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

Fun & Free Activities with LA Kids this Weekend: Big Parade, Flying Fish & Great Big Family Play Day: May 31 - June 1

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 05/29/2014 - 9:00am

What's that you say? June? Why, yes please! Bring on the summer! With Memorial Day come and gone, we are now officially in the summer season, which means an abundance of grade A, E-ticket activities. And what better to get you started than the Great Big Family Play Day at Pan Pacific Park? This thing has it all: music from the Beat Buds, Twinkle Time and Rhythm Child, a meet-and-greet with Anna and Elsa, a pump & splash zone, pamper & playtime, and hold the phone, some Weework crafting courtesy of you know us, you love us, Mommy Poppins - and, forget about those Frozen chicks; you can meet a Mommy Poppins blogger! (You can win cool stuff, too, if you're into that kind of thing.)

The summer season is also known as kids out of school season, which is to say, anyone want to watch my kids for me? Not that I've forgotten to schedule a summer full of engaging and enriching activities or anything, but if I had, I could totally check out our round-up of LA Summer Camps that still have openings. (Or I could go with my back-up plan and encourage them to run away with the circus).

And, of course, summer means more time outdoors, especially after that frigid winter we had. (Or maybe heard that other folks did). Luckily, we've rounded up some SoCal-centric fun in the sun. We've got the splash pads to keep you cool; we've got the hikes to help you get back to nature.

And we've got the activities to keep you going whatever the weather may be...

Fun & Free Activities with LA Kids this Weekend: Bug Fair, Strawberries, and Topanga Banjo Fiddle: May 17 - 18

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 05/15/2014 - 10:00am

This is getting serious, guys. This is our last weekend before Memorial Day. You know what Memorial Day means? The beginning of summer. (Not in a solstice kind of way, but in an unofficial start to the season way, and a bunch of free outdoor concert and movie series are starting up and I think maybe you can wear white again way.)

But it doesn't feel like summer or anything; nope, no sweltering temps here. Denial may be a river in Egypt, but who needs rivers when we've got the beach, the waves, and delightful sea creatures? Sure, the mercury may be rising so high it'll knock you into the Renaissance era... twice... but we can enjoy it while breakfasting with gibbons and snacking on strawberries. Yes, you may get to the rink and find the ice has melted, but no worries, you can go roller skating!

Then, of course, there's no better way to get your mind off your own steamin' pile o' troubles than to help others. Luckily this is Big Sunday Weekend, so there are projects all around that need your special touch to get them done.

Keep reading for the hottest activities to be found this weekend...

Fun & Free Activities with LA Kids this Weekend: Poppies, Beach House, and REDCAT Film Fest: April 26 - 27

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 04/24/2014 - 12:37pm

It’s spring, and you know what that means: spring cleaning! Out with the old, in with the new. You can get started with a classic clean, and join in the Earth Day tie-in beach cleanup on Santa Monica Beach. Get those sands sparkling (and what perfect timing: the Annenberg Community Beach House is holding its Anniversary shingdig this weekend as well).

That was inspiring! Now it's time to clean up our own little neck of the woods and… oh dear. We have quite a lot of trash around here. No worries. Earth Day also marks the start of Sanitation Open House season. Kids can tour sanitation yards, attend recycling fairs, visit landfills, and perhaps commandeer a garbage truck to help Momma haul away a ton or two of refuse.

You know what's not going to end up in a landfill? Cloth diapers. You know who's going to end up in the Guinness Book of Records? Cloth diaperers (assuming enough of them get together this weekend). You know what else is going to end up in the record books? This weekend, because seriously, there's so much amazing stuff going on that it will definitely be going down in history.

Don't believe me? Keep reading for a taste of the awesomeness headed your way...

Fun & Free Activities with LA Kids this Weekend: Book Festival, Getty Festival, & Puppet Festival: April 12 - 13

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 04/10/2014 - 10:00am

We're sorry. We're really, really sorry. We don't mean to keep doing this to you, honest. But here we go again: There are just Too Many Things to Do. Good things. Excellent Things. More Things than One Family can possibly do in One Weekend. And you are going to have to choose.

The LA Times Festival of Books. The Puppet Festival at the Skirball. One of the Getty Center's priceless Family Festivals. (This one's about Queen Victoria and Photography). There's the opening day of the Butterfly Pavilion. There's the opening day of the Snowy Day exhibit at the Skirball. There's the opening day of the Wyland Gallery at Sweet! (Whales! And chocolate!)

But that is not all; oh, no, that is not all. Easter is hopping into town with bunnies, bunnies, and bunnies. (Peter, Cottontail, and Easter). There are kites in the sky, singing in the rain, and talking drums. There are infinitely many choices, and all of them are must-see.

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

Fun & Free Activities with LA Kids this Weekend: CicLAvia, Puppet March, & Baseball Swing: April 5 - 6

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 04/03/2014 - 10:00am

It’s all about the kids, isn’t it? The Aquarium of the Pacific celebrates International Children’s Day all weekend long. Museum of Latin American Art does the same on Sunday. It's Earth Day at STAR Eco Station... Children's Earth Day, that is. Concerts on Santa Monica Pier are back - but sorry, they're for kids. Kids, kids, kids!

Well hip hip Huzzah for the kids, but what about the parents? Huh? When do we get our day? Children’s Day - how about Mothers' Day? Or, wonder of wonders, Fathers' Day? When do we get ours???

Really? As soon as that? Cool, I can wait til May. (No word on whether the Dads will make it to June, though). In the meantime, bring on the kid stuff! Bunny photo ops! Bubbles, baseball, and Cat in the Hat! Because really, we know, the best way to make Momma happy is to make her kids happy. And our calendar is filled with ways to make your children happy.

Keep reading for the most delightfully child-centric activities for this weekend...

Tax Day Freebies: Free Stuff before the Refund Arrives

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 1:04pm

Tax Day doesn't give us many reasons to celebrate, but we've found a few companies doing their best to help ease our pain with freebies and reduced prices. Some things are free every day; for all others, there are Tax Day freebies.

Fun & Free Activities with LA Kids this Weekend: Bookfest, Bubblefest, & Earth Hour: March 29 - 30

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 03/27/2014 - 9:00am

Wow. Another beautiful spring weekend ahead. What a perfect time to go on a hike to see wildflowers. Such pretty colors! Such fresh scents. I think I'll just sniff that one over there... wait a minute. It's not going to squirt water at me, is it?

You see, my kid is suddenly all about April Fool's pranks. I have no clue where she got the idea. She's getting an early start, because apparently April Fool's jokes are even funnier when you're not expecting them because, you know, it's not April 1. (Preschool humor!)

Now I don't know what to trust. Black is white, day is night, and make way because the Easter Bunny is I'm not kidding hopping down the trail. (As if! Easter is totally weeks and weeks away.)

Don't keep reading because you certainly won't find some of our favorite picks for the weekend... or will you?

Fun & Free Activities with LA Kids this Weekend: Cherry Blossom, Teaching Zoo, & Bug Fair: March 22 - 23

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 03/20/2014 - 9:54am

How'd ya like that cute little wake-up call this week? No biggie. Just a reminder of the trade-off we make for living in Sunny So Cal and ...HOLY CANNOLI! WHAT WAS THAT?! That must have been a big one; it felt like a mess of trucks going by and... Oh. It was a mess of trucks going by? Fancy that. Must be fun for the kids; you know how they love those big rigs.

Okay, so maybe I am feeling a little jumpy. Maybe I still have a creepy, my-skin-is-crawling, like there are bugs everywhere, and LEAPIN' LIZARDS! There are bugs crawling everywhere! Oh, because of Bug Fair, right. Makes sense. (But cricket brownies? Serious. Ugh.)

You know what doesn't make sense? RAMPAGING ANIMALS! Through the streets! Roaring really loud and scaring little children and walking on tightropes and performing funny skits and maybe even riding little bicycles, and - I have to admit that sounds more talented than scary, like America's Teaching Zoo Has Talent talented.

Anyway, I'll be hiding in the doorway with my emergency flashlight until further notice. But for those of you willing to venture out into the wild world this weekend, please keep reading for some of our favorite picks.