Mompreneur

If you've enjoyed any of the numerous song-filled offerings from Bay Area Children's Theatre, then you might very well already be familiar with the work of Marin mom Julia Norton, who serves as musical director for many of their productions, including the current Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical. She's also a composer, singer, award-winning recording artist, and teacher.

Marin Mommies caught up with Julia and asked her a few questions about her career, music, and what she and her family love about living in Marin. Learn more about her at www.julianorton.com.

Q: Please tell us a little about yourself. What's your background, and how did you get your musical career started?

A: According to my mum, I have been singing since before I could talk. I remember writing my first song with my best friend Lynne when we were 5 or maybe 6. It wasn't much to speak of lyrically and had lots of "la la las" in it, but we thought that if we wore matching pink cardigans, we might fool the public. Aged 8, I joined the village church choir with my mum. It was a 14th-century church and had gargoyles and gravestones carved in old English lettering. There I fell in love with early music, close harmonies and the dark and twisty lyrics that went with them.

Got manners? Marin mompreneur Angie Allison helps local kids answer a resounding "yes" to that question through etiquette classes through her business the Protocol Academy. We asked Angie to answer a few questions about herself and her unique business.

For more information about upcoming classes, registration, and etiquette tips visit the Protocol Academy Facebook page. You can also contact Angie at (415) 234-6616 or info@the-protocol-academy.com for more information.

Q: Please tell us about you and your background.

A: I’m a certified trainer in etiquette and communication essentials for young children through young adults, and a member of the Society for Certified Etiquette Trainers. My bachelor’s degree is in journalism. I worked in advertising, corporate communications, design, art representation and sales for many years. My husband and I are blessed with two wonderful, energetic and creative children, and a spunky puppy. I grew up in the Midwest and lived in the South, as well as the East Coast. Marin County has been my home for over 10 years.

Marin Mommies presents a guest article by Liz Scherotter.

A couple years ago, I was invited to a Stella & Dot trunk show. What is a Stella & Dot trunk show, you might ask? It’s a gathering where women hang out together and a Stella & Dot stylist is on hand to help the guests. Basically, it’s playing dress up with a personal stylist! No long presentation, no heavy sales pitch… just fun and fashion in a casual relaxed environment. What I immediately discovered was a great line of jewelry that is beautiful and affordable (half the line is under $50.)

Here is a look at some mommy faves from Stella & Dot.

Versatile Necklaces (Spice up your date night!)

Quite a few Stella & Dot pieces can be worn in multiple ways. These necklaces can be worn to suit your mood. In challenging economic times, why not get a piece that can be worn multiple ways, like many necklaces in one!

Tempest Necklace (just featured in the October 2012 issue of InStyle Magazine; pictured above)
The ultimate statement piece, blending diverse elements of steel chain, brass cupchain, distressed black acrylic stones, silk ribbon, and an intricate brass closure detailed with pave glass stones.

Child photographer Nancy Alcott didn't start out taking pictures of children, but discovered that is was her true love after giving birth to her daughter. Now, she's an award winning photographer recording memories for families throughout Marin and the Bay Area. We asked Nancy a few questions about her and her work. Learn more about her and see more of her photos at www.nancyalcott.com.

Please tell us about you and your background.

I am a mother of two amazing children, Amstel, 4 and Zealand, 2, and we live in Mill Valley. I am originally from Michigan, but have made California my home for nearly eight years now.

How did you get started with photography?

I fell into photography quite by accident nearly four years ago, beginning as a travel photographer. Upon giving birth to my daughter, I realized my true love was photographing babies and children, and my calling was found.

Marin Mommies presents a guest article by Marin Mom and writer Gabrielle Cullen.

Here’s a cheer for the moms who have found a way to balance family, fun and self fulfillment! One of Marin’s most musical moms, Susan Zelinsky, has the luck, and the talent, to be doing just that, and so on the cusp the 99th annual Mountain Play, (she has the starring role of Marian Paroo in The Music Man,) Marin Mommies sat down with Susan in hopes of revealing the secrets to her success.

How long have you been in musical theater?

I’ve been involved in acting, music and song since high school. I continued on in college and have been fortunate to have music and theater play a key role in my life ever since.

As a mother, what do you enjoy most about Mountain Play?

Being able to perform in a wonderful production such as Mountain Play has given me the best of both worlds. I am able to be involved in my children’s lives, work around crazy family schedules and still have a wonderful outlet for my craft.

How else do you use your performing talents?

One of our wonderful readers told me about the new Cafe du Cirque, a child-friendly coffee house in downtown San Rafael that opened last week, so I had to go check it out. Cafe du Cirque was opened by Marin mom Kerstin Fleischer and her husband Tom Coleman, and features food made from fresh local organic ingredients, locally roasted coffee, and a play area for little ones near the back of the cafe. Relax with a cup of coffee or tea and a salad or sandwich while your kids play safely.

Kerstin is the mom of a three-year-old, and added the play room to the cafe because she was more than aware of the need to have a space like this in Marin. The cafe itself is clean and modern and occupies a long narrow space with lots of natural light.

My children both enjoyed Cafe du Cirque's kids' hot chocolate and fresh muffins, and my daughter liked the play area. Designed for younger children, the small carpeted play area includes toys like a play kitchen, a kids' table and chairs, a chalkboard, and a soft crawling area for babies. You can sip your coffee or eat lunch or breakfast and watch the kids while they play under the play room's festive red-and-white-striped awning.

When Marin mom Misa Phutsangdee was rejected from grad school, rather than be disappointed, she used the experience to draw on her diverse range of job experience, become a "mompreneur," and start her own business, Miss Go To Girl Enterprise. We caught up with Misa and asked her a few questions about her and her startup.

To learn more about Misa and Miss Go To Girl, visit her online.

Please tell us a little about yourself. What's your background?

I have been married to my husband, Charlee, for five years. We have the most adorable four-year-old, Micah, AKA "Misa Junior" because he is a carbon copy of his mother! I graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in communication studies as well as graduating from C.L.I.B.C. with a B.A. in family counseling. I absolutely loved the communications program and wanted to continue my learning experience at SFSU. After finishing both degrees, I applied for graduate school. Twice. After the second year of anticipating the letter, I told myself that if I read, "We regret to inform you…" one more time, then God must have better plans for me than the master's program. And so, Miss Go To Girl Enterprise began...

Mompreneur Sarah Middleton turned her own challenges in the child sleep department into a career as a infant sleep consultant. She's also a birth and post partum doula and chidbirth educator, so helping families is in her nature. To learn more about Sarah and her services, visit her online.

Please tell us a little about yourself. What's your background?

I am a mother of two girls—Mira Luna is almost 4 and Luca Blue is 9 months old. I had them both at home and their birth days are by far the most powerful and wonderful days of my life. I found birth to be such a rite of passage for me, as it required me to surrender, be present, be grateful, and be courageous. I was born and raised in Hawaii and so much of my upbringing there has influenced the way in which I parent. Values like the importance of being active and healthy, and enjoying the outdoors were such cornerstones for me growing up and I try to bring that into my family life now that I am a mother.

Many mompreneurs have managed to take a hobby and turn it into a successful business. Jeanette Griffiths started carving rocking horses in Australia, and took her family and her business, Delfryn Rocking Horses, with her to Marin, where she creates one-of-a-kind, handcrafted, wooden rocking horses. Too learn more about Jeanette's heirloom rocking horses, visit www.delfrynhorses.com.

Please tell us a little about yourself. What's your background?

I was a support worker for many years in Australia working for a number of different government and public organizations, mainly involved in the support of adolescents, some with special needs, and later with kids in crisis, at risk of being runaways due to problems at home and such. I was involved in putting together school-based programs to address some of the issues that I guess the schools were not equipped to handle. It involved liaisons with other organizations and professionals that I utilized to run various parts of the program, such as drug and alcohol awareness, nutrition and right through to communication problems. About four years ago I was funded out of my position within the organization I worked for and continued to work voluntarily for about six months to finish off the program commitments I had made to the school and, most importantly, for the kids I worked with.