By Dawn Van Osdell They say it takes a village to raise a child. When Stacy Katz became a mom in 2007, she created her own. A single parent of Bailey, now age 8, she left San Francisco, where she’d been working in public relations since the mid ‘90s, and bought a duplex in Los […]
Last Minute Family Day Trips For the Dog Days of Summer
By Ilene Miller My two boys, age 10 and 13, love to spend summer “chillaxing” and getting away from the grind of the school year. But typically, by the end of July, we are all burned out on the pool and looking for some family fun in the sun that doesn’t involve a three hour car ride […]
Profiles of Childhood: Kia Gomez, Doula & Babysitter
Our childhoods shape us and prepare us, not only for our own lives, but for the joys and values we’ll pass on to others. As told to Dawn Van Osdell “I split my time between school in the San Francisco Bay Area—Notre Dame de Namur University—and my hometown of Los Angeles. It’s not so different […]
Meet the Yanows of Los Feliz, California
By Dawn Van Osdell From their whirlwind business beginnings nearly five years ago, Tony and Amy Yanow took inspiration from an unlikely but apt quote from George Orwell: “The Puritanical nonsense of excluding children and therefore to some extent women from pubs has turned these places into mere boozing shops instead of the family gathering […]
Chudney Ross is Bringing Literacy to a New Generation at LA’s Books and Cookies
By Lela Nargi On a low-slung strip of street halfway between the skate shops of Venice’s Muscle Beach and the boutiques of downtown Santa Monica, Chudney Ross has opened her kid-centric outpost, Books and Cookies. Twice. Aiming to provide what she calls a “literacy-based experience” for the area’s burgeoning young family population, in 2011 Ross […]
Meet the Family Behind Edoughble: Rana & John Lustyan and Riley & Emma, Westside, Los Angeles
By Dawn Van Osdell What better way to satisfy a craving than to share it with others? Rana and John Lustyan did just that with the creation of Edoughble, their Los-Angeles-based company that produces raw cookie dough—in flavors like Birthday Bash and Snicker Dude—that’s meant to be eaten right out of the container. “I have a […]
Carina Tannenberg Wants to Demystify Poop for American Kids and Parents
By Lela Nargi Carina Tannenberg is the owner of online shop Sweden Toys, which brings a whole host of adorable, educational Scandinavian playthings to American tots. But perhaps none of the shop’s offerings is quite as…unexpected as its duo of plushies called Pee & Poo. You read that right: Pee & Poo plushies, meant to lift […]
Meet Phoebe Hayman, founder of Seedling, Los Angeles, CA
As told to Lela Nargi Where are you from originally? I spent much of my childhood in the US and then moved back to New Zealand (where I was born) in my tween years. I studied Fine Arts in Auckland, and it made me understand what an important role creativity plays in our lives. I naturally […]
How to Create the Perfect Family Picnic
What better way is there to enjoy a relaxing afternoon with your family – soaking in the sunshine, eating good food and simply being together – than with a glorious, family picnic? Before the summer slips away, follow our formula to create the perfect family picnic. We show you how to choose the right menu, […]
Round Up: Family Friendly July 4th Events, Fireworks and Festivities
Don’t miss out on the loads of family fun and fireworks displays there are for the taking this July 4th. Here’s a round up of events in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, Boston and NYC: SF BAY AREA 4th of July at the Berkeley Marina July 4, 2013 12 pm […]