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Congratulations to Our Holiday Teddy Bear/Magic Toy Box Tea at Falkirk Winner!

Congratulations to Michelle B., winner of the 2 tickets to this weekend's Teddy Bear/Magic Toy Box Tea at San Rafael's Falkirk Cultural Center. The Teddy Bear/Magic Toy Box Tea is an old-fashioned teddy bear tour de force in the elegant Queen Anne Victorian Falkirk Mansion. Homemade tea sandwiches and sweets are served, along with tea, hot chocolate, and other beverages. Kids ages 3 and up, their favorite teddy bears or other life-like toys, and even a parent or grandparent will experience a holiday treat to remember

Many thanks to the Falkirk Cultural Center for their generous sponsorship of this giveaway. To find out more about this event and to order tickets, visit www.falkirkculturalcenter.org or by calling 1(800) 838-3006.

Holiday Gift Guide: Aquasaurs

Uncle Milton Deluxe Aquasaurs KitHow'd you like to have your very own dinosaur? Sounds neat, until you start thinking about all the details, not the least of which is that it's totally impossible, since dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. There is a way to have your own prehistoric pet, though, with Aquasaurs!

What are Aquasaurs? They're a commercial name for a water-dwelling creature with three eyes called a triops or tadpole shrimp (Triops longicaudatus). Triops have been around since the Devonian period, roughly 350 million years ago, and are still going strong in vernal pools and seasonal ponds in North America.

A Family that Eats Together: Tortilla Soup

Tortilla soupMarin 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 that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear.

Nicole's meal plan for this week features roast chicken and vegetables, grilled filet mignon with caramelized shallot popovers and green beans, cumin crusted chicken with cotija and mango-garlic sauce, quick and easy farfalle with tomatoes and pancetta, and this simple and tasty tortilla soup.

Servings: 8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Win Tickets to A Holiday Teddy Bear/Magic Toy Box Tea at Falkirk

Teddy Bear Tea at FalkirkWe are giving away 2 tickets (for 1 adult and 1 child) to next weekend's Teddy Bear/Magic Toy Box Tea at San Rafael's Falkirk Cultural Center. Kids ages 3 and up, their favorite teddy bears or other life-like toys, and even a parent or grandparent will experience a holiday treat to remember! The Teddy Bear/Magic Toy Box Tea is an old-fashioned teddy bear tour de force in the elegant Queen Anne Victorian Falkirk Mansion. Homemade tea sandwiches and sweets are served, along with tea, hot chocolate, and other beverages.

Features include life-sized toys, a raffle, and plenty of photo opportunities with bears and friends. The Teddy Bear/Magic Toy Box Tea is hosted by the Cultural Affairs Service League.

The Teddy Bear/Magic Toy Box Tea takes place on December 10 and 11 with two seatings each day, at noon and 3 pm. The cost is $27.50 for adults and $22.50 for children. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1(800) 838-3006 or online here. There are

Coping Tips for a Light and Bright Holiday Season- Spencer Jacobs M.F.T

Marin Mommies presents a guest article by Marin mom and Marriage and Family Therapist Spencer Jacobs.

For many of you the mere mention of THE HOLIDAY SEASON is too much too soon. This season is full of meaning for our culture and holds a wide spectrum of traditions, memories and images for each individual. It can stir up emotions and issues for many of us- even those of us who LOVE the holidays. We’ve all seen countless movies illuminating the highs and lows of Christmas but the expectations of this season can create discomforts that are very real. The bright side is many of these issues can be helped with insight, planning and support. We cannot always control the effects of stress or even it’s root cause, but we can take steps to reduce the impact of stress before it de-rails us and the ones we love most.

Here are a few tips to keep you and your family light and bright this holiday season:

  • Consider your history with the holidays. Do you find yourself feeling low every year at a certain day or time? Will this be the first holiday since the loss of a loved one? Does an annual event leave you rattled each year? Alter traditions that leave you feeling low or stressed. Add new rituals that support your current life and do your best to avoid events that don’t make you feel good.

