This weekend brings a much-loved Japanese tale to Seattle, puppet-style (great for the kids, but puppetry can be mesmerizing at any age!). After viewing Thistle Theatre's production of Momotaro, it's cupcake time! Visit Trophy, the new Wallingford cupcake shop, for a delightful treat this weekend. You can also plan birthday parties with custom cupcakes, or pick up vintage decorations for any celebration. On Saturday, visit Gracewinds to learn all the tricks of trekking with baby.

Nibble & Sip
Trophy Cupcakes and Party*
Eight years of obsessing over cupcakes for all of her circle's celebrations have culminated in Jennifer Shea's dream shop: Trophy. The cupcake and party shop is now open in Wallingford Center and it will fulfill all of your sprinkled dreams. Call ahead for orders of a dozen or more, or to reserve the party nook, which seats ten to fourteen. Daily selections include the basics (made from the best ingredients, including French sprinkles and pure Madagascar bourbon vanilla) and a rotating lineup including carrot, lemon, green tea, chai cardamom, snickerdoodle, and - wow - peanut butter and jelly. Indulge!
When: Monday - Friday, 6:30 am - 8:00 pm; Saturday, 8:30 am - 6:00 pm; Sunday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Location: Wallingford Center, Suite 209, 1815 North 45th Street
Cost: Cupcakes, $2.75; Dozen, $30.00
Info.: 206.632.7020
Online: www.trophycupcakes.com

* tip from RT reader Kathy Park

Warm Fuzzies
The Art of Baby Wearing at Gracewinds
You see them all over town -- babies peeking through swaths of fabric, snugly tucked against mommy's body-- and wonder, how do they do that? This Saturday, and the first one of every month, Gracewinds Perinatal Services in Ballard offers "The Art of Baby Wearing," a class to discuss & try out the different carriers, slings, and wraps available. Feel free to poke around Peapod, a book and birth store, after class. You'll receive a coupon for a discount on Peapod's baby wearing gear. Registration is required as space is limited.
When: Saturday, March 3, from 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Location: Gracewinds, 1421 NW 70th Street (Ballard)
Cost: Free
Info: 206.781.9871
Online: www.gracewindsperinatal.com

P.S. Why not make a day of it in Ballard? Check out our Kid-Friendly Ballard article for tips on fun activities, shops and restaurants.

Better Than TV
Momotaro at Thistle Theatre
Thistle Theatre is the only theater in the Pacific Northwest that specializes in Bunraku, an ancient Japanese style of puppetry in which the puppeteers are dressed head-to-toe in black so as to disappear. Momotaro (Peach Boy) opens this weekend and will continue playing through May. The story is beloved in its native Japan, and introduces viewers to a woman who rescues a giant peach from a river. From the peach emerges a boy, and he embarks on an adventure to rescue treasure from thieving ogres who are causing trouble in the woman's village. Yikes! See web site for other locations and times, and to purchase tickets.
When: Friday, March 2, at 7:30 pm; Saturday and Sunday, March 3 and 4, at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm
Location: Magnuson Park Theatre, Theatre Building #47, 7110 62nd Avenue NE
Cost: : Adults, $9.00; Children and Seniors, $7.00
Info.:206.524.3388
Online: www.thistletheatre.org