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Entries in Cool Thing to Do (101)

Wednesday
Jun292011

Lego My Brain

One of the advantages of raising both a boy and a girl is that you get to see the inner workings of both types of brains – as well as how their personalities diverge. Not that they always divide along party lines – there are still days when I can't tell their "Mooooooommmmmmm!" shouts apart. But there are some distinct differences that add an interesting element to the parenting of them.

My 6-year-old son Jack's quirks and desires have had a chance to rise above the usual backseat din this week, with his sister off fulfilling her dramatic needs at a performing arts sleepaway camp. To reward his gracious attitude at having to endure the prep as well as the two-hour drive into the mountains, we decided to fulfill his wildest dreams by turning him loose upon that nirvana for the youngsters of his mindset: LEGOLAND California. And he was definitely among his own kind.

Yes, I know. It's a theme park that both boys and girls love and appreciate. I know I enjoy it, even as a grownup girl with limited engineering skills and very little desire to build things out of plastic blocks.

But I find it entertaining to sit back and watch how those little blocks click right into a young boy's cerebral synapses. They look at the Statue of Liberty in Miniland USA and immediately start reassembling it in their mind's eye. The rides – tame by most SoCal theme park standards – seem almost secondary to the Hero Factory, DUPLO Play and Build and Test areas of the park.

Jack spent more than an hour in the Build and Test room, where he received a set of wheels and was instructed to build a car and race it against other kids' creations. Jack would construct, watch his car's performance on the track and then take it back to the assembly area for modification. Yes, it's nerdy. But these are the equivalent of roller coasters for the brain – and I felt as though he was building skills that he might use at some point in his life.

A similar nerdy "force" could be felt at the new Star Wars Area at Miniland USA. I've tried to resist the Dark Side, but now that I've watched all the movies through Jack's eyes, I can appreciate the Wookiees and Ewoks and tauntauns (I feel a little nerdy even typing those words). And to see those iconic scenes in tiny LEGO form was captivating. The Hoth scene (with its collapsing AT-ATs) from Episode V was my favorite. OK, I'll stop now.

We escaped geekdom to immerse ourselves in the undersea world at the adjacent SeaLife Aquarium. Amid the tunnels of ocean life, I had a strong urge to stretch out and stare up at the rays, sharks and colorful fish as they swam over me. While the creatures aren't necessarily exotic (jellies, sea horses and octupi) or abundant, the vibe was immersive and educational. Jack liked the touch pools; I liked the hammerhead.

Naturally, the day ended with a stop at the gift shop – a critical final brick in the Legoland experience. Jack found a small kit that contained enough pieces and the instructions to make three modes of transport: a submarine, a speedboat and an airplane.

Sure, it's not Naboo. But someday, perhaps he'll be building something just as grand ...

 

Friday
Jun172011

Ponderosa and My Pa

I first met Little Joe while perched on my parents' yellow and brown carpeting, my face squarely in front of our huge console TV. It was somewhat of a family event, and the trademark "ding dittle ding ding dittle dittle ding dittle ding ding ..." theme song still brings back strong memories of my childhood – and a special time with my own "Pa."

My dad loved all things Cowboy, and Bonanza's Pa, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe (portrayed by Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon) at times seemed like part of our extended family – although without all the untimely deaths of the female members of the clan, thankfully.

My connection to the imaginary patriarch and his brood deepened when I moved within miles of the mythical ranch, which, according to the burning map, sprawled across some pretty prime real estate on the edge of the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. I visited the tourist version of the ranch near Incline Village, Nev., where I partook in the coldest pancake breakfast I've ever experienced and got to see a replica of the house, complete with the Cartwrights' jackets and hats hanging on the hooks near the entrance.

I plan to pay homage to my dad's memory by trekking over to the Autry National Center's Imagination Gallery, where the hand-drawn Ponderosa Ranch map is now on display (although I hope it doesn't catch fire while I'm there). The map belonged to series creator David Dortort, who died in 2010, and was donated by the Dortort family. I also plan to check out the museums display of scripts, correspondence, photos and other memorabilia from the classic series, which ran from 1959 to 1973. (This might be a good time for me to add that we often watched the show in syndication...)

Happy Father's Day, Dad – here's hoping you can see the Ponderosa from wherever you are.

And in case you're a young 'un or need a refresher, here's the theme song, which will probably stay in your head for the rest of the day:

Thursday
May262011

Daddy's Little Dragon Warrior

If dads were as sappy and sentimental as moms, I'd tell them to have tissues handy if they're going to see Kung Fu Panda 2.

At the very least, be prepared for a slight lump in the throat for this father-son story that, while it features some amazing animated Furious Five action, pierces right to the heart of the love and pride that a dad can feel for his offspring. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the look of love that Mr. Ping, Po's dad, lavishes upon his infant panda son is nothing short of the most beautiful and pure portrayal ever animated.

My two kids and I were beguiled by the nostalgic animation style and 3-D kung fu chops and acrobatics, but ultimately, it came down to Po's search for inner peace – and how he found it – that struck the right chords with me.

Sentimentality aside, moviegoers of all ages will find big action – and an even bigger version of Po on display at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood on Sunset. Dreamworks Animation and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade got together to create a 42-foot tall Kung Fu Panda helium balloon, which will be on display 6 a.m.-9 a.m. on May 26 in front of the theaters. And be sure to check out the kung fu demos and traditional lion dance. Now that's the awesomest.

 

 

Thursday
Apr212011

Spring Breakdown

This blog post could also be entitled, "How To Survive Spring Break."

Husband Steve was trying, and these are his words, "not to kill the children" during the five long days that mark the annual rites of spring, otherwise known as "teachers get to soak up some oxygen before the final push to the end of the school year."

For parents, it's not a vacation. It's not a "break." It's a time when you have to plot, plan, schedule ... find something, anything, for the kids to do.

Steve, a work-from-home dad, had plenty of jobs on his plate but decided, for the sake of his own sanity, to surrender to the "break." His idea was simple, brilliant ... and probably one of the best gifts a parent could give a child: He gave them the gift of time. He called it Choose Your Own Adventure Day.

"I sat them down on the sofa and said, 'I'm yours today.' It was interesting because none of us knew where it was going to lead. We had this giant playground and did whatever we wanted in the city, like Grand Theft Auto but with more ice cream and less thuggery. You forget that you live in one big sandbox. You forget that the city can be like that. 

The rules were simple: Dad came up with the choices, and the kids took turns deciding which thing to do or direction to take. It was cool, Steve says, because the day and their destiny were in their hands – and they took ownership of it.

Choose Your Own Adventure #1: USA Doughnut or Krispy Kreme?

Kids: Krispy Kreme.

While we were there, a mom came in with her kid, who immediately came over and watched the machine. She told him, 'Come on! We don't have all day!' But we looked at teach other and thought, 'We do have all day!' All day to watch the machine make doughnuts. All day to sit and stare out the window. The kid lingered, and the mom eventually dragged him away. It reminded me how scheduled we can be. Kids don't know how to react when you ask them, 'Okay, what's next?'

 

Choose Your Own Adventure #2: Dodger Game or Explore?

Kids: Keep exploring. Steve opted for a Target exploration, knowing they all needed new shades for their adventure.


Choose Your Own Adventure #3: Left or Right?

Kids: Both. Actually left then left then straight then right then left, -- well you get the picture.

They arrived at Norton Sales, a surplus store for rocket parts (really!), hydraulics, and other gear and gadgety things. Steve had scoped this one out ahead of time but the kids, in control of their own destinies, were quite convinced they had stumbled upon an amazing little gem in the Valley on their own. This place was a trove of rocket and missile parts and control panels and gear from the early Space Age, which tickled a nostalgia bone for Steve and ignited both kids' sense of wonder. These weren't hidden behind museum glass; they could touch and poke at whatever they wanted. Plus, there was a cat.

The cat crawled out from under a liquid oxygen fuel tank and demanded some scritching.They both acted like they'd never seen a cat before.

While the kids were fascinated with the cat, Steve followed the owner down a rabbit hole of geekdom, like a time machine that returned Steve to his 12-year-old self.

 

Choose Your Own Adventure #4: Lunch With Mom or Spankings From an Ogre?

Kids: Uhm, they chose hot dog with Mom.

Steve wanted to have lunch with me. So he Googled "hot dogs" and found the Hound Dog Hot Dog Shop in Sun Valley. Slow service but great dogs.

 

Choose Your Own Adventure #5: Go to the Park or Go Metro?

Kids: The train!

We didn't really have a destination but Vermont/Sunset sounded good, mostly because when they said it over the loudspeaker, Kate thought they said, 'Marmoset Station.' They also got to choose elevator or stairs, and they chose the stairs sometimes.

 

Choose Your Own Adventure #6: North or South?

Kids: Jack set the compass on 'north,' and learned an important navigation skill.

It was kind of cool to have the compass on the train, because you never really know where you are underground. We stopped at Maya on Hollywood, a shop filled with carvings and beads.

They really wanted to buy me a $375 wooden carved chair that looks like a hand. I'm almost sorry they didn't. Almost.



Choose Your Own Adventure #7: Art or Books?

Kids: Art.

So off to Steve's other geekish outpost, Wacko on Hollywood. The kids were starting to wear down at this point, but Jack got a skeleton pen, which bolstered him a bit. Plus, the kids got to stare at weird images at the shop's La Luz de Jesus Gallery (see Mark Gleason "Mannerism" here).

 

 

 

Choose Your Own Adventure #8: Pirates or Bunnies?

Kids: Bunnies. It's Easter week, after all. Jack just wanted a picture with the bunnies and weird bunny suits, which took a backseat to the carved pirate.

They had these full-size creepy Easter Bunny suits in a store window along Hollywood Blvd. I tried to move the kids along, but Jack was drawn to the display.

 

 

Choose Your Own Adventure #9: Ice Cream or Ice Cream?

Because why even waste time coming up with another choice?

 

Choose Your Own Adventure #10: Know when to flip straight to the ending

The choice was sculpure or library, but the kids were pretty worn out and petitioned to make a third choice: take the train back home.

Thursday
Mar172011

Backyard Travels: Snow Business

I’m not a skier. I don’t like cold weather. So, why in the world would I agree to go to Big Bear for a weekend?

The short answer is that my kids like it. Kate seems to have no inner thermometer. It’s as though she lives in a world that is 75 degrees at all times. Extremes don’t bother her one bit. You combine that with her spirit of adventure, and how could I deny her the chance the spend a weekend schussing atop some of the best conditions that the Big Bear resorts have seen in several years?

Both Kate and Jack had both been on skis but we decided to send them into ski school to give them a confidence boost – and to give husband Steve a chance to catch a few runs, too. He looked at me forlornly as he pointed his ski tips toward the lift. “Sure you won’t take a lesson?” he asked me, as snowflakes rested on my eyelashes and I shivered so deep I nearly caused an avalanche.

“Oh, I’m sure,” I managed to stammer.

It’s not as though I haven’t tried. Several years ago I tried to be the “I can keep up with him” kind of spouse, never content to sit in the lodge while the fun was happening outside. I took lessons. And it wasn’t even the 14 times I fell over in the snow and rolled around like bear caught in a barrel. It was the constant wedge (or “pizza,” as the kids call it) that I had to keep my skis in, terrified that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself before crashing into a tree, a slew of happy skiers, the deck where a DJ was spinning tunes and ultimately, the cozy lodge filled with surprised skiers.

And then there’s the gear. Why, in the 200 years that the sport has been developing, hasn’t some brilliant skier from the Swiss Alps designed a ski boot that a) doesn’t cut into the flesh and bone of your shin and b) make you feel like Darth Vader trying to negotiate a metal stairway without the use of The Force?

So this trip, I stood firm. I was determined to enjoy the relative comfort of my own footwear while Steve and the kids tromped around with skis on their backs and really cold ears. And in the process, I forgot how friendly people can be when they’re outside of the Los Angeles environment. Inside the crowded lodge I meekly asked if I could share a table with a Big Bear employee and a skier who’s obviously spent several winters on the slopes at the resort.

“Join us!” came the enthusiastic response, and before long we were all swapping stories about our families and careers. After they left, I found a cozy spot on a futon and curled up with my book. I was soon joined by a friendly skier with a weather-worn face and charming hazel eyes. “Is your guy out on the slopes?”

Before long, we were sharing some Trader Joe’s crackers and I was drifting in and out of my novel, comforted by the hum of the bustling lodge and the sound of the cappuccino machine.

Mid-afternoon, I collected Kate from her lessons, and with her face still flush from the snow whipping into her face, she wolfed down some chili in a bread bowl.

She met up with Steve to try her newly honed skills on the blue (and black, I found out later) runs, and I made my way back over to the kids’ ski school to get Jack. I didn’t see him right away, and worried that he – being a bit more delicate like his mother – had decided the near-blizzard conditions weren’t his cup of tea. But before long, he came whizzing down the hill to the meeting place – but holding his lip out with his gloved hand.

“Uh, oh,” I thought. “A face plant? A run-in with the lift?”

“I lost a tooth!” he lisped, and gingerly pulled out a tiny little Chicklet wrapped in a Kleenex that had been expertly wrapped by his instructor. Fortunately, it had came out on its own accord by means of what Jack called “a mad tongue,” and he immediately began daydreaming about his upcoming date with the Tooth Fairy.

After a quick polar bear dip in the hot tub, the kids snuggled down for the night with visions of past and future runs and jumps in their heads. I stared at the fire and wondered if I could ever conquer “the pizza” or just be content with some Steig Larssen and a latte – at least during those times when such terms as “white out” and “wind chill” are applicable. 

 

About Big Bear

Now's the time to cash in on discounts at Big Bear and Snow Summit, which combined offer 55 runs, 26 lifts and 438 skiable acres. Check out the Big Bear Mountain Resorts’ Screamin’ Deal Season Pass, where mid-week passes start at $199 for young adults and $249 for adults – and skiers can use it the rest of this season all of next winter at either resort!
 
Find more info at www.bigbearmountainresorts.com (as well as road conditions and routes) or get up-to-the-minute mobile reports by signing up for Big Bear Mountain Resort’s Text Club.