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My 9 month daughter is crawling, cruising and into everything especially the toys my 3 year old son is playing with. I find it endearing that she looks up to her big brother and wants to be involved in what he is doing…while my son finds it very annoying. He loves her very much but suddenly she is constantly in his space picking up his trucks and cars and smashing his LEGO creations. This is making him mad and causing him push her away, snatch his toys back and bang her on the head with them. On the days he is off school, it is constant and I have to issue a couple of time outs to let him cool down and think about why it is not nice to hit his sister. I saw a mom the other day that has children a similar age to mine, I was surprised to see her daughter just one month older than mine running round the soft gym. “I can’t believe she is not only walking but running, and so fast” I said. Her reply was “I think she has learnt it out of fear, to get away from her big sister!” Sometimes there...

Hawk’s Tavern, 507 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley;   view website I recently wrote a review about a new restaurant that opened up in Mill Valley called Hawk's Tavern . I was lucky enough to be invited back to sample some more items from their menu, so this time we decided to leave the kids at home and enjoy a date night for my birthday. It was definitely the right decision, as we were able to take the time to enjoy our surroundings, appreciate the fine food complimented by the great service and atmosphere . Hawk's Tavern dining room The main dining room and bar area at Hawk’s Tavern has a stylish rustic feel with up-lighted repurposed barn wood walls, vintage framed maps and old illustrations of hawks on the walls. It is designed for comfort and warmth , especially with the modern central fireplace which I was pleased to be sat next to. The interior of Hawk’s Tavern transforms us both back to being in a stylish pub in England, which feels nice. We were greeted by our friendl...

Play Land,  610 Coloma Street, Building 6, Sausalito Looking for an alternative indoor activity to BADM  in Southern Marin?   Play Land  is a full sized gymnasium in Sausalito that becomes an inflatable wonderland four times a week. An amazing giant bouncy house takes up the majority of the space with a basketball hoop, a 15 foot inflatable slide and a toddler bouncy zone . There are also plastic cars and wagons dotted around the gym drive around in and mini basketball hoops. Bouncy houses in Play Land For younger kids seeking less octane play, there is an arts and crafts room and train table area . There is a padded area for tots between the ages of 1 – 2 years old where they can explore at their own pace by their parent’s side, but the main event here is the oversized bouncy house. Play Land You can take a quiet moment away from the play area to enjoy lunch or a snack at the food area with picnic tables where tea and coffee is available. 15 ft slide in Play Lan...

Modern furniture company CB2  has announced a new collaboration with husband and wife design team Robert and Cortney Novogratz ! They will be designing new home designs from this summer including this fantastic “Family” rug that was featured in one of their home makeover projects on HGTV's "Home By Novogratz".   The Novogratz's family rug for CB2 I first became a fan of this design duo when their reality show '9 By Design'  was shown on Bravo TV  a couple of years ago. They do an amazing job of remodeling houses , hotels and business spaces using new and vintage design elements , while raising nine children ! Their coffee book 'Downtown Chic'  which showcases the homes they have revamped from scratch over the years is one of my main sources of creative inspiration. I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for us! For further information and to find out about future product launches ‘like’ The Novogratz   and CB2 Facebook pages! 

Valentine’s Day is creeping up so here are some fun activities and gift ideas for the loved ones in your life. For the Kids: It is fun to make handmade crafts like love hearts or decorate cute photo frames with glitter and paint. I adore this LOVE banner in my favorite circus inspired font by Roselyn Hellard, you can follow a tutorial on how to make it on her blog at Second street . You can also make your own version using different colored paper or fabric.  atsecondstreet blog banner Let them help with breakfast by making heart shaped pancakes with strawberries or bake cupcakes together with pink frosting and sprinkles. A good tip to create the heart shape is to insert a marble at the top of the paper case before you put the batter inside to create a heart shaped cake or muffin. Pinterest For Him: The new David Beckham range of underwear for H&M  was the perfect gift for my husband this year; it also gave me an excuse to gaze at Golden Balls himself. Very sexy…and...

Fairfax resident and mother of three, Claudia Alfieri-Wallace is a professional ballet dancer who has performed in some of the world’s prestigious companies, such as the  Baryshnikov’s  American Ballet Theatre at 16 years old and then Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Smuin Ballet, with the best choreographers in the world. Now Claudia wants to give back to her local community and create a place to nurture the next generation of dancers . Claudia opened a dance studio called Studio C Ballet  last November in Fairfax and offers classes for children as young as two and a half through to teenagers and adult classes . Claudia explains more to The Marin Scoop : When did your love for ballet begin? “My ballet lessons began at the age of three.  My mother was a dancer from Australia and my two older sisters were taking ballet already by the time I was born. Wherever we were living (my NYC born American Dad moved the family around a lot for his maritime work) I had...