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.

This week's book is Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festivalby Grace Lin (32 pages, Knopf, 2010). As the name suggests, it's the ideal story to share with your children at this time of year, especially with the gorgeous "Super Harvest Moon" we've had in the night sky this past week.

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.

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.

This week we got our hands on a review copy of the new book from acclaimed musician Gordon Titcomb and amazing illustrator Wendell Minor, The Last Train(32 pages, Roaring Brook Press, 2010). Although it's a children's picture book, The Last Train should appeal equally to parents and grandparents and anyone who appreciates the vanishing world of our country's trains and railroads.

Based on a 2005 song by Gordon Titcomb, The Last Train is a nostalgic look at the steam trains that used to pass through nearly every American town, and celebrates the passing of the golden age of railway travel. Let's face it—everyone loves trains to some extent, and this book celebrates them and the culture surrounding them. Even if you're too young to have experienced this time in America's history, you surely know about it, and you'll feel probably feel pangs of nostalgia for a era long before you were born.

This guest article is by Marin County therapist, writer, and mom Lisa Brookes Kift, MFT.

Whether or not you’re a married, divorced or single mommy, the common tie that binds us together is that we are responsible for loving, caring for, shaping and guiding our children. I can’t think of a more important job! But the reality is that many of us do have other roles and hats we wear each and every day. Aside from mothers you may be wives, girlfriends, friends and caretakers. Some of you probably work full-time and race home to spend precious moments with little ones, others are full-time homemakers managing the logistics of running a household and I’m fairly sure many of you fall somewhere in the middle, doing your best to balance the need for financial stability with the needs of your family. Wherever you are on the continuum…

The Thursday San Rafael Civic Center Marin Farmers Market will move to the Embassy Suites in San Rafael this Thursday, September 9 to accommodate Rosh Hashanah services at the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium.

The market will take place during its regular hours from 8 am – 1 pm, in the parking lot in front of the main entrance to the Embassy Suites, just a stone’s throw from the Marin Center. It will return to the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium parking lot on September 16th. For more info, go to their website.

Recycled Art birthday parties are a combination of art, science and storytelling for kids ages 2 and up. Children learn to look at familiar objects in new ways as they become stewards of the land. Partygoers will brainstorm ways to turn trash into treasures and learn about the world around us. Not only are these workshops a great way to celebrate a birthday, they are also a great way to celebrate amazing "Planet eARTh"!

Parties are offered in-home or at your birthday party venue, as well as through the Fairfax Community Center. Packages start at $125 for 1 hour with a 10 student maximum. Ongoing classes are also held at the Fairfax Community Center for kids ages 2–4, as well as through the Mill Valley Parks and Rec Center for elementary age children.

Visit www.lieshaeberst.com for more information or call Liesha at (415) 513-3626 to reserve your party.

Of the many different sports activities out there that kids can participate in, tennis is fulfilling, fun, and something you can play your whole life. If your child is interested in playing tennis, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) junior team tennis league could be just the thing you're looking for!

For players from 6 to 14 years of age (depending on program), the junior team tennis leagues are a great introduction to the sport and take place through the fall. The leagues incorporate elements of the USTA's QuickStart format, which involves the use of specialized equipment like foam and low-compression balls, smaller court sizes, and a modified scoring system, all of which maximize fun and learning while minimizing pressure.

In Marin this fall, leagues take place in:

• Novato: registration: September 11, 10 am, Novato High School Tennis Courts; season: September 18–October 23, Novato High School Tennis
  Courts; cost: $60; ages 6–14
• Larkspur: registration: Saturday, September 11, 12:30–2:30 pm, Piper Park; season: September 14–October 19, Piper Park; Cost $139; ages 6–10
• Tiburon: registration: www.higginstennis.com; season: September 19–November 7, Tamalpais High School; Cost $175–$192; ages 8–15

The Novato program in particular is both extremely affordable and successful, usually drawing between 50 and 70 children for its fall program. The Novato program was also recently awarded a $2,500 grant from the USTA.

Elsewhere in the North Bay, you can find leagues in Petaluma, Sonoma, Santa Rosa, and Windsor. For more information on the program and the individual leages, visit the USTA Northern California's website at www.norcal.usta.com.