Testing!

I think I've officially entered the geek-gadget corps! Right now I am blogging from my iPhone. How cool is this?

Queen (or King) for a Day

Despite our rather volatile economy, all signs point to the fact that parents are still seeking fun family outings as well as great places to throw birthday parties for their children. In that vein, a new place has opened up in Burbank, sure to give Chuck E. Cheese a run for the money.

Associate Editor Ronna Mandel scouted out the press preview of Kids Castle for L.A. Parent. Here's her report:

While there may be no moat to cross upon entering Kids Castle in Burbank, you'll find everything a child – let me rephrase that – an entire family could wish for.

On Tuesday I attended a media preview of L.A.'s newest family entertainment center opening this Sunday, Dec. 7 (on opening day, a portion of all dine-in sales will benefit the Burbank Boys & Girls Club).

Picture Dave & Buster's with all the pros and none of the cons, toss in an amazing and delicious assortment of affordable food, family-friendly décor (check out the fabulous dragon murals) and a staff dedicated to customer service, and you have a guaranteed great day or evening outing suitable for any demanding monarch.

Families get the royal treatment here whether they come to dine and play games or throw a birthday bash or family reunion in one of the three beautifully appointed party rooms that can hold up to 40 people each.

Other attractions include the Dragon's Den (a 600-square-foot indoor soft playport), the Wizard's Wild Ride (an indoor Himalaya amusement ride), a Build-a-Buddy stuffed animal station (a family favorite) and some pretty good redemption prizes.

Finding out there's free Wi-Fi on premises clinched it for me. My teen, the princess, can sit on her iPhone and keep in touch with her realm while my husband, the king, can bring his laptop. As queen supreme, I can play with my little prince on the cool Deal or No Deal electronic game ‘til kingdom come. And you can be your family's knight in shining armor if you treat them to an outing at this new royal attraction!

      Kids Castle is at 2814 Empire Ave. in Burbank. Phone is 818-565-5552. Hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Tiara for the day not included.

Game for the Getty

The other day, a friend of mine and I were talking about how much we love jigsaw puzzles. My brain makes a contented little sigh when I snap together interlocking pieces of cardboard to create calm – and a picture of kitties – from jumbled chaos. But my brain doesn't like having to stare at those same pieces of colorful cardboard scattered all over my dining table when the lasagna comes out of the oven and it's time to set the table.

Thank goodness for our homegrown J Paul Getty Museum, which recently relaunched its GettyGames site. Unlike many electronic jigsaw puzzles on other kid sites, this little artsy corner of the Web takes cool art from its collections and shatters it into up to 144 pieces.

Of course, jigsaw puzzles aren't the only draw. The site has a nice collection of other cool brainy games that are reminiscent of some favorite puzzles of my youth. In Detail Detective, you determine which smidgeon of art belongs to the full-sized painting. All of the games are a subtle and interactive way to expose kids to different paintings, sculptures and ceramics by artists that range from Van Gogh to Jacob van Hulsdonck (a Dutch painter who created Still Life With Lemons, Oranges and a Pomegranate, in case you're wondering).

The site also includes some cool little downloadable art projects. And, like the Getty itself, the games are free and free of advertising.

The Weekly Clog

My coworker recently declared war on "e-mail pollution," a plan I very much endorse – especially since I'm often the victim of it (and not just from her). And I'm not just referring to the goofy jokes and unnecessary forwards – I'm also talking about my glut of weekly and daily electronic newsletters.

This genre has a completely different focus within my in-box, especially since, in most cases, I have of (mostly) sound mind signed up on my own accord to receive them. These regular e-mails fall into categories ranging from "I can't wait to open this one" to "This one is for the 'unsubscribe' bin." So I spent a few minutes of my work day, fresh from the long Turkey Day weekend, to look at this pollutant and separate the ones I really relish from the plastic bottles on the beach. And while you might be doing your own cyber culling, I thought I'd share my short list of electronic newsletters that serve me well in the parenting world:

1. Jen's List: Created by Jen Levinson, an L.A. mom of five boys (including two sets of twins!), this daily dose of parenting news, tips and various tidbits about local happenings and cool kid- and parenting-focused businesses is pretty indispensable. From nanny news and stuff for sale to parenting classes and play groups, a resourceful mom can find just about anything she needs in this fairly straight-forward newsletter (with no pesky graphics to slow the flow). The only down side, really, is that it comes out daily, so it's easy to let this one overpower your in-box. As a remedy, you can opt not to subscribe and just check out her Web site, where you'll find archives and her blog.
   


2. Hungry Girl Newsletter: I often find myself staring at the yogurt section at my grocery store, wondering whether the Yoplait banana cream pie flavor is as good as it sounds and/or whether it quite possibly is destined to become a blob of fat on my thighs. Enter the Hungry Girl, a well-written Web site that also churns out a weekly newsletter with the latest news on foods that a girl can eat without the guilt (and well-documented warnings about those to avoid). L.A. Hungry Girl founder Lisa Lillien's weekly newsletter offers survival strategies for the holidays as well as breakdowns on how to navigate the grocery store aisles for food finds that will work for a variety of diets (although it's based on the Weight Watchers model). The newsletter isn't overpowering and has nice graphics and a kitschy, fun writing style that is as entertaining as it is enlightening.


3. Kids Off the Couch: This unusual weekly newsletter takes a movie (both recent and from the cinematic archives) and cleverly pairs it with a local outing to provide cultural relevance for just about any media venture. L.A. moms Sarah Bowman and Diane Phillips Shakin created the concept and have built quite the unique little Web-based business. The weekly newsletter is free, well-researched, easy to navigate and geared for parents with children of all ages and interests. Incidentally, they also write a special version each month for L.A. Parent, the editors of which obviously know how to spot a good thing when they see it.


4. Doing Business While Female: With topics that range from how to promote yourself without feeling "slimy" to basic but helpful tips on how to stop wasting time, this newsletter/blog/Web site/consulting business founded by L.A. mom Roberta Lachman Jacobs is a great resource for women. The newsletter is understated and designed not to overwhelm you with too much information but most of all is a gentle reminder for moms in the business world that we need to stay empowered and organized. Jacobs, a former executive for a marketing research firm, offers solid and insightful advice, making the newsletter well worth the extra "You've Got Mail" ding.


5. What's Happening?: OK, I would be remiss if I didn't mention L.A. Parent's own newsletter, compiled by our intrepid and well-informed calendar editor, Michael Berick. It contains about three to five suggestions for cool things to check out for the weekend as well as a health tip and occasional information about contests and other good-to-know facts. Believe it or not, I often use Michael's suggestions to plan my weekends, especially since he finds some great stuff that often doesn't make our monthly print deadline (so they're exclusives!).

Going Goat

If you're itching to try a new skincare product, consider going baaaaa-ck to nature for a bit of relief. Chivas Skin Care, and mom-and-daughter owned company in Camarillo, offers a line of handmade soaps and products made from soothing goat's milk, which is gentle enough for all types of skin. 

The soaps are made with fresh milk from French Alpine goats (raised on the Chivas farm) as well as shea butter (fair trade from a woman's cooperative in Togo, Africa) and essential oils. The soaps are gentle enough for kids and come in a refreshing peppermint/citrus original scent as well as lemongrass, lavender oatmeal, spearmint, "sweet nothings" and "wise sage" (as well as seasonal scents, too). There's also a facial creme and a vegan lip balm.

Soaps start at $7.50 and are available online as well as various local retail shops.