Cooking with your children is a great way to spend quality family time, and, above all, it's fun! Here's a healthy and light, but warm and cozy, recipe for those cold winter evenings, courtesy of Michelle Stern, owner of What's Cooking. What's Cooking is a Marin-based business that offers cooking workshops in home or school for kids aged 2-1/2 through 19.

Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup)
 
2 Tbs (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil  
2 (4 to 6-inch) sprigs rosemary, left intact  
1 (4 to 6-inch) sprig thyme with several sprigs on it, left intact  
1 large fresh bay leaf or 2 dried bay leaves  

The New Year is here and it's not too late to get organized in your busy life. One of the tools that I have to do that, which I absolutely love, is my BusyBodyBook! The BusyBodyBook is a stylish and easy-to-use family organizer that allows you to keep track of the entire family's schedules. My BusyBodyBook is for the 2007–2008 academic year, but they also offer a traditional 2008 calendar year version which could definitely come in handy right now at the start of the year.

Friday, January 4

Bring in the kids for Confetti Arts Week at the Habitot Children’s Museum in Berkeley. Enjoy storytelling about ringing in the new year on Friday and Saturday, and scoop up the leftover confetti from New Year's Eve celebrations to create polka-dot collages in the Art Studio. Play with streamers in the Wind Tunnel and watch confetti fly around you. They are located at 2065 Kittredge Street in Berkeley. For more info go to www.habitot.org. 

There have been a lot of inquiries on the forums lately about preschools here in Marin. Marin Mommies visitors can check out our Marin Preschool Guide, a comprehensive directory of preschools, arranged by location, in Marin County. Registered Marin Mommies users can leave comments about each individual preschool and help out fellow parents in choosing the perfect preschool for their children.

Registration for Marin Mommies is free, so make sure to sign up if you'd like to leave comments in the Marin Preschool Guide or participate in the discussion forums.

We live in Marin's northernmost outpost, Novato, which is not exactly known for its fine dining opportunities, let alone decent restaurants where you can take children. So we were really happy  when we finally made it to El Encanto Restaurante y Cantina, located in downtown Novato on 7th Street between Grant and Novato Boulevard. El Encanto offers Mexican food, and is relatively new—it's been open for a little over a year—and occupies the space the once housed a Lyons, followed by a string of other unlucky, short-lived, and now-forgotten restaurants.

If you're looking for an inexpensive but fun outing for the family, especially during Christmas break, the Golden Gate Ferry can be a lot of fun. Best of all, children 5 and under with an adult are free (maximum 2 children per adult). Most people think of the Larkspur ferry in terms of its commute role, but they run at all times of day and are usually pretty empty in the late morning and early afternoon, when kids can pretty much have the run of the boat. Enjoy spectacular views of the bay, Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Marin, as well as closer views of ships and boats on the bay and marine wildlife--we've seen all sorts of birds from brown pelicans to cormorants and even a harbor seal or two. The ferry ride is also a great way to entertain out-of-town guests.

As regular readers of this site know, we're always happy to get our hands on great childrens' music. We also happen to be living in a time when there seems to be a lot of really great music for kids. No exception to this is a CD we received a few weeks back called Mr. Oscat Says. Mr. Oscat Says is by the band Mr. Oscat, which is based down south in Bakersfield. The "band" is multi-talented musician Olen Taylor, of the "truck-stop pop" band The Wichitas, and his daughters Caitlin, 10, and Alison, 6.

Looking for a modern decorative mobile for your baby’s nursery, child’s room, or anywhere else in your home? Check out the Oras mobiles, created by local mother of two and designer Vilija Marshall.  Oras designs take a fresh, playful approach to traditional mobiles. They’re available in either square or oval styles, both of which in turn are available in a wide variety of color combinations. All mobiles come ready to hand with mounting hardware and instructions, and retail for $180.

HGTV is looking for Bay Area homeowners or renters who want their living room transformed. The show Decorating Cents helps with no-cost room makeovers that utilize furniture and accessories already on hand. No painting or other disruptive activities are involved—just rearranging and mixing things up for a new room design.

Anyone interested should send photos of their living room (wide shots from all angles), shots of other "stuff" they might have (furniture, accessories, artwork, etc. from other rooms or storage), and a picture of themselves to redesigntv@yahoo.com.

Here are some before-and-after photos from an episode featuring a home in San Francisco: