Being Savvy: Activities, things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in West LA, CA

Preschool Anxiety - Why the countdown to the start of school just might kill me

by Nina Moon

My son is on break from preschool. Saying this sound completely ridiculous and not only because he only started preschool this summer. The idea that my two-year-old could be “on break” from anything just makes me want to giggle. And giggle I do.Anyway, he goes back to school (*giggle*) in a couple weeks and I’m having a slow, silent anxiety attack in the run-up to this (second) momentous ... Read more >

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Sweet Ways to Cool Off

by Nina Moon

It’s hot. Nothing much else to say about it. It’s just hot. I give my two-year-old a bath and 30 minutes later he’s sweaty and stinky again. And my baby is pretty much going nekkid 24/7. Now you could simply crank up the AC, run through the sprinklers a few times and maybe take a dip at a local pool, but why not indulge in some cool, sweet treats to beat the heat? Here are a few tips to ... Read more >

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Scribble Press - for the pint sized author/illustrator

by Nina Moon

A couple of weeks ago my son and I visited Scribble Press, an entirely new kind of publishing powerhouse. Located in Westside Pavilion, Scribble Press aims to make authors and illustrators out of us all, particularly our little ones. Armed with “Developmental Curprints” – fill-in-the-blank type stories that help children process difficult events and transitions or memorialize everything ... Read more >

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Weekend Warriors

by Nina Moon

My son and I are big Elizabeth Mitchell fans – her children’s folk tunes are just the thing for sunny afternoons, both playful and calming. So I’m absolutely psyched to go see her and her family perform at the Getty Center Central Garden this weekend. Pack a picnic and go see this free family concert on Saturday or Sunday at 4 and 5pm. Starting tonight, check out the Fiesta La Ballona ... Read more >

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Product Review - Leap Frog Fridge Wash & Go Magnetic Vehicle Set

by Nina Moon

When the new Fridge Wash & Go™ Magnetic Vehicle Set from Leap Frog arrived in the mail, I opened the package clandestinely, unsure of whether to turn my son loose on his new toy. You see, up to this point, our home has been a relatively electronic noise-making toy-free zone. I’m one of those annoying parents who forces my kid to play with wood toys and eschews plastic with very few ... Read more >

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Ocean View Farms Community Garden –A Tiny Green Thumb in the City

by Nina Moon

A friend of mine recently bought a home, modest but spacious enough for her family of five, with a beautiful yard where she has started cultivating roses and a vegetable garden. While I am very happy for her, I admit that I turned a bit green when I saw her yard. We live in a condominium and our balcony, unfortunately, gets no direct sunlight. All I can do is dream about how lovely it would be ... Read more >

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Aquariums in Los Angeles – Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy

by Nina Moon

For so long practically everything that moved underwater was a fish to our son. Whale? Fish. Shark? Fish. Dolphin? Fish. Sea otter? Fish. Now, finally, he’s starting to differentiate – to the point that if we happen to leave off the “puffer” in “pufferfish” we are promptly corrected: “No, NO! Puffahfish! Puffahfish!”It’s probably the perfect time to visit an aquarium, no? Nice ... Read more >

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Venice Canals - Overlooked but Not Forgotten

by Nina Moon

This past weekend my husband and I decided to take the kids to stroll the Venice Canals, an oft overlooked but surprisingly diverting use of a Saturday morning. Originally encompassing 16 miles of canals, the majority of the canals were filled in the late 1920s to make room for increasing car traffic. The remaining canals are lined with multi-million dollar mansions, post-modern glass ... Read more >

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Weekend Warriors – Fines, Fire Trucks and Festivals

by Nina Moon

All of us, I’m sure, have had an overdue library book here or there. But what about those embarrassingly overdue books? Several months, even years, overdue? It’s almost easier to just stop going to the library under the weight of that fine, right?Instead, you take advantage of the Los Angeles Public Library’s Fine Free Week, which ends this Sunday. And it’s still not too late to take ... Read more >

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Koreatown Plaza Market – Bring Your Preschooler and An Empty Stomach

by Nina Moon

Like so many families in Los Angeles, we find ourselves frequenting several different grocery markets in order to find all the food items we want/need. I go to Trader Joe’s weekly for the basics, then to what we’ve dubbed the “regular supermarket” (i.e. Albertson’s, Ralph’s, etc.) for things like Ritz crackers (mmm…salty goodness!) and roasted whole chickens, and to our local ... Read more >

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