4th of July

Your kids can show off their patriotic pride this 4th of July with one of these baker's clay jewelry pieces that they made themselves (with an adult's supervision, of course). They're easy to make, and the basic baker's clay recipe can be used for all sorts of crafts throughout the year.

Here's what you'll need for the baker's clay:

• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water

Mix together all these ingredients. If the dough is too sticky, add additional flour a litttle at a time. You want a mixture that's smooth and pliable, like clay. Don't add too much flour or your creation might crack.

You'll also need:

• Red, white, and blue craft paints
• Bar pins

For families with young children, the ritual of watching 4th of July fireworks becomes a little, well, inconvenient. Babies and toddlers are often scared of the noise (if you're close enough to hear, that is), and most kids are up way past their bedtime. It's even worse if you decide to wake them out of a deep sleep in time to see the fireworks (trust me, I've been there). Nothing's quite as crabby and grumpy as an overtired child, no matter how great the promised fireworks are.

With this in mind, we've sought out places to watch the fireworks at the Marin County Fair that don't involve leaving the car while little ones can doze in peace. The Marin County Fair's fireworks used to be kind of weak, but the last few displays we've seen have been really impressive, and they promise to be bigger than ever this year. Obviously you can just pay your $16 and go to the fair, but again, if you've got two sleeping children in the car, this isn't really going to work. Neither is driving over near the fair—it's hard to see anything from the area along Civic Center Drive, and the resulting post-fireworks gridlock around the fairgrounds is totally miserable.

Marin Mommies is happy to present another great guest article by Marin mom and financial planner Katy Song, CFP®.

Independence Day brings all things red, white and blue, parades, barbeques and most importantly… a day off from work! While I love the work I do, it is always nice to have an extra day off and enjoy the energy of July 4th. As most of us learned in grade school, Independence Day commemorates the day we declared our independence from Great Britain with the goal of creating the “land of the free”. This got me thinking about the meaning of financial freedom and how to achieve it.

Whether you have a huge investment portfolio or are in debt, most people claim to want “financial freedom” in their lives. I certainly do!

My definition of financial freedom has two parts. First, it means knowing my overall financial position and the impact of all my financial decisions on reaching my goals. These goals range from having a sufficient emergency fund and saving for a month in France next summer to having money for my children’s education and affording a comfortable retirement. Second, it is the ability to work for myself (not being tied to a 9-5 job), and thus spending lots of quality time with my family.

It’s time again for the Marin County Fair at the Marin County Fairgrounds in San Rafael. This theme for this 64th fair is "Cool Green Fun." Highlights include a solar powered carousel and stage, the Big Green Magic Show by Steve Trash, science fun and education with Wizard's Challenge, recycled arts and crafts, an electric car display, and more!

Of course there are also the more traditional fair offerings like farm animals and Hambone Express pig racing in the barnyard, 28 free (with fair admission) carnival rides, the 20th annual Creatures and Models exhibit, concerts, fine arts, and of course the nightly fireworks display.

This year's Marin County Fair runs from Wednesday, July 1 through Sunday, July 5, 11 am to 11 pm daily.

Happy 4th of July! Here's a another great kid-friendly recipe from What's Cooking's Michelle Stern, perfect for your Independence Day barbecue or any other day, for that matter. What's Cooking offers cooking classes, parties, and gifts for children and families. Visit What's Cooking at www.whatscooking.info.

BBQ Drumsticks with Brown-Sugar Sauce

My husband is my best critic in the kitchen - he loves bold flavors and raved about this sauce. We used Trader Joe's organic ketchup which doesn't include any high fructose corn syrup--I think it made all the difference.

1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs cider vinegar
3 pounds chicken legs
salt and pepper to taste

With the 4th nearing and the kids out of school and at home, the age-old question of “What to do?” gets asked more frequently. FamilyFun.com, the website for Family Fun magazine, has a wealth of great ideas for seasonal family activities. Among their offerings for the 4th of July are craft ideas, including festive fans, Fouth of July twirlers and liberty shakers; patriotic games including the egg and spoon race and popcorn relay; 4th of July parade-wear suggestions; and picnic recipe ideas. Some of the recipes include are frozen yogurt pops, frozen Uncle Sams, pineapple coconut sherbet, and kids' strawberry daiquiris to name a few.