Mother's Day

It's something of a tradition to make Mom breakfast in bed on Mother's Day. Instead of soggy cereal or burned toast, why not try out a delicious recipe that the kids can even help make? Dad will have to get up early and get into the kitchen to supervise, but the results—and the look on Mom's face when she tastes the finished product—are worth it.

The recipe in question is the ABC Fritatta from our friend and fellow Marin mom Michelle Stern's new cookbook, The Whole Family Cookbook: Celebrate the goodness of locally grown foods (182 pages, Adams Media, 2011; $17.95). Try whipping up this combination of fresh eggs, sweet apples, crisp bacon, and cheddar cheese (the "ABC" of the recipe title), and it may very well become a favorite in your house.

Looking for a truly unique gift for Mother's Day? Check out the custom fingerprint jewelry from Imprecious. Imprecious' Robin Foley creates delicate silver charms that are absolutely one-of-a-kind, as they feature your child's fingerprint.

Choose from a selection of chains, bracelets, earrings, or jewelry sets with any number of charms. Imprecious will send you a print capture kit; follow the instructions and return the prings in the included pre-paid envelope. You can see how it all works on their website here. Robin is always available via email to answer questions during the process to ensure the highest quality imprints for your charms.

After Imprecious receives your imprints, your individually hand-crafted jewelry will be delivered in two to four weeks. (So if you're thinking of ordering for Mother's Day, you should probably get on it now! Rush service is available, though.)

Prices start at $128 and vary depending on style and number of charms. You can also customize your jewelry with any number of "embellishments"—small additional charms including birthstones, tags, beads, hearts, and initials.

Looking for a fun, educational, and—best of all—free outing for Mother's Day? Koret Museum Days may be what you're looking for! On Mother's Day, this Sunday, May 10, the Koret Foundation celebrates its 30th anniversary by providing free general admission at nearly every museum in the Bay Area. Sounds like a great outing for mom and the whole family, and you can't beat the price. Seventeen museums will participate in the 2009 Koret Museum Day, so you'll definitely find something that everyone likes. From art to science to space to animals—it's all covered.

Participating museums include the de Young Museum, the Legion of Honor, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Zoo, the Bay Area Discovery Museum, the Oakland Museum of California, Lawrence Hall of Science, the Exploratorium, the Asian Art Museum, and more.

For more information on Koret Museum days and a full list of participating museums, visit www.koretmuseumdays.org. There's even a free e-card you can send to invite your mom (or to send to your family members to give them a hint).

I think all mothers, especially those with daughters, will agree that there's something extremely special about the mother-daughter bond. That is the premise for a new book of essays on the subject titled Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond. Because I Love Her was edited by Marin mom and writer Nicki Richesin, and includes short pieces by authors including Joyce Maynard, Sheila Kohler, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Ericka Lutz, and others.

The essays are in turns poignant, profound, funny, uplifting, and comforting. They're all short, and it's the perfect volume for a busy mom to pick up during one of her all-too-rare breaks and take in a story or two. Many of the works included in Because I Love Her remind me of my relationship growing up (and to this day) with my mother, and of course make me consider my relationship with my own 3-year-old daughter and how it will evolve over time.

Marin Mommies is pleased to present a guest article by Vijaya Jhothi, owner of Safronya Retreat spa in San Rafael, which specializes in the ancient healing art of Ayurveda, and Kara Lukowski, CAS (certified Ayurvedic Practitioner). In honor of Mother's Day, they explore the relationship between mothers, the earth, Ayurveda. Check out their Mother's Day specials, too. We'll be listing more Mother's Day specials from spas around Marin and the North Bay.

As mother’s day is approaching, it is timely to reflect on how Ayurveda honors mothers, and how it relates to the elements of nature, particularly the earth element. Intrinsically, all mothers inherit a quality similar to earth, in that they are rooted in stability, a grounded solidity, and from her core mom gives birth to new branches of life which she feeds from her breast, protects with her love, and nourishes with her soul. Just like the earth we see around us, supporting and holding us, mother is the sustainer—the glue that keeps it all together. Sometimes, with our hurried and scattered lives we need reminders to feel our feet on the ground and connect to this rich earth, either by calling home to talk to mom or just going barefoot in the grass.  And that is where Ayurveda is a tremendously generous science that us helps balance these elements (also water, fire, air, and ether) when our bodies and minds need them.

Mother’s Day is around the corner, and it’s never too early to start thinking about the perfect gift for the moms in your life (which can include yourself, of course).  I like to get gifts that that involve my children. One of my wish list items this year is a piece of custom photo jewelry by mom-owned tj & co. You send them your favorite photos and they seal them into a sterling silver pendant for a necklace or bracelet.