One ideal tactic for savvy mompreneurs is to start on online business such as an e-commerce website. We asked mompreneur Kim Root, who runs the online Cottage Coastal Store, to tell us a little bit about her background and her business.
I am originally from the Boston area. I attended Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. I lived in Marblehead, Massachusetts (North Shore) for a number of years after college and have always loved the coast and its offerings. I spent many summers as a child at Nauset Beach on the Cape which lead me to want to open a small online coastal décor shop in 2006.

I can't think of anybody who doesn't love going out to breakfast. It's a road trip ritual as well as just the thing for a lazy weekend morning. Besides, pancakes and eggs and all those breakfast goodies always taste better at a great breakfast restaurant. So our question to Marin Mommies readers is: What's your favorite Marin County breakfast spot? Restaurants specializing in breakfast are everywhere, from the old standby chains like IHOP to local legends like the Dipsea Cafe. So which ones stand out about the rest?

Let us know your choice or choices for the best family breakfast places in Marin by leaving a comment here. You'll need to be a registered user to do so, and if you're not, register today for free. When we get enough suggestions we'll publish a list of everyone's favorites.

Friday, August 29

• Marin Shakespeare Company presents Much Ado About Nothing at 8 pm. Special event: Pay What You Will: donations of amount accepted at the door. Forest Meadows Amphitheatre at Dominican University of California, San Rafael. More information: www.marinshakespeare.org.

• Film Night in the Park will be showing Shaolin Soccer on Friday evening at 8 pm at Creek Park in San Anselmo. Suggested donation $6 for adults and $3 for children. For more info, go to www.filmnight.org. 

 

Saturday, August 30 

• The 56th annual Sausalito Art Festival takes place Labor Day Weekend on the Sausalito waterfront at the Bay Model Visitor Center and Marinship Park. Enjoy a wide selection of art and artists as well as fabulous live music. There will lots of children’s entertainment including Tim Cain and The Magic Family Cirucus show. Saturday hours are 9 am to 6 pm. Adults $20, seniors 62+ $10, juniors 6–12 $5, children under 6 free. 3-day pass is $30. Advance tickets: (866) 468-3399 or www.ticketweb.com. More information: (415) 331-3555 or www.sausalitoartfestival.org.

• Have you been looking to adopt a cat or dog into your family? Make sure you visit the Milo Foundation pet adoption event in San Rafael on Saturday August 30th from noon-4:00 pm. Pet adoption will take place in the big partking lot at 2060 Fourth Street in San Rafael. To see the animals attending, go to their website.

Congratulations to Cheryl K., who won the 2008–2009 BusyBodyBook organizer! We hope you get some good use out of it. It's a great product. Thanks to About Your Time, LLC, publisher of the BusyBodyBook for sponsoring this giveaway.

The 2008 California Standardized Testing (STAR 2008) scores are out. As usual, Marin County schools posted very high scores. Regardless of differing opinions about the worth of standardized tests, this still confirms that Marin schools are some of the best in the state, and are one of the reasons Marin County is such a great place for families. To see how your school stacks up, you can access test scores on the California STAR Program's website.

This weekend, step back in time aboard the Niña, an historically accurate recreation of the ship that accompanied Christopher Columbus on several of his voyages to the New World. The ship is a replica of a Caravel, a type of ship used by the Spanish and Portuguese during the Age of Discovery, and was hand-built in Brazil using 15th-century construction methods and launched in 1991, in time for the quincentennial of Columbus' 1492 voyage to the Americas. The Niña also starred in the Ridley Scott film 1492, which featured Gerard Depardieu as Columbus.

Many of us try to buy (and pay a premium for) organic food whenever possible, since it promises to be more healthy than the conventionally grown varieties. But what exactly does “organic” really mean? Many products bear the USDA organic seal, which has been in use since 2002. USDA regulations for organic production

• prohibit the use of irradiation, sewage sludge, or genetically modified organisms
• reflect National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendations for allowed synthetic and prohibited natural substances
• prohibit antibiotics in meat and poultry
• require 100% organic feed for livestock

The other day while shopping I ran across something that I hadn't seen for years: ice pop (AKA Popsicle) molds. I'm sure they've been around all the while; it's just that they hadn't exactly been on my radar until I had kids. Anyhow, I picked up a set and we've been experimenting with making different kinds of healthy and tasty frozen treats. We've tried the obvious fruit juice, as well as various flavors of yogurt.

Coincidentally, I found some recipes for frozen fruit ice pops on the Food Network's website. The recipes--for strawberry and blueberry fruit pops--involve whirring fresh fruit and various other ingredients together in the blender and then freezing in the molds. They sound pretty good, so we're going to give them a try.