Today we present a guest post about adoptive parenting by Marin Mommies member Darcy.

As an adoptive mother of identical twin toddlers who were born in China, I can attest that parenting through adoption presents its own set of unique challenges and opportunities. In our family, for example, there will always be unanswered questions about our daughters’ first two years, before they came home to us, and about their biological background.  We have had to endure countless insensitive comments from friends and strangers alike.  Mostly we enjoy sharing our family’s story but sometimes we do get tired of constantly having to educate others. 

Being pregnant and looking hip and gorgeous never went hand-in-hand when I was expecting. I use to go in and out of dressing rooms with handfuls of jeans, trying to find a pair that were somewhat flattering and, most importantly, comfortable.

A great way to have fun and learn at the same time is to get your kids involved in the kitchen. Whether by taking a cooking class or working at home with an easy, kid-friendly recipe, it's a great way for children to find out about nutrition and expand their culinary horizons. Life is more than just peanut butter sandwiches! Our four-year-old, Trevor, has been getting involved in the kitchen with both me and his father for a while now.

In an article published July 5, Forbes magazine proclaimed Marin County to have the best schools in the US, based on performance and expenditure. Schools were rated by county, and were judged on the basis of property taxes (adjusted for local cost of living) and average per-student spending compared to actual results, such as graduation rate and SAT scores. Marin had among the lowest education spending in the country, yet had one of the highest graduation rates (96.8%), and had over 60% of students taking the SAT for a mean score of 1133.

Read the article here: Best And Worst School Districts For The Buck

We're pleased to announce a new feature on Marin Mommies: The Marin Preschool Guide! A comprehensive listing of preschools in Marin County, Marin Mommies' Marin Preschool Guide aims to be the premier resource for preschool information in the area. Preschools are listed by city or area in alphabetical order. Do you have feedback about your child's preschool that you'd like to share with others? Leave a comment and let other parents learn from your experience.

While we endeavor to make sure all information is accurate, if you see your school listed and need to update or correct any information, please contact us. Likewise, if we've omitted your school, let us know and we'll list it.

I came across an article in Babyzone, a website for parents of babies and toddlers, the other day about fun ways introduce and expand your toddler’s language skills. I was instantly drawn to the article, because my 18-month-old daughter has been so into learning new words lately. She is constantly repeating words that I say around the house. Babyzone has some fun games to introduce your toddler to new words, while building their basic language skills:

(They have closed) Over the long Memorial Day weekend, I talked my family into visiting one of my childhood favorites, the new Nut Tree in Vacaville. I still remember this California landmark vividly when I would visit as a child, so I didn’t know what to expect now that it has reopened. We decided to first have lunch in the old Black Oak Restaurant that I’ve always seen on the other side of I-80, which is a family-friendly coffee shop style place (similar to a Dennys, but with nicer décor).

When we first pulled up to the new Nut Tree, I was a little disappointed. It is now one big shopping mall, replete with Old Navy, Borders, Starbucks, and other familiar retail outlets, with the family park area situated in the back. The Family Park is a small but clean and well thought out park with sort of an old-fashioned fell to it. It’s free to get in and roam around, but you have to purchase tickets to go on the rides. Some of the rides are:

One of my kids favorite places to go, hands-down, is the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito. If you haven’t been there, they are located in the beautiful Golden Gate National Recreation Area at Fort Baker in Sausalito, which overlooks San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, and the views are amazing.

Birthday parties—and unique and interesting places to have them—are a popular subject on this web site. Coincidentally, we’ve been planning a 4th birthday party for our son, so I’ve had the chance to do a lot of research. Here are a few suggestions for fun and out-of-the-ordinary children’s party venues in Marin: