Mother's Day

Brunch is a popular option for celebrating Mother’s Day. Here are a few unique options that are family friendly:

• The Club at McInnis Park hosts a Mother's Day brunch buffet from 10 am to 2 pm. Enjoy brunch right on the golf course and then play a game or some mini golf. The menu includes eggs benedict, eggs Florentine with smoked salmon, waffles, French toast, omelette station, carving station, salads, and desserts. The cost is $29.95; children 10 and under are $14.95. They are located at 350 Smith Ranch Road; (415) 491-5959.
• Deer Park Villa in Fairfax has a Mother's Day brunch buffet from 10 am to 3 pm. The buffet includes eggs benedict, honey-baked ham, salmon, chicken and crepes, salads, fruit, pastries, and desserts. The cost is $29.95 for adults, $14.95 for children between 6 to 12, and $7.95 for toddlers ages 3 to 5. Call (415) 456-8084 for reservations.
• Cacti in Novato offers a Mother's Day brunch from 10:30 am to 2 pm, featuring complimentary champagne for all mothers, eggs benedict, roast beef hash with scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, filet mignon enchiladas, BBQ tri tip, and more. Cost: $26.95. Reservations: (415) 898-2234.
• Mountain Home Inn is having a Mother's Day Sunday brunch from 11:30 am  to 3 pm. The three-course brunch includes champagne mimosas, spring pea soup, vegtable fritatta, BBQ chicken, and strawberry shortcake. The cost is $34 for adults and $20 for children under if they eat from the Mother's Day menu (otherwise kids can order from the regular children's menu, $4–$9).The Mountain Home Inn is located at 810 Panoramic Highway and the phone numer is (415) 381-9000. Reservations advised.
• Rancho Nicasio on the Nicasio Town Square is having a Mother's Day brunch buffet from 10 am to 3 pm.  Some of the dishes offered include poached coho salmon with champagne sauce, roast beef, baked Petaluma ham, potato latkes with sour cream and applesauce, and locally grown vegetables. Adults $26.95, seniors 65+ $22.95; children under 10 $14.95. For more info and reservations call (415) 662-2219.
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Looking for a fun, educational, and—best of all—free outing for Mother's Day? Koret Museum Days may be what you're looking for! On Mother's Day, this Sunday, May 10, the Koret Foundation celebrates its 30th anniversary by providing free general admission at nearly every museum in the Bay Area. Sounds like a great outing for mom and the whole family, and you can't beat the price. Seventeen museums will participate in the 2009 Koret Museum Day, so you'll definitely find something that everyone likes. From art to science to space to animals—it's all covered.

Participating museums include the de Young Museum, the Legion of Honor, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Zoo, the Bay Area Discovery Museum, the Oakland Museum of California, Lawrence Hall of Science, the Exploratorium, the Asian Art Museum, and more.

For more information on Koret Museum days and a full list of participating museums, visit www.koretmuseumdays.org. There's even a free e-card you can send to invite your mom (or to send to your family members to give them a hint).

I think all mothers, especially those with daughters, will agree that there's something extremely special about the mother-daughter bond. That is the premise for a new book of essays on the subject titled Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond. Because I Love Her was edited by Marin mom and writer Nicki Richesin, and includes short pieces by authors including Joyce Maynard, Sheila Kohler, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Ericka Lutz, and others.

The essays are in turns poignant, profound, funny, uplifting, and comforting. They're all short, and it's the perfect volume for a busy mom to pick up during one of her all-too-rare breaks and take in a story or two. Many of the works included in Because I Love Her remind me of my relationship growing up (and to this day) with my mother, and of course make me consider my relationship with my own 3-year-old daughter and how it will evolve over time.

Marin Mommies is pleased to present a guest article by Vijaya Jhothi, owner of Safronya Retreat spa in San Rafael, which specializes in the ancient healing art of Ayurveda, and Kara Lukowski, CAS (certified Ayurvedic Practitioner). In honor of Mother's Day, they explore the relationship between mothers, the earth, Ayurveda. Check out their Mother's Day specials, too. We'll be listing more Mother's Day specials from spas around Marin and the North Bay.

As mother’s day is approaching, it is timely to reflect on how Ayurveda honors mothers, and how it relates to the elements of nature, particularly the earth element. Intrinsically, all mothers inherit a quality similar to earth, in that they are rooted in stability, a grounded solidity, and from her core mom gives birth to new branches of life which she feeds from her breast, protects with her love, and nourishes with her soul. Just like the earth we see around us, supporting and holding us, mother is the sustainer—the glue that keeps it all together. Sometimes, with our hurried and scattered lives we need reminders to feel our feet on the ground and connect to this rich earth, either by calling home to talk to mom or just going barefoot in the grass.  And that is where Ayurveda is a tremendously generous science that us helps balance these elements (also water, fire, air, and ether) when our bodies and minds need them. read more »

Mother’s Day is around the corner, and it’s never too early to start thinking about the perfect gift for the moms in your life (which can include yourself, of course).  I like to get gifts that that involve my children. One of my wish list items this year is a piece of custom photo jewelry by mom-owned tj & co. You send them your favorite photos and they seal them into a sterling silver pendant for a necklace or bracelet.
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