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 Things to Do with LA Kids this Weekend: Touch-a-Truck, Thomas, & the Roaring 20s, Sept 14 - 15

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 09/12/2013 - 3:39am

So how's the whole back-to-school thing working out for you? Are you totally in the zone, got your rhythm for morning up-and-at-'ems down pat? Neither missing a beat nor heading out the door a moment late? Seriously? Not one moment? Like, who are you and what have you done with the Mommy we knew and loved? Could you at least admit to being a millisecond behind schedule so the rest of us don't feel bad? Please? Fine. Be that way. Bravo for you. (Slow. Clap.) As for the rest of us, maybe we need a little help. Like our Fall Guide. Points us in the right direction for all things autumnal, like apple picking, pumpkin patches, and fun in the sun. (This is Southern California, after all. Fall looks a lot like summer!)

If the calendar totally got away from you, and you suddenly realize, hey, I never got High Holy Day tickets, and even if I did, whoops, no sitter, we can help you there too. What if we told you that you could attend services ... without even leaving your house! (Yeah, that's the kind of magic we do around here.)

The clock is ticking on our Swagapalooza Giveaways, but you still have a chance to snag some awesome back-to-school swag. Act fast for your shot at a Target gift card, KRE-O CityVille Invasion building sets, or a boy's or girl's Schwinn bike.

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for the weekend…

Fun & Free Things to Do with LA Kids this Weekend: Exxopolis, Greek Festival & Brazilian Day, Sept 7 - 8

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 2:20am

It happens every year. I whine and moan about the end of summer, and the incomprehensibly early start of school. Finally Labor Day comes and even I have to admit, it’s time for Back to School. And then I realize: no one in my house is in school yet. We're still at the pre-school phase. September, Shmeptember, it's all the same to us. Yay, problem solved. But then this year I realized, this is our last year pre school. Our last chance to enjoy weekday activities (free museum days! Kids clubs at the malls!) Time is ticking on free entry to museums and theme parks and the Metro.

It’s not just about getting in free, it’s also about buying into the magic. Right now, my child truly believes that costumed character in front of her is the same animated friend she loves on TV. And this month alone I can take her to see the Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, the Wiggles, and for the pièce de résistance Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Sofia the First in one show. (Seriously, if you’re bucking for Mommy of the Year, get your kids tickets to this one.)

Lucky you, no matter how old your kid is, you can still enter to win awesome back-to-school bootie in our Swagapalooza Giveaway. A few of the drawings have closed already (you snooze, you lose) but there’s still plenty of time to enter for a Target gift card, a Motorola MBP26 Baby Monitor and a $250 Sears Optical Gift Certificate, to name a few.

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for the weekend…

Fun & Free Things to Do with LA Kids this Weekend: Fiesta La Ballona, Malipalooza, and Puppetry , Aug 24 - 25

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 08/22/2013 - 2:14am

Here's what we do: we give. We give and give and then give some more. We're givers. Day in, day out, we give you our best. We find fun things for you to do. Free things. Cute things. Super things. Disney things. Dancey things. We find the most thank-you-mommy-for-bringing-me-here activities for you and yours because we're like that. We want you to be happy.

But every so often we want to go even further in our giving. We think about you guys and what you've got going on and we ask ourselves, "Selves? How can we help these folk? How can we make their lives just that much brighter?" Now, for example. You're all wrapped in up Back-to-School-a-rama, and we'd like to help. By giving. Actual stuff. Stuff like, oh, I don't know, two Schwinn Kids' Bikes, $150 worth of personalized school supplies from My Chronical Books, a Disney Junior package that includes Disney bedding and a backpack, $100 off at Famous Footwear, and a year's supply of French Toast School Uniforms. That kind of stuff. Awesome stuff.

Want to know how to get your hands on this booty? And while you're at it, want the scoop on getting a discount for the upcoming show that's so out of this world that it's over the rainbow? We'd be glad to give it to you. Just keep reading for the 411, and for some of our favorite picks for this weekend as well...

Summer Sounds: Daytime Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 08/16/2013 - 7:23pm

Summer Sounds concerts offer younger kids an introduction to music at the Hollywood Bowl in a lively and engaging format without the logistical challenges of evening shows. The concerts have an international flare, introducing little ears to sounds from around the world.

The Hollywood Bowl has always been one of my favorite venues in LA: the finest music offered in an open air, festive environment. But as a parent, I began to see the scope of the Bowl in a different way. The size of the crowds could be overwhelming, the hour past little ones’ bedtimes, the length of the show beyond little ones’ attention spans. How then to instill in my child the same excitement I feel for this most beloved institution?

Fun & Free Things to Do with LA Kids this Weekend: Chalk Art, Robotics by the Sea, and Water Day, Aug 17 - 18

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 08/15/2013 - 1:42am

I don't know how it happened. Once we were united, a single people. But the divide between us has started to grow. We are now two factions staring each other down through the hole in the schoolyard fence. On the outside chewing gum and wearing flip flops we have Still Loving the Summer. Sitting at their desks with hands folded neatly in their laps are the Back in School bunch. Still Loving the Summer stays out past sundown, catching movies and concerts under the stars. Back in School is trying to learn a trade and wondering if Superhero Shakespeare counts for extra credit.

But there's hope. We can still find common ground. Everyone can agree on some things, like, no one likes jury duty, right? And on a more positive note, everyone loves birthday cake. Right? See, despite our differences, underneath we're really the same! We're one big happy family again, even if some of us can still sleep in.

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend, whether you're back to school or not...

Fun & Free Things to Do with LA Kids this Weekend: Planes, D23, and Dino Days, Aug 10 - 11

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 08/08/2013 - 1:11am

Remember last week when I said summer was only half-over?¹ Well, turns out I could not have been wronger.² Truth is, a whole bunch of you are going to be sending your kids back to school next week.³ Wondering if you’re one of the lucky ones?⁴ Check out our handy dandy guide to school start dates, (otherwise known as Academic Calendar Years.)⁵ Find out if your kid will be boarding the school bus on August what-were-they-thinking 13⁶, or if you have until September that’s-more-like-it 6 ⁷ to panic when you realize that your kid has grown two sizes since June⁸.

In the meantime, you’re going to want to make this weekend a memorable one. What a coincidence, we have some totally memory-making events to tell you about. The ultimate Disney fan event. The opening weekend of Disney’s Planes. A superduper Tea Party you can take your teddy bear to. (Or your stuffed Mickey Mouse, just to continue on a theme.)

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this it's-still-summer-til-the-fat-lady-sings ⁹ weekend...

Fun & Free Things to Do with LA Kids this Weekend: Ocean Appreciation, Shakespearean Superheroes and Ventura County Fair, Aug 3

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 08/01/2013 - 2:00am

Oh, summer! I like having you around. Your weather is inviting, and our dance cards are filled with one fun activity after another. But I’m a little unsettled: with the arrival of August, does that mean our time together is half over? Or is it really half just-begun?

Perhaps I shouldn't worry. Some of the best activities of the season don't even start until August. This weekend we have the premiere of an all-new Shakespeare production that's free, outdoors, geared for kids and has -- wait for it I can't wait any longer -- superheroes! The Getty's Garden Concerts for Kids start this weekend as well, and they're free, outdoors, geared for kids (this is starting to sound familiar) and -- alas - no superheroes -- but who needs superheroes when you have those awesome views at the Getty that you get to by riding a train up from the parking lot!

And if you like superheroes and vehicles, boy are you going to love this next thing. It's actually many things, over 15,000 of them across the country in fact. Next Tuesday's National Night Out celebrates our communities, and gives families a chance to say hi to their neighbors, their police officers, and their fire fighters. And if your kid gets to pet a police horse or climb into a helicopter, all the better. We have a few local celebrations listed (Beverly Hills, Burbank, Santa Monica, and Studio City), but if those aren't near you, poke around a bit and odds are good you could find one closer to you. (We'd list them all but, you know, 15,000).

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this summer-in-full-swing weekend...

Fun & Free Things to Do with LA Kids this Weekend: Family Sandcastles, National Dance Day and Free Smoothies, July 27- 28

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 07/25/2013 - 12:38am

This week we celebrate the birth of a great son of England. His arrival was most definitely magical, and celebrated across the wizarding world. Harry Potter is one year older, and the folks at Whimsic Alley are throwing him a shindig befitting a prince.

But perhaps you were thinking of another Brit who’s been getting a lot of attention: the Bard of Avon is as fresh as ever 449 years after his birth. The renowned wordsmith has productions going all around town: you can see free Shakespeare in Griffith Park or A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the VA’s Japanese Gardens, there’s even a superhero version of Twelfth Night coming up in Culver City.

But of course I jest. The big news across the pond is the birth of HRH George Alexander Louis, the 8 pound, 6 ounce bundle of royalty. Congrats to the happy family, and welcome to the parenting club. If you ever make it out this way, be sure to check out our events calendar for the inside scoop on what to see and do with your little one in La La Land. (But for now, just try to get some sleep!)

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