Looking for something to do with your playgroup on a rainy day? Bring your playgroup down to the Magic Bus Music Studio in Novato for 30 minutes of singing, dancing, and instruments for newborns to 4 years. Cost is $10 per child. There is a minimum 6 children and a maximum of 12 per playgroup per session. If you're hungry after your musical playdate, Round Table Pizza with the Merlin's Magical Kingdom play area is right across the parking lot. Call Melissa to schedule your next musical playgroup at the Magic School Bus at (415) 721-1929 or email her at m1@musicwithmelissa.com.

The Cantina, a blast from Marin's recent past, has re-opened in Mill Valley's Blithedale Plaza. If you grew up in Marin you probably spent some time at this Mexican restaurant, renowned for its margaritas and family friendly setting. I loved coming to this restauant in my younger years. The Cantina closed in 2007, and was turned into a branch of musician Carlos Santana's fancier, pricier Maria Maria. Well, Mill Valley's Maria Maria is history, and the Cantina is once more open for business. We visited a short time ago with our own kids, and are happy to say that it hasn't changed much, despite the restaurant's three-year hiatus. The Cantina's current chef was even with the restaurant way back in 1983.

The Bus has arrived! Magic Bus Music Studio, Marin's newest early childhood music studio is now open in Novato at 1530 Center Road Suite 12, inside the Nautilus of Marin Building. The “Bus” offers Kindermusik classes, birthday parties, fundraising events and playgroup outings for families with children ages newborn to 4.

The Magic Bus Music Studio is owned by Melissa Ayotte, who has been teaching piano and Kindermusik in Marin for over 11 years. Joining Melissa is her long time friend and colleague Dee Dee Lawtonwho has also been teaching Kindermusik for over 11 years with “maestro programs” (in the top five percent world wide) in San Francisco and Napa. Dee Dee also offers instruction in flute and piano. For more information, call (415) 721-1929 or visit www.magicbusmusic.com.

Here are some of the programs offered this winter at Magic Bus Music Studio:

• Birthdays at The Bus
  For your 1-, 2-, or 3-year-old
  Cost: $125 for up to 12 children
  Start your child’s special day with 45 minutes of magical musical fun at the studio, where a licensed Kindermusik educator will delight your guests with live guitar and singing, lots of movement and dancing, playing with balls, hoops and parachute, and, of course, playing instruments! When the music ends, take your group right next door to Round Table for pizza, presents, and playtime! To make a reservation for your child’s 2011 Birthday Party call (415) 721-1929 or email m1@musicwithmelissa.com
• Musical Playgroups
  For children Newborn to 4 years old
  Cost: only $10 per child

Come and find all your holiday gifts at Appel and Frank's Stockings & Stilettos shopping event on Wednesday, December 8, from 5 to 9 pm at the Regency Center's Sutter Room, 1270 Sutter Street (at Van Ness) in San Francisco. There will be variety of unique gifts from more than 70 talented designers at discounted prices. Shop for fabulous jewelry, clothing, accessories while enjoying complimentary wine, beauty services, goodie bags, and a raffle.

Admission is normally $10, but Marin Mommies readers can them at the special price of $7 with the code MARINMOMMIES at www.appelandfrank.com or at the door. Secure your goodie bag by purchasing your tickets online (quantities are limited).

This guest post is from Fertility Expert, Dr. Lee Kao of Laurel Fertility Care, a local fertility practice with offices in Mill Valley, San Francisco, and Modesto. Visit them online at www.laurelfertility.com.

The journey to conceiving for child number two (or more) can be stressful and difficult. However, parents can make small changes and help grow their parenthood dreams. Below are some suggested tips from Dr. Lee Kao of Laurel Fertility Care to help grow your fertility success:

1. Take daily multiple vitamins at least three months prior to attempting pregnancy. Vitamins like folic acid, a B-complex vitamin, helps produce red blood cells and facilitates cell production and division. Research has shown that intake of folic acid reduces pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, certain kinds of anemia, and Neural Tube Defects. It also facilitates healthy fetus growth through reducing Neural Tube Defects.

Fans of Jane O'Connor's popular series of Fancy Nancy books won't be surprised to learn that Nancy considers Christmas to be a splendiferous time of year. Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas(32 pages, HarperCollins, 2009) follows its fancy character through the holiday season as she makes cookies, decorates the tree (too much tinsel? No way!), goes caroling, and awaits the arrival of her beloved grandfather.

Tragedy of sorts strikes when Nancy insists on putting her prized fancy tree topper on the Christmas tree. But all is made well with a little help from Grandpa. With colorful and appropriately fancy illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser, Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas will appeal to its target preschool through first grade audience, who may even pick up a few new vocabulary words after reading this book.

Writer and illustrator Loren Long's Drummer Boy (40 pages Philomel, 2008) is a fresh take on a classic holiday story. The harrowing journey of the titular character, a little toy drummer boy, serves to both affirm the Christmas spirit and to tug on the heartstrings. The toy drummer boy appears mysteriously on a child's doorstep before Christmas. He's accidentally tossed in the trash, and undergoes an arduous, sometimes frightening journey to reunite with the child. All the while he plays his drum, which seems to have a calming and reassuring effect on all whom he meets.

Long's paintings are colorful and luminous, and help draw you into the simple heartwarming story. Our children, ages 4-1/2 and 7, loved the book, but some parts—including the appearance of a big rat, a hungry owl, and the abandonment of the frightened drummer boy in the cold snowy weather—might be a little scary for younger or more sensitive kids. Ultimately, there's a happy ending with an inspiring holiday message. We think it's a Christmas classic! Find Drummer Boy at your library, or buy it from your local bookstore or Amazon.com.

Olivia, everyone's favorite precocious piglet, lends her family a hand in preparing for Christmas in Ian Falconer's hysterical Olivia Helps with Christmas (58 pages, Atheneum, 2007). You'll probably recognize a few of your family's holiday traditions among the ones that Olivia helps hers with (and "help" doesn't necessarily mean "being helpful", which most parents already know…). Untangling Christmas lights, trimming the tree, leaving a snack for Santa Claus, and of course impatiently awaiting Santa's impending arrival are all covered here.

Naturally, this Olivia book wouldn't be an Olivia book without our porcine protagonist's antics such as feeding baby brother William blueberry pie (with messy results), amazingly finding a perfect little table-top Christmas tree, and recoiling in horror as her father prepares to build a fire in the fireplace and potentially roast Santa!

Every parent knows that finding a truly great toy can be a challenge, especially when you're trying to find one that's not only fun, but educational as well. For this 2010 holiday season the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) has again helped take the guesswork out of toy shopping by compiling their annual Best Toys for Kids list! Nominated and voted on by the toy experts who are members of the ASTRA, the list of winners features a wide variety of toys for just about every age group imaginable. There's an emphasis here on good old-fashioned imaginitive play and fun, so you can feel good about buying these for your children.

We're also happy to see some local companies represented here, like Emeryville's Folkmanis Puppets and San Francisco's Green Toys, Inc.

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

If you’re married with children—and your life is a whirling dervish of chaos as you struggle to keep all of the balls in the air—this is for you. In all that you do for your kids, career and hopefully self, are you forgetting anyone? Is there a special person who no longer gets the amount and quality of attention they used to “pre-kids?” Hmmm???

I’ve heard it over and over. Couples come into my office disconnected in their marriages and upon closer inspection, it’s revealed that after children landed on their radar, their relationship changed. As reasonable and expected as this is when children arrive on the scene, many forget to return to caring for their marriages. The reality is your relationship needs care in order for your family to thrive.