Larkspur

Marin’s newest spot for fun and games, Toy Crazy, will open in mid May. Located at Marin Country Mart, the shop will offer a wide variety of toys from dress up to board games, dolls and more. Marin Mommies contributor Gabrielle Cullen sat down with owner Melissa Moore to find out a little bit about what makes her tick, inside tips on the best items for folks check out and other great info about Toy Crazy.

How did you end up as the owner of toy stores?

When I was in high school my father’s colleagues wife owned a local toy store. She offered me a job and I continued through college. On school breaks I’d work there. When I graduated I was offered the management job at Toy Attic, and I was hesitant but after a not-so-fabulous experience in the industry I had hoped to work in, I asked the owner if she would ever be interested in selling. She agreed and I managed with the intent to buy. It worked about beautifully for everyone.

Marin Mommies presents a guest article from Cindy Winter of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC).

For the past 15 years, Marin parents and civic leaders have worked to create safe pathways and road crossings that encourage walking and cycling to school, short-distance errands, and recreation. We’ve seen astounding progress in the numbers of kids transporting themselves safely, healthily, and happily. But now, there’s a problem.

Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) has nearly completed its plans to widen Highway 101 from Corte Madera Creek to a short distance south of Wornum Drive. The project is needed to resolve the difficult merging of traffic lanes, both north and south. However, as part of their plans, the pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the freeway from Fifer Avenue to Industrial Way will be torn down and not replaced.

Get rid of those old Halloween costumes and find "new" ones at the Marin Costume Swap and Green Halloween Celebration, this Saturday, October 6. Presented by EcoMom Alliance, this fun-filled day encouraging a healthy Halloween season takes place from 9 am to 2 pm at Marin Country Mart in Larkspur Landing.

The event features music by family entertainers Ali Weiss and Warren Mann, organic and GMO-free treats (take home your favorite samples!), a special talk by the Center for Food Safety’s Rebecca Spector, and of course a costume swap celebration.

What is a costume swap, exactly? It's when you bring in your child's costume from last year and trade it in for a "new-to-you" costume. Reduce, reuse, recycle—and keep those old costumes out of the landfill!

Don't you sometimes wish you could have the perfect cookie, made just for and served fresh out of the oven? Well you can do just that at Modern Cookie Co., Marin's new cookie bakery that recently opened in downtown Larkspur.

Modern Cookie specializes in hot, made-to-order cookies fresh from the oven. It works like this: choose your favorite cookie dough, select mix-ins—like house-made mini marshmallows, nuts, dried fruit, mini peanut butter cups, and chocolate chips, and add a finish such as a drizzle of honey, frosting, or fudge. They'll put it all together for you and bake it up. If pre-made cookies are more your thing, you can choose from a variety of cookies and cookies bars in their display case. They also make ice cream sandwiches using organic Three Twins ice cream.

Calling all young filmmakers ages 10 to 18: Larkspur's Lark Theater has announced a call for entries for its 7th Annual Youth Film Festival. Local youth can express their creativity and filmmaking skills and share their stories, and selected young filmmakers will have a chance to see their creations on the big screen!

Films may be in one of four different categories—narrative, documentary, music, or green theme—in either 10–13 or 14–18 age groups.

Short films (under 11 minutes long) should be submitted on DVD or in Quicktime (.mov) format by March 9, 2012. The 2012 Youth Film Festival will be held on April 29, 2012, and will showcase films selected for the festival by a jury of industry professionals. In addition to the screenings, the festival program also includes an awards ceremony and a youth filmmaker Q&A.

If you still need to shop for those Christmas dinner groceries, you can pay a visit to two Marin County farmer's markets today. The Marinwood Community Farmers Market and the Marin Country Mart Farmers Market are both open on Christmas Eve from 9 am to 2 pm.

Find fresh produce, bread, meats, eggs, seafood, flowers, and more. While you're there, pick up a cup of freshly brewed coffee or even lunch. The Marin Country Mart Farmers Market has kids' entertainment from musician Christopher Smith and Scott the Storyteller, and if you shop at the Marinwood Community Farmers Market today you'll get a free gift (supplies limited).

The Marinwood Community Farmers Market takes place in Marinwood, located between San Rafael and Novato, at Marinwood Avenue and Miller Creek Road. You'll find the Marin Country Mart Farmers Market at the Marin Country Mart (formerly Larkspur Landing), at 2257 Larkspur Landing Circle in Larkspur.

Join Dr. Lisa Brent on the second Tuesday of each month for discussions that focus on the most relevant health issues for women today. These one-hour classes will include a lecture, hand-outs and time for questions. Classes begin at 6 pm and take place at the Marin Natural Medicine Clinic, located at 265 Magnolia Avenue, Suite 201, in Larkspur. RSVP to (415) 945-3213 or drbrent@marinnaturalmedicine.com.

Dr. Lisa Brent is a naturopathic doctor, licensed acupuncturist, and Marin mom who specializes in natural gynecology and women’s health at Marin Natural Medicine Clinic. She has more than ten years of experience providing holistic gynecological care, fertility enhancement and hormonal support for women in all stages of their reproductive lives.

Topics for this series include:

• October 11—Natural Approaches to Fertility Enhancement
• November 8—PMS and Painful Periods: Alternatives to Medication
• December 13—A Holistic Approach to a Healthy Menopause
• January 10, 2012—Weight Loss and the HCG Diet

The Fratello Marioettes return to the Larkspur Library with their exciting holiday show The North Pole Review! This fun free family performance takes place on Monday, December 20 at 4 pm. This puppet extravaganza features a juggling penguin, a Brazilian ice-skating snowman, the Hawaiian singing sensation the Hi-Fi Sisters, and more.

We attended the show last year, where the audience ranged from babies to grade school aged children, and everyone had a great time. The show got pretty crowded, though, which is probably why you need to call the Larkspur Library this year at (415) 927-5005 to reserve your space. You'll be glad you did!

The Larkspur Library is located in downtown Larkspur at 400 Magnolia Avenue. For more information or to RSVP for the show, call (415) 927-5005. You can also visit them online at www.larkspurlibrary.org.

This summer the Lark Theater in historic downtown Larkspur presents Family Film Fridays from June 25 to August 13. Every Friday at 10 am take in a different family friendly film. Admission is only $1 for children under $13 and $5 for everyone else.

This summer's schedule features:

• June 25: Ice Age (PG)
• July 9: Horton Hears a Who (G)
• July 16: Lassie (1994, PG)
• July 23: Robots (PG)
• July 30: Astro Boy (PG)
• August 6: Ice Age 2 (PG)
• August 13: Madagascar (PG)