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Hands-on Kids' Cooking Classes for Fall from ITK Culinary

Cooking class for kids at ITK Culinary in SausalitoAre your kids interested in food and cooking? They can roll up their sleeves this fall and take part in a two-hour culinary journey with the kids' classes offered by ITK Culinary in Sausalito. The Culinary Dude, Scott Davis, leads the programs and combines his background in early childhood development with a culinary degree to guide students of all ages through preparation, cooking, setting the table, and clean-up.

Courses range from comfort foods, French, Italian, and Chinese to vegetarian and just about everything in between. Most classes last two hours and culminate in the group sharing their hand-made meal together. “The emphasis is on the process not the product” said Davis, who allows the kids ample space to put their own spin on dishes if they want. “We’ve had kids come through who were picky eaters and by the end of the class, they were enjoying food they’ve never had. Not because we told them try, but because they were proud of their accomplishment.”

Mimi the Sardine Opens Corte Madera Retail Store

Mimi the sardine baby with bibMimi the Sardine’s line of earth-friendly, practical, and fun kids' eating accessories—perfect to pack in back-to-school lunch boxes—are now available in a new Corte Madera retail store that opens Tuesday, August 9, 2011.

Celebrate their grand opening with a month of 20% discounts on their entire line, including lunchbugs, spillmats, bibs, aprons, and backpacks. Also check out their Mimi Home collection of acrylic-coated linen/cotton-blend tablecloths that offer easy care with a focus on elegance and Scandinavian design.

Mimi the Sardine's cotton fabrics are designed and produced in Sweden, and their products are locally manufactured. Their fabrics are spill-resistant, machine-washable, meet the Oeko-Tex 100 Standard, and are made without harmful chemicals.

Win Tickets to See the Greatest Show on Earth!

Tabayara and the tiger at Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey CircusThe Greatest Show on Earth—The Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus—is coming to the San Francisco Bay Area this summer with its latest spectacular show, Fully Charged. We're giving away two family packs of four tickets each for the circus; read on to learn how to enter.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey has long set the world standard for circuses, astonishing and delighting children of all ages. Amazing acts in Fully Charged include dynamic animal trainer Tabayara working his magic with stallions, Asian elephants, and tigers; Russian strongman duo Dmitry and Ruslan, who lift half-ton telephone poles and twirl them above their heads while acrobats balance atop; the fearless Fernandez Brothers who perform daring feats of athleticism on the Twin Turbines of Steel; the Human Fuse, Brian Miser, who rockets through the air from his self-made human crossbow; and of course the world-famous Ringling Bros. Clown Alley.

For more information on Fully Charged, visit www.ringling.com.

Performances of Fully Charged take place in the Bay Area at

  • HP Pavilion, San Jose, August 17–21, 2011
    Wednesday–Friday, August 17–19, 7:30 pm
    Saturday and Sunday, August 20 and 21, 11 am, 3 pm, and 7 pm.
  • Cow Palace, Daly City, September 1–5, 2011
    Thursday–Friday, September 1 and 2, 7:30 pm
    Saturday and Sunday, September 3 and 4, 11 am, 3 pm, and 7 pm
    Monday, September 5, 11:30 am

Bay Area Children's Theatre Presents Circus Adventure, Opening August 6

Circus AdventureBay Area Children's Theatre's newest production, Circus Adventure, opens at Berkeley's Freight & Salvage this Saturday, August 6. Circus Adventure, created and directed by master clown and Cirque du Soleil artist Jeff Raz, tells the story of KaiKu the Clown, whose curiosity sends him halfway around the world. Inspired by the epic tale of the hero seeking to return to his roots, this world premiere production blends toe-tapping music, the thrill and skill of the circus, and the excitement of live theatre.

The mission of Bay Area Children's Theatre is to inspire young audiences with imaginative productions, introduce children of all backgrounds to the excitement of live theatre, and create an engaging, entertaining, and educational environment in which children and their families can explore and enjoy the arts.

Performances of Circus Adventure take place on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm from August 6–21, 2011. Tickets are $15 for children, $17 for seniors, and $20 for adults. To order, call the Bay Area Children's Theatre box office at (510) 296-4433 or visit www.bactheater.org.

Summer of Slither Sleepovers at the California Academy of Sciences

Kids with penguin at California Academy of SciencesIn honor its newest exhibit, Snakes & Lizards: The Summer of Slither, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is offering a special edition of its popular Penguins + Pajamas sleepover for kids ages 5 and older and their adult chaperones. These sleepovers feature an exclusive overnight stay at the Academy, special live animal presentations, access to all exhibits including Snakes & Lizards, a late night snack, and breakfast. Right now through August 20 you can save $20 by entering promo code PPAUG20 when you purchase your sleepover tickets online.