Celebrate Christmas Victorian Style at Falkirk (and Win Tickets!)

Falkirk Victorian ChristmasCelebrate Christmas in Victorian style this Friday at San Rafael's Falkirk Cultural Center. Join Charles Dickens, his family, and a cast of colorful 19th-century characters for a joyous evening of Victorian revelry at the elegant Falkirk Mansion.

Partake in a holiday treat as you go back in time to Victorian England and meet Dickens himself, listen to him read from his famous works like A Christmas Carol, watch his characters come alive (watch out for Scrooge), meet and greet the true Father Christmas, play Victorian parlor games, dance and sing with a Victorian family, and make traditional holiday crafts. Light food and drink will be served.

This is a family event takes place on Friday, December 2 from 6:30–9 pm. Tickets to the Dickens Family Victorian Holiday are $10 for adults and $7 for children. You can order tickets by phone at (800) 838-3006 or online at brownpapertickets.com.

A Family that Eats Together: Lamb Biryani with Raita

lamb biryani with raitaMarin 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 that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear.

Nicole's meal plan for this week features spaghetti bolognese, orecchiette with sausage, tomatoes, and peas, quick-and-easy shrimp and green bean stir fry, and this one-pot lamb biryani with a creamy raita.

Family Friendly Wineries: Larson Family Winery in Sonoma

Larson Family Winery in SonomaRemember back before you had kids when you used to head up to the Wine Country for a day of fun and wine tasting? You'll find that there are plenty of family-friendly wineries up in Sonoma and Napa counties, so don't stop just because you have kids in tow. Kid friendly wineries are also great places to take out-of-town family and other visitors, especially during the holidays.

What do we look for in a family-friendly winery? First and foremost, there has to be something that kids can do, other than just hang out in the tasting room and wait for mom and dad. Second, the winery should be openly child-friendly and relaxed, both for the comfort of families and for other grownups who probably don't want the disruption of kids to interfere with their Wine Country experience. Last, there should be plenty of space and somewhere to relax and have something to eat, whether you pack it in yourself or buy it on-site.

Who's Nibbling at My (Trader Joe's) Gingerbread House?!

Trader Joes gingerbread houseIn case you miss out on one of the gingerbread house workshops (at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, for example) this Holiday season and still want to get in on the action, you can head down to your local Trader Joes and pick up one of their bargain priced gingerbread house kits.

For $7.99 you get a nice quality, German-made gingerbread house kit that includes the house parts, base, a tree, and enough chocolate buttons, gumdrops, and pink and white candy sprinkles to decorate a house worthy of being devoured by Hansel and Gretel. Speaking of them, the kit also comes with a little sugar Hansel and Gretel and a witch, as well as a little candy cat (or is it a pig?) that sits on the rooftop or anywhere else you like.

They also throw in a half-pound box of powdered sugar with which to make the royal icing that glues the thing together. You supply an egg white, lemon juice, and imagination. It's also helpful to have a pastry bag to pipe the icing, although a garden-variety ziplock bag with one of the edges snipped off makes a dandy substitute. It's not the most architecturally complex gingerbread house we've seen—it looks kind of like a Tahoe A-frame—but it's a lot of fun to put together. Just watch out for little nibblers who try to eat the candy and cookies before they have a chance to go on the house!

Make Colorful Turkey Handprint Placemats for Thanksgiving

Since we'll have quite a few children over for Thanksgiving this year, we've been busy coming up with easy and fun craft ideas to keep everyone busy before the feast. One of the projects that we came up with, based on something by daughter did in kindergarten, is creating colorful festive Thanksgiving turkey handprint placemats. Since you'll need one for everyone at the dinner table, this project should keep the kids busy for a while.

Here's what you'll need:

  • Heavyweight 11 x 17" construction paper in a variety of colors (fall colors like brown, red, orange, and yellow are best)
  • Washable paint in various colors—we used Crayola Washable Kid's Paint
  • Paint brush
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