandwich or rollup, but it's always the best when she makes it herself. And her favourite dinner - any dinner where she gets to put the tomato sauce on by herself.
I will miss my three-year-old Julia when she turns four, but I am very much looking forward to the next stage - what will the next year bring?
Three Little Pigs
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.
Roll up, roll up...
Did you go to the circus when you were a kid? I remember going with my grandparents when I was six. There are three things that I recall from my circus trip - a huge tent, colourful circus ponies and fairy floss.
From an adult perspective, a circus tent is a rather large structure. From a kid's view, a circus tent looks massive! The circus ponies I remember were white with brightly coloured feathers sticking up tall from their heads, and ladies in shiny costumes rode standing on their backs. And the fairy floss was pink, came on a stick, and was a really special treat.
We took Julia (Miss three-and-a-half) to the circus not so long ago. It had everything - lions, monkeys, ponies, trapeze, acrobats, clowns - so much to see! Julia thought it was wonderful, but the clowns are what she remembers best about the day. They had a car which wouldn't do as it was told, and Julia laughed and laughed at the clown's antics. She reminded me of it just last week: "Hey Mum, remember that clown car that kept throwing the suitcase off the roof? And the doors kept opening by themselves?"
The circus is such a magical world!
Circus Star
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.
I love nursery rhymes. They are like a little story in a song. If I had to choose one, my favourite traditional nursery rhyme would be "Hey Diddle Diddle" because I love the notion of the dish running away with the spoon. It seems such a daring thing to do!
I used to sing all four verses of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for Julia every night when she was a baby as part of our bedtime routine. To me, the extra verses add a little more meaning to such a simple song:
Then the traveller in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark
He could not see which way to go
If you did not twinkle so
Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are.
I didn't realise how many nursery rhymes I knew until Julia came along! Along with the usual favourites like "Polly Put the Kettle On", "Sing a Song of Sixpence" and "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary", I have learned some new favourites like "Mrs Mason's Basin" and "Mary at the Cottage Door". They all have simple tunes and easy to remember words. And if I forget the words sometimes, Julia always reminds me.
Julia's favourite nursery rhyme is Baa Baa Black Sheep. I asked her why and she said it was because it didn't take very long to sing!
Do you have a favourite nursery rhyme?
Mother Goose
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.
There's something wonderful about a super hero that captivates an audience. It could be the super powers they possess, or the mystery surrounding their identity. Perhaps it's the costumes and masks they wear, or the gadgets they use.
Julia (Miss three-and-a-half) likes the gadgets. She tells me that Batman is better than Spider-Man because he has batamarangs that he can throw to get the bad guys. I tried to tell her that Spider-Man has webbing that he can shoot, but she wasn't having any part of it. "Mum, Spider-Man is for boys", she stated.
I think that super heroes emulate real life, showing us that we're all special in some way. Some of us show our super powers on the outside, and some on the inside. Some are loud, showy powers, and some are less obvious but still very powerful. Everyone has their own special talent that should be nurtured and proudly displayed, just like our favourite super heroes.
Oh, and Spider-Man is not just for boys!
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To celebrate 600 Facebook "likers" it's time for a giveaway competition. Unfortunately FB rules state that I can't run a competition on my FB page, so it will be run here.
A limited edition giant sized personalised book - Spider-Man - is up for grabs.
This is an 18 page 31cm x 23cm personalised children's book featuring the child's name, age, friends and more throughout the story. And what a great story - Dr. Octopus is on a rampage and it seems that no-one can stop him. It's up to your child to help Spider-Man defeat this dangerous villain and save the day. You won't find this book on my website - it's a limited edition. Postage within Australia only.
For a chance to win this fantastic personalised book, all you have to do is tell me who is your favourite fictional super hero, and why!
Please post a comment below this blog post in 25 words or less. I will announce the winner on my FB page on Sunday 3rd October at 9.00pm (NSW).
Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.
I like to collect teddy bears and stuffed toys, especially when I travel. They remind me of places I have visited and the amazing sights I have seen. I have a bear dressed as a doorman from Harrods in London, a little monk bear from Arbroath Abbey, and a bagpipe playing bear from Edinburgh. I have an Evzone doll from Greece and two floppy dolls in lederhosen from Austria.
But the teddy bear that I love the best belongs to my daughter. Julia's teddy bear is called Lollipop. He is a fluffy pink and yellow beanie bear that was given to her by Santa for her first Christmas. Lollipop is the bear favoured above all others who gets to sleep with Julia every night.
Some time ago, Lollipop disappeared for about 6 months. We searched the house, but he was gone. I assumed that he had been placed lovingly into the kitchen rubbish bin by little hands, and whisked away to places unknown. But one morning he returned. There he was, being cuddled by Julia as though nothing had happened. Julia wasn't quite talking at that stage, and Lollipop has never said a word about it, so the travels of Lollipop remain a mystery.
Maybe he visited Teddy Bear Land!
Teddy Bear Land
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? I always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher, but my Mum tells me I wanted to be a ballerina long before that.
Julia (Miss 3-and-a-half) wants to be a princess and a builder. A sort of a Princess Bob I guess. She wants to build houses while she is waiting for her Prince Charming. She dresses up in beautiful flowing dresses and pretty shoes, together with a hardhat and toolbelt. We play Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella (I get to play the role of the Prince). Then she "fixes" my furniture.
I never did become a prima ballerina (actually I never did ballet at all), nor did I teach kindergarten, but I hope I'm giving Julia some valuable lessons in life. I keep telling her she can do anything. Hopes and dreams are wonderful things aren't they?
When I Grow Up
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.
