Toby B

Toby is our uber-busy events editor for Mommy Poppins LA. Feel free to email Toby about events for our LA area calendar.

Latest posts by Toby

Weekend Fun with LA Kids: Special Olympics, National Dance Day, and Venice Summer Fest, July 25- 26

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 07/23/2015 - 5:37am

Here's what we learned last weekend: it does rain in Southern California, sometimes so much that they cancel or postpone things, like concerts in the park, plays… they even closed the ocean (sorta kind of). But that was last week. This weekend, we should be back to our usual partly-sunny, no-humidity-here kind of paradise. Go ye forth and frolic, get your dance on, and enjoy all that our beloved Southland has to offer. (Beaches, even!)

And good timing, too, since the eyes of the world will be upon us this weekend. The Special Olympics brings special needs athletes from 177 nations to compete in venues throughout Los Angeles. Events are free to attend, so why not go cheer on some exceptional competitors?

Of course, in the land of the free, you can stay indoors if you really want. Indoor type? Circus, baby! Want the sun on your back? Orange County Fair! You can learn about space indoors with a roof over your head, or with a ceiling of stars. You can enjoy the Sunshine (Band) at night in the Marina (with KC, of course!), you can build your sandcastle in the sand, explore Chinatown, enjoy the arts and free movies, party with the faeries, run the bases and take in the explosive finale to the 1812 Overture. Okay, it looks like outdoors is winning this weekend, which makes sense, it being Southern California and all. (But better enjoy it while you can: an El Niño is coming this year!)

Keep reading for our most sunshiney picks for this weekend...

Weekend Fun with LA Kids: Wee Rock, Dragonboats, and Soda Tasting, July 18 - 19

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 07/16/2015 - 5:54am

Everyone seems to be loving Long Beach this weekend. The dragonboats, Lewis Carroll, heck there's a whole festival built around loving Long Beach. We like to think we got the trend started, with our post dropping some serious "We heart LB" vibes.

You know what else people love around here? The movies, and everything to do with show biz. Besides having a nearly infinite number of ways to see movies this weekend, indoors, outdoors, timeless classics, or brand new releases, we now have an unmatched studio tour, thanks to Warner Brothers, that takes you inside the movie- and television-making process like never before. Check this out: you can sit on the couch at Central Perk. (Stuff just got real.)

But don't stop there: we've got love to spread all over town. Love for soda. Love for the big top. Love for pirates and reptiles and kid-centric music, and love for music that will get you in the mood for love. Love for our far away favorite Pluto, whether or not we call it a planet. And most of all, love for spending time with our kids, no matter what it is we end up doing.

Keep reading for our most lovey dovey picks for this weekend...

Weekend Fun with LA Kids: Circus Xtreme, Old Fort MacArthur, and Free Slurpees , July 11 - 12

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 07/09/2015 - 5:23am

Around here we're totally enjoying our summer and not even thinking of school start dates next month. Why would we? It's July! There's tons to do! Summer favorites are starting up, the Circus is in town, you have your choice of kids' summer blockbusters, and so many opportunities to learn about the stars, which will really go over well with your kids' teachers when school starts up next month...

... which is not what we're talking about now, because, hello, summer, enjoying our break. More free things to do than you'll ever have time for, (what with school starting in a matter of weeks), and plenty of things that are worth the price of admission. Comic Con is early this year, probably because they didn't want it too close to the end of summer break. Free Slurpees this weekend! Does anything say summer like an ice cold Slurpee?

So we hope you fill your days with fun and frivolity, music and movies. And if in the process your kids happen to learn about archeology and history, marine biology, life in space, the traditions of other cultures and appreciation of the Bard, well, mores the better. After all, school starts up before you know it.

Keep reading for our most educational picks for this weekend...

2015-16 Academic Year Calendars for LA Area Schools

Submitted by Toby B on Tue, 06/30/2015 - 3:38am

August is the new September. As July unfurls before us, we have to face the fact that, in most districts, August means back to school already. Most Los Angeles area schools now start their school years smack dab in the middle of summer, though one or two districts still cling to the time-honored "wait until Labor Day" approach. All of this can make summer camp complicated to maneuver for some families, even as others are knee-deep in homework.

