Our advertiser Stephanie Mohan of Creative Portraiture is offering an annual Spring Portrait Special for 2010! Between Sunday, February 28 and Saturday, March 2, she's offering a special $50 sitting fee and 50% off print prices (if ordered by March 20).

Also, if you refer a new client who books a sitting, you are eligible for a drawing for a free sitting and 11x14 print, a $450 value.

For more information, to see more examples of her work or to book a 20-minute appointment call Stephanie at (415) 454-2102 or visit www.creativeportraiture.com.

We think that Stephanie does some of the nicest family photography out there, so take a look.

Over the past few weeks we've noticed that our 4-year-old seems to have outgrown her car seat. She still fits it, but the straps are getting tighter and harder to adjust, and as a fairly tall kid she's looking a little silly in the car seat.

We've been using Britax Marathon car seats for both children. They're expensive, but we definitely got our money's worth out of them, and they can be used for kids up to 65 pounds. They're also easy to install, which is a big plus, given that it's estimated that 80–90% of all car seats are improperly installed, which definitely has an impact on their ability to a child safe in a collision.

February means that Valentine's Day is coming up, and along with it the classroom ritual of exchanging Valentine's Day cards. Since most of us are budget minded these days, you'll probably appreciate the free Valentine's Day cards available at numerous places online, especially since Valentine's Day often seems to be one of those holidays that exists mainly to suck your money right out of your wallet. Simply select the one your children want, download, and print. Pretty nifty.

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 beyond in our new Family Events Calendar.

Saturday, February 6

• Bring the kids to the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s World On Stage Ethnic Performance Series 2010 and see Sanhiti this Saturday at 11 am. India is a land of myths and legends, which are told through richly staged performances. Blending traditional and folk traditions, Sanhiti explores the rich diversity of South Indian dance. Members $7 and general child $12; general adult $14 (includes museum admission).. For more info, go to www.badm.org.
• Bring the whole family to celebrate the new Crissy Field Center's Grand Green Opening on Saturday 11 am–3 pm. See green technology in action while enjoying music from the Banana Slug String Band, experience the Japanese folk drumming delights of Ensohza, and groove to fresh beats from DJ Baltazar of bay area radio fame. Stay for site tours, and family-friendly activities that demonstrate some of the building's cool sustainability features. Plus tastings from the Beach Hut menu and Eco-goodie give aways make it a fun-filled day for the whole family. This event is free and for all ages! No RSVP necessary. Crissy Field Center's interim facility is located along the East Beach of Crissy Field near the Marina Gate entrance to the Presidio.For more info, go to their website. 
• Free card-making workshop at the San Rafael Public Library on Saturday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Collage artist Annie Fogarty will provide hands-on instruction so that participants can create their own original cards, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Fogarty will provide a variety of papers, decorative embellishments, found objects, and re-purposed ephemera in a light-hearted approach to the art of collage. Participants are also encouraged bring their own creative materials. For more information or to make a reservation, call 458-2389. Location: San Rafael Public Library, 1100 E Street in San Rafael.
• The Children's Theatre Association presents the classic tale, Beauty and the Beast at the Legion of Honor this Saturday with two shows: 10:30 am and 1 pm. Beauty and the Beast tells the story of an arrogant prince who, after denying shelter to an old woman, is turned into a beast following her curse. For ages 4–12. Tickets: members $10; non-members $12. The Legion of Honor is located at 34th Ave and Clement Lincoln Park in San Francisco. For more info, go to www.ctasf.com.
• The Marin Humane Society will be having pet adoptions on Saturday from noon to 3 pm in Downtown Mill Valley . For information about available adoption animals, call (415) 506-6225 or go to www.marinhumanesociety.org.
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Marin mom and entrepreneur Marjun Biernath looked back to her native Germany when trying to find a business niche here in the US. She imports unique, handmade, and educational Kumquats puppets from Europe to sell to lucky families in both the Bay Area and throughout the country.

We asked Marjun to answer a few questions about herself, her family, her business, and Kumquats. You can learn more about Marjun and the complete line of Kumquats puppets by visiting www.kumquats-usa.com.

The Marin Music Chest has launched its annual scholarship audition program in its ongoing effort to provide financial support to Marin County students studying classical music. Students studying wind and string instruments, piano and voice are encouraged to appl, and all scholarship applicants must be residents of Marin County for a minimum of two years and have at least two years of music study prior to the audition.

Junior Division instrumentalists must be between 10 and 13 years old and vocalists between 14 and 16. The Junior Division application deadline is February 12, 2010, and auditions will be held March 13, 2010. Senior Division instrumentalists must be between 14 and 19 years of age and vocalists between 17 and 24. The Senior Division application deadline is February 26, 2010 and auditions will be held on March 27, 2010.

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This just in: Famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow, meaning that there will be six more weeks of winter. However, alternate groundhogs, such as Atlanta's General Beauregard Lee have predicted an early spring, so we're not sure what to believe. Groundhog Day has always been America's most underappreciated holiday, but not in our house! Our kids saw it on the calendar and have been eagerly anticipating the great day for weeks.

Apparently Groundhog Day is derived from an old German superstition brought to America by early immigrants. The groundhog (Marmota monax) is a large rodent common in central and eastern North America. We don't see groundhogs out here, but we have a close relative, the marmot, which lives in the Sierras. There aren't any groundhogs in Germany, either, but marmots are common in alpine areas, so perhaps that's the original groundhog.

Groundhog weather prediction accuracy has been estimated at 75–90%, although less optimistic sources put the overall reliability at 39%. Still, not bad for a rodent.