Jacqueline Stansbury

A native Angeleno, Jackie enjoys revisiting her childhood as a mom and writer for Mommy Poppins. She did a lot of cool stuff as a kid and has newfound respect for her own mom who made that happen without the internet! Today in Los Angeles, some things are gone, some have changed and some, like the grunion, remain exactly the same. In her former life, Jackie was a development executive on the Fox Studios lot where she rounded up writer/director lists and covered screenplays. Mommy Poppins is much more fun. Jackie's kids, Benjamin and Juliet, agree.

Latest posts by Jacqueline

This Week's Picks: Veterans Day Mid-Week Holiday, November 10-14

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 9:26am

What? The kids don’t have school on Tuesday, but they do have school on Monday and Wednesday and the rest of the week? Who knew, but apparently World War I came to an end on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. In other words, Veterans Day is one day off that can’t be neatly tied to the weekend.

If you are home with your kids, make Tuesday a train day with Thomas the Tank Engine. If you work (and a mid-week day off is a huge inconvenience), how ‘bout sending them to beach camp? But if your plan involves a day out at a museum, be sure to call first; some spots are closed for Federal holidays. Have a great week!

This Week's Picks: Get ready for Winter! The Return of Seaside Skating, November 3-7

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Mon, 11/03/2014 - 8:52am

It is time to set aside the Halloween Hoopla and get serious - or at least until the Holiday Hoopla sets in. For our oldest kids, college applications are due, and the Santa Monica Public Library has an evening for parents and students geared towards writing that all important college essay. And while we're mentioning things educational, the first week of the month always has a few free admission days at local museums. Beyond that, there is lots to do in Pasadena this week; outdoor ice skating returns in Santa Monica, and the LEGO aficionados in my house would fire me if I forgot to remind everybody that the first Tuesday of the month is always a free Lego model giveaway at participating stores. Who needs Halloween anyway?

This week's Picks: Halloween! It’s not too late to Celebrate October 27 – 31

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 9:21am

Halloween is Friday. Are the costumes assembled? Have the pumpkins been carved? Are you heading back to the grocery store for more candy to pass out because you bought yours too early and somebody (okay, I admit it, “Guilty!) ate up half of the candy corn?

The Halloween offerings this month have been amazing. Some are scary; some are cute; many have incredible production values because this is, after all, a movie company town. You’ve probably made all sorts of plans to hit this or that event or even a graveyard, but Halloween is Friday and you haven’t even made it to the pumpkin patch.

Never fear, many of the ongoing activities surrounding All Hallows Eve continue this week. Start with Tim Burton, end with Danny Elfman, and be sure to get a pumpkin already.

Historic Cemeteries and Spooky Graveyards in LA: The Final Forever

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Tue, 10/21/2014 - 8:50am

Cemeteries can be beautiful, historic, and filled with interesting people. On Halloween night or under a full moon they might be just a little bit spooky or awfully sinister, depending upon your tolerance. Regardless, my family loves them. For my daughter who relishes the macabre, there is always the hope and possibility of encountering a graveyard ghost. My husband and son are scholars of the past, and there is nothing quite so historic as a bunch of dead people. Me, I like the trees and the grass and the inscriptions.

A good boneyard has something for everybody (including some great Day of the Dead celebrations). While Los Angeles is a town where people come seeking eternal youth (or at least a botoxed rendition), nothing lasts forever. Nevertheless, our sundrenched landscape is not a bad place to spend eternity, and you may even find yourself alongside somebody quite famous in one of these LA final resting places.

This Week's Picks: A celebration of Red Hot Marshmallow Squirters, October 20 – 24

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Mon, 10/20/2014 - 1:35am

Here we are halfway through October. Are your costumes ready? Halloween is just around the corner, and there are several spooky activities to check out this week. The Los Angeles Public Library continues its exploration of Homer’s Odyssey with many events for kids, teens, and adults in multiple locations across the city. On Tuesday stay home or go out, but be sure to take a few minutes to “Read for the Record” – Jumpstart’s annual promotion of child literacy. The book selected for this year’s event is Rosemary Wells’ Bunny Cakes. Siblings Max and Ruby have different ideas about Grandma’s birthday cake; Ruby wants buttercream frosting and roses, but for Max it’s all about the red hot marshmallow squirters. For these and other fun weekday ideas, read on...

An Epic Week: This Week's Picks October 13 - 17

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Mon, 10/13/2014 - 2:38am

Doh! This is the month to celebrate all things Homer at a myriad of Odyssey themed events sponsored by the Los Angeles Public Library. And while our picks primarily focus on things to do with kids, this week also offers a few worthwhile opportunities for parents.

If you live in Pasadena and have a little one headed for school soon, Kindergarten Elementary Nights is not to be missed. On the Westside, Digital Domain in Santa Monica is hosting a Minecraft Workshop for parents who want to connect with their children’s latest obsession. Meanwhile, we've got our five picks for fun things to do with the offspring this Monday through Friday:

The Odyssey Project: Introducing a Classic to LA Kids

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Sun, 10/12/2014 - 12:00pm

Sometimes the drive to school and after-school can feel like an Odyssey - that is until you remember that the The Odyssey journey actually took ten years and that we should therefore be grateful that the Sepulveda Pass can be traversed in under an hour. The Los Angeles Public Library offers an homage to Homer’s heroic poem The Odyssey throughout the month of October, honoring the original epic journey at several events sponsored by The Library Foundation of Los Angeles. This month-long literary quest to determine the significance of the ancient epic to present day Angelenos goes deeper than commuting time, of course, and finds fun ways to introduce the classic to another generation.

The Drought: Ways to be Water Wise for California Families

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Wed, 10/08/2014 - 9:18am

Because we write for and about thoughtful parents, the Metropolitan Water District recently invited Mommy Poppins to an all-day seminar about the drought in California. As a native Californian, I was anxious to attend, because I vividly remember the drought in 1976-1977. Back then, restaurants were not allowed to serve water unless requested, and we barely flushed our toilets. Our mantra was “If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.” Much has changed since the 70s. For one thing, all toilets these days are low flow and consume far less water than they used to. More importantly, the MWD and other water agencies across the state have learned many lessons and as a result have greatly increased our capacity to store water from wet seasons to have it available during dry times. But what else should families be doing, and how can we help our kids to preserve their most important resource?