Roberta Brown

Roberta to launched Mommy Poppins' Los Angeles in 2011. Previously she served as LA Editor for GoCityKids, National Editor for ParentsConnect, and Editor for NickMom—all of which worked out well for her son, who grew up serving as Chief Guinea Pig for all things fun in LA and beyond.

Latest posts by Roberta

LAX with Kids: Rideshare, Drop off, Pick up, LAXit Shuttles, and Car Seat Options

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 11/22/2021 - 10:06am

Rest easy about getting to the airport safely when you book one of these services for holiday travel.

LAX is one of the world's most famous airports... but that's not exactly a good thing. It's infamous for the gridlock in the horseshoe road that leads to its nine passenger terminals, and it's routinely bashed for lacking a direct connection to Metro Rail (for now). With or without a car seat, departures and arrivals at LAX with kids require a plan.

You can call an Uber or a Lyft directly to your terminal, but seeing that most of the LA area doesn't live very close to the airport, that can be extremely pricey. And, on Departures side, catching a rideshare is a little more complicated. Old-school taxis aren't allowed to wait outside every terminal as they do at other airports but can be found at a few locations around the airport.

We've made some calls, followed some links, and shaken some people by the lapels to gather the info below, featuring options that provide safe transport to the airport for your most precious cargo. And if all else fails? The Proud Bird by LAX has just been given a complete overhaul as a cool food hall that comes complete with a playground AND a liquor license...

Elf on the Shelf's Magical Holiday Journey: Christmas Lights, Ice Skating, and a Ride to Santa Claus

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 11/15/2021 - 3:58pm

Santa Claus greets the trolley at Elf on the Shelf Magical Holiday Journey.

Live holiday events are back in a big way in 2021—so big that even the elves are life-sized! While we totally appreciated the creative holiday drive-thru experiences of last Christmas season, we are definitely excited to be getting out of the car to enjoy holiday lights, decorations, and even outdoor ice skating once again. If all that sounds like a festive evening your family would enjoy, point your car toward Pomona, then jump out of it and enjoy carols, elves, skating, hot chocolate, a trolley ride, and an audience with Santa Claus himself at Elf on the Shelf's Magical Holiday Journey at Fairplex in Pomona.

LA's Christmas Boat Parades: Newport Beach, the Marina, LA Harbor, and More

Submitted by Roberta B on Sun, 11/07/2021 - 12:54am

Newport Beach Holiday Boat Parade. Photo by Trent Bell

Los Angeles is all about outdoor activities at Christmastime—and nothing says "This is why I moved to Southern California" quite like a Christmas boat parade. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, boat owners gussy up their crafts and parade them up and down waterways for applauding spectators, who line the harbors and marinas from Dana Point to Ventura. Driving around looking at holiday lights is great; letting them float by you at one of these dozen sailing holiday parades is even better.

Los Angeles Gets an Oscar: The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opens to Visitors

Submitted by Roberta B on Tue, 09/28/2021 - 10:34am

Click your heels three times and you'll be in, well, the Academy Museum!

"Do we need a movie museum?" Tom Hanks asked the first invitees in the Academy Museum 0f Motion Pictures' new Geffen Theater. He looked at us like we were crazy, before finishing, "Yeah!"

We Angelenos know what we're famous for. Hollywood has been synonymous with the movie industry for so long that people outside of LA don't even realize it's a neighborhood. Other cities have movie theaters, but only in LA do we see the street we just drove down to get to the movie theater on the screen in the movie.

So, yes, if there is one museum Los Angeles needed it was the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, a museum dedicated to the art of film-making which we've been doing in this city for more than 100 years. Movies are LA history, and that makes it something to teach our children—who, incidentally, get free admission to the new museum! Read on to find out what we get to see, do, and experience at the new Oscar Museum—including holding our very own Oscar.

100 School Lunch Ideas for Kids: Back-to-School Lunches Kids Will Actually Eat

Submitted by Roberta B on Thu, 08/19/2021 - 9:00am

A perfectly packed lunchbox helps kick the school blues. Photo courtesy of www.YumboxLunch.com

Need lunch ideas for kids heading back to school? Chances are you've had a healthy, well-packed school lunch box delivered back into your hands virtually untouched at the end of the school day. There should be a special name for the heartbreak one endures at the words, "I told you I hate peanut butter and jelly," when not only is this the first you're hearing of it, but you spent extra on organic jelly and freshly ground peanut butter. And if not PBJ, then what? Well, we've got 100 lunch ideas for kids to answer the question of what to pack in a successful school lunch.

20+ Great Los Angeles Party Entertainers Who Make the Party

Submitted by Roberta B on Sun, 07/25/2021 - 8:23am

Happily Ever Laughter's playful fairytale characters keep kids enchanted.

Like the people who throw them, birthday parties have evolved. Grandma might point out that she managed just fine without puppies and ponies, but that doesn't mean we have to. The truth is that a good party entertainer can make a budget party in the backyard or local park feel like the event of the season. If you're that mom who's never at a loss to entertain a dozen 8-year-olds, our hats are off to you (and please contact us about writing a party piece!); for everyone else, here are 20+ party entertainment companies who bring the party to your house, and we think they really take the (birthday) cake!

Clue Live! Solve a Classic Murder Mystery at Westfield Century City

Submitted by Roberta B on Thu, 07/15/2021 - 2:36pm

The best thing to come out of the past year has got to be the flood of creativity in event planning. As quickly as we lost some activities we loved, other new family-friendly, socially distanced experiences sprang up, from drive-through dinosaur museums to walk-through candylands (with a few of hands-off haunted houses and holiday displays in between). The latest innovative addition to the LA event scene is Clue Live!— an in-person, open-air version of the classic board game. Attendees solve a familiar murder mystery: was it Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick? Mrs. Peacock in the kitchen with a lead pipe? The walking adventure in Century City brings all of these characters to life this summer so you can play detective.

Pageant of the Masters in Laguna: These Paintings Are Not What They Seem

Submitted by Roberta B on Tue, 07/13/2021 - 7:00am

A pageant sculptor helps volunteer cast members into their poses at a rehearsal

Every city has something uniquely its own, some quirky event or phenomenon that defies description yet defines by association. Houston has its rodeo; Boston has its tea party, and Laguna Beach has the Pageant of the Masters.

If you've never experienced this curious gem, the private treasure of the people of Laguna, opportunity awaits you every night all summer long. But get ready to clean your glasses, because you won't always be sure what you're looking at. The extraordinary event is unlike anything else I've seen; it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're raising a budding artist, if your family rocks art museums, or if you just love outdoor entertainment on a summer evening, you owe it to yourselves to check the Pageant of the Masters off this summer's bucket list.

Roberta Brown

Latest posts by Roberta

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