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: Bug Fair, LéaLA, and Singing with Muppets, May 16-17

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 05/14/2015 - 8:31am

So here's the funny thing (and I'm sure it will make you laugh): I'm going through and updating events, and I'm noticing that a lot of annual summer favorites already have their schedules up. A summer concert series here, a movie series there; no surprise that baseball games are up—they already started—and Hollywood Bowl, of course.

But I'm seeing more and more summer series locked and loaded, ready to go, which is weird, because it's totally still spring; I can tell that from the calendar. May is spring unless there was some act of Congress I missed, and then it hits me: next weekend = Memorial Day. Memorial Day = unofficial start of summer. Transitive property, yada yada, I'm sorry, what? Summer???

And now you see that the laughing I said you would be doing is of the "or else I might cry" variety. Schools start letting out over the next few weeks; I'm sure you've got your camps picked out and know exactly what you're going to do with your kids all summer, and all I have to say to that is, "Ha! Ha Ha!"

Keep reading for some seriously funny events this weekend...

Weekend Fun for LA Kids: Cinco de Mayo, Butterfly Release, Free Comics May 2-3

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 04/30/2015 - 8:56am

Big things are happening this weekend: big, big, big. I know they're big because they have "big" in the title, and that's not a word we use lightly around here. We've got The Big Parade, in which Angelenos walk all over town (Angelenos walking—that's big news). We've got Big Sunday Weekend, with thousands of families working together to help make the world a better place.

Another big thing is Cinco de Mayo, very big in these parts, and I know it's big because cinco is five and you need all the fingers on one hand to count that high. You'll need way more than five fingers to count all the Cinco de Mayo celebrations going on. (Lucky for you we've got them listed in our handy-dandy Event Calendar).

And what big thing should we close with? The ~~Big~~ Grand Butterfly Release? ~~Big~~ Bird Day LA? Breakfast with the ~~Bigguns~~ Gibbons? I'm going to go a different way: next Sunday is Mother's Day, and I want something big. You have been warned.

Keep reading for our biggest picks for this weekend.

Weekend Fun with LA Kids: Science, Imagination, and Earth Day (Again) April 25-26

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 04/23/2015 - 8:20am

Science, Earth Day; Earth Day, science. One follows the other, but which came first? Did someone say, "Science rocks! Let's apply it to the Earth!" Or was it, "The Earth is so cool; I wonder what the science behind it is?"

Either way, there are going to be a lot of inspired kids this weekend. Inspired to be primatologists and engineers, chefs and yogis, artists and opera singers. Kids will be running away to join the circus and skating off to Pixie Hollow.

It looks like it's going to be one big party in LA this weekend. Or maybe a bunch of little ones. Or maybe some smaller ones and then a supersize, I-didn't-know-there-were-that-many-people-here party. All I know is: it's gonna be super fun.

Keep reading for the most earthy events this weekend... scientifically proven!

Weekend Fun with LA Kids: Book Festival, Star Wars and Earth Day April 18-19

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 04/16/2015 - 8:45am

We here at Mommy Poppins are all about mothers, and this weekend, we’re celebrating the biggest mother of them all: Mother Earth. We are blessed to live in a region full of outdoor destinations, many of which host Earth Day festivities. Naturally, we’ve compiled a guide to the best Earth Day celebrations in the area.

Of course, mothers with slightly less girth are celebrated as well. Club MomMe's Spring Family Fest is a chance for all mom and dads to explore the latest in parenting and enjoy a little pampering, while kids get their play on.

Nothing would make your Momma prouder than to see you spending time with a few good books. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is one of the biggest literary events of the year, with celebrities, authors, celebrity authors, and author celebrities, including Malcolm Gladwell, Octavia Spencer, Joyce Carol Oates, and Scooby-Doo. You can read all about it, (or have someone read it to you if you're still working on your sight words).

Keep reading for the most mom-o-rific events this weekend.

Weekend Fun with LA Kids: YALLWest, Puppet Fest & Butterfly Pavilion, Apr 11-12

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 04/09/2015 - 8:50am

You know we can't fit all the events going on this weekend in one post, right? I mean, we could, but it would just be too long, and you'd have to keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. It would be like reading through my kid's birthday list (seriously, how much can one kid want?), and by the time you got to the end, the weekend would be over.

So instead, we choose highlights—not hard to find on a weekend like this. Hello, Marina del Rey turning 50 (prime of your life, MdR, you never looked better); butterflies are in season at the Natural History Museum (shout out to my pupae); and the biggest thing to happen in the YA world since that whole Jacob/ Edward thing. Obviously, all of those need a mention.

There's also a major Powwow, a puppet festival you have to see to believe, art on the streets of Burbank... but not every activity is larger than life. You can fly a kite, learn about siblings, hear some really great music (in some really cool places), and moms, don't forget to look after yourselves.

But that's just the beginning. There are awesome art projects, a family 5k, a complimentary car seat checkup, and a by-teens-for-teens night out. Not all of it can make it into our highlights post. It just can't. But don't worry, that's what our Event Calendar is for.

Keep reading for way too many things to do this weekend..

Best Things To Do with LA Kids This Weekend: Bubbles, Getty, & Bookfest, Mar 28 - 29

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 03/26/2015 - 8:29am

Okay, I finally figured it out. All these "bunny" events, cryptic references to "eggs" —what can all that be about? It's way too early in the year for any seasonal relevance; we're still a week away from April.

But then it hit me: we're a week away from April.

So, ha ha, very funny, April Fools' pranksters. You almost had me believing it's Easter next week. Getting all the malls, parks, and railways in on it, too, was very clever. Then you threw me off the scent with just enough rabbit-free events to make me think twice; oh, I bet you're feeling smart. Books aren't bunnies (true). Bubbles aren't bunnies (for sure). Jelly beans aren't bunnies... but they are the bunnies' favorite treat! You wascally wabbit!

Well, trick or not, let's get out there and enjoy this weekend; let's play and dance, and look at the stars. You can't fool me with a good time!

Keep reading for our favorite picks for this weekend... no foolin'!

Best Things To Do with LA Kids This Weekend: CicLAvia Valley, Steampunk & Swallows Mar 21-22

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 03/19/2015 - 8:42am

Spring, sprang, sprung! Spring is here, though honestly it seems like it never left (and frankly we've been feeling more like the dead of summer this past week anyway). Those reliable harbingers of the season, the Capistrano swallows, come flying in, the grunion are wriggling their way up SoCal beaches, and the cherries are blossoming.

It's time for a little spring cleaning (Bonus: cleaning out your closet means you have room for new stuff!). It's time to get out and explore your neighborhood. (Who are the people in your neighborhood, anyway?)

And just to alert you, Easter is on the early side this year: April 5 to be exact. Which means you'll barely have finished cleaning up the leprechaun foot prints before it's time to ~~make~~ discover bunny tracks throughout your house. Better get hoppin'!

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

Best Things To Do with LA Kids This Weekend: Dead Sea Scrolls & St. Paddy Mar 14-15

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 03/12/2015 - 8:11am

Is it just me, or does being a parent sometimes feel like running a marathon? It’s just go, go, go, first to your kid’s favorite movie, then to a birthday party, introducing them to art and music and really big plants, helping them learn about robotics, and history, and science.

The hope, of course, is that there’s a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, that all our efforts will be recognized, and that in 75, 100… heck, in 2000 years, they’ll still be saying “Well done. What you did with that kid was worthwhile.”

Or not. Not every kid is an Einstein. But with a little instruction, they can all learn to make pancakes.

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