The US government just issued new dietary guidelines confirming that more plants, less salt and more exercise are key to improving the health of all Americans. We leave it to you to gobble up the stone fruit and heirloom tomatoes at our local [...]]]>

The US government just issued new dietary guidelines confirming that more plants, less salt and more exercise are key to improving the health of all Americans. We leave it to you to gobble up the stone fruit and heirloom tomatoes at our local farmers’ markets, but can help by stocking your family’s cultural pantry this month.

Pictures of the Year: Kids and photography are a natural pairing, and we love quizzing ourselves on the world events from the past year at the 67th Annual Pictures of the Year International which runs until October 10 at the Annenberg Space for Photography. This traveling show represents the best of photojournalism from the past year and is a virtual global travelogue.

Native Son: We got an early view of the impressive retrospective of one of LA’s most vibrant local artists at LACMA’s summer blockbuster, John Baldessari: Pure Beauty (through September 12). We’ll go so far as to proclaim it a must-see for every Angeleno this summer. Baldessari’s So Cal roots are evident in his photographic art, which employs discarded film stills and other found images to comment on the prevalence of media in our lives. Most will recognize his large-scale works with blue, green or red dots over the faces of people, and seeing them in context (as well as reading the show notes) made us fans. Great for teens, or a grown-up date — especially if you can get reservations at the new Red-O on Melrose, featuring a Rick Bayless-inspired Mexican menu.

Ticket Giveaway to Grease Sing-A-Long! Paramount is re-releasing one of their classic hits, Grease, as a sing-along event. Come join the fun as John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John belt out beloved tunes such as “You’re the One that I Want”. Click here to write to us for tickets to the only advance screening for this film, on July 6 at the AMC Century City. Be careful to think about the ages of kids that watch this film – it’s sexuality meter runs higher than you might remember.

Plans for the Fourth? Maximize your festivity by celebrating at the Hollywood Bowl, complete with fireworks and country star Vince Gill who joins the LA Phil and USC Marching Band for a program that also includes the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West. Tickets are still available for the shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, July 2-4.

Outdoor Music for Families: The Skirball Cultural Center hosts fabulous outdoor concerts each Saturday and Sunday at 12:00 and 2:00, starting July 10 and ru nning through September 5. Get in the habit of dropping by with the younger ones for a whirlwind world tour of dance and song at the wonderful Family Amphitheater Performances.

A 3-D Summer: We weren’t naturally 3-D believers, although Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which is now on DVD, piqued our interest. But watching Toy Story 3 (in IMAX, no less) has us believing. Maybe it’s just Pixar’s spectacular storytelling, or maybe it’s that our kids grew up with Toy Story’s Buzz and Woody, and watching Andy pack them into the attic as he heads off for college choked us up. Either way, we’re all into the funky glasses and big screen extravaganza that make going to the movies a special excursion again. Toy Story 3 is easily the best film of the summer so bring one and all — though kids under 8 might want to wait for the July 9 opening of Despicable Me; it’s zany and considerably less scary for younger kids than watching Buzz and Woody get whisked away by a trash truck to a burning landfill – don’t worry, they get rescued in the nick of time!

Gladiator and Gerome: Ever since NPR did a story about gladiators being dug up in England, we’ve been itching to re-watch Russell Crowe in Gladiator (Rated R, 2003). It could inspire a trip up the hill to see the Getty’s new show, The Spectacular Art of Jean-Louis Gerome, a French artist from the 19th Century who was more successful financially than critically. Come judge his artistic merit for yourself – we promise the kids won’t be bored with paintings of gladiators, lions and duels. (Or the nudes – beware!).

Free Art for Everyone: Target Arts & Wonder Free Family Event runs from July 16-18 at participating museums around town, including LACMA, the Museum of Latin American Art, the Japanese American National Museum and The California African American Museum. When visiting a museum with a robust permanent collection, we let the kids explore the gift store’s postcard rack for an image that appeals to them – then head into the museum to find the matching piece of art.

Where’s my Mummy? If mummies are your thing, LA is the place to be this summer. The stars of the Bowers Museum’s Silk Road exhibit are two Chinese mummies, never before seen outside of ther native land, and apparently “celebrities in the world of archeology” (according to the Los Angeles Times). Secrets of the Silk Road closes on July 25, so hurry down to Santa Ana. And Mummies of the World premieres at the California Science Center this week, boasting the largest traveling collection of intentionally and accidentally preserved mummies. Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs plays in the museum’s IMAX theater during the run of the show. Advance tickets necessary, so plan ahead!

Our kids started school this week, and already Monday feels like it was 100 years ago. You know, back when we were lazing around doing last minute errands? Now it’s all about backpacks, lunchboxes and homework. Our antidote? Spend [...]]]>

	Labor Day and Beyond Bananagrams Giveaway for best “My Perfect Summer Moment” entry Our kids started school this week, and already Monday feels like it was 100 years ago. You know, back when we were lazing around doing last minute errands? Now it’s all about backpacks, lunchboxes and homework. Our antidote? Spend Labor Day weekend doing things we’d do in mid-July — go to a county fair, enjoy some beach food and catch the latest movie. Labor Day Weekend: The LA County Fair opens this weekend and runs until October 3 with rides, horse races, concerts and the Body Works show. A new street festival popped up: the FYF2010 on Saturday (9/4) takes place downtown and has a cool lineup of musicians and comedians; free for kids under 10. Check out the Descanso Garden’s Boddy’s Big Backyard, with activities for little kids throughout Monday (9/6). Got a babysitter and nothing to do? Check out Los Angeles Plays Itself, a 2004 documentary about the discrepancies between the LA presented in movies and our city in reality. This film is not on DVD, so get to the Aero on Saturday and Sunday (9/4 and 9/5) at 7:30 PM. Chow down at two big food festivals this weekend: Taste of Beverly Hills runs all weekend, and the Los Angeles Times Celebration of Food and Wine takes place at Paramount Studios on Sunday (9/5). Eat Like it’s mid-July: The SLS restaurant group has taken over Gladstone’s Malibu so drop in and see if the tourists take you for a native. For an endless summer vibe, get yourself to Paradise Cove Beach Cafe (good take out, too). Pretend you’re still in Maine at the Long Beach Lobster Festival on September 10-12. Our favorite sand-in-the-toes dining takes place at Back On the Beach Cafe, right in Santa Monica. Spiffy Coastline: Keep our beaches swim-worthy and help your kids find a meaningful community service activity by participating in Heal the Bay’s annual Coastal Clean-Up Day, this year on September 25. The organization rates our local beaches and runs regional clean-ups regularly; registration required. 90049 Residents Take Note: A wonderful community food-and-shopping event called FIRST TUESDAY debuts in Brentwood Village next Tuesday night (9/7). Local shops (such as Ruby Slippers and Star Toys for kids, and Habit and Jennifer Knits for moms) will stay open late and offer special deals to customers. At last, it will be easy to find some of your fave food trucks such as Don Chow Tacos, Komodo, Ahnjoo, World Fare and Coolhaus, all of which will hang around to feed shoppers if they flag. At Barrington and Sunset, from 5:00-8:00 PM. Peel! Keep a set of Bananagrams on the coffee table to keep that lazy summer afternoon mood alive — don’t tell, but the infectious game is a great vocab booster for any age group. We are giving away a DOUBLE BANANAGRAMS to a KOTC subscriber who best describes a Perfect Summer Moment with their family. Click here and send us your story. A Great Month at the Movies: It’s a good month for date night films: just open is George Clooney’s thriller, The American. An excellent (and eerie) novel by Kazuo Ishiguru’s, Never Let Me Go has been turned into a film starring Keira Knightly and Carey Mulligan (9/15). We’re very curious about the one children’s movie on the horizon – you’ve seen the owl trailers for Legend of the Guardians, (9/24) based on the books by Kathryn Lasky and produced by the folks who brought you Happy Feet. For a guilty pleasure – rent the original Wall Street to get ready for the new Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps starring Michael Douglas, Carrie Mulligan and Shia LeBoeuf (9/24). Waiting for Superman (9/24) aims to do for the public education system what An Inconvenient Truth did for climate change: shake things up! Secrets to Success: The biggest shock about moving from summer to school is that trusty alarm clock gets put into heavy use again and the scheduled week takes over from unstructured time. Current research suggests that both sleep and day dreaming are important factors in learning and the creation of self. For more on why sleep and day dreaming are key ingredients for your kids success in life (and justification for ranting about their screen time) read Po Bronson on the subject of sleep in his book, NurtureShock: New Thinking about Children and click here for the recent Los Angeles Times story on the benefits of zoning out. Reality Check: Face it, you’re going to have to be organized to survive the school year so click here for a free download of these super cool Organization Cheat Sheets from our friends at MommyTrack’d. Kids Off The Couch

I know it is common to be carried away by emotions when you are dealing wyou your kids. Some people go the other way and do not show their emotions towards kids, thinking, it will make them soft. What a big mistake.

The biggest problem with today’s society is lack of connection [...]]]>

I know it is common to be carried away by emotions when you are dealing wyou your kids. Some people go the other way and do not show their emotions towards kids, thinking, it will make them soft. What a big mistake.

The biggest problem with today’s society is lack of connection between people.

A good habit to teach your kids is to show them how to bond with others. If enough people do a proper job in bonding with their fellow humans, we will have far less serial killers on the street and far less violence in our towns and cities.

Think about it. Better connections, better society.

Peace

Sometimes the high school [...]]]> Many people want to pursue the goal of a college degree but do not have the time or the money to do so. They might have dropped of college due to lack of motivation or need to work early to support family or for any other issues facing them.

Sometimes the high school diploma they earned was enough to get them immediate job and they did find the real use for a college degree to they jumped to the first available boat. Now, after a few years, they feel differently about the issue.

So tag along and see what I have to say.

Let me know what you think.

Sri