Cinderella, a robot, and a dinosaur walked into a bar… it sounds like a joke but it’s just business as usual here in LA, where the air is so thick with things to do that they’re calling in a smog alert. Seriously, you can follow two different roads to Oz,  embark on cultural expeditions to learn about Hopi art, Korean dance, or crafts from Papua New Guinea,  build a school organizer, a crawly caterpillar, or a chalk work of art. You’ll be so busy, you won’t even notice that school is starting… NYAH NYAH NYAH I CAN’T HEAR YOU MY FINGERS ARE IN MY EARS, NO SCHOOL HERE.

After all, maybe it’s true. Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who has one or two or maybe even three weeks of summer break remaining. (If you’re not sure, check here). Maybe you don’t need our tips on how to keep the summer going because for you, summer’s still in full swing.  Maybe you’ll glance at our back to school guide with polite interest, instead of the frenzy of a drowning man reaching for a life preserver.

Whatever your story, remember this: they may rule your Monday through Friday, but the weekend is all yours, baby. And with that in mind, may we suggest our favorite picks for your weekend...

This week, inspired by events happening a great distance away, Mommy Poppins is striving for excellence. We aspire to greatness, to be at the pinnacle of our field, to earn for ourselves a spot in the record books. What has gotten us so fired up? Simply this: at 10:31pm on Sunday evening, the Curiosity Rover lands on Mars, marking yet another giant leap for our esteemed space program. (We are lucky to have two places locally where we can gather to watch the landing, Planetfest and the Griffith Observatory).

And oh yes, the Olympics. There is that, too. Inspired by that little sporting affair across the pond, we want to give our kids every opportunity to shine. Whether you dream of seeing your child on that gold medal platform, or are just hoping to get him to dunk his head underwater, we can point you to the classes to achieve your goal. We’ve got roundups of the best swimming, fencing, gymnastics, ice skating (it’ll be winter before you know it!) and yoga classes around.  (Yoga’s not in the Olympics? Are you sure? How about dance? Not that either? Um… sewing?) No matter; whatever their sport, they’re all winners in our eyes.

The events this weekend are all winners too: keep reading for our favorite picks …

This weekend, the war between North and South plays out in the Los Angeles area. Prepare yourselves for battles, bloodshed (simulated we hope), demonstrations of physical prowess and exceptional elocution, and in the end a resolution that is pleasing to all. No, I'm not talking about the Civil War reenactment in Long Beach, (though by all accounts it will be one for the history books); I am talking about the different communities of Southern California vying for your presence at their extraordinary events this weekend. And its not just North and South; there's some Eastside/ Westside tension to address as well.

We have the battle of the Shakespeares: Griffith Park with Winters Tale for the East, and West LA VA with As You Like It for the West. Outdoor movies: Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center's Movie Mondays vs. Hollywood’s Oscars Outdoors.  Costa Mesa’s Orange County Fair has formidable competition in Thousand Oak’s Tropical Daze Summer Music Festival; the Eastside’s Los Feliz Village Street Fair goes head to head with the Westside’s Montana Avenue Artwalk & Street Fair.

And who will the victors be? Well, that should be clear. With a plethora of choices the clear winners will be: Los Angeles families. 

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend...