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

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...

Best Things To Do This Weekend with LA Kids: Whales, Purim, and Zimmerpalooza Mar 7 - 8

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 03/05/2015 - 8:00am

You’re getting too much sleep. Yes, definitely too much sleep. Howsabout we take away some, like an hour? I suggest you do that at 2am, in the wee hours on Sunday, (changing the clocks in the middle of the night has the added bonus of depriving you of even more sleep). It’s also Daylight Savings Time, so changing your clocks slightly increases your chances of showing up on time for Sunday events.

April showers may bring May flowers, but it is pouring Purim this March weekend. We've got festivals from Santa Monica to Tarzana, from Northridge to Beverly Hills. (Costumes optional).

Passing on Purim? No worries: as usual we are spoiled for choice when it comes to celebrating. Other topics of revelry this weekend include women, dogs, whales, bubbles, LEGO Star Wars, lanterns, kites, kids and…I’m not sure if it’s Zimmers or Paloozas, but Zimmerpalooza is celebrating something, too.

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

Best Things To Do This Weekend with LA Kids: Bikes, Seuss, and Purim February 28 - March 1

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 02/26/2015 - 8:01am

Forget about the lion: March is coming in like a firecracker. There's some serious Seussing this weekend, and heaping platters of hamantaschen ahead. (Wash them down with half price drinks)

The bicycle is getting a lot of love this weekend, as are the camellia, vegans, Gene Autry, and old-fashioned toys. There are holidays you know, some you never heard of, and some you may suspect are made up. There is science, and there is cake. Life here, as always, is good.

Now go catch the last hurrah of February (it's full of stars!) and full steam ahead for another great month, (hint: there's going to be a lot of green coming your way!)

Keep reading for some roaring good picks for this weekend...

Best Things To Do This Weekend with LA Kids: Engineers, Boats, & Lunar New Year, February 21-22

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 02/19/2015 - 8:05am

For a short month, February sure manages to pack it in. No one trick pony, February's celebrations run the gamut. Case in point: this weekend we honor Black History Month, celebrate Lunar New Year all around town, sing the praises of engineers, and even give a nod to the boating life.

I suppose a short month is a good thing, if you're snowed in or stuck in an ice hut. None of which is true here; hello beach, how about some park time, see ya in the gardens. We savor our days here, exploring our neighborhoods and all they have to offer. Be sure to check out our latest guide for Los Feliz (notice how that translates to "the happy"?).

So pardon us while we dance, groove, and party through every last bit of February. If we can make 28 days this fun, imagine what we can do with 31!

Keep reading for some of our most jam-packed picks for this weekend...

Best Things To Do This Weekend with LA Kids: SpongeBob, Children's Grammy, & Chocolate Feb 7 - 8

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 02/05/2015 - 7:44am

Okay, Mamas, this is the weekend you've got to get your kids started. If they're going to give you an awesome Valentine's (that is how it's supposed to go, right?), they'd better get a move on. Luckily, there are plenty of heart-warming workshops to get creative juices flowing.

Of course, you may need to remind them of just what a wonderful mama you are. You know, the kind that takes them to see The Spongebob Movie on opening weekend. (Not their cup of tea? There's also Tinker Bell, and Big Hero 6, and even The Phantom Tollbooth...) You can send them on a train ride to the Mesozoic, or to a Monster Jam mashup, or to a birthday party for a lion. And you can give your kid the greatest gift of all: license to talk about the gas giant Uranus without getting in trouble.

Keep reading for some of our most loving picks for this weekend...

Best Things To Do This Weekend with LA Kids: Free Museums, Dodgers, & Lunar New Year Jan 31 - Feb 1

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 01/29/2015 - 8:00am

So if a Southern California groundhog sees his shadow, does that mean we have six more weeks of... the same sunny weather we always have? Because, no offense to anyone who might be snowed in, but even the coldest days of our winter are oddly lacking in winter-like qualities. (Except for all the snow.)

But the winds of change are blowing, because hello! Blink and it's February. Our shortest month is also chock full of holidays, with Lunar New Years, Valentine's Day (get your kid started on your presents at the free workshops this weekend), Presidents Day, and a whole month of African American History.

Then again, we may be skipping spring altogether, because this weekend we get a visit from the boys of summer: your Los Angeles Dodgers are inviting folks over for a baseball love fest. So, in keeping with the season, why not get a move on and enjoy the great outdoors? Unless it rains, in which case you should totes stay inside.

Keep reading for some of our most seasonal picks for this weekend...