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.

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:

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?