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Get a Jump on Holiday Crafts at Studio4Art

Clay gingerbread house at Studio4ArtHandmade holiday crafts make great gifts, so make sure you check out Studio4Art's creative Saturday workshops in November and December. All Saturday workshops take place from 11 am to 12:30 pm.

  • Create an imaginative clay gingerbread house on November 5 and December 3 ($40). It will last a life time and is sure to become a family heirloom. Many families come to this workshop year after year and create their own villages! Begin your house with slab construction, then add clay molded to look like candy and end with a finished piece that is sure to dazzle.
  • On November 12 make cards with handmade papers, fabric, sewing machines, block printing, printmaking and stamps ($20). Your cards will be beautiful enough to be framed! Each student receives 6 cards to create.
  • Make your own clay Christmas tree ornaments on November 19 ($30). It's amazing what you can create with a pound of clay! Creating and glazing will be completed in this one-day workshop. Families are welcome to work together.  Extra clay is available at additional cost.

Win Tickets to Penguins + Pajamas: An Overnight Adventure at the California Academy of Sciences

Penguins + Pajamas at the California Academy of SciencesRemember when we wrote about how much fun we had at the last California Academy of Sciences Penguins + Pajamas sleepover? Well, their next sleepover event is scheduled for Saturday, November 12, and we're giving away tickets to a lucky Marin Mommies reader!

Experience your own "night at the museum" as you explore the exhibits after-hours, stargaze at the planetarium show, and enjoy a special live animal presentation. Before bedtime, settle in for story time with cookies and milk to learn about Pierre—the Academy’s famous wetsuit-wearing penguin.

When the lights go out, unroll your sleeping bag in African Hall, next to the swaying kelp of the California Coast tank, or even at the Swamp window, face-to-face with Claude, the albino alligator. In the morning, rise and shine, then head over to the Academy Café for breakfast.

A Family that Eats Together: Vegetarian Tostadas with Homemade Refried Beans

tostadaMarin 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 goes meat-free, and features the yummiest peanut tofu stir fry ever, bucatini in a tomato and eggplant sauce, arancini with salad, risotto with asparagus, and these flexible, easy-to-make, and delicious tostadas with homemade refried beans.

This tostada can be made a number of different ways. Make homemade beans or use canned. Add chicken, beef or pork. Add more or less ingredients than I suggest. Really the possibilities are endless. In this recipe, I have made homemade beans so that you can have the recipe. They are very simple to make and taste so much better than anything you can get out of a can.

Novato's Studio4Art Celebrates Four Years with the Opening of the Annex

Studio4Art AnnexNovato's Studio4Art celebrates not only its four-year anniversary, but also the opening of its new Annex, located directly behind the main studio! This new space will be used for parties, summer and holiday camps, workshops, and classes for children two years and up. The Annex will also serve as a gallery for student-created artwork and student art shows. The main studio will continue to be the place for drop-in art sessions as well as the retail area where customers can continue to find quality art supplies and unique art gifts.

Studio4Art has been serving Novato and surrounding communities in Marin and Sonoma County since it was opening in September of 2008 by owner Kebby McInroy. Studio4Art has maintained a specialized niche within the community, serving schools, families, and civic groups such as scout troops and dens. Studio4Art continues to advocate for children of all ages and their creative needs by offering affordable and quality hands-on classes, summer and holiday camps and workshops, and drop-in art sessions covering a variety of media from acrylic, watercolor, and oil painting, to sewing, wheel-throwing, clay hand-building, silk screening, block printing and mosaic-making.

A Family that Eats Together: Sweet and Tangy Chili Beef

Spicy chili beefMarin Mommies is happy to present 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 includes smokey tomato bacon soup and grilled cheese, quick and easy baked chicken parmesan with roasted broccoli and pasta, carne asada tacos with salsa borracha (drunkem salsa), spaghetti bolognese, and this sweet and tangy chili beef, complete with a less spicy portion for the kids.

Ingedients

Sweet and Tangy Dressing

Family Fare at Ghiringhelli's in Novato

Dancing at Family FareWe finally had a chance to check out the Family Fare series at Novato's Ghiringhelli Pizzeria Grill & Bar. Ghiringhelli's Novato restaurant is a relative newcomer on the Marin dining scene (they've had another location in Fairfax since 1985), and has created this series of Monday night events with families of young children in mind. Each Family Fare event features a local children's musician or performer, arts and crafts, and other activities, in addition to dining from Ghiringelli's menu.

On our visit we ate pizza while local kid music legend Miss Kitty performed. Family Fare takes place in the restaurant's event room, where, in addition to dining tables, a large padded "dance floor" and activity tables were set up. Activity table offerings included coloring and painting, and a Wii console was available on a nearby flat-screen TV for game playing. Tables were covered with butcher paper and cups of crayons encouraged us to draw on our tablecloths.

Win Free Tickets to the Next Speak to Me Event with the Authors of "This Is Not the Life I Ordered"

Speak to MeSpeak to Me, Marin's premiere series of intelligent, inspiring speaking events for women, presents "Girlfriends' Guide to Learning from Life's Little Surprises," a discussion with the co-authors of This Is Not the Life I Ordered, on Tuesday, October 18 from 6:30–9:30 pm.

Scheduled to appear are Deborah Collins Stephens, best selling author and co-founder of the Center for Innovative Leadership; Congresswoman Jackie Speier; award-winning broadcast journalist Jan Yanehiro; and Michaelene Cristini Risley, an award-winning writer, director, and human rights activist. These Bay Area women, co-authors of This Is Not the Life I Ordered: 50 Ways to Keep Your Head Above Water When Life Keeps Dragging You Down, have experienced extraordinary life challenges over many years of friendship.

Women’s Health Lecture Series by Dr. Lisa Brent

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

A Family that Eats Together: Lamb Stew with Pumpkin Polenta

Lamb Stew with Pumpkin PolentaMarin Mommies is happy to present 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 includes sake and orange braised short ribs with egg noodles, chicken curry with cashews, roasted butternut squash soup, beef stir fry with snow peas, and this lamb stew with a creamy pumpkin polenta—just the thing for a cool October evening.

Servings: 6–8; prep time: 15 minutes; cooking time: 30 minutes, 1-1/2 hours if roasting the squash the same day

Are Driving Costs Driving You Crazy?

Money down the gas tankMarin Mommies is presents another great guest article by Marin mom and financial planner Katy Song, CFP®.

When you think of how you want to spend your hard earned money, rarely do you think “I want to overpay for car insurance and spend $70 to fill up my tank!” Car related expenses are a necessity for most families, but there are easy ways to reduce these costs and make sure you are not overspending.

The rule of thumb for transportation related expenses is that they should not account for more than 10% of your gross income. Depending on your salary, this could be a really big number! For example, if you make $150,000 per year the “rule of thumb” says that you can spend $1,250 per month on your cars. This could easily cover gas ($350), insurance ($115), commuting ($50) and a VERY nice car payment. While this rule might make sense in other parts of the U.S., I believe it overstates what a family in the Bay Area should spend given our significantly higher home related expenses.

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