The Festival takes place on September 11-12th in Wilmington, DE. For more information and directions, visit the Festival website.

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Of course, this also the time of year when Little League Baseball reaches its peak in its World Series. Edogawa Minami Little League from Toyko, Japan, won it his year, beating Waipio Little League from Wiapahu, Hawaii, 4-1. Of course, the team had to be technically good to win, but their edge was in their discipline and confidence.

These are important lessons to pass on as children start a new school year, where both known and new challenges can seem daunting. This baseball story expresses the importance of attitude very well.

A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strode through his backyard, baseball cap in place and toting ball and bat. “I’m the greatest baseball player in the world.” he said proudly. Then he tossed the ball in the air, swung and missed.

“Wow!” he exclaimed. “What a pitcher!”

We have just finished our first baseball variation of our Storybook Quilt, Vroom! Vroom! Get Me to the Game on Time, also about determination to overcome the odds in order to win a game. We will have it for sale at the Brandywine Festival of the Arts on September 11-12, at the Crafts as Art Festival at the Nassau County Museum on October 9-11, and through our website.

©2010 Storybook Quilts Rocks!. All Rights Reserved.

SLEEP. Children ages 5 – 10 years do best on 10 – 11 hours of sleep. So, getting up at, say, 6:30 AM for a 7:30 AM bus pickup means going to bed by 8:30 PM at the latest. Starting back on that schedule early makes it easier; your children won’t be trying to adjust to a new schedule at the same time they face the challenges of all the new things at school. For more on this, here’s a great blog post from the University of North Carolina’s Health Care News.

BREAKFAST. How important is breakfast? Children who eat a good breakfast are likely to learn more — and are less likely to be overweight. Even for adults, skipping breakfast is likely to lead to eating more calories for the rest of the day than after a good breakfast.

Toaster pastries and sweet cereals are fine once in a while, but they are poor at carrying anyone through to lunch. So, what’s best? Here’s a list adapted from the Nemours Foundation, just down the road from Storybook Quilts.

The traditional, but not-terribly-imaginative list:
• eggs (well cooked to avoid any salmonella risks)
• French toast, waffles, or pancakes (try wheat or whole-grain varieties); real maple syrup adds nutrients that other syrups don’t
• cold cereal and milk
• hot cereal, such as oatmeal or, my childhood favorite, Maypo (try some dried fruit or nuts on top)
• whole-grain toast, bagel, or English muffin with cheese or a nut butter
• yogurt with fruit or nuts
• fruit smoothie, such as a strawberry smoothie or a banana smoothie; sprinkle on some bran or other high-fiber cereal to add crunch

The more imaginative list:
• banana dog (peanut butter, a banana, and raisins in a long whole-grain bun)
• breakfast taco – corn tortillas have much more nutrition than flour tortillas (shredded cheese on a tortilla, folded in half and microwaved; top with salsa)
• country cottage cheese (apple butter mixed with cottage cheese)
• fruit and cream cheese sandwich (use strawberries or other fresh fruit)
• sandwich — grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and banana, or another favorite

Many of these also make great whoops-we-overslept breakfasts, so there’s really no excuse . . .

Disney has a great selection of recipes here.

Involving children in planning breakfast for the week can pique their interest in eating well. If you have a budding chef in the family, he or she might like being in charge of breakfast once a week.

If you’ve got suggestions for fun breakfasts, add them in below in a comment!

©2010 Storybook Quilts Rocks!. All Rights Reserved.

Just a important is that our quilts lend themselves to the spinning of new tales. Each quilt includes 14 different fabrics. Using a just a few, it’s easy to come up with a quick new story or a variation on the usual one.

For the more adventurous, the fabrics provide an opportunity to make up a entirely new story and involve one — or a half dozen! — children in creating the new tale. Write it down or, better yet, make a video that the children can show to their family and friends.

There’s nothing like a good story. And nothing like a good cuddle under a matching quilt while the story is being read!

See more about Lost in a Maze: Zach and Max the Dog Visit the Farm on our website.

©2010 Storybook Quilts Rocks!. All Rights Reserved.

Got soap??? (submitted by Flora Samuelson)

Here they come, finally! They’re always late! Must have been out shopping. (submitted by Janet Green)

Congratulations to you both!

Thanks to you all for your entries. We really enjoyed them and hope our readers did, too.

©2010 Storybook Quilts Rocks!. All Rights Reserved.

Entries came in from the website and the blog. They all are good — so good we can’t choose! We have listed them below and will let YOU pick who wins. Please vote by Saturday, August 7.

1. First bird: You would think on such a hot day they would add ice cubes to this water! Second bird: yeah and a little bit of shade wouldn’t hurt either.

2. Did you see that lightning?! WOW! Everybody out of the bath!

3. Got soap???

4. I can never go swimming without getting a sunburn. Me neather lets go sit on window sills and torment cats.

5. First bird: “B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird’s the word”  Second bird: “Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow”

6. Dang! We just get settled down for a few drinks and a nice chat, and he shows up!

7. Bird on the left: “Such a hot day! So glad we got here early!”  Bird on the right: “Absolutely! I bet they’ll be quite a crowd today.”

