Roberta Brown

Editor-in-Chief

Years spent at Nickelodeon prepared Roberta to launch Mommy Poppins' Los Angeles branch in 2011, eventually becoming Mommy Poppins Editor-in-Chief in 2013. Previously she served as LA Editor for GoCityKids, National Editor for ParentsConnect, and Editor for NickMom—all of which works out well for her son, who has grown up serving as Chief Guinea Pig for all things fun in LA and beyond.

Latest posts by Roberta

Memorial Day Weekend Festivals and Parades for LA Families

Submitted by Roberta B on Fri, 05/27/2016 - 3:15am

Quick, hit the brakes—there's a three-day weekend just ahead! Memorial Day, the holiday generally considered the first harbinger of summer, is on the horizon, and the forecast is for one of those LA Story, 70s-and-sunny weekends. There's only one problem: you were so busy looking for summer camps that you forgot to book a campsite or a beach getaway, right? No worries—when your kids ask why you're not going anywhere this weekend, just tell them you're staying in town to catch some of the great Memorial Day festivals and parades that only happen once a year.

The Expo Line Arrives! Santa Monica to Downtown LA in 46 Minutes

Submitted by Roberta B on Tue, 05/17/2016 - 6:03pm

They've been working on the railroad—all the livelong decade, it feels like. There are kids in high school who have heard all their lives about the light rail someday reaching the sea. Well, this weekend, on May 20, 2016 to be exact, the Santa Monica extension of the Expo Line finally opens up, and people will be able to travel between the Pier and DTLA without touching their car keys. Los Angeles Metro is celebrating the much anticipated event with parties and free rides for everyone. In all, 7 new stations are opening up, so that's 7 parties with live music, food trucks, bounce houses, and other entertainment from Culver City to Santa Monica. Hop on a train, and pretty much anywhere you hop off, there'll be a party going on. Yes, that's how novel public transport is to people on the Westside of LA.

The free rides are on offer from noon on Friday through the end of Saturday. After that, riders need to have a TAP card ($1 in vending machines, $2 on buses or at retail locations) loaded up with enough credit for travel; each journey costs $1.75 ($1 for kids in grades K-12), including transfers. And the good news is that several new Big Blue Bus routes have been added to meet the train—as well as a few other creative ways to get to and from the station.

Surviving Mother's Day as a Single Mom—8 Ways To Have the Day We Deserve

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 05/02/2016 - 4:00pm

Mother's Day seems like such a great idea, but for single moms it rarely delivers. Who's going to bring us breakfast in bed—a toddler?

There are many paths to single motherhood, and I think among my friends we cover them all. Whether we were surprised by motherhood, by divorce, or just by everything that came after the sperm bank, one thing we all share is that Mother’s Day is not all it's cracked up to be. That’s not because we don’t love being mothers—being Mom is the part we love best. And the concept of celebrating motherhood is a fine thing. But being responsible for teaching someone else—someone small and self-centered—to make a fuss over us? That feels like more trouble than it's worth. Or, to put it as concisely as one of my friends does, “Kids ruin Mother’s Day.”

Of course we're joking. Kind of. How could kids ruin a day all about our joy in having them? Maybe it's because Hallmark builds this thing up as big as Valentine's Day and makes us think that someone is supposed to shower us with champagne breakfasts and roses. In a two-parent home, the responsibility for living up to that fantasy at least falls on an adult. Of course, friends readily tell me how often the adult can fall short (I don't think the Mother's Day deep fat fryer episode ended my one friend's marriage, but it clearly didn't help). Enough dads do seem to get it right, though, to leave a single mom feeling like she's alone in a world of mimosa drinkers come Sunday morn.

The Acro-Cats: Traveling Kitty Talent Show and Unlikely Cat Adoption Event

Submitted by Roberta B on Sun, 04/24/2016 - 5:46pm

We laughed; we cried; it was better than Cats. Well, actually it was cats, and we didn't really cry, but I'll stand by better than Cats—because instead of going home with Memory stuck in my head, I went home with my son intent on training our cat (infinitely preferable). What I'm talking about is The Acro-Cats, an unusual touring show I stumbled upon this weekend that offers a solid hour of feline performances. The show is currently playing at North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre, and in May it moves on to a short run at the Art Theatre of Long Beach. If watching kooky cat ladies convince rescue kitties (and a few other random critters) to perform unlikely tricks sounds like it could give you a chuckle, then read on. It certainly tickled our funny bone.

5 Things Parents Need To Know To Keep Kids Safe from Sports Injuries

Submitted by Roberta B on Wed, 04/20/2016 - 11:46am

There has been plenty written in the news lately about how kids are specializing in sports earlier these days, training harder than ever—in team sports in particular—to compete at higher and higher levels. This puts extra stress on growing bodies and often leaves parents on uncertain ground. As a parent of an athlete, I often wonder when my kid says, "It hurts here," how seriously I need to take it. Is this a bath and a good night's sleep after a tough work out, or is it a trip to the doctor? Like many parents I know, I sometimes find myself asking the coach for input, when really I should be asking a specialist.

Knowing a good resource for kids' sports injuries is a big help—which is why I'm excited to be writing about LA's Orthopaedic Institute for Children. It has given me a chance to get some of my own questions answered on the topic of parenting an athlete, and to share the info with other sports parents. I posed a few questions to the associate director of the Orthopaedic Institute for Children’s Center of Sports Medicine in Los Angeles, Dr. Jennifer Beck, who gave me some great information about supporting a young athlete, and about why the demanding nature of sports while a young body’s musculoskeletal system is rapidly changing can sometimes cause injuries.

Hogwarts in Hollywood: Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios

Submitted by Roberta B on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 9:12pm

Hollywood is the original home of Universal Studios, so it never really sat right that Orlando got not just one but two Harry Potter attractions before we did. The injustice is finally set right this week, as Southern California gets its very own Wizarding World of Harry Potter just off the Hollywood Freeway, where Hogwarts ought to be. The magical treat is included in normal theme park admission, though in the coming weeks calling admission to Universal Studios "normal" is a little optimistic. Most of opening weekend is completely sold out to potty Potter fans. Something else that isn't normal? I got to experience the entire attraction a day early with only a handful of press, a few cast members from the film, and not a single line to wait in. Not to gloat, of course: I only bring it up so I can tell you what wonderful wizardry you can expect to find at Hollywood's new Harry Potter World. And to share some cool stories of meeting the actors. And to help you to not vomit. But more of that anon.

Great Wolf Lodge SoCal: the Indoor Water Park Hotel in Orange County

Submitted by Roberta B on Wed, 03/09/2016 - 12:27pm

If you've never been to a place where dinner attire is a mixture of pajamas, swim suits, and furry wolf ears, then it sounds like you've never been to a Great Wolf Lodge. Until this past weekend, I was one of those uninitiated, having only heard second hand of the popular indoor water park hotels. But this past weekend, Great Wolf opened its newest location here in Southern California, and I was invited (along with oodles of other press with progeny) to attend the opening and take the plunge. (Yes, that was a pun, and there may be more.)

25 Things To Do in Beverly Hills with Kids

Submitted by Roberta B on Sat, 02/27/2016 - 2:31pm

Swimming pools, movie stars. If there are two things we all know about Beverly Hills, it's the swimming pools and the movie stars. And, oh yes, we know the zip code, too. (When I used to live in 90211, out-of-towners seemed to think my zip code was hilarious.) Guests come to visit, and they always want to see Beverly Hills; but for young kids, walking up and down Rodeo Drive is not much of a crowd-pleaser. Avoid the stress of controlling tots in Tiffany's by knowing a few low cost, high entertainment, kid-friendly activities in this suburb to end all suburbs, the gateway to the Westside, the home to the stars' homes, the small town where people dress up to go window shopping. Check out our favorite 25 things to do in Beverly Hills; even if you're a BH High graduate, there are bound to be a few items you haven't done yet.