Haunted Anniversary

We're in Halloween mode at L.A. Parent (look for the October issue to hit stands on Monday), so I wanted to offer this reminder for those who might get a little nostalgic this time of year: The creeky and cool Haunted Mansion at Disneyland turns 40 this year.

I remember the first time I was actually brave enough to set foot inside the spooky ol' Southern beauty – and let's just say it wasn't too long after my 21st birthday. Jack and Kate were ready for it at a pretty early age, although they both clung to me like little shivering monkeys when the room began to "stretch."

These days the Haunted Mansion is a crucial stop on any Disney visit – we can't miss the "Doom Buggies" and hitchhiking ghosts. The little touches and special effects are what make the long line worth the wait, and it retains that original Disney charm while giving you a few chills up your spine. In fact, Walt planned out the original but passed away from cancer in 1966 before its unveiling – the Haunted Mansion was the first attraction that didn't receive Walt's walk-through and final stamp of approval before it opened. The mansion reopens on Sept. 25 in full Nightmare Before Christmas mode, complete with Jack Skellington and the rest of the regalia.

Check out this video for a little more background and a look inside the mansion – if you dare:

Primates and Peace

Life been a little hectic lately? Thinking about saving the world? Then slow it down by partaking in Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots International Day of Peace Celebration 11 a.m.-4 p.m. this Sunday at the Santa Monica Pier.

That's a long-winded way of saying that you can enjoy some music, see some celebrities, and ponder your place in bringing peace and purity to the planet. Jane Goodall, of course best known for her work and research with chimpanzees, founded the Roots & Shoots program in 1977 to bring together young people from 110 countries to help identify problems in their communities and bring about positive changes.

Marilu Henner, Pierce Brosnan, Wendie Malick, Soleil Moon Frye and other celebrities are expected to attend the festival, which will include pet adoptions and family-friendly activities.  Donate a nonperishable food item for people or pets to the “Day of Peace Food Drive for People and Pets," and you'll receive a raffle ticket to win a beach cruiser bicycle from Walteria Bicycles of Torrance. Check out the Roots & Shoots' members' environmental projects, and at 2 p.m. see the Giant Peace Dove parade of 75 handmade Giant Peace Dove Puppets that will "float" up to the water's edge.

I can't think of a better way to spend a day.

Pizza and Puck

Wolfgang Puck celebrated his new line of all-natural frozen pizzas last weekend by throwing some dough around at a little pizza party for a group of mom bloggers and their kids.

Kate is a budding chef – a survival mechanism, I think, to help her poor kitchen-phobic mom. So, she was thrilled, despite not really having a clue who Wolfgang Puck was. Jack is a good sport and will go along with just about anything, so he dove into the dough with both hands (literally).

And I'll admit it, I got a little starstruck when the man himself strolled into the Wolfgang Puck Bistro is Westlake Village, ready to roll up his sleeves, fling some flour and get the kids cookin'. He even brought along three of his four children, including Oliver, 4, and Alexander, 2-1/2. They made pizzas with the other half-dozen or so kids, with Wolfgang giving each child the special attention they deserved.

The kids got to chow down on their own creations while the moms devoured the new pizza line (Four Cheese Tomato and Pesto, Uncured Pepperoni, Cheese and Tuscan Style, available starting this week at Albertsons). We also sampled the new menu items that will be rolling out at the Wolfgang Puck Bistros (in Westlake Village, Downtown L.A., and Universal CityWalk) this week. While Wolfgang shuffled plates of hearty Schnitzel and heavenly vanilla bean cheesecake to share around the table, I felt as though I was sitting around his dining table, sharing laughter and a great meal with a fellow food lover.

And the best part? Caught some highlights on video:

Music: "I See the Mona Lisa (In My Pepperoni Pizza)" by America's Premier Superhero Food Band aka The World's Greatest Snak-Rock Superhero and Gorilla Entertainment Revue aka The Go-Nuts.

Taking a Walk

The blog posts suffered a dry spell last week, mostly because I've been knee-deep in preparing for L.A. Parent's busy event season. First up was last Sunday's Ovarian Cancer Coalition's Run/Walk for Awareness and Hope – and it was a great way to kick off our community events.

Ovarian cancer strikes 1 in 55 women across all age groups and is the deadliest of the gynecological cancers. The OCC's event has become a rallying day for families to come together who have lost loved ones or have women in their lives who have been diagnosed. And the event raises funds for research and support.

Participants gathered on the CBS lot in Studio City, where they wandered through the health fair, laced up for the run/walk events and brought kids over to the L.A. Parent booth for face painting and balloon animals. Moms In Motion, a group that helps put together fitness teams for moms, helped lead the Kiddie K (along with L.A. Parent's pirate) and organized the Kiddie K Carnival, which included games and prizes. Kate and Jack warmed up for the Kiddie K, where all kids who participated received medals.

Check out the photos from the day:

Making Vacation History

Yesterday was Day 3 of our Hawaiian escape and Day 1 of immersion into the history and culture of the islands. Jack has finally stopped twitching at the thought of being more than two feet away from an electronic gadget of some sort, and Kate has taken on the unkempt hair and barefootedness of the classic island girl.

Our first stop was the check out the World War II Valor In the Pacific Memorial National Monument. The main attraction – the solemn final resting place of the USS Arizona – is free and comes with an informative movie recounting the history of that day of infamy and a short boat ride across the harbor. Jack was, as usual, a font of questions: Are the bad guys still alive? Why couldn't find they find the key to the door to get out of the ship? Kate and I were fascinated by the "black tears," traces of fuel and oil that leak to the surface, even after all these years. She found pretty little fish bobbing among the rusting hulk, a poignant reminder that life eventually returns to its own "normal," even in the face of something so horribly tragic and disruptive.

Next up was the Bishop Museum, a surprisingly dense pocket of Hawaiian history, natural history and culture tucked away in a residential area of Honolulu. Visitors who venture away from the beaches and loud resorts of Waikiki will find a museum (with a collection of more than 1.2 million artifacts) that, in a very Hawaiian way, rivals pieces of our Getty, Natural History Museum and California Science Center, with a dash of the Griffith Observatory thrown in for good measure.

Built in the late 1800s by Charles Bishop in honor of his late wife Bernice, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha line, the museum is a fitting and spectacular tribute to the culture, beliefs, natural history and turbulent times of the native population. The iconic Hawaiian Hall recently reopened after a three-year closure and restoration project. The result is a stunning, interactive look at every aspect of Hawaiian life.

We paused amid the exhibits to enjoy the Ola Na Mo'Olelo, or Oral Traditions, a dramatic retelling of Hawai'i's controversial annexation by the United States that also brings some of the exhibits on display to life.

We ended the evening back at the hotel with a somewhat touristy but classic poolside showcase of hula dancers and music, the Rockin' Hawaiian Rainbow Revue, complete with a Don Ho-style crooner and spectacular fireworks show finale. By the end of the day we knew that this island is proud of all its icons and history – and we were more than happy to oblige as an engaged, and now educated, audience.