During your very own night at the museum, you can explore the entire Academy, take in an after-hours planetarium show and special animal presentations, and slither through Snakes & Lizards, where you’ll discover more than 60 reptiles from around the world with incredible adaptations like projectile tongues and remarkable camouflage. Before bedtime, whisper good night to Lemondrop the 15-foot-long albino python, and settle in for story time with cookies and milk to learn about Pierre—the Academy’s famous wetsuit-wearing penguin.

Put Your Money to Work

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

Since the market tanked in September 2008, most people feel burned and are hesitant to jump into the market. Even if you are ready to invest the cash you have sitting around, where should you put it? Whose advice can you trust? Do you need to pay someone to tell you the right answers?

Don’t get me wrong, cash is good! But you do not want to keep too much cash on hand without a good reason since it will lose value each year with inflation. For example, $10,000 in cash today will only be worth around $8,600 five years from now assuming 3% inflation. Essentially, you lost $1,400 by doing nothing. Here’s how to make your money work for you:

  • Step 1: Determine how much cash to keep on hand for your monthly expenses, emergency fund, and home improvement projects, and then put most of it in a high yield savings account. By moving your money out of a brick and mortar bank, you are going to get a better rate. Some online savings accounts have a 1.4% rate, which is more than four-year CD’s (1.24%). Check out www.bankrate.com and www.moneyrates.com for competitive rates. You want to have access to your money, but having it one step removed from every day spending is good. You are less tempted to make unscheduled transfers to cover a bigger than expected shopping spree. Make sure the bank you select is FDIC insured.

Get Organized: Win a BusyBodyBook for Back-to-School!

Cherry BusyBodyBook personal and family organizerSchool's only a few weeks away, and getting organized both for yourself and the kids is a must. Our favorite way to get organized is with the BusyBodyBook! The BusyBodyBook is a stylish and easy-to-use family organizer designed specifically for families. It allows you to keep track of the entire family's schedules at a glance, and it's something I can't live without. BusyBodyBooks personal and family organizers ($17.95) are available for both 2011–2012 school year (August 2011–August 2012) and traditional January–December, 2011 calendar year versions.

In addition to their organizers,  BusyBodyBook also publishes a neat "family central" wall calendar ($14.95) and an undated weekly grid pad ($12.95) that's handy for the fridge, your desk, a binder, or anywhere else that you need to keep track of your busy life.

Win Tickets to See the Wiggles Big Birthday! Tour at Oakland's Paramount Theatre

Wiggle Big Birthday! Tour 2011I think most parents of preschoolers and toddlers agree that the Wiggles are the superstars of the kids' music scene. This Australian foursome is heading to Oakland's Paramount Theatre for their 2011 Big Birthday! Tour on Friday, August 12. Come join the Wiggles, Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus, and the Wiggly Dancers as they celebrate the group's 20th birthday live on stage.

There will be two shows, at 2:30 and 6:30 pm, and we're giving away a four tickets for you and your family to go see the 6:30 pm performance! Read on for details on how to enter.

Every Wiggles show is fun and educational, and features plenty of audience interaction. Make a birthday card or a sign at home and bring it to the show and dress up as your favorite character. You can even greet your favorite Wiggles character as they sing and dance through the audience. And don't forget to yell "Wake up, Jeff!" when Jeff the Purple Wiggle invariably falls asleep on stage. Sing along with favorite songs like Hot Potato, Play Your Ukulele, Fruit Salad, and Rock a Bye Your Bear and wiggle away in the aisles!

Family Finances with Katy Song, CFP

Katy SongIf you're a regular reader of Marin Mommies, you've probably read the valuable guest posts on family finance by Marin mom and Certified Financial Planner™ Katy Davis Song. We're pleased to announce that Katy will be a regular contributor to our website, where she'll write about all things financial, with a focus on the needs of parents and families. You can read her latest contributions, as well as browse her past posts, at her page here.

Katy has also recently launched her own business, Katy Song FInancial Planning, where she helps families determine their financial priorities and goals and guides them into making the right financial choices. Visit her online at www.katysong.com or contact her at katy@katysong.com

With a passion for personal finance, Katy has been working as a financial planner since 2008 and passed the CFP® exam in July 2009. She has expertise in financial planning for families with young children and knows first-hand the challenges and opportunities of raising a family in the Bay Area. Katy has extensive expertise in the area of home affordability and how to support a growing family.

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