Exercise

December 20th marks the beginning of winter. Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills is hosting a free family Winter Solstice Hike honoring the up coming season. Appropriate for families with children 4 years of age and up this guided moderate 2 hour hike in Franklin Canyon is the perfect opportunity to stretch your legs and learn a little something about LA nature in the winter. Guides will be holding discussions on the seasonal changes and planets and constellations in the winter sky.

We love Laura Fuller and her special brand of yoga goodness. And almost hate sharing this information with you because we're greedy that way and like holding onto the few best kept secrets we have since we don't have many. However, her classes are truly a bargain and she's so wonderful at what she does it almost seems criminal not to share her with you. I'm serious when I say you are getting a deal.

The only outdoorsy thing you've been doing lately seems to be mad dashes from your car to mall entrances. The kids are on constant buzz mode which only seems to be growing in intensity with each passing day drawing you closer to winter break. The insane holiday kookiness is surly pounding you something wicked. Right now you could use a little break to center yourself and recharge before the main event pummels you into next year.

My husband and son have recently been laying the "we want a kayak" hints pretty heavily. However, I hesitate slapping down the major bucks for any hobby prior to learning the basics or at least test driving the hobby first. I have a garage full of equipment from past endeavors I was suckered into purchasing.

That's where Kayaks 4 Kids saves the day.

According to my new Wii Fit, I'm a total porker! OK, maybe not that bad, but I'm definitely "Overweight." So 20 minutes later, a sweaty mess, I think -- this is what video games were made for. Self-improvement. If only it was a first person shooter, too!

Apparently, some folks are upset that the Wii is calling your kids fatty-cakes...

In our neighborhood we're in the final four weeks of school before the summer belongs to the kids. Out of their routine, away from normal scheduled activity and academia and not seeing friends daily it'll only take less than a week before we'll start hearing that dreaded phrase "I'm bored," probably spewing from my mouth first. On top of that, with an XBOX 360, Wii, computer and DS in the home it's super tempting to let the kids tune in and drop out while mommy works on mommy stuff. But that's not ok and that's not my style.

As parents raising fearless little dare devils it's hard to deny the instant appeal and wonderment of the circus. To avoid any broken bones when junior decides to do a backward flip off the swings just like his favorite trapeze act why not give him the real deal while learning the fundamentals of the circus arts? A breath of fresh air from your traditional gym lead youth activities, Kinetic Theory is ready to offer Circus Arts classes to Westside boys and girls beginning May 12th in their new training studio!