8. What in the world?!

9. Hawk!  10 o’clock!

10. What is that bright glowing ball in the sky?

11. First bird: Look out!  Aliens!  Second bird: No, son, that’s the nice person who keeps our bath clean.

12. "That’s quite a nice nest, Fred."  "Thanks!  The missus and I thought the cat hair gave it a classy touch."

13. Those white skinny clouds? Made by some big silver thing they call a ‘bird’."

14. Here they come, finally! They’re always late!  Must have been out shopping.

©2010 Storybook Quilts Rocks!. All Rights Reserved.

To enter, just leave your caption in a comment. We can’t wait to read them!

©2010 Storybook Quilts Rocks!. All Rights Reserved.

To enter, just type in your caption in a comment on this blog post.

The winner may choose between two prizes: a framed copy of the photo, with his/her caption, or a $50 Storybook Quilts gift certificate. Please enter by August 1, 2010.

We look forward to your entries!

©2010 Storybook Quilts Rocks!. All Rights Reserved.

What do you know about this delicious treat?

Where they came from
Watermelons are thought to have come from the Kalahari Desert in Africa (down near the southern tip; mostly in Botswana).

This is an old favorite!
Watermelon seeds were found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen. The Chinese were cultivating watermelons as early as the 9th century AD. The Moors, from northern Africa, introduced them to Europe (Spain) in the 13th century. The word “watermelon” was in English dictionaries as early as 1615.

When did watermelons arrive in the US?
Ah, there’s a debate about that. Some say the Spaniards brought them in the 1500s; others say watermelons arrived in the early 1600s, in New England.

Hey! What happened to the seeds?!
Good question! The full explanation is pretty technical, but the advantages include watermelons that are sweeter and have firmer flesh than the seeded varieties. We have Warren Barham to thank for this treat; he began working on a seedless variety in 1949.

Our big, long-loved seeded watermelons are becoming increasingly difficult to find: about 85% of watermelons grown now in the US are seedless. For a number of reasons, they are more profitable.

Watermelon seeds themselves still have a following. Spitting contests continue. And, roasted, they are a favorite snack in the Middle East. In the US, watermelon seed oil is used in baby formulations, creams, lotions, soaps, and eye creams.

How much watermelon do Americans eat?
Per capita fresh watermelon consumption in 2008 was 15.4 pounds. A round, seedless watermelon weights between 10 and 15 pounds – so, it’s really just a big one of those. Not enough, I’d say!

How are watermelons good for your health?
It’s amazing how healthy watermelons are. And how low in calories. A two- cup serving of diced watermelon (10 oz) only has about 80 calories, according to the National Watermelon Promotion Board. Watermelon is full of nutrition. Those same two cups have 20% of daily requirements for Vitamin A, 25% for Vitamin C and 7% for potassium. No fat, of course, but 8% of daily fiber requirements and even some calcium and iron!

Watermelon ranks first among fresh fruits and vegetables (beating out tomatoes) in lycopene content, a cancer fighting antioxidant.

Luna the Turtle’s watermelon
It’s no surprise that watermelon is full of water – 92% water – which is why Aunt Jen took some to the beach with Adia. And it was one thing Adia was very happy to see after Luna and Stitch rescued her from the pirates. Eating watermelon is a great way to stay hydrated on a hot day!

©2010 Storybook Quilts Rocks!. All Rights Reserved.

1. The song wasn’t around on the first Independence Day, in 1776. In fact, it wasn’t until the second war with Britain, decades later, that it was written.

2. The words of the song were written near the end of the War of 1812 — in September 1814, to be exact, by Frances Scott Key. The British had just burned Washington, DC, and were headed to Baltimore to bombard Ft. McHenry. Key was on a British ship seeking the release of another American and was kept on the fleet to prevent him from warning about the British plans.

3. Key wrote a poem, “Defense of Ft. McHenry,” in honor of the huge American flag that hung after the successful American defense of Ft. McHenry. The poem later was set to the music of a popular tune at the time, “The Anacreontic Song.” Ironically, that song had been written by a Brit, probably John Stafford Smith.

4. The stirring song was unofficially adopted as the national anthem and played at 4th of July celebrations throughout the 1800s. In 1889, it was officially adopted by the Navy as the song to be played when the flag is raised. (Click on the link below to hear the Navy Band play it.)

In 1897, it was played at the opening day baseball game in Philadelphia. In 1916, President Wilson ordered it played at military and other patriotic occassions. The song became even more popular when it was sung at the 1918 World Series of Baseball, in honor of the armed forces fighting in World War I.

5. On March 3, 1931, Congress proclaimed the Star Spangled Banner as the national anthem.

6. In our Storybook Quilt, Emily and Maurice the Cat hear the band playing the Star Spangled Banneras their runaway balloon soars above the park.

7. The song is very difficult to sing! In 2009, the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian held a national singing contest that anyone could enter. See the results here.

Star Spangled Banner by the Navy Band

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