Our Kidspace Day

Bug and I had an adventure the other day.  We were supposed to go bowling with a few school friends, but decided to ditch (sorry, guys!) and go to Kidspace in Pasadena.  Kidspace is a 4 year old boys dream.  Huge structures to climb on, a real size car to "drive" in (Bug got a huge kick out of the car this time as I recently started driving.), a bike path with traffic signs, a river to play in and tons more.   It's one of those places where you have to just let your kid explore.  I was excited to take him as it was the first time since I got my drivers license that I could give Bug the power to choose where we would go.  The possibilities were endless because I had the car.  We weren't locked into one activity (that's the downside to taking public transportation everywhere.)  It was also the first time we had been there since our last trip in April with friends.  I dub that day my "worst day of parenting ever" Hands down.  There was biting, throwing of stuffed animals, items bought to silence my screaming child.  All in front of a friend whose parenting I respect immensely, which made it even more awesome.  I remember that day.  Bug remembers that day.  It lives in infamy. 

Riding the bike in 90 degree weather.  I think he's ready for Spinning! 

Playing with clay. Nevermind that gross burn on my hand. I forgot that ovens are hot. 

SO, understandably, I've waited a few months to return to this land of fun in Pasadena.  I must say, it was worth the wait.  While Bug isn't old enough to understand why I didn't have my drivers license or that it was even an issue for so long, I like to think that he appreciated that his mom could take him here for a day of fun.  And, we had an AWESOME time.  I let him call the shots and go to whatever part of the property he wanted to for almost 4 hours.  He rode a bike in 93 degrees for an hour (There is usually a line for the bikes, and the kids don't get to ride that long, but today was so hot, I think a lot of them were inside enjoying the air conditioner).  He played with the water symphony for a while.  He played in the ant hole for 483290 hours.  He played with clay, paint, and water.  He looked at bugs.  He smiled and laughed and at one point said "I'm having a great time, mom!"  I mean, I died. A totally happy day with my boy.  He left elated and I left smiling, yet a little nervous for my drive home.  I am totally used to public transportation and can handle the extra time and energy it takes, but driving is still so new to me, that I am always a little nervous when I get in the car.  Alas, we made it home successfully and with minimal traffic.  

So, no, I did not take public transportation to Kidspace, BUT, if you choose to do it, here's an idea of a trip from the Valley! It's about 2 hours long and while it's a tad long, it does include the subway and light rail, which kids REALLY enjoy. The subway and light rail also make it easier on the adult.  We're huge fans of the Gold Line! 

Ventura / Hazeltine Stop ID: 7023

150/240 Bus towards 240 Universal City Sta

8:41am - 9:02am (21 mins, 22 stops)

Universal City Station Stop ID: 30002

Walk to Universal City Station

About 2 mins (16 mins to make transfer)

Universal City Station Stop ID: 80202

Metro Red Line (802) Subway towards Union Station

9:18am - 9:43am (25 mins, 12 stops)

Union Station Stop ID: 80214

Walk to Union Station

About 1 min (6 mins to make transfer)

Union Station Stop ID: 80409

Metro Gold Line (804) Light rail towards Sierra Madre Villa Station

9:49am - 10:08am (19 mins, 8 stops)

Del Mar Station Stop ID: 80417

Walk to Raymond Ave & Del Mar Station

About 1 min (10 mins to make transfer)

Raymond Ave & Del Mar Station

51 Bus towards To Linda Vista / Art Center

10:18am - 10:42am (24 mins, 14 stops)

Seco St & Arroyo Blvd

Walk to Kidspace Children's Museum, 480 North Arroyo Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91103

About 2 mins (0.1 mi)

Kidspace Children's Museum 480 North Arroyo Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91103

Bug goes to a prenatal appointment..

Today was a new experience for Bug.  I took him to one of my prenatal appointments with me for the first time.  More on what the experience was like in a moment, but first, some thoughts. 

I'm 15 weeks pregnant.  So, why did I wait this long to take him?  Well, I should probably tell you that we didn't even tell him he was getting a sibling until I was in my second trimester. Some people thought we were crazy to wait that long to fill him in, that we should let him be apart of the pregnancy early on.  I say, to each his own.  My first trimester was filled with puking, dry heaving, and laying down a lot.. the usual! I guess you could say that I didn't want him to attribute that to his new brother or sister.   Also, I wanted to just get past the first trimester jitters in general.  So, we kept it to ourselves, family and friends until I was in my 13th week.  When we told him, it took a couple of days to process it.  And, for another couple of days, he kept asking if Vigo from the Ghostbusters was going to come and take the baby.  For those of you who haven't watched Ghostbusters 2 seventy times in the last couple of months, Vigo is the villain in that movie and kidnaps Oscar the baby.  Naturally, Bug's four year old mind went to that scary place.  It took a few times of explaining that Vigo wasn't real, but he got it soon after.  Of course, he does still check every day "Mommy, is the baby in your tummy?"  "Yes, Bug!". 

...All of which brings me to taking him to a prenatal appointment!  This was something I was truly stumped on.  Now that he knows, do I bring him?  Do I get a babysitter?  Does my mom need to come and watch him in the office?  Am I going to scar him for life either way?  All of these questions came to me as I lay awake on Saturday night preparing myself for Monday's appointment.  So, who do I turn to to find out?  Why, the great, all knowing Facebook moms of course! I would say about 70% of my Facebook friends fit this category. I also texted a good friend some more personal questions about it, but more on that.. never.  Anyway, back to those awesome Facebook moms.  The consensus was "Yes! Take him. Involve him.  He will love it!"  I started to feel good about it, but then a little bad that I was questioning it in the first place.  Mom guilt.  The best.  Of course the appointment went great.  Bug thinks I'm super talented at peeing in a cup and my doctor was able to pick up the babies heartbeat and some kicks on the doppler, which Bug thought was "cool".  He had a HUGE smile on his face and my heart swelled.  This kid is going to be the best big brother.  We won't tell his baby brother that about 5 minutes after he heard the heartbeat and kicks, he broke out into a fever and turned stark white.  No, that little tidbit we'll keep between us for now. 

www.someecards.com

Skirball Center

Skirball Center: 

2701 North Sepulveda Boulevard  Los Angeles, CA 90049 Bus # 761  Who has been to Noah's Arc at the Skirball Cultural Center?  While I'm still a little iffy on some of the exhibits they have for adults (I feel there could be more), their permanent Noah's Arc exhibit is worth the trip. Almost everything is interactive.  Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school age kids all have something to enjoy and learn here. Our son is particularly obsessed with the up high bridges toward the back.  Super fun.  Another great part of Skirball is they have a beautiful garden with water misters.  Great for Summer play.  A family membership here is $95.  For a family of 3, with a child over 2, it would be around $30 each time.  So, if you like it and plan on coming a lot, I would recommend the membership!  Especially if you live close like we do.  It's nice to have a fun and educational activity (and air conditioned!) on those long summer days.  Refer to their website for concert schedules, ticket prices, events, etc: http://www.skirball.org/. Bobby up on his "high bridge" making the elephant trunk move by pulling on a rope.  For Sherman Oaks dwellers near the blvd, getting here is a piece of cake. The 761 bus picks up on Ventura/Van Nuys blvd. Usually, it's one of those LONG accordion buses that the kids really get a huge kick out of. It's fun to watch this bus turn from the outside, but really interesting to watch from the inside. My recommendation would be to go either early in the morning during rush hour, so your wait for the bus won't be too long.  As the morning and afternoon goes on, the bus waits go up. If you can't go in the morning, try for late afternoon as evening rush hour gets going. Remember to always bring a snack and water for your child!  While public transit is a fun experience, it does take longer than driving a car.  Plan for that when packing your snack bag and hydration!  For transit directions from your own home, message me and I will tell you!  Or, you can visit www.metro.net and map it out.

An Introduction...

So, it’s kind of funny that I’m starting my “Unlicensed Mother” blog now.  In fact, to the surprise of many in all of my walks of life (high school, college, work, motherhood), I finally got my license 2 weeks ago.  I put it off for 11 years.  9 of those years, I have spent in Los Angeles. 4 of those years, I have spent introducing my son to the public transit system.  He knows when we need to be on the “red bus” or when we need to rush to get to the “orange bus”.  He knows our stops.  He’s met tons of people from many walks of life.  And, I think, that he’s benefitted from it.  He gets to see the real Los Angeles, which I think is awesome. We’ve gone to museums, doctors appointments, parks, parades, dads office, etc. on the public transportation system and each time has been a totally different experience for us.  

The purpose of this blog is to give LA parents some inspiration to take your families on the bus!  We’ve had so many fun adventures and I know you can too.  Our public transportation system is there to serve you.  Take advantage of it! 

Also, while I could talk about our adventures all day, I will sometimes sprinkle other musings throughout here.  You know, things like my son coming up to me with a brush and telling me he needed to brush my hair because it “looks like diarrhea.” Or when he tells everyone his favorite movie is “Star Whores.” Things like that. Also, my adventures as a new driver.