Weekend Plans: For Kids and Grown-Ups

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Mar Vista Mom

Looking for something to do Saturday night with the whole family? Try the free screening of Finding Nemo at Mar Vista park. nemo Show starts at dusk, or 8pm ish. Bring a blanket or beach chairs to sit on. Call 310-398-5982 for more information. Mar Vista park, 11430 Woodbine Ave.

On the other hand, if the grown-ups are out sans kids, the comedy at the Fanatic Salon might be just the ticket. The current show is called Trans4merz, and it starts at 8pm. Only $10! Transformerz August 15

The Fanatic Salon, 3815 Sawtelle Blvd. Call 310-795-7469 for more information.

Save The Date: Mar Vista Ladies’ Night Out Friday, August 28th

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Mar Vista Mom

Our first official night out with the Ladies will be Friday, August 28th, at the Wood, from 6:00pm – 10:00pm.

We’ll be ordering food from the Wood’s menu, but bringing our own vino, if you’re in the mood. They serve a range of non-alcoholic choices, so no worries there. Come on out and meet up with others of us in the neighborhood. Moms and Ladies alike are welcome! Childbearing is not a requirement. But it is a night for the women. I hope to see you there!

Anatomy Of A Block Party

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Mar Vista Mom

Our block has held a block party for 5 years in a row, and it is an Amazing Amount of Fun. It’s also an amazing amount of work to set it all up.

But it’s absolutely SO much fun, I thought I would let the community know the ins and outs of getting a block party off the ground, because it is tricky to figure out where to go and what to do.

I turn to my neighbor and blogger, Elise Derby, for expertise in this matter, since she’s been in charge of our block party every year. I like to think it’s a labor of love, but I know for sure it’s a of of labor. There are lots of us who try to help out, and on the day of the party, everyone always chips in, but all the prep work is handled, oh so capably, by Elise.

(I’m buttering her up because I never want her to stop being in charge. Keep the love flowing to Elise!)

*** UPDATE: My vacation has thrown my blog all out of whack! Let’s get it right this time! ***

Elise says every year has been slightly different, but there are some basic steps that have to be taken each time. First of all, between 3 and 4 months before you want to have your block party, the neighbors need to get together and decide what kind of party they want to have and how much money they want to spend on it. We started out with an all-pot-luck version to keep costs low. Everyone brought out their own tables and EZ-up tents. Now we rent those things and have them delivered. Plus we get a bouncy house and sometimes a dunk tank. But the rest is still pot-luck sharing.

In terms of official steps to be taken, it goes like this: Fill out the paperwork online here at the Bureau of Street Services website and download the petition form, which must be signed by 51% of the neighbors on the affected street. You then have to get insurance for the event, the price for which has gone up from approximately $100 5 years ago to approx. $250 now.

Once the petition is signed, insurance is purchased, and a Hold Harmless form is filled out, the entire packet gets sent to Street Services. Then there are City permit fees of approx. $300, which have been waived in the past by our great City Council members, but since LA is in a bit of a budget crisis, the fees may not be waived any more. (Check with your Councilperson’s office to be sure.) Then, finally, there are Temporary No Parking Signs that get posted a few days before the event, so people will know not to park in the middle of the party, and barricades that block off the street on the actual day.

Yes, it is a ton of work, but it is so worth it. I love our neighborhood and having the chance to hang out with my neighbors on a beautiful summer day is one of the best things about living here. I highly recommend it for your neighborhood as well!

Weekend Plans: Mar Vista Farmer’s Market BirthdayPalooza August 2nd

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Mar Vista Mom

In a beautiful coincidence, the farmer’s market and I are both celebrating birthdays this weekend, mine is on Saturday and theirs is on Sunday. Another difference between our birthdays? The market is turning 3; Me? A little more. Bdaypalooza(3)

Looks like fun! I’ll be there, as usual. Hope to see you all there, too.

Plus on top of all the cool things listed on the flyer, the good people of AllRecipes will be on hand to meet local cooks and share recipes for all the freshness the market has to offer. They’ll also have a kids’ activities booth — and they’ll be giving away seed packets, aprons and tote bags!

Weekend Plans: Free Summer Movie in Mar Vista Park August 1

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Mar Vista Mom

Hotel for Dogs will start at dusk Saturday night, August 1st, in Mar Vista park, which is probably around 8:15pm these days. Bring a blanket and maybe some beach chairs to sit on. There will be bouncy castles for the kids and refreshments will be sold, unless you want to bring your own. Come out early for the Doggone Funny Dog Show!

Next show August 15th: Finding Nemo!

Mar Vista Morning Workout

Posted on June 27, 2009 by Mar Vista Mom

Right in our own Mar Vista park! Ahnjel Ali teaches a class on Saturday mornings, and let me tell you, it’s a butt-kicker. Ahnjel Here are the pertinent details:

• Classes are on Saturday mornings, and start promptly at 7 — that’s AM.

• meet on the south side of the park, near the roller blading rink.

• bring a mat, 2-lb dumbells, and 5-lb dumbells,

• be ready to rumble!

There’s a lot of fast walking and the dumbells are put to good use! I was tired but not so much that I couldn’t walk after; what’s the point of that? There’s also good conversation along the way.

The class costs $20 for a drop-in, or $10/class if you buy a 6-session series. A new session started today, but the summer schedule is a little crazy, what with 4th of July and vacation travel, so the next class will be on July 11th, then the 18th, 25th, then August 22 and 29th.

(Disclaimer: Contact Ahnjel to confirm the class schedule as the summer goes on — just in case — or to check on the Fall sessions: Majid.Ahnjel@yahoo.com.)

MVM Summer Fun Guide: The Circus is Coming To Town!

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Mar Vista Mom

Granted, the Circus is not coming to Mar Vista, but it is coming to LA, from July 8 to August 2 in the Southland. And Mar Vista Mom readers can get a discount on tickets by using the coupon code: MOM.* MomCentral LA Area Flyer

*Restrictions: Must purchase AT LEAST 4 tickets for code to be valid, enter the code in the “MC Promotion Box” on Ticketmaster, not valid on Circus Celebrity/Front Row/VIP seats, and facility fees do apply.

MVM Summer Fun Guide: The Library

Posted on June 25, 2009 by Mar Vista Mom

The Mar Vista Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library is a fantastic civic resource for our neighborhood — and a great place to take your kids for fun, free things to do this summer. (And all year long, of course!) library story time The LAPL has a children’s summer reading program called Treasured Islands. The idea is you sign your kids up and keep track of how much they’re reading during the summer, and they’ll earn prizes as they accumulate minutes of reading time. There are also events at the library throughout the summer as part of the program, like the story time and craft that launched it yesterday. (Island craft project.)

Next Wednesday, July 1, Peggy Hasegawa will be doing an origami demonstration at 4pm. The events continue on Wednesdays at 4pm: July 15 (Stories and Craft), July 29 (Stories and Craft), August 5 (“Reptile Family”), August 19 (“One World Rhythm”), and August 26 (The Finale). And did I mention it’s all free? And encourages reading? Gotta love the library!

The Mar Vista Branch has activities for Teens as well, on Tuesdays at 3pm: July 7 (Henna Tattooing), July 21 (Video Gaming), August 11 (Yoga), and August 25 (Cupcake Decoration).

For the Little Ones, the library offers Toddler/Preschool Story Time on Mondays at 11am, on an ongoing basis, and “Grandparents and Books” (or “GAB”) 6 days a week. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 3-5pm, Wednesdays and Fridays 2:30-4:30pm, and the additional time on Saturdays from 1-3pm. Join one of their volunteer Grandparents for story hour one of these days!

And just in case the adults were feeling left out, don’t worry! The library won’t let you down! The Mar Vista Branch offers its Mystery Book Club monthly on Thursdays at 6:30pm. So far this year, they’ve read and discussed The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid, Paradise Interrupted by Penny Mickelbury, Dixie City Jam, by James Lee Burke, Echo Burning, by Lee Child, Free Fall, by Robery Crais, and A Loyal Character Dancer, by Qiu Xiaolong. (July’s title hasn’t been posted yet, so check with the branch for date and book.) The library also hosts a Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club. Ysabel, by Guy Gavriel Kay, is the book, and they’re meeting on Tuesday, July 7th at 6:30pm to discuss it.

There are also computer classes offered on Wednesdays at 2pm, with topics ranging from Word Processing Basics to Intro to the Internet. And if you have a Crafty Soul, Quilters From The Heart meet at the library on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month, from 1-5pm. They provide the materials, but ask that you bring a sewing machine, if possible. All the quilts they create are donated. Isn’t that awesome?

The library is a wonderful community resource, plus they have lots of BOOKS there, which, for a reader like me, is the best part. The fact that they offer so many extra programs is like icing on the cake.

The Los Angeles Public Library, Mar Vista Branch, is located at 12006 Venice Blvd., LA, 90066, on the corner of Venice and Inglewood. (310) 390-3454. Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10am-8pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12pm-8pm, Fridays and Saturdays, 10am-6pm, closed Sundays and holidays. Disclosure: please call the branch to confirm all events, as things can, and do, change.

An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

MVM Summer Fun Guide, Part One

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Mar Vista Mom

Looking for fun, inexpensive things to do with your kids this summer? Me, too!!

I’ll be posting a series of ideas here, some in Mar Vista and some a little farther away.

Let’s start with Free Family Movies, shall we? movie flyer The Vineyard Christian Fellowship in the old Bruno’s location on the corner of Venice and Centinela will be showing free movies every Wednesday night at 6:45. Free popcorn, too! This week (6/24) it’s Tale of Desperaux. Maybe I’ll see you there? Enjoy!!

Mar Vista Theatre Event Tonight and Tomorrow

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Mar Vista Mom

Mar Vista readers, this may be news to you, but there is an alternate universe, separate from the one we live in, and it’s hidden from us, except in certain locations around the globe, where you might happen across a bronze plaque honoring an event that happened in that Other Universe. In which case you still couldn’t see the other universe — but at least you’d know you were close to it.

I think.

kcymaerxthaere_digital If I haven’t done it a disservice already, I want to point out that its run finishes up tomorrow night. Last chance to get a glimpse of Alt Universe, which I BELIEVE is pronounced “Ky-merica-theater”. Sort of. But I could be wrong. You’ll have to go and find out for yourself.

The show is by Mar Vista resident, Eames Demetrios, who is described as 3-dimensional storyteller. It sounds like an amazing evening’s event.

Running tonight and tomorrow, May 27 and 28, 2009, at the Fanatic Salon Theatre, 3815 Sawtelle Blvd.