Sep 02, 2010 8:49 - By: Kim Tracy Prince
Why did it have to be snakes?
A few weeks ago, there came a day that a mother fears – the day when her five-year-old son declares that he wants a snake for his birthday. Especially if on that same day his father declares that yes, this is a possibility.
Oh, really.
So far, the five-year-old is just “totally into” snakes and lizards. At a friend’s birthday party recently, there was a Lizard Lady, who brought several cages of reptiles and showed them to the children, telling the crowd a little bit about each animal. There were lizards, turtles, small snakes, and a 75-pound Burmese Python. AT A CHILD’S BIRTHDAY PARTY. The Lizard Lady had the gall to invite parents to wrap the 75-pound snake around our shoulders for a photo opportunity.
I wouldn’t have considered the notion. But when I saw the look of rapture on my son’s face when she said that, I naturally stepped forward and volunteered to be the first. What else is a mom to do?
Our next reptilian adventure will take place in a far safer environment, which will not include any bodily contact between the snakes and myself. Read More »
Jul 10, 2010 6:54 - By: Kim Tracy Prince
Mummies of the World
The traveling Mummies of the World museum exhibit has arrived in Los Angeles, and what better time for it than summer? Think about it: a collection of dead bodies from long-past eras brought in from all over the world, all in one building. Perfect for a family vacation, especially if you have teenage boys.
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Jul 08, 2009 13:36 - By: Kim Tracy Prince
The Tenuta di Canonica Agriturismo in Todi, Italy
I’m one of those parents who prefers to keep my children penned in to the backyard area with a hose and some water balloons, because when I take them out in public we are bound to meet mishap of one kind or another. As such, our travels, while increasing in frequency as the boys get older, have yet been limited to family visits and low-profile excursions. I have read with envy the blog posts about families traveling to Europe or the Amazon, experiencing epic adventures together. “Someday…” I dream, wistfully.
Someday might come sooner than later if opportunities like Piccolo Chef’s Italian Culinary Vacations become possible for us.
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Jun 28, 2009 11:22 - By: Kim Tracy Prince
At the top of the 405 freeway among the hills of the Santa Monica mountains lies the Skirball Cultural Center, a museum and auditorium complex devoted to Jewish history and culture whose mission is to “seeks to welcome and inspire people of every ethnic and cultural identity in American life.” With lectures, concerts, and exhibits, the Skirball provides a venue for entertainment and educational events off the beaten path.
For families with young children, the gem of the Skirball’s center is the permanent installment, “
Noah’s Ark.” A kid-life-sized ark with interactive exhibits made out of recycled materials, Noah’s Ark is so popular that tickets provide timed entry to help maximize every little explorer’s adventure within. Children can climb the ark and nets, load the animals in two-by-two, witness a thunderstorm, create arts and crafts, and catch a glimpse of a rainbow in the misty arbor garden outside the galleries.
Noah’s Ark is fun, whimsical, and educational, and will kill at least an hour in out of the glaring summer heat.
Order your tickets ahead of time online – $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under (under 2′s are free). Tickets include admission to the rest of the Skirball’s exhibits as well. (The center is closed on July 4th.)
[photo courtesy of the Skirball Center]
