L.A. Parent

We’re honored to publish an excerpt from I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust: A Memoir of Autism and Hope, co-written by L.A. mother and daughter authors Valerie Gilpeer and Emily Grodin and published by William Morrow. Kirkus Reviews writes: Parents of children with autism will find gentle, helpful guidance in these pages. Read the excerpt her: laparent.com/autism-and-hope-memoir/... #autism #hope #ihavebeenburiedunderyearsofdust #autismmemoir #memoir

We need poetry now more than ever. Poetry helps us, young and old alike, see the world and understand our feelings in deeper ways. We've loved all the events and activities celebrating #NationalPoetryMonth this year. Don't forget to check out our roundup: laparent.com/celebrate-national-poetry-month/... #poetry #Poets

If you've got a cranky toddler on your hands, Michelle Tangeman, founder of @thriving.toddler, has some tips to help you improve your toddler's mood (and your own). laparent.com/improve-your-toddlers-mood/ #toddlers ... #tots #getoutside #LAParks #letsmove See more

Are your kids back on campus yet? If so, how did you feel on that first return to school in a pandemic? (Asking for a friend). There was something so warm and fuzzy about seeing our kids with their backpacks on-- and seeing them smile at the familiar and comfortable feeling of those straps against shoulders... #backtoschoolinApril... #hybridsschool #anewday #backpack See more

La Create Sp_ce is welcoming people back into its doors-- following the mandated protocols of Covid-19. And they're offering free membership to their virtual membership! Building a community is important to the success of any business, and we know how people have struggled over the past year, said Marisa Johnson, Co-founder of La Create Space. ... We want all of our members to thrive, so to go along with our reopening, we have made becoming a member of our virtual community free. Online community members get access to a virtual network of entrepreneurs, businesses, creatives, and techies, and stay up to date on what’s going on at the Space. For membership inquiries and virtual tours of the space, visit: lacreatespace.com/contact. #workspace #lacreatespace #Inglewood #reopenings

World Immunization Week (Saturday, April 24 - Friday, April 30) World Immunization Week celebrated every year in the last week of April aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. Immunization saves millions of lives every year and is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful health interventions. Yet, there are still nearly 20 million children in the world today who are not getting the vaccines they need, and many miss... out on vital vaccines during adolescence, adulthood and into old age. #WorldImmunizationWeek #UNICEF #vaccines #immunization

Arrive in sunny Los Angeles for a getaway at Terranea Resort - and save! Enjoy your third night free using promo code 3FREE, and experience outdoor adventures including whale watching, scenic hikes and tidepooling, falconry, stand-up paddle boarding and endless amounts of fun for the whole family. #Terranea #weekendfun #staycation #terranearesort... #free See more

Can we really call it "work" if part of our days are spent looking for the best #weekendfun for you? This week, we've rounded up: -a sound walk at Griffith Park -The L.A. Times Festival of Books, Stories & Ideas... -MOCA for Families -A Very Special Arts Festival ...and so much more! You can visit us daily over at our new laparent.com and sign up for our newsletter on laparent.com/newsletter to stay in the know. Have a great weekend! #thingstodo #LAParent #soundwalk #griffithpark #MOCA #reopenings

This is cool: You can celebrate #EarthDay all month long (and beyond), and we've rounded up some great events, books and activities for you here: laparent.com/celebrate-earth-day-all-month-long/ #takecareofourplanet... #protectourearth See more

"For us to survive the pandemic on an emotional level, I knew I had to engage with my kids in a more light, fresh and fun way for their sanity and mine. I had to follow my daughter’s lead shake things up and stop taking this immeasurably serious situation so seriously." Read more of this wonderful guest column from Lauren Burns, an actor, writer, teacher and founder of Fun Lab LA. laparent.com/using-humor-in-pandemic-parenting/... #humor #parenting #improv #disguise #laugh #funlabla

The Los Angeles Times is hosting its 26th Annual Festival of Books, Stories and Ideas from April 17-23 for a week-long virtual festival and community gathering with 30 individual virtual events and panels. We miss all the panels and the beloved #ChildrensStage, but this is the next best thing! Enjoy!... More at: laparent.com/la-times-festival-of-books-2021/ #bookfest #latimes #festivalofbooks #books #authors

Happy #EarthDay! We have to leave a better place for our future. For fresh ideas to get the kids involved in learning about our planet, check out our ever-growing roundup: laparent.com/celebrate-earth-day-all-month-long/... #protectourplanet #earthday2021

It's #BlackMaternalHealthWeek and Black Infants and Families Los Angeles is hosting a week of empowering virtual events through April 17. Yesterday, our friends First 5 LA co-hosted a panel with the Department of Public Health and L.A. County African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Initiative to address how the county is addressing Black maternal and infant health. For more information and to register for events, visit www.blackinfantsandfamilies.org/bmhw2021. ... #WeAreTheVillage #bmhw2021 #healthiswealth #healthequity

This Friday, April 16 , The Music Center will host its 42nd Annual Very Special Arts Festival -- virtually! The event will showcase the talents of students of all abilities! The fun, hour-long program will stream on The Music Center Offstage virtual platform on Friday, from 10 a.m.11 a.m., featuring student performances, professional entertainment segments and six participatory educational workshops. ... The festival will also highlight hundreds of visual artworks created by students based on this year’s theme, Seeds of Kindness, in a virtual gallery. It will include an ASL interpreter and will be transcribed for people with visual impairment. This free, annual inclusive event celebrates the students’ artistic achievements and encourages active participation in the arts and connection with one another as a community. For more information: musiccenter.org/education/Very-Special-Arts-Festival/ The Music Center: Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles #TheMusicCenter #allabilities #music #virtualconcert #musicfestival

The voices of Asian Americans have not always been at the forefront of history, even though they have always been a great part of global history. As a national early literacy nonprofit, Reading Partners has created a children’s book list to celebrate and highlight Asian American and Pacific Islanders’ stories and traditions. The list provides a productive way for families to create a dialogue around celebrating AAPI experiences and culture amid recent hate crimes. AAPI bookli...st Reading Partners: laparent.com/asian-american-and-pacific-islanders-book-list/ #Booklist #bookrecommendations #childrensbooks #weneeddiversebooks #antihate

Our beloved Hollywood Bowl is reopening! Visit here for the reopening plan: https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/faqs/reopening-2021... #hollywoodbowl #reopening #liveconcerts #concerts

Each week, we're so excited to bring you the latest on events and activities taking place in and around L.A.-- from theme park and museum reopenings to food festivals live entertainment and more. Sign up for our weekly newsletter on laparent.com to *stay* in the know! #itsfriday... #itsfriyay #weekendfun #thingstodo #familyfun #reopening #LA See more

On Saturday, Oct. 24, Los Angeles Unified School District’s Gifted/Talented Program is partnering with the financial literacy organization Pockets Change to bring over 1,000 of their K-12 students a virtual symposium called "Practical Tools For Gifted Learners During Impractical Times." Pockets Change will lead a free 90-minute interactive workshop on financial resilience, educating the LAUSD’s gifted students on the power of having money conversations to enrich learning and... equip diverse learners with tools to create change. To register, visit: MyPLN http://achieve.lausd.net/mypln #financialliteracy #pocketschange #lausd #giftedandtalented #socialjustice #equity

#Halloween isn’t going to be the same this year, but you and your family can still have fun while reducing your risk of exposure to COVID-19. The bottom line is there is no safe way to celebrate a traditional Halloween in this pandemic, says Priya Soni, MD, a Cedars-Sinai pediatric infectious disease specialist. Read on for Dr. Soni's do's and don'ts: https://www.laparent.com/halloween-safety-cedars/... And make sure to check out our roundup of Halloween activities on www.laparent.com! #safehalloween #halloweeninla #familyfun #staysafe

It’s #nationalbreastcancerawarenessmonth, so we’re diving into an advanced copy of @AuthorLeslieLehr’s forthcoming book, #ABoobsLife. This is Leslie’s first project since her own #breastcancer diagnosis. A Boob’s Life explores the surprising truth about women’s most popular body part with vulnerable, witty frankness and true nuggets of American culture that will resonate with everyone who has breastsor loves them.... Book synopsis: Author Leslie Lehr wants to talk about boobs. She’s gone from size AA to DDD and everything between, from puberty to motherhood, enhancement to cancer, and beyond. And she’s not alonethese are classic life stages for women today. At turns funny and heartbreaking, A Boob’s Life explores both the joys and hazards inherent to living in a woman’s body. Lehr deftly blends her personal narrative with national history, starting in the 1960s with the women’s liberation movement and moving to the current feminist dialogue and what it means to be a woman. Her insightful and clever writing analyzes how America’s obsession with the female form has affected her own life’s journey and the psyche of all women today. #newbook #womensbodies Preorder: https://amzn.to/2ThbCRj

In her guest column for us this week, "Colorblindness is a Myth: Talk to Your Children About Race," Denica Gordon-Mandel gives us some great advice on how to start (and keep) talking to our children about race. Gordon-Mandel is a psychotherapist and co-founder of Raising Compassionate Leaders. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. Column here: www.laparent.com/children-and-race-the-colorblind-myth/... #race #racism #talktoyourchildren #stilltalking #raisingcompassionateleaders #parenting Denica Gordon-Mandel

Have you been to Nights of the Jack yet? Nights of the Jack is a family friendly drive-thru Halloween experience. Expect to see some larger-than-life pumpkin installations as well as detailed artist depictions of your favorite movie stars, sports heroes and animated characters. Their newly extended trail features thousands of hand-carved and illuminated Jack o'lanterns as you make your way around King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas. Immerse yourself in an instagrammable Hallowee...n wonderland and experience what everyone is talking about! More at www.nightsofthejack.com! #nightsofthejack #halloween #kinggillettranch Oct 1 - Nov 1 6:30-11 pm King Gillette Ranch

Some people have a hard time complimenting others. They can can criticize until the cows come home, but give a compliment? Don't hold your breath! Others have a tough time ACCEPTING compliments. We believe this is just as detrimental. Here are 6 great ways to start learning how to soak up those compliments-- and shower them on others.... Love this: www.laparent.com/accept-compliments/ Written by Risa Williams (www.risawilliams.com), a licensed psychotherapist, wellness writer, professor and a mom of two. You can read more of her self-esteem tips on IG @risawilliamstherapy. #compliment #notafraidtocompliment #bekind #whatcomesaroundgoesaround #reciprocity

Happy Birthday to Us! We’re celebrating L.A. Parent’s 40th birthday (virtually) all month long. We can’t believe the magazine has been around for 40 years! Thank you, #LACounty! We want to hear your thoughts on turning 40:... If you’re 40+, what makes the year 40 so special? If you haven’t hit 40 yet, what are you hoping life brings you by your 40th year? If you also turned/are turning 40 this year, how did you celebrate? #happybirthday #stillcelebrating #happyanniversary #happy40th #fortyandfab #LAParent #the40s

L.A. Parent is a proud media sponsor for the LA Cancer Challenge this year! Join us virtually for the LA Cancer Challenge, and we’ll bring the Halloween fun to you! Walk, run or stroll in your community to support pancreatic cancer research and patient support with a virtual event filled with inspiration, fun prizes and Halloween fun you won’t want to miss register today! www.lacancerchallenge.com #LAParent #pancreaticcancerawareness #LACancerChallenge #WeWillNeverGiveUp #NeverGiveUp #VirtualLACC

CONGRATULATIONS, @dodgers!!!! #LETSGO #worldseries2020

From Henry Winkler reading at the virtual LA Times Festival of Books to Knott's Fall-O-Ween to a Frogtown art walk and drive-in movie at the zoo, we've got a great roundup of weekend events in our newsletter and at laparent.com! #HappyFriday and have a #GreatWeekend! #driveinmovie... #HenryWinkler #FestivalofBooks #bookfest #LATimes #LAZoo #Frogtown #artwalk #knottsberryfarm #falloween #Halloween #october2020 See more

Who can relate? "Here is how I gauge that we are losing our minds a little: it seems a daunting task to try to get all four of us out of the house. I find myself drawn to pop-up ads that have masks built into the neck of a sweater. Hours go by each morning and I have no idea what I did with the time. Like a hamster spinning in its wheel, I am not getting anywhere each day and yet I keep getting back into that same wheel every day. When I see how many subjects my kids are able... to learn in a day during schome, surely, I can get a single task off my list done, but I must be in some sort of time warp. Or I am really going bananas?" Read the rest of this resonant guest column from Shea Andreone, a writer and creator of the blog Twig-Hugger: www.laparent.com/a-little-bit-crazy/ #keepingitreal #whocanrelate #pandemiclife #supportingfamilies #supporingparents #twighugger

A great giveaway of an important book about a critical issue. Posted @withregram @feministpress On National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, we send love and support to all those who've experienced pregnancy loss. We'd like to share an advanced copy of Jessica Zucker's (@ihadamiscarriage) forthcoming book with a reader. This evocative memoir confronts the cultural silence around miscarriage and illuminates how to transform trauma into human connection. By writ...ing so bravely and candidly about her own miscarriage, Dr. Zucker has given us a deeply humane book, inviting conversation and community into what for many has been a place of shame and silence. This is a book for everyone whose life has been touched by the loss of a pregnancy.Carol Gilligan To enter 1) Follow @feministpress and @ihadamiscarriage 2) Like this photo 3) Tag a friend in the comments #nationalpregnancyandinfantlossawarenessmonth #ihadamiscarriage