From West Covina's August 5 start date (really, West Covina? Really?) to Torrance’s September 10, don't just assume you know when school starts based on last year! Check our list of start and finish dates for the 2015-2016 school year in and around LA County before booking the family vacation.

Weekend Fun with LA Kids: Urban Nature, River Ride & BET Fan Fest , June 27 - 28

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 06/25/2015 - 8:47am

It's summertime (for reals this week!), and the fun is coming fast and furious. Time to indulge in your post-solstice favorites: Hollywood Bowl will have you singing all the way back to the future, or you can just bowl. You can wherefore and wilt thou with the Shakespearean troupe in Griffith Park (free all summer long). Speaking of free, there are a ton of free movies and free concerts and, really, aren't the best things in life free?

Here are a few: Free fan fest. Free pirate invasion. Free bike ride. (Free bike expo). Free Chinatown Summer Nights. Free movie. Free movie. Free movie. Free concert. Free festival.

And our favorite free, the Land of the Free, has its special day coming up. Nothing says summer like the Fourth of July! We've got the scoop on America's birthday and all the best fireworks next week, (and one display this weekend, if you want to get an early start).

Keep reading for our favorite picks for this weekend...

Weekend Fun with LA Kids: Hello Kitty, Discovery Cube OC, & Uniquely You, June 13-14

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 06/11/2015 - 8:04am

You know it and I know it: for all intents and purposes, the summer has arrived. All but a few outlier districts have stuck a fork in it and declared this school year done––which means a whole lot more ~~Minecraft~~ bonding time ahead for you and your kids.

Panicking much? No worries, we're here to help. We can point you toward awesome camps (that even still have openings!), majorly cheap or free movies and concerts, and the most supercute fun events that will have your kids thanking you for the rest of the summer. (A mom can dream, can't she?)

And we pause now for a public service announcement: next Sunday is Father's Day. Given that most schools are no longer going to be in session (see citation above), it's on you to see to it that Daddy has something waiting for him under the Father's Day tree (no citation available). When in doubt, you can't go wrong with a lovingly constructed craft. Or anything that is free.

We now return to our "Is it summer already" favorite picks for this weekend...

Weekend Fun with LA Kids: Beach Streets, Make Music, and World Oceans June 6-7

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 06/04/2015 - 8:30am

Who are the people in your neighborhood? And no, I'm not talking about Ernie and Grover (though they're cool, too); I'm talking about the people that you meet... in Pasadena, or when you're walking down the street... in Long Beach.

This weekend is all about spending time in your neighborhood or, if you don't like your area, checking out someone else's. There's a carnival in Palos Verdes, music in the streets of Pasadena, community shindigs in South Robertson and West LA's Pico, and a celebration of Northeast Los Angeles.

Want to look further afield? The Ocean Institute dives into the world's oceans, the Aquarium of the Pacific turns its attention to the Pacific Islands, and the Hammer is making plans to settle the Moon. (It's a nice place to visit; not sure I'd want to live there.)

Keep reading for some of our hometown picks for this weekend...

Weekend Fun with LA Kids: Family Play Day, CicLAvia, and Stroll 'n Run May 30-31

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 05/28/2015 - 8:33am

Party over here! Party over there! Holla! Mommy P in the house! Or in this case at the Autry, chilling with our SoCalMoms peeps and getting our family fun on. Come on down and touch some Aquarium of the Pacific sea life, snap yourself silly in the photo booth, get glammed from nails to hair, and watch the kid bands battle it out. It's going to be epic.

Or you can just walk it off. Or ride. Or dance. In Pasadena, you can show you don't need no stinkin' car to get where you're going. At South Coast Botanic Gardens, you can run-stroll in solidarity with fellow moms. So you think you can dance? Try shaking your tail feathers with Ernie, Cookie, and Elmo.

Whatever you're up for, we can help you figure out how to do it, whether you want to catch a new flick, an old one, or several in a row. Whether you want to pick a good book, or fine berries, or stars out of the sky, we're here for you. Come say hi.

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend...