L.A. Story Talks Organization with Storitz

I'll admit it. Staying neat and organized has definitely taken a hit since I've become a mom.

There always seem to be so many toys and books and just stuff that mysteriously find their way into the most surprising places.

Finger puppets in my electric toothbrush holder? Check. Plastic Easter eggs in my shoes. Check and check.

That's why I was more than happy to talk about this on camera as part of a sponsored campaign for Los Angeles self storage company Storitz.

Check out the above video, which appeared on Storitz's YouTube channel alongside the musings of other L.A. moms.

How do you stay neat and organized? I could use the tips. :)

(Sponsored Post)

Coming Attraction: Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will be making its annual debut this weekend and, in the process, turning a new page (sorry, couldn't resist) as it sets up new digs at the University of Southern California.

Kicking off Saturday, April 30, the free, reader-friendly festival will host a plethora of author panels and feature CC's favorite attraction -- the Target Children's Stage. After all, that's where she met The Fresh Beat Band and the voice of Dora the Explorer last year!

While the two-day festival certainly celebrates the written word, it also invites visitors to enjoy live music, cooking demonstrations and dance. That's, of course, in addition to the author readings, book signings and Q&As.

And there's a lot on offer. At the Target Children's Stage alone, families will get a chance to hear Jamie Lee Curtis, R.L. Stine, Disney Junior's Choo Choo Soul and local author Dallas Clayton, among others.

Parents also can check out panels featuring Patti Smith, Rainn Wilson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Laurie David and writer/USC English professor T.C. Boyle.

So, need help navigating all of the festival offerings? Luckily, there's an app for that!

The L.A. Times just launched a free mobile, interactive guide to help visitors explore the festival. iPhone/iPod Touch and Android users can customize their festival schedule, access a map of the activities and connect to their own Facebook and Twitter accounts.

I'm downloading mine now.

And keep in mind that while festival attendance is free, visitors need tickets to attend indoor panels and speaker sessions. Ticket fees are nominal, at $1. Also, parking is $10.

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
April 30 (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) - May 1 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.)
University of Southern California campus
Exposition Boulevard and S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90089
General Admission: Free
Parking: $10

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Giveaway: 'Dinosaur Train' Celebrates National Train Day at Los Angeles Live Steamers

"Dinosaur Train" airs on PBS Kids (PBS SoCal).

UPDATE: Congrats to Armi and her family for winning the "Dinosaur Train" giveaway! This looks like a super-fun event at Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum. Thanks, too, to everyone who participated. Keep an eye out for more family-friendly giveaways!

In honor of National Train Day on May 7 -- an event CC and I have previously celebrated at Union Station downtown -- The Jim Henson Company's hit PBS Kids show "Dinosaur Train" will be pulling into Los Angeles for a special family-friendly celebration.

Touting all things train, The Jim Henson Company, PBS SoCal, among others, will host a locomotive-powered party at the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum on Saturday, May 7, from 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m. This event is invite-only, but I'm giving away a Family Four Pack of tickets! (See more info below.)

"The Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum is such a fun and special location, created by train enthusiasts to educate people on railroad history, we thought it would be the ideal place for fans of 'Dinosaur Train' to celebrate this special day," said Jim Henson Company CEO Lisa Henson in a statement.

This celebration is in addition to other special "Dinosaur Train" programming and activities throughout the month of May, kicking off with a new episode on May 6.

According to the press release, some of the activities include: "rides on the beautifully built and maintained 7½" gauge model trains that travel over two miles of track. (Visitors will) also meet the museum’s train enthusiasts who will be on hand to answer questions and provide plenty of train facts.

"Guests will also be able to get their picture taken with 'Buddy,' the dinosaur and participate in a special singalong with Craig Bartlett, creator of 'Dinosaur Train.' Bartlett will perform such popular songs as the 'Dinosaur Train' Opening Theme Song, I Love Trains, and Dinosaurs A to Z."

National Train Day commemorates the day the first transcontinental railroad was created, on May 10, 1869.

*** GIVEAWAY ***

I'm giving away a Family Four Pack of tickets to the "Dinosaur Train" National Train Day celebration on May 7 at Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum!

To enter, please leave a comment with your email address telling me why you would like to attend. (Bonus points for fun train stories!) If you win, I will need the first and last names of everyone attending in order to RSVP.

For more chances to win, follow me on Twitter. I'm at @la_story. Or you can "Like" the L.A. Story Facebook page.

Just be sure to leave extra comments telling me you did so.

Good luck, and I will announce the winner (on this post, not a separate one) on Monday, May 2!

Some rules and other important information:

* Please enter the giveaway only if you know you can definitely attend.

* Guests must RSVP to attend the event. We will not be able to accommodate guests who are not on our RSVP list. Also, please note that there will be media at this event, and guests will be asked to sign a publicity waiver upon arrival.

* Safety for all guests attending the Dinosaur Train event at the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum is our top priority. For that reason, only guests who are at least 34” in height and weigh less than 350 lbs. will be allowed to ride the trains. Train enthusiasts who do not meet these requirements are welcome to attend the event, but will not be permitted to ride the trains. Additionally, parents and caregivers must attend to their children throughout the event; there is no childcare provided. Adults must ride the trains with their children (maximum 2 children per adult on the trains). Finally, in the case of rain, this event will be postponed. Please contact 323-802-1606 for postponement updates on the day of the event.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend!

CC helped me make my first homemade raspberry tart. We haven't tasted it yet, so cross your fingers! But it was fun to make -- and looks quite pretty (right), in my humble opinion.

The recipe is courtesy of Laura Calder, whose show "French Food at Home" is on the Cooking Channel.

Earth Day and 'African Cats'

"African Cats," now playing at the El Capitan Theatre (c) 2011 Disney

Happy Earth Day!

As I'm contemplating child-safe Easter egg dyes, I'd also like to point out an adorable-looking Disneynature film that arrived at the El Capitan Theatre today -- "African Cats."

Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, this nature documentary, from the same studio that made "Oceans" and "Earth" (the latter of which we saw at the El Cap two years ago), follows lion and cheetah families as they defend their newborns and watch as their little ones grow into strong, determined adults.

The showings at the El Capitan (April 22-May 16) will also feature a live presentation of captive-born wild animals from the Wildlife Learning Center.

On April 26 at 10 a.m., the theater will also host "Tiny Tot Tuesday," in which the film will be played at reduced sound levels and the lights will be dimmed instead of completely dark.

An added bonus? For each person who purchases a ticket to see "African Cats" during its opening week (April 22-28) Disneynature will make a donation to help protect lions and cheetahs in the Savannah.

Show times: 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:35 p.m.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Explaining Good Friday to a 4-Year-Old

(Photo credit: Veer.com)

Today I learned just how hard it is to explain Easter -- and, by extension, Good Friday -- to a 4-year-old.

It happened when I told CC that we were going to church today to see the Stations of the Cross.

"But it's Friday," she said. Church, for CC, is strictly a Sunday thing. (Ash Wednesday kind of blew her mind, too.)

"It's Good Friday," I answered, knowing immediately what would come next.

"What's Good Friday?"

Of course she would ask that, but how was I supposed to respond? We've explained Christmas -- that's the relatively easy one -- but Easter has, so far, been about colored eggs and candy. Not Jesus being nailed to a cross and rising from the dead three days later.

I mean, what's the G-rated version of that?

Instead of concocting some cartoonish version of the Passion and Ascension -- Jesus takes a nap or a little break from life (insert air quotes here) -- I took a deep breath and told her that Jesus was killed and then rose from the dead.

I gritted my teeth and braced myself for the reaction. I even hated saying the word "killed." How would my child respond to that in addition to someone then coming back to life?

She was quiet for a few moments, and then asked:

"Why is it 'Good' then?"

I was proud of her for thinking about it -- and for asking a thoughtful question. That certainly doesn't sound like any definition of "good" she's ever heard.

In the simplest language, I tried to explain how something so sad could have a happy ending: Jesus rose from the dead, and we get to go to heaven.

How awesome is that?! (I might have gone overboard in my enthusiasm.)

She then wondered if we all rose from the dead after a few days.

"Not us, Sweetheart," I said. "Just Jesus."

There was the inevitable "Why?" and some more talk of heaven, but somehow we made it back to easier territory -- when we could start dyeing eggs.

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CC on Parenting

This tweet is from a conversation I had with CC on Friday. ... My 4-year-old is wise beyond her years.

For more pint-sized witticisms, follow me on Twitter at @la_story.

Parents' Night Out: 'God of Carnage' Review

Hope Davis, from left, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels and James Gandolfini star in
"God of Carnage" at the Ahmanson Theatre.
(Photo credit: Craig Schwartz / Center Theatre Group)

Billed as a "comedy of manners ... without the manners," "God of Carnage" abandons all sense of propriety almost immediately to offer a hilariously vicious take-down of parenting and, most of all, marriage.

The play, now on stage at the Ahmanson Theatre downtown, stars Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden as two sets of parents who meet to discuss a playground incident that has left one of their sons temporarily toothless (well, just a couple of incisors).

What starts off as tense yet respectful negotiations as to when apologies will be forthcoming from the stick-wielding child quickly spirals into a screaming match that has alliances shifting faster than you can say, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Written by French playwright Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Matthew Warchus, "God of Carnage" originally appeared on Broadway with this same spectacular cast. That connection and familiarity of the foursome was palpable on opening night, when Ian and I caught this starry performance. (Equally starry was the audience, which consisted of such notables as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Will Ferrell, Martin Sheen and Anjelica Huston.)

The play opens with parents Michael and Veronica (Gandolfini and Harden) sitting down in their living room with parents Alan and Annette (Daniels and Davis) to discuss the playground incident which has resulted in their son's injury.

While cellphone-addicted Alan can barely stay focused long enough to throw out withering barbs, Annette seeks to mollify the situation and offers to bring her son over later that evening.

The art-book-loving Darfur writer Veronica, meanwhile, wants apologies and stat, while husband Michael just wants some peace, as he's dealing with his ailing mother who can't stop calling.

This might sound awkward and dramatic -- and it is. But it's also laugh-out-loud funny in its delivery.

Who knew I would cackle at such demeaning lines as Harden's "Every word you say is DE-STROY-ING me," or Gandolfini's "Children consume our lives and then destroy them."

Throw in a particularly well-staged "chuke" scene, and you've got black comedy at its best.

Mawwiage, a la "The Princess Bride," this is not.

While the entire comedy takes place in one location -- Veronica and Michael's well-appointed living room -- Ian and I both felt that at some point the characters would feel the need to storm out. If you or your spouse has been insulted enough, you'd think you'd just walk out in a huff.

Not these volatile parents. Every time they get the chance to leave, something keeps dragging them right back in.

Perhaps, despite the metaphorical carnage that's exhibiting itself on stage, they're secretly having too much fun.

I know we were.

"God of Carnage"
April 5-May 29, 2011
Ahmanson Theatre
135 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-972-7401
Tickets: $20-$120; click here to purchase

(Note: Media tickets provided)

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Coming Attraction: 'On Track to Beat Cancer' to Benefit City of Hope

Families, friends and racing enthusiasts -- or all of the above -- are invited to get on track (literally) at Santa Anita Park on April 17 to support women's cancer programs at the City of Hope.

After the last race on closing day, visitors can walk, run, leap or skip on the same quarter mile that horses such as Seabiscuit have trod. Cameras are encouraged, along with enthusiastic yelps, all in honor of those who have struggled with cancer or succumbed to it.

A $10 or greater donation is needed before visitors take to the track. Purple T-shirts featuring the official color and "On Track" logo will also be on sale for $10 each. All proceeds benefit City of Hope, California's comprehensive cancer center located in Duarte.

For more information, visit www.santaanita.com or call 626-574-6384.

Parents' Night Out: 'Conception' Review

Connie Britton and Jason Mantzoukas star in "Conception."

There are lots of funny stories about how moms and dads found out they were going to be parents. In fact, mine involves Fez hats, cocktails and a perplexed husband who wasn't sure what I was getting at when I showed him a fateful white stick. (Granted, he had been enjoying a Boys' Night In with one of his friends while I was discovering our future daughter for the first time.)

But we rarely hear the laughable side of actual conception -- perhaps because it's such a private moment between two (possibly unsuspecting) people.

But that's where the film "Conception" comes in. Written and directed by Josh Stolberg, "Conception" chronicles the crazy, hilarious, awkward, frustrating and often dramatic moments that lead to the creation of another human being.

And it has a lot of fun doing it -- uh, so to speak.

The romantic comedy, which I caught at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, follows nine couples -- at nine different stages of their relationships -- on the night they conceive.

From a long-married couple (played by Jonathan Silverman and Jennifer Finnigan) who bicker over toothpaste and toilet paper to a nurse who asks her squeamish husband (Connie Britton and Jason Mantzoukas) to inject her with hormones to a teenage couple (Sarah Hyland and Matt Prokop) who have sex after a promise of vegetarianism, the film gives frank yet endearing perspectives on what exactly leads people to each other -- and to intimacy.

My favorite couple by far was Gloria and Brian (Britton and Mantzoukas). His squeamishness at having to inject his wife with fertility hormones -- wondering aloud what will happen if he faints while a needle is stuck in her bum -- is not only hilarