Punching the Clock

As the self-proclaimed queen of "I Don't Have Time For This," I often wear that title as though it is a burden that has been thrust upon me. The truth is, my perceived lack of time is caused by a series of choices that I have made. I chose to put my daughter in Girl Scouts. I chose to put my kids in a school that requires a long commute from my job. Yes, I chose to have a job. Heck, I chose to have kids!

The choices we make and how we spend our time essentially make us the people we are. That's the message I received loud and clear from Diane Flannery, Ph.D., director and co-founder of the brand-new UCLA Family Commons (read more about the center's mission at Health-E). By applying scientific studies and research to our real lives, the facility provides a nonjudgmental space for parents to gather resources, evaluate the issues they're dealing with and ultimately, help create healthy, mindful families.

Getting to that point means taking a close look at yourself.

One of the first things the folks at the center do to help parents is to give them a Family Wellness Checkup. Since "we are what we do," Flannery says, this test helps break down, hour by hour, how you spend your life. Then you take those results and compare them to your values to see if it all matches up.

It was eye-opening last year when I started counting calories to help me shed a few pounds. If you look at, think about and quantify each bite, then you figure out pretty quickly why you can't see your feet when you look down at the scale. I had the same experience when I started looking at my always-empty bank account. We eat, spend and do stuff throughout the course of a week without even realizing how much or how little.

When I looked at my 168 hours of the week, I realized that almost 100 of those went to work and sleep. A big chunk went to school. My chart showed very tiny bubbles for exercise, family activities, fun and relaxation. Does that correspond to my values? Do does it motivate me to make some changes? No and yes.

If you're interested in taking a Family Wellness Checkup you can sign up at the UCLA Commons site. Flannery sent me home with the "5-Minute Hourglass," an item you can buy at the center. The hourglass helps you dedicate five minutes to focus on whatever matters most to you. And trust me, you have time for that.

Out & About

L.A. Parent had a blast at the Baby & Kids Expo that we sponsored at the end of January at the Pasadena Convention Center. A HUGE thanks goes out to all the great companies that provided prizes for our giveaways, including Kazaam, Suave and Ubisoft, among others. And thanks to all of our loyal and new readers, who came by to say 'hi' and to show off their adorable kids!

Check out these photos from the event (thanks to staffers Dean Gojobori and Terresa Burgess for taking photos at the event, too!):

We gave away tons of cool stuff for kids and parents!

We brought along some L.A. Parent advertisers!

And we had a great time!

There Rides a Peace Troop

The Peace Troop was orginated by 12 selfless girls who wanted to make a difference.

That's a quote from L.A. mom Kelly Gibbels who recently wrote to tell me about her brand-new, very grassroots organization. She's technically "the leader," she writes, but the ideas and motivation come squarely from the minds of the young citizens she helps guide.

They are not involved for recognition purposes, to get into the school of their choice or for the latest "Wii" program. They do it because it makes them feel good to live outside their own "bubble," and wish to share their hearts and souls with the world.

Wow. Since these 9-year-olds came together and called themselves a troop, they have participated in beach clean-ups, visited elderly and disabled people and started selling necklaces to raise funds for earthquake victims in Haiti.

Gibbels, a former Girl Scout leader, joined forces with fellow Peace Trooper mom Cheri Hofer to take a hands-on approach to the activities that the group has organically developed and feels that it's made a strong impact on the girls. The girls are certainly engaged in what they're doing, and Gibbels is thinking about expanding and maybe taking the concept to a more "organized" level.

But for now, at least, the group is doing a lot of good – both for themselves and those around them.

So, congrats to Elllie, Lindsey,  Luna, Sophie G., Morgan H., Calia, Talia, Ori, Isabel, Sierra, Sophie S. and Coco for a job well done!

Trippin'

I know it's only February. But this year, darnit, I am determined to plan a summer vacation early enough that maybe, just maybe, we can venture out beyond L.A. County. Besides the fact that our passports are burning a hole in our "important documents" drawer, I'm excited that the kids are old enough to do something big, now that they don't require a strict nap time or diaper changes and might actually remember seeing something besides the interior of a stroller.

I collected several travel tidbits in the course of researching a travel-planning story for the March issue (coming to stands on Feb. 22), but here's a sneak peek at some travel news that might just spur you into action, too:

• At the James Chicago, a tony boutique hotel in the Windy City, families who book a suite receive Clek car seats in Paul Frank fabrics that can be used in the chauffeured Audi SUV or in a taxi – and then handily folded into a tote. Older kids receive the booster seats – again in Paul Frank designs. Then check out the hotel's Weekend Adventure Package (starting at $279 per night) that comes with passes to five of the city's top attractions, including the Museum of Science and Industry. And of course, you receive milk and cookies with your turndown service. If you can't bring the kids, then you can still read them a bedtime story using the rooms' in-room web cams.


• If your vacation is taking you to the kid-loving 50th state, you’ll find several resorts with top-notch kids’ amenities. The Hilton Hawaiian Village on the family-friendly island of Oahu features Camp Penguin, named for the eight African black-footed penguins that reside at the resort. Kids at Camp Penguin absorb Hawaiian culture through storytelling, games, music, lei-making and excursions to the Honolulu Zoo and the Bishop Museum, among other outings. Full day is $90 per child or $65 for a half-day (Camp Penguin hotel packages are available, too).


• Weave your way to Bermuda by booking passage with Craft Cruises, a travel agency that pairs the cruise experience with specialized activities. Craft Cruises partnered with The Handwork Studio to craft a cruise with workshops that teach kids about the needle arts. The seven-day Holland America Line cruise (starting at about $999 per person) departs New York City for Bermuda on June 20 and is geared for children ages 5-15. Workshops include a sunset knitting circle, embroidery, crocheting, and hand- and machine-sewing.


• Of course, the biggest news for die-hard Harry Potter fans based here in the U.S. is the grand-opening last spring of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a 20-acre themed area at Universal’s Island of Adventure ($79 adults, $69 ages 3-9) at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando. Hogwarts Castle will immerse Pottermaniacs in the state-of-the-art Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey experience, which uses technology to bring the characters to life. Post-castle, you can wander into Zonko’s joke shop for Sneakoscopes or Ollivanders wand shop, where the wand chooses you.


• If authentic castles are what you crave, hop across the pond and head to the Irish countryside’s Ashford Castle, set on 350 acres in County Mayo. The hotel offers some unique packages, such as Hogwarts Halloween in the fall, a Shrek Family Package in February and the Summer Family Falconry Package, which includes falconry lessons for all. It’s not cheap – packages start at about $700 per night – but the gorgeous castle, which dates back to 1228, has a resident owl named Dingle.

App-tastic

I've been known to – uhm, jokingly – say that my iPhone is like a third child to me. So that makes my apps akin to those "I love yous" and syrupy hugs I get from other two (real) kids. The love flows freely from my human children, so I expect nothing less from my apps. Oh, sure, there's the occasional game or really useful application that's worth the 99 cents. But I figure that by limiting myself to downloading just the free apps that I probably cut down on the thousand or so distractions that could easily take time way from those "real" children I referenced earlier.

Thought I'd share a couple of fun and helpful free apps I've run across lately.

First off, find out where to dispose of old batteries and electronic equipment by downloading the iRecycle app from Earth911.com. You'll easily find recycling locations for everything anywhere in the U.S. I also found out that there was a free compost workshop on Feb. 20 in Burbank in the app's "Events" and learned that computers, batteries and televisions topped the list of most recycled materials in 2009 in the "Articles" section.

For the kiddos, bring books alive on your iPhone through Iceberg Kids' library of free digital books that include Curious George titles as well as The Pokey Puppy and the Mr. Men books (you can find titles to purchase for kids and adults, too). What makes this app cool is that it allows parents to record their own voices reading the books, creating a personalized element that is unique among kid-oriented apps. Here's the demo:


The Table of Contents makes navigating the books very "book-like," and it's easy enough for kids to flip through pages and follow along.

You just have to decide whether your young reader is responsible enough to take care of your "other" child. (I recommend keeping your iPhone in a very protective case and making them wash their hands first. But that's just me.)