One of San Francisco Bay's most prominent landmarks, Angel Island played a considerable role in the history of California and is now one of the region's favorite spots for hikers, bicyclists, tourists, and anyone who just wants to get away from the busy life on the mainland. It's a great place for a family day trip, with plenty of opportunities to picnic, hike, learn, and just take in the surrounding natural beauty.

We took the kids (2 and 5) on the ferry to Angel Island last week, and they had a great time. My son was so excited to take the ferry ride over there. Everyone had a great time riding on the top of the boat and looking around at the water and all the passing boats. The ferry ride over there is very quick and painless. We stopped at the cafe for some ice cream cones, which were very good and worth the purchase. I recommend bringing a picnic, a blanket, and some sand toys. There's a neat little beach for the kids to play in the sand and kick around in the water.

I love taking photos--lots of photos--of my kids. I never really get a chance to show off my photos, because they are all stored on the computer in iPhoto. When my son was born, I, like a lot of new moms, got sucked in to the world of scrapbooking… Hundreds of dollars and two years later I was still trying to put my son’s first-year book together. My closet had become a veritable scrapbooking arsenal, full of paper of every color and pattern, ribbons, embellishments such as labels and metal tags, stamps, ink, and  cutting devices. I felt a little overwhelmed with the whole process. My husband, web designer that he is, suggested that I put together a digital scrapbook. A friend of mine also had shown me a digital scrapbook she put together online at Shutterfly, and I have to say that I was really impressed.

Friday, September 5

• 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.

• Marin Kids Consignment will be having a  sale at Playtime Safari from 5 to 8 pm. Get some gently used clothing for the kids for the perfect price. Bring the kids while you shop for some play and a movie. The Little Mermaid will be showing at 5:10 pm. There is never an entrance fee to shop. There is a $5 entrance fee to bring your kids to play at Playtime Safari, watch the movie, and eat the snacks provided. For more info, go to www.marinkidsconsignment.com. Playtime Safari is located at 5470 Nave Drive in Novato.

School’s back in session and the search is on for easy, tasty, and above all healthy lunchbox and after school treats. Parents Magazine recently spotlighted 8 kid-friendly “power snacks” incuding:

• Veggie Dip: Slice fresh vegetables into thin strips, and serve with hummus.
• Turkey Tortilla: Place deli turkey, low-fat mozzarella, and lettuce on a whole wheat tortilla. Roll tightly, seal, and refrigerate. Cut into 1-inch slices.
• Sweet Smoothie: Blend a banana with one cup nonfat milk and two tablespoons Ovaltine. You can add variety by mixing in other fruits, yogurt, and peanut butter.
• Yummy Yogurt: Mix low-fat vanilla yogurt with low-fat granola and dried cranberries.

To see all 8 yummy power snacks, visit Parents Magazine’s website.

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.