Years spent at Nickelodeon prepared Roberta to launch Mommy Poppins' Los Angeles branch. She served as LA Editor for GoCityKids, National Editor for ParentsConnect, and Editor for NickMom. After two years as Mommy Poppins' LA Editor, Roberta became Editor-in-Chief at Mommy Poppins - which works out well for her son, who enjoys his role as Chief Guinea Pig for all things fun in LA and beyond.
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OK, so Oz is great and Oz is powerful; but is Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful a good film for your kids to see? Parenting minds want to know. So we headed down to El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood for a screening of the much anticipated Wizard of Oz prequel in 3D - the ultimate Hollywood venue for the ultimate Hollywood prequel.
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The Stars on Ice tour paid its annual skate-and-run visit to the Southland this past weekend. Figure skating buffs know Stars on Ice to be the ultimate skating show, while the uninitiated may never have seen an ice show that wasn't hosted by a giant mouse. For those who hesitate at the prospect of professional figure skating without a Disney Princess involved, think of Stars on Ice as something more akin to Cirque du Soleil on blades. It's a grand scale concept show that features fabulous costumes, inspiring music, and - above all - seemingly impossible physical feats. So what's not to love?
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If you've got a smartphone, get ready to change your ringtone to the Indiana Jones theme; the adventure of geocaching is within your grasp, and it's one of technology's greatest gifts to modern parents. A free activity that can be done pretty much anywhere, anytime, geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt open to anyone with a GPS device or smartphone. Have half an hour to kill and a kid who's climbing the walls? There's probably a treasure hidden within walking distance of where you are. Need an activity that gets the whole family outside for the day? Pick a spot in the hills and hike there in search of secret booty. Either way, you won't be hearing anyone say, "I'm bored!"
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Presidents Day draws nigh, and doubtless many of you will be celebrating the lives and times of our forefathers in the traditional Southern Californian way: finding snow and sliding down it repeatedly, just like Honest Abe would have done. Parents who like to find meaning in days off from school might take advantage of the not-one-but-two Presidential Library Museums we have access to in the Southland; both the Nixon and Reagan Libraries celebrate the day with free festivities. But since not everyone can convince the boss that Presidents Day merits a snow day from work, some parents are bound to be looking for a day camp to cover the Monday holiday. Allow us to make a few suggestions.
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It is rare for parents and children to be able to see a play together without one or the other of them feeling that they are performing an act of self sacrifice. Achieving this delicate balance is just the challenge that 24th Street Theatre has given itself as a directive for its new resident company. The theater celebrates its 15th season with a pledge to produce cutting edge theater that can be enjoyed on different levels simultaneously, by adults and children alike. If the current production, Walking the Tightrope, is an indication of what is to come, LA theater lovers have a lot to look forward to.
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That Angelina Jolie - what's she's got, 42 kids? And still she looks like Lara Croft. And all those A-list moms who weepingly thank their toddlers during their Oscar acceptance speeches - please! How could they possibly get into those dresses a year after giving birth? The truth is we know the answer: It's good old-fashioned childcare. While those red carpet mamas are going to their daily Pilates and hot yoga classes, someone else is changing their kids' diapers and making their dinner. Taking fitness classes together with our little ones is wonderful for family bonding, but when it's time to get back into our old jeans, we need gyms with childcare. And that's what all of the gyms below have.
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There's no topping that feeling after you've thrown a fabulous kids' party, entertaining every friend in a two mile radius and blissing out the birthday child. And that's just the problem: there's no topping it. The moment Mom achieves a memorable birthday party, the bar gets set a little higher for next year. To help alleviate that birthday party stress, Mommy Poppins offers the LA Kids Birthday Party Guide - an ever-growing resource of places to party indoors, places to party outdoors, and professionals to help make any location a smash hit.
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All gymnasts, except one, grow up; when Cathy Rigby sings, "I'm never gonna grow up," you can take her at her word.
The Olympian reprises the role she's been reprising since 1974 in the touring production of Peter Pan that opened at the Pantages Theatre last night. And while I was excited to be sharing a little piece of theater history with my son, I was frankly unprepared for the possibility that the most believable Peter Pan I've ever seen would be played by someone's grandmother. It sounds crazy, but no mental gymnastics are required at all to accept the legendary gymnast as a 10-year-old boy for two hours; that flying granny did one of the most impressive on-stage transformations I've ever seen, treating us to the ultimate eternal boy.
