Fairfax's Studio C Ballet now has a new location in Sausalito! The new studio is located at 10 Liberty Ship Way, Suite 340 (the home of the Stage Dor Dance Studio and the Don't Quit Your Day Job Dancers). Studio C's programs are based on the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum, which combines high-quality artistic training with the basics of dancer health and child development.

Offering professional ballet training for all ages and abilities, Studio C Ballet was founded by Marin mom and professional ballet dancer Claudia Alfieri-Wallace, a veteran of esteemed dance companies including San Francisco Ballet, Smuin Ballet, and Baryshnikov's American Ballet. Classes are available for all ages, from pre-ballet (ages 3–5) to adult instruction. Private ballet coaching is available as well.

Studio C Ballet also offers Ballerina Birthday Parties; contact Claudia directly for prices and availability at (415) 297-6897 or claudia@studiocballet.com.

Are your little swashbucklers interested in the sport of fencing? Are you, for that matter? Then stop by Marin Fencing Academy's Family Fencing Day this Sunday, October 21, from 1 to 3 pm.

Learn about the history of fencing, the health benefits, packages for companies and school groups, and other benefits of the sport. There will be a demonstration of electric foil and épée by Marin Fencing Academy students, both adults and children, and refreshments will be provided. All attendees will be eligible to win a free month of fencing classes and one private lesson, too!

Register for the open house online at mfademo.eventbrite.com, by email at info@marinfencing.com or by phone at (415) 454-1559.

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes and family dining ideas that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear. Check out Nicole's meal plan for this week.

This recipe takes traditional mac and cheese up a notch. This super cheesy rice and chicken will warm your family’s tummies on a cool fall night.

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine.

Servings: 4–6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 chicken cutlets (about ¾ pound)
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Managing sibling relationships can be one of parentings biggest challenges. If you're interesting in learning more about how to help your children become more cooperative, caring, and compassionate, the Parents Place in San Rafael is offering a one-evening course "Positive Sibling Relationships" for parents of children ages 2–10 on Monday, October 15, from 6:30–8:30 pm.

In this class, parents will explore this important relationship and discuss conflict, fairness, and sharing. This course is facilitated by parent educator and early childhood mental health consultant Bonnie Romanow. Bonnie is a Jane Nelsen-certified parent educator and a certified Waldorf early education teacher, and also serves as an early childhood mental health consultant in Marin and Sonoma counties, supporting parents and professionals in meeting the emotional needs of young children.

Bonnie’s parenting classes run the gamut—from positive discipline and anger management to raising daughters and spirited children. A former early childhood teacher and preschool director, Bonnie was the founding member of the Great Oaks School in the Chicago area. She also worked with teens in the Youth At-Risk community program.

Speak to Me, Marin's premiere series of intelligent, inspiring speaking events for women, presents "Mars and Venus Together Forever" a discussion with best-selling relationship author John Gray, Ph.D. on Tuesday, October 23, 2012, at 6:30 pm. One of the most trusted voices in relationships today, Gray is the author of 17 books, including Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, which was named one of the 10 most influential books of the last 25 years.

Fortunately we live in a time when men and women expect more from their lives than ever before. As a result, we demand more from our relationships, too. Dr. Gray famously opened our eyes and helped us understand the innate differences between the communication patterns of men and women in Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. Now that many of us have moved into a new stage in our romantic relationships, often with the added stresses of dual careers and parenting, Dr. Gray will share his unique insights on how we can better communicate with each other to foster long, healthy, and fulfilling relationships that will continue to flourish far into the future.

We're giving away two free tickets to this event to a lucky Marin Mommies reader! Simply send an email to contests@marinmommies.com with "Speak to Me" in the subject line by 11:59 pm PST on Friday, October 12, 2012. We'll choose a random winner on Saturday. Many thanks to Speak to Me for sponsoring this giveaway. Read our giveaway rules and conditions here.

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes and family dining ideas that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear. Check out Nicole's meal plan for this week.

This recipe is finger licking good. With no carbs, it packs a punch with standout flavors in a neat package. I used the vegetables I had on hand for the lettuce cups, but you can use what you happen to have. For the steak, I used the the hanger cut which is juicy and intensely flavorful, but a flank steak would work just as well. If you wanted it to be vegetarian, you could also substitute baked tofu.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

It's always been a challenge to find good BBQ in the Bay Area, let alone Marin County, but we're happy to see that the situation is changing. The newest contender for local BBQ top dog is Best Lil' Porkhouse, which serves up traditional BBQ favorites from its location on San Rafael's Miracle Mile.

On our recent visit, we were pleasantly surprised by how good everything was—not that we expected anything to be bad, but because the food seemed to be made with extra care and attention to detail. The restaurant itself is really small, with only three tables in the tiny dining area. It looks like they're expanding to the space next door, but until then you might want to either get there early or get your order to go, which seems to be a popular option. There's table out on the sidewalk for outdoor dining, too.

The Porkhouse is decorated in a cowboy theme, and feels like a roadhouse somewhere in the South. Each table has its own roll of paper towels and squeeze bottles with two kinds of house-made BBQ sauces, as well as a selection of hot sauces.

Order at the counter and the staff will bring out your food. The Porkhouse offers platters and sandwiches, each of which are accompanied by a variety of homemade sides. Smoked meats are the real BBQ deal here, and are served with a small amount of sauce—you can add more if you like.

Bloomfield Farms, a family farm located west of Petaluma, is a fantastic place to spend a day on the farm picking your own certified organic produce. But there are even more reasons to come out this fall with guest appearances by renowned local chefs who will be creating delicious and fresh family friendly fare using veggies from the farm and nearby producers.

Stop by the farm, dine on some fantastic food, and then go out in the fields and fill a box of fresh produce to take home. U-pick at Bloomfield Farms takes place Sundays, through November 4, from 10 am to 3 pm.

• This Sunday, October 7, locavore chef Brandon Guenther of the acclaimed Rocker Oysterfeller's in nearby Valley Ford presents a Table to Farm picnic, it's another pay-what-you can-dining event.
• The pay-what-you-can Farm Fun Brunch with Chef John Lyle and Hardcore Farm to Face returns on October 14, 21, and November 4.
• Paella expert, locavore, and food forager Gerard Nebesky of Gerard's Paella (and winner of the Food Network paella throwdown against Bobby Flay) will make an appearance on October 28; cost TBD.

Marin Mommies presents a guest article by Marin interior designer Hilary Sessions of Quarry Hill Design.

The kids are finally back in school and fall is here. Leaves, pumpkins, football and little ghosts and goblins will soon appear. This is a great time to spruce up your home for entertaining friends and family.

I often work with clients to see how we can make their homes more livable. Sometimes it is as simple as purging, organizing and reconfiguring furnishings. I recommend investing in good storage solutions, quality furnishings and well-edited accessories to complete the look. Here are a few ways to make your space feel more like home.

A set of matching baskets or storage bins is a great way to manage clutter.

Marin Mommies presents another guest article by Marin Mom and writer Gabrielle Cullen.

Marin County will roll out the red carpet for the 35th Mill Valley Film Festival from October 4–14, 2012, and what better way to get a little glamour than to enjoy the fest as a fam? Introduce the little ones to films they’ll never normally see on the big screen, have a rocking good time at a Bollywood party and watch your budding Pixar illustrator work magic at an animation workshop. Here’s an inside guide to what may be one of the most unique kids events all year.

Don’t be Late: The Children’s FilmFest runs the length of the entire festival, from October 4–14 in and around Marin County. Locations for the kids film festival include the Christopher B. Smith Film Center, 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Intel Computer Clubhouse and others. Check out the website for more info.