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Just because you're a stay-at-home mom doesn't mean you can't take charge of you and your family's financial security. In this guest article, Mill Valley mom and Certified Financial Planner™ Katy Song offers some financial tips to help stay-at-home moms take action and make a difference.

Women have different reasons for choosing to stay at home to take care of their children. Some mothers have always envisioned staying at home with the kids, while others might not make enough to cover the cost of childcare. No matter the reason, there are five important steps that every stay-at-home mom (SAHM) can take to protect her and her family’s financial security.

1. Value Yourself—Most moms would argue that staying home to raise the kids is the toughest job in the world. According to Salary.com, the average SAHM works 96 hours per week; if you valued this work as a care provider, teacher, driver, housekeeper and psychologist, it would add up to over $145,000 per year in Marin. So do not underestimate your value just because you’re not bringing in a paycheck each week. Valuing your role in the family should translate into having an equal say in financial matters.
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Don’t miss this year’s Novato Mothers Club Kids’ Rummage Sale this Saturday, March 13 from 9 am to 3 pm. The half-off sale starts at 2 pm. You can literally get everything you need for your family: cribs, strollers, children’s clothing, maternity wear, toys, shoes, nursing items, and more. The NMC Rummage Sale will take place at the Novato Teen Center at 950 Seventh Street off of Grant Avenue in downtown Novato (attached to the Novato Gymnastics Center).

I volunteer for this event every year and always come home with a bunch of toys and clothes for the kids. It’s really a great sale that offers bargain prices on a lot of things (many of them barely used). To get the best picks, try to get there when they first open on Saturday, because the good stuff goes quickly.

The Ark Row Center for Enrichment is now open in Tiburon! Owner Robin Briskin has been an educator since 1974 and has opened the center with the whole community in mind, offering a wide variety of classes and programs for children, adults, and seniors.

Programs for children include Two’s Together, a preschool prep class; messy fun with Mush & Gush for ages 2 to 4; yoga for kids of all ages; and Princess Ballet for ages 3 to 5. Classes for parents include pre- and post-natal yoga; Mommies Meeting Mommies, a great get-together for moms and children; and Mama Sings, where pregnant mommies can learn to sing to their unborn children. The center will offer a series of sample classes during its March open houses on Saturday, March 13, 20, and 27 from 10 am to 2 pm. Sample classes include Family Yoga, Dance Jam for Kids, Recycled Art for the Family, and Family Theater.
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Easter is going to be here soon, and it always feels like we participate in at least half a dozen Easter egg hunts. This is probably because we actually do! Since it's a special occasion, I've made sure the children have nice, quality Easter baskets that they can use for a few years, and perhaps even keep as mementos of their childhoods. I really love the stuff offered by Pottery Barn Kids, (and who doesn't?), but I don’t always love the price tag that comes with it.

The other day, quite coincidentally, I received both the Pottery Barn Kids and the Lillian Vernon catalogues in the mail and noticed that they both offered very similar personalized Easter baskets at very different prices.

Marin mom Tina Fredericks, a culinary baker and certified pastry chef, has created a career for herself with Little Piggy Cupcakes, a business that supplies the tasty treats for birthday parties, baby showers, weddings and other events. You can purchase cupcakes, try a free sample, and meet Chef Tina at the Little Piggy Cupcakes booth at the Marin County Farmer's Market at the Civic Center in San Rafael (Sundays, 8 am to 1 pm). For more information, visit www.littlepiggycupcakes.com or call (415) 572-3483.

Anyone who loves stickers, knows about Mrs. Grossman’s Sticker Factory. Located just north of Marin in Petaluma, I’ve been wanting to take my kids on their famous factory tour so we can see how their stickers are made.

This family-owned company is a must-visit place for families in the Bay Area. For $3 per person, you get a guided tour, a goody bag of stickers, and more. Tours are held Monday through Thursday by reservation only. You can give them a call at (800) 429-4549 to schedule a tour. Tours last about an hour.
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Right around Valentine’s Day, I always make a special stop at perrenial favorite See’s Candy to pick up some of their marshmallow-caramel hearts for the kids. If you want to get out there now beat the rush, here are some places to pick up some sweet treats for your Valentines:

See’s Candy

See’s is the old California candy standby, with several locations in Marin. Their traditional stores haven’t changed in years, and they often hand out free samples, too. Their candy is definitely a few notches above your garden variety supermarket boxed chocolates.

Sees is also a great place to pick up your chocolate bunnies and other Easter candy. All their locations are open Monday through Friday 10 am–9 pm and 11 am to 6 pm on weekends. The long-standing location on Fourth Street in San Rafael is closed, but there are plenty of other locations in the county to choose from.

• The Mall at Northgate, San Rafael, (415) 491-9729
• Town Center Corte Madera, (415) 927-4430
• Vintage Oaks Shopping Center, Novato, next to Jennie Low’s Chinese restaurant, (415) 892-0381

Our advertiser Stephanie Mohan of Creative Portraiture is offering an annual Spring Portrait Special for 2010! Between Sunday, February 28 and Saturday, March 6, 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.