Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Inspirational weekend April 10th and 11th with Sophie Helenek

A Modern Explorer- Sophie Helenek

Sophie Helenek is a Modern Explorer who knows no bounds. We are fascinated by her drive, her astonishing accomplishments and her vibrant personality. Join us for an inspirational weekend April 10th and 11th.
 
 
 
Weekend Agenda: Start your weekend getting to know your fellow guests and Sophie at a wine and cheese reception Friday evening at the Inn. You will have the evening to yourself. We would be happy to help you with dinner recommendations or reservations. On Saturday afternoon we will host an open talk and question session at the Inn. At 5pm guests will go next door to the LaGrua Center where Sophie will talk about her Broad Peak and K2 ascent and answer questions from the audience. Guests are invited to join Sophie for dinner at the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club.



 

Friday, January 2, 2015

Happy New Year 2015

Best wishes for a wonderful new year!
Bonne année à tous!
Prosperity, health and happiness to all of you!
 
 

Sunday, September 28, 2014

My First Book Series review by June of the Moon

 

My First Book Series
by June of the Moon
 
 
 These books are a great teaching tool for both my six month old and my three year old.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Next Generation Stay At Home Mom highly recommends and gives it 5 stars to My First Book Series by Sophie Helenek!




Book Review: My First Book Series
by Next Generation Stay At Home Mom
 
My 2years old loves the books! I also took the liberty of testing these books out on a friends' infant and they were a hit there as well!
I certainly applaud Sophie Helenek on her children's series as these are fantastic first books to give to someone you know!
 
 

 
 
Next Generation Stay At Home Mom highly recommends
My First Book Series by Sophie Helenek and
gives it 5 stars!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

BREAKING NEWS!!! BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014

Here one of those very proud author moments

My First Book series is the Creative Child Magazine BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 for the Board Books for Babies & Toddlers category



Creative Child Magazine awards feature rigorous reviews by mothers and educators. In order to be picked for these awards, submissions have to stand out as products that will nurture children’s creativity.
http://www.creativechild.com/toy-guide

- press release is coming soon -

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Baby Books review by The Fisk Files

Baby Books
My First Book Series Review by The Fisk Files
 
 
All of my kids love My First Book your (ages 0-4)!
 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

My First Book Series Review by Elefantitas Alegres

My First Book Series Review by Sophie Helenek
by Elefantitas Alegres
 
I think these books would be the perfect addition to your
infant's library or a wonderful gift for a new mom!  
You've officially earned yourself four new fans!  
 
 


Thursday, August 28, 2014

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

[Review] Fabulous little books for my fabulous littles! by Sarah for A Lovely Little Life


Fabulous little books for my fabulous littles!
Review: My First Book Series
by A Lovely Little Life
 
 

Elise and Leighton enjoying reading My First Book series ;-)
 

Monday, August 25, 2014

Breaking News: Sophie's baby books are winner of the Mom's Choice Award Gold Seal

Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold Recipient


My First Book Fruits, My First Book Musical Instruments, and My First Book Shapes is a recipient of the prestigious The Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold medal.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is an international awards program that honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services.

An esteemed panel of judges including educators, Emmy-winning media members, business experts, parents, children, New York Times Best-Selling authors, librarians, artists and others determines the winners.

Parents, educators, librarians and retailers look for the Mom’s Choice Awards Honoring Excellence seal of approval when selecting quality materials for children and families.

  

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

[Review] My First Book Series by Erin from My Subscription Box Mom

 
 
Final Thought: I really enjoyed this series. Not all board books are created equal.  My First Book Series is an engaging group of books, that T loved.  T is working on learning new words, and these books really stimulated his curiosity. I love that he asks to be read to now, and these have been our go to books the last several days.  If you want to get these books, check them out on Amazon HERE

Thursday, July 31, 2014

My First Book series - gets an official Dad Network Star rating of 5 / 5 stars and wins award of recommendation

The Dad Network reviews hundreds of products
each of them are reviewed with scrutiny
All products are given an official Dad Network star rating.
To get 5 / 5 stars, the product needs to go above and beyond our expectations
 
THE DAD NETWORK RECOMMENDATION AWARD
The Dad Network award of recommendation seals only products which exceed expectations, recommends the very best products to parents across the world. 
 
 

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Outside Magazine Online - 7 Questions with Mountaineer Mom Sophie Helenek


7 Questions with Mountaineer Mom Sophie Helenek
"Raising our baby girl is our new Everest."

You can call Sophie Helenek many things: a recovering investment banker, the youngest French woman to climb Mount Everest, and—as of 2013—a mother. But having her daughter wasn't going to terminate Helenek's six-year love affair with climbing. We caught up with Helenek via email to talk about staying active during pregnancy, exploring with babies, and her book series written for infants.
 
  -  How did you make the decision to start a family?
  -  How did you stay active and fit during your pregnancy?
  -  Has it been difficult to get back into shape since having the baby?
  -  Describe the process of writing your books.
  -  How do you incorporate books into parenting?
  -  As an adult, what books do you enjoy?
  -  Do you encourage your daughter to lead an active, adventurous life?

read more on http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/the-current/the-stream/Mountaineer-Sophie-Helenek.html

Thursday, February 6, 2014

New mom in 2013 I also embarked on the new journey of writing a baby book series

 
NEW BABY BOOK SERIES CONCEIVED FROM INFANTS PERSPECTIVE SUPPORTS SENSES AND BONDING 

Imagine the wonder as a mother’s face becomes clear to a baby who has only heard her voice before? At birth, a newborn’s vision is between 20/200 and 20/400; by eight months their acuity improves to 20/30.  Therefore, infants reflexively prefer to look at high-contrast edges and patterns. So, imagine their ongoing propensity to learn as their senses develop each day. 

New to bookshelves, the My First Book series, by Sophie Helenek, includes four delightful board books, specially dedicated to infant’s developmental growth milestones.  Each of the four books, FRUITS, SKY WONDERS, SHAPES and MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS include high contrast, black and white and bold color illustrations which promote visual and speech stimulation. Each picture is accompanied by a simple word that your bundle of joy will love repeating and which will help their speech development. They are not just picture books or bedtime stories but rather activity books conceived to stimulate a baby’s senses. 
 
“These books are not for parents, they are for their beautiful babies—to learn and to grow,” says Helenek.  “I wanted to provide parents a way to captivate, interact and bond with their baby that also aids in the child’s developmental growth.”

Learn more, visit www.nurserybooks.net

Monday, February 3, 2014

A novel look at how stories may change the brain

Reading a novel can make real, physical changes to your brain, according to research from Emory University. For two weeks, study participants read sections of a novel in the evenings, then had their brains scanned in the morning to track structural changes. Researchers found increased connectivity in areas of the brain associated with receptivity to language, as well as motor areas — which may explain why it can feel like you’re transported into the body of a character.

“The neural changes that we found associated with physical sensation and movement systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body of the protagonist,” Berns says. “We already knew that good stories can put you in someone else’s shoes in a figurative sense. Now we’re seeing that something may also be happening biologically.”

Researchers believe that the increased connectivity is lasting, like a muscle memory, since these effects were still seen days after the novel was finished. Is there a novel that’s made a big impact on your brain?

Share this post with friends and let us know in the comments.

READ the full article:
A novel look at how stories may change the brain
By Carol Clark | Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Emory University Research news
http://esciencecommons.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-novel-look-at-how-stories-may-change.html

Friday, January 31, 2014

Want To Be More Productive? Buy Some Desk Plants

Adding a plant to your workspace could boost your cognition and help you be more productive. Two recent studies found that participants performed better at attention tasks while seated at a desk surrounded by plants and flowers than while seated at an empty desk. These findings add to past research showing the benefits nature can have on cognition. Researchers believe that because nature engages our minds in an effortless way, it offers our brains a micro-restorative break from tasks — like working — that require us to pay direct attention. Do you have plants near your work station, or do you have a view of nature from your desk?


Share this post with friends and let us know in the comments.

READ the full article: Fast Company’s Co.Design | Eric Jaffe | November 19, 2013
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3021742/evidence/want-to-be-more-productive-buy-some-desk-plants


*** Post dedicated to my sister. A gifted artist and brilliant florist
www.lesjardinsdemarianne.com
 

Monday, January 27, 2014

BABY developmental milestones, a Neurodevelopmental Approach

One would expect for a newborn are certainly different than a 2, 6 or 12-month-old infant: check out the Pediatric NeuroLogic Examination Videos and Descriptions... a Neurodevelopmental Approach
 
Learn more:  http://library.med.utah.edu/pedineurologicexam/html/18month.html

 

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Your Social Circle Decoded ?



No matter how many friends you have on Facebook, the number of truly close friends you can maintain throughout your life may be hardwired. Researchers logged the phone calls of teenagers transitioning out of high school and into either the workforce or college for 18 months. Even as the teens made new friends, the structure of their social circles remained the same: if they had four close friends at the beginning of the study, they had four at the end of the study as well -- though not always the same four friends. Each of us appears to have an individual “social signature” that determines how much time and emotional capital we have to expend on our friends. Has the number of close friends you have remained constant over time?
 
Share this post with friends and let us know in the comments. 
 
READ the full article: The Atlantic | Emily Badger Jan 07, 2014
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2014/01/your-social-circle-might-be-seared-your-brain/8029/

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Sophie summit Mount Everest 5 YEARS ago

5 Year Anniversary
 
Sophie summit Mount Everest
on May, 21st 2008
"Everything is Possible"
 
 
Enjoy my Expedition pictures
 
 
 














 
 

 VIDEO

 
LAST STEPS TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD
Dernières étapes pour le toit du monde
 
 
 
I DEDICATED MY SUMMIT TO MY GRAND FATHER
J'ai dédié ma victoire à mon Grand-père
 
 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Nursery

Our little one nursery