Novato residents may have heard by now that Measure A is up for renewal soon. What is Measure A? It's a parcel tax that's been in place since 1992 that helps fund Novato's fantastic public schools. Renewing Measure A will not raise taxes—it just renews a source of existing school funding (and the State of California can't touch a penny of it). And as most Novato parents know, our local schools need all the funds they can get.

Measure A will help maintain comptetitive science, engineering, and math programs; help attract and retain high-quality teachers and maintain managable class sizes; and protect important music, arts, library, and athletic programs. None of the funds generated by Measure A can be taken by the state or used for administrator salaries.

Here are our picks for great events and activities for children and families this weekend. Find more events for the whole week in Marin and throughout the Bay Area in our Family Events Calendar.

Friday, March 7

• Diesel Larkspur Pajama Party with Elisa Klevin
  Marin Country Mart, Larkspur
  Friday, 6–6:30 pm
  Pull on your PJs and bring your teddy bear to the bookstore! Author Elisa Kleven will be here to read you a bedtime story. Get cozy in front of the fireplace, listen to a story or two, have some milk and cookies and get your books signed. Then head home for bed. Elisa Kleven is the author and/or illustrator of more than 30 picture books for children. Location: 2419 Larkspur Landing Circle. For more info, call (415) 785-8177 or visit their website.
• Beauty and the Beast
  Playhouse, San Anselmo
  Friday, 7 pm & Saturday, 1 pm
  Manor Elementary School 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders sing, dance, and act in a favorite love story! Tickets: $10 adults, $7 students/matinee. Location: 27 Kensignton Road, San Anselmo. For more info, visit their website.
• Shrek! The Musical
  San Rafael Community Center
  Friday, 7:30 pm, Saturday, 1 pm & Sunday, 3 pm
  Shrek! The Musical, based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film that started it all, brings the hilarious story of everyone's favorite ogre to dazzling new life on the stage. Full of all-new songs, great dancing and breathtaking scenery, Shrek! The Musical is part romance, part twisted fairy tale, and all irreverent fun for everyone! Tickets: $20. Purchase tickets here.

Saturday, March 8

• Novato Mothers Club Rummage Sale
  Downtown Novato Recreation Center
  Saturday, 9 am–3 pm
  One-stop shopping for your growing family! All items sold are in good condition. Maternity clothes, boys and girls clothes, toys, and books for infants, toddlers, & preschoolers. Plus everything you need for your baby—strollers, high chairs, & nursing items and more. Location: 950 Seventh Street, Novato. For more info, visit their website.
• The Great Baby Romp
  Presidio, the Observation Post
  Saturday, 9:30 am–1:30 pm
  Find a fantastic class for your baby or toddler at the Great Baby Romp. Enjoy classes, yoga, art, dance, complimentary lunch from Fresh Baby Bites, play areas, and even free nanny service at the exhibit hall so you can roam and explore some of the best resources the Bay Area has to offer. Cost: $65 per family. For more info, visit their website.
• McInnis Park Family Fun Obstacle Run
  McInnis Park, San Rafael
  Saturday, 9:30–11:30 am
  This is a family-oriented event that will have fun obstacles dispersed throughout the one mile course. Families will be challenged on their teamwork and endurance while participating in a fun afternoon! Location: McInnis Park, 310 Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael. Meet at the Hillside picnic area. For more info, call (415) 446-4423 or visit their website.
• Family Farm Days: Ocean Exploration
  Slide Ranch, Muir Beach
  Saturday, 10 am–2 pm
  Enjoy ocean-themed activities and a hike to the tide pools. The low tide will reveal sea stars, anemones, and many other discoveries. Fee: $30 per person; age 2 and under free. Discounts apply for families of 4 or more. Register here. For more info, visit their website.
• Kid's Love to Cook! Hands On Cooking Demonstration
  Marin Country Mart, Larkspur
  Saturday, 10:30–11:30 am
  DirectionFive is back at the Marin Country Mart Farmers' Market on Saturday! Kids and parents will enjoy a cooking demonstration and tasting with hands-on participation (appropriate for children of all ages). Haley, the market’s resident DirectionFive teacher knows that kids will eat almost anything, including raw vegetables, fruit, and nuts, if they are involved in chopping, mashing, measuring, mixing, and pouring. Location: 2257 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur. For more info, visit their website.
• Marin Camp Fair 2014
  Dominican University's Conlan Center Gym, San Rafael
  Saturday, 10 am–1 pm
  If you're trying to make a decision on the perfect summer camp for your kids, don't miss this Saturday's Marin Camp Fair at Conlan Center Gymnasium at Dominican University of California in San Rafael. There will be pizza, snacks, and a bounce house for the kids while parents visit representatives from over 100 local summer camps. For more info, visit their website.
• The Adventures of Phineas McBoof with Dr. Noize Unplugged
  Bay Area Discovery Museum
  Saturday, 11 am
  Doctor Noize, a singer and multi-instrumentalist with a passion for interactive pop/rock and a degree in music from Stanford, inspires young audiences to be musicians and creators themselves. He returns to the Discovery Theatre with the latest adventure of the mischievous monkey, Phineas McBoof. For ages 6 months and up. Cost: members $5; general $16 (Includes museum admission). For more info, visit their website.

Get your tickets for the Mad Hatter's Spring Tea Party at San Rafael's Falkirk Cultural Center on Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27, 2014. There will be two tea party sittings, at noon and 3 pm each day.

Join Alice, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse for this Wonderland tea party, complete with tea sandwiches, beverages, and dessert. The company of characters in original costumes, from the Stark Ravens Historical Players, will entertain and make the little ones giggle and dream as they sip their “tea”. Falkirk’s beautiful and elegant Victorian setting is the perfect place for this spring tea party.

The cost is $27.50 for adults and $22.50 for children, which includes all the food you can eat and a goodie bag for each child. Bring your camera for great photos! Reservations are required; call (800) 838-3006 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com.

Speak to Me, Marin's premiere series of intelligent, inspiring speaking events for women, presents the next event in its 2013/2014 season, "The Power of She: Courageous Women Changing the World" with Muadi Mukenge, Pamela Hawley, and Paola Gianturco, and on Tuesday, March 11 at 6:30 pm at the Mill Valley Community Center.

When women support women something magical happens…we get things done, we move things forward and sometimes we even save lives. Join Speak To Me on March 11 for the “Power of She”, a heartfelt and educational evening with three women who bring passion, courage and determination to the table in their efforts everyday to help women in struggle throughout the globe. Pamela Hawley, Paola Gianturco, and Muadi Mukenge have dedicated their lives to helping build self-sustaining communities worldwide stepping in bravely to document and serve those in need. Hear their stories, learn from their wisdom and find out how you too can get involved.

If you're trying to make a decision on the perfect summer camp for your kids, don't miss this Saturday's Marin Camp Fair, which takes place Saturday, March 8 from 10 am-1 pm at Conlan Center Gymnasium at the Dominican University of California in San Rafael. There will be a free pizza lunch, popcorn, snacks, prizes, and a bounce house for the kids while parents visit representatives from over 100 local summer camps. Older campers in middle and high school are encouraged to attend as well.

If you want to explore a variety of camps in one location and ask questions in person, this is your best bet. I attended last year and it was fantastic. I brought my kids and they got a chance to discover some new camps, meet camp representatives, and bring home some fun camp swag.

Nearly every local day camp for preschool, elementary, middle, and high school students will be represented, as well as several of the most popular sleep-away camps throughout California. The Marin Camp Fair is a free community event managed by the Dominican University athletic department, Camp Doodles, and Marin Ranch Camp.

Don’t miss the 2014 Novato Mothers Club Rummage Sale! This huge rummage sale takes place on Saturday, March 8, from 9 am to 3 pm. You can literally get everything you need for your family: cribs, strollers, children’s clothing, maternity wear, toys, books, shoes, nursing items, and more. It's a favorite shopping event for Marin families. There will also be a bake sale for goodies to munch while you shop.

The Novato Mothers Club Rummage Sale will take place at Novato's Downtown Recreation Center, located at 950 Seventh Street, off Grant Avenue, in downtown Novato (adjacent to the Novato Gymnastics Center). Admission to the rummage sale and parking are free. Cash only.

For a short, family friendly hike in southern Marin with amazing views, head to Tiburon and the Old St. Hilary's Open Space Preserve. It's a great outdoor outing for all ages, and there's plenty to see along the way, including wildflowers, wildlife, and breathtaking views, making it another of Marin County's outdoor gems.

Old St. Hilary's Open Space Preserve surrounds the namesake church, which is now administered by the Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society as a historical landmark. This rare Carpenter Gothic church was built in 1888 to serve Tiburon's Catholic railroad workers, and now serves as a venue for concerts, weddings, and special events. (Tiburon, despite its genteel image today, was at one time Marin's roughest, toughest industrial town, home to railyards, codfish canneries, and a US Navy coaling station.)

Marin Mommies presents a guest article from Stef Tousignant, founder of AskaNanny.com and the Great Baby Romp, which takes place in San Francisco's Presidio on March 8, 2014.

Does your baby take classes? This may be a surprising question but classes for babies are becoming more and more popular especially in San Francisco where we have over 100 programs to choose from!

You’ve heard classes might be great for early enrichment and even socialization, but why are these classes really so important? Isn’t going to the park and playing at home enough? Of course it is, but there are many added benefits to taking a class with your baby that make it a fun experience for you both!

1. Unplugged bonding time with your child—no phone, no laundry, no errand running, just one hour of time to be together. Even if the class consists of you sitting there with your baby on your lap and watching the other kids sing or bend into yoga poses your relationship will feel the benefits immediately.

At this time of year, my family and I love making a warm pot of comforting soup for dinner. The kids love chicken soup in all its forms, so I created this Mexican-inspired version of chicken and rice soup to mix things up a bit.

This definitely isn't your run-of-the-mill bowl of chicken soup—it's simple but delicious and everyone loved it. Filled with chicken, rice, and vegetables, you can also mix in garnishes to personalize your bowl.

While the "right" way to make this is probably to simmer a whole chicken for a long time, this weeknight one-pot-meal is easy and quick to put together with boneless skinless chicken breasts and good quality chicken broth.

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders (frozen is OK)
• 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup long grain white rice