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.

If you live in Novato or spend time there, especially around the holidays, you can't help but notice the beautiful horse-drawn carriages traversing the length of Grant Avenue, and making their way around town in search of the most magnificent holiday light displays. These classy but decidedly old-fashioned vehicles are owned and operated by Novato resident Gary Sello and his Indian Valley Carriage Company. If you're looking for a family outing in Marin that is truly unique, fun, and stress-free, then you should consider the offerings of Indian Valley Carriage.

Based in Novato's rural Indian Valley neighborhood, Gary and Indian Valley Carriage operate several different carriages, including a formal black and maroon vis-à-vis (where up to six passengers sit facing each other), a three-seat surrey (with a fringe on top!) that can carry four to six passengers, and a large covered wagon that seats up to twelve.

This guest article is by Marin orthodontist Dr. Don Wilson.

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children have an orthodontic screening no later than age seven (or earlier if there are indications of a problem).

Why age seven? By the age of seven, most children’s first adult molars have erupted, establishing the back bite. Also, most children’s incisors have begun to erupt so that alignment problems and facial asymmetries can be detected.

Age seven is the best time for an orthodontist to evaluate your child’s bite and jaw relationships, check for functional shifts, and evaluate front-to-back and side-to-side tooth relationships. Untreated malocclusions (bad bites) can result in a variety of problems…

• Crowded teeth—More difficult to brush and floss properly, which may contribute to tooth decay and/or gum disease
• Protruding teeth—More susceptible to accidental chipping
• Crossbite—May result in unfavorable growth and uneven tooth wear
• Openbite—May result in tongue-thrusting habits and speech impediments
• Appearance—Crooked teeth, a poor facial profile, and/or speech impediment can damage your child’s self-confidence and self-esteem

Generations of children and their parents love the classic Curious George books authored by the husband-and-wife team of Margret and H. A. Rey. This fall, San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum (the CJM) presents the fascinating exhibition Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H. A. Rey, which opens on Sunday, November 14, 2010 and runs through March 13, 2011.

The story of the Reys is an adventure in itself. H. A. Rey (born Hans Augusto Reyersbach, 1898–1977) and Margret Rey (née Margarete Waldstein, 1906–1996) were both born in Hamburg, Germany, to Jewish families. They lived together in Paris in the late 1930s, and fled Europe after the Nazi invasion of France in 1940, eventually settling in New York City by way of Brazil. They went on to publish over 30 books, including their iconic series about the little monkey with insatiable curiosity (and his friend the Man with the Yellow Hat, of course).

This guest article is by Marin infant/toddler sleep researcher and family therapist Angelique Millette.

What do you do if your little one is waking during the night from a bad dream and refuses to go back to sleep? Or what if your little one refuses to go to sleep at bedtime due to a several nights in a row of bad dreams? And what if your child has been waking inconsolable at night but you aren’t sure if you are child is waking due to a nightmare or a night terror? These are common questions parents have when responding to their little one’s nighttime sleep needs.

Nightmares

All children have nightmares at some point, and as long as children are dreaming they may also have nightmares. Interestingly, even infants dream, and according to one landmark study, newborns dream more than at any other time in a young person’s life. Nightmares are bad dreams and can happen at any point in a toddler or child’s life and especially so if a child has just experienced a traumatic event or situation. Several different studies have shown that children may have nightmares following surgery, tooth extraction, and motor vehicle accidents. Nightmares can also begin during periods of developmental phases such as the period between 18–21 months and again right before a child’s third and fourth birthdays. These are periods of individuation, when a child may become more sensitive or emotional as they become more independent.

Here's another yummy and easy recipe from Bay Area moms Simran and Stacie. 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).

Weekend pancakes are an American classic. Dads (and moms) all over the country make various versions of pancakes every weekend. Having grown up in Asia, we seldom think of pancakes for breakfast. My idea of pancakes are the hotcakes from McDonald’s that I was allowed to eat on a rare Sunday—which in spite their rubbery texture and lack of taste hold a very special place in my heart. Gobs of syrup will make anything edible and yummy.

The Mill Valley Children's Garden Haunted Harvest Festival is happening this Sunday, November 7 (rain or shine), from noon to 4 pm. Entry is free. Come celebrate the 20th anniversary of the garden and enjoy food, music, prizes, and surprises for the whole family. Activities include pie eating and recycled sculpture contests, apple bobbing, potion making, a fishing game, and more! Look for the Pocket Wizard, a mysterious guest who will pass out crystals, candy, and surprises.

The festival takes place at the campus of Edna Maguire Elementary School, 80 Lomita Drive, in Mill Valley.

If you get grumpy occasionally (and hey, don't we all?), then this is the book for you. Jeremy Tankard's Grumpy Bird(32 pages, Scholastic, 2007) tells the story of Bird's case of the grumpies, which is so bad—he's too grumpy to play, eat, or fly—he can only go for a walk. Along the way he runs into his friends who tag along on his walk, oblivious to his grumpiness and sarcastic comments. Eventually, they overcome Bird's bad mood, and it all ends with a surprising twist.

This guest article is by my friend Nancy Grossi, author of the award-winning blog The Wife of a Dairyman. Nancy started her blog at the beginning of 2010, and offers a look into life on one of Marin's many dairy farms. One of her loves is cooking, and here's a yummy recipe for slow-cooker pulled pork—perfect for during the World Series, or any crisp fall or winter day!

Once again, we'll be watching our beloved S.F. Giants trying to get one step closer to their first World Series win. No extra time needs to be taken away from game time to cook dinner so once again the slow cooker is in use.  This time, pulled pork.  A perfectly easy and delicious game day dinner.  Slow cooker recipes are my 'go to' meals in the winter time.