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Today—Family Fun at MarketPlace at the Mission

There's fun for the whole family at this year's Saint Raphael Preschool's MarketPlace! This annual fundraiser takes place today at the San Rafael Mission from 8 am–2 pm. For $5 child, children can get  unlimited access pass to the Children's Fun Zone that includes a jumpy house, face painting, carnival games, artsand crafts and more! The rummage sale in the school gymnasium has furniture, children's items, housewares, clothing, etc. Homemade baked goods and beverages also for sale. Saint Raphael Preschool is located at 5th Avenue and Mission Street in downtown San Rafael.

Tonkatsu to the Rescue!

tonkatsuHere's another yummy and easy recipe from Bay Area moms Stacie and Simran. They recently started a kids' food adventure blog called A Little Yumminess, where they cover easy recipes (often with an international twist), food-related adventures you can have with your children in the Bay Area, cooking with kids and basically how to have fun with food and your children (vs. think of it as a chore or a challenge).

If you’re like me, weeknight dinner prep  can be among the more stress inducing points in the week. We’re all hungry and tired, my son is invaribly hanging on my leg and pleading for snacks, the phone is ringing, and counter space is short because my kitchen is cluttered with all the bits and pieces from our day.

The 2010–2011 Speak to Me Series at the Mill Valley Community Center

Where can you go to hear inspiring talks by fabulous Bay Area women, taste delicious food and wine, and connect with other women like you? The 2010–2011 Speak to Me Series offers all this over five evenings from October 12, 2010 through May 10, 2011 at the Mill Valley Community Center, located at 180 Camino Alto.

Come listen to influential speakers like Jessica Herrin, founder of Stella & Dot; Emmy award-winning TV host Lisa Quinn; and UC Berkeley sociologist Christine Carter, Ph.D. Each evening begins when the doors open at 6:30 pm. Presentations, followed by a question-and-answer session, start at 7 pm, with a food and wine tasting and book signing following at 8 pm.

Single tickets are $75 each, and you can buy a series ticket of three of the five events for $195, or a season ticket for all five evenings for $300. Learn more about the Speak to Me Series and order tickets online, visit www.speaktomeevents.com. You can also call (415) 888-2329 for more information.

Questions and Answers About Secondary Infertility

This guest article is from our friends at Laurel Fetility Clinic, a local fertility practice with offices in Mill Valley, San Francisco, and Modesto. Visit them online at www.laurelfertility.com.

Secondary infertility is a growing issue among women. According to experts, in 2005 an estimated 3,000,000 people suffered from secondary infertility. Whether you’ve had one child or three children, mothers who are unable to grow their families after conceiving in the past are heartbroken. However, with the success of fertility treatments, more options are available today than ever before. Below is a list of common questions patients have asked at their visit to Laurel Fertility Care. We hope these will help you through your fertility journey before seeing a fertility specialist.

Chef Daddy Makes Pancakes

Pancakes!I think many will agree with me when I say that there's nothing quite like waking up to the smell of pancakes in the morning. That delicious toasty smell seems to beckon you out of bed and downstairs to the kitchen, where a hot plate of fluffy buttermilk pancakes, fresh off the griddle, waited, ready for you to slather with maple syrup and butter.

Unfortunately, when I was a kid, what I thought was the smell of pancakes cooking was usually a piece of food burning underneath the electric stove burner. I'd wake up early on a school day thinking that for some special reason my mom was making pancakes, and it turned out only to be an olfactory byproduct of boiling water for my parents' cups of Taster's Choice instant "coffee", which for some inexplicable reason they confused with real coffee for many years.

In fact, when I learned that coffee actually was made of ground up roasted beans I was pretty shocked, I tell you.

But I digress. Growing up we actually did get pancakes for breakfast, although they were usually restricted to weekend mornings. They also usually came out of a box, Bisquick being our family's baking mix of choice. These days, we usually reserve pancakes for the weekend, too. The Bisquick, however, is long gone in favor of buttermilk pancakes made from scratch. They're really not all that difficult to make, and are made up of a few things that you probably already have in your pantry. Read on, and banish the box forever.

Huge Fisher Price Toy Recall

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission and toy manufacturer Fisher Price are recalling more than 10,000,000 toys, including Fisher Price Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles and Healthy Care, Easy Clean, and Close to Me high chairs.

Apparently, children using these toys can injure themselves by falling onto prodruding parts, and small parts used on them are choking hazards as well. Learn more about the recall from ABC News.

Cooking with Luisa – Taquitos

Here's another yummy and easy recipe from Bay Area moms, Stacie and Simran. They recently started a kids' food adventure blog called “A Little Yumminess”. They cover easy recipes (often with an international twist), food-related adventures you can have with your children in the Bay Area, cooking with kids and basically how to have fun with food and your children (vs. think of it as a chore or a challenge). Here is a recipe to make some fun taquitos.

My friend Luisa, who taught me how to make Sopa De Tortilla recently, also taught me how to make Taquitos. Taquitos are a Mexican dish made of rolled-up tortillas with a filling. The filled tortilla is fried and served with a variety of toppings. Luisa demonstrated the dish with store-bought rotisserie chicken but these little crunchy rolls can be easily made vegetarian by using beans and cheese or any other vegetable of your (or your kids’) liking. A side of rice and beans will complete this meal. I am thinking these are a good vehicle for any kind of leftovers – I may try them with leftover curry one day! :) Could work for school lunches and this will be a tasty addition to your birthday party buffet.

How Did Your School Score in the 2010 API Report?

Last week the California Department of Education released its 2010 Growth Academic Performance Index (API) report. The report provides public school rankings that enable parents to match the performance of their child's school with other California public schools. Rankings are based on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, and rankings are also weighed agains public schools of similar type.

You can search the state's database of schools and see how your child's school did in 2010 here: API school level reports.

Support Novato Gymnastics Family Spaghetti & Fun Night

Novato Gymnastics CenterHelp support Novato Gymnastics at its Family Spaghetti and Fun Night, Saturday, September 25, at 5:30 pm at the Novato Gymnastics Center. This night of family fun features a spaghetti dinner, cake walk, face paining, fun photos, and of course gymnastics for the kids. There will also be a silent auction and a "gently-worn" leotard sale.

All proceeds go directly to the Novato Gymnastics Center to cover programs costs not supported by the City of Novato.

Tickets must be purchased in advance by Wednesday, September 22, either through the Gymnastics Center office or a booster family. Cash or check accepted. Kids 5 and under $5, adults $10; family (two adults and two children) $25; includes pasta, salad, beverages, and dessert.

The Novato Gymnastics Center is located at 950 Seventh Street (at Grant Avenue) in Novato. More information at www.novatogymnastics.org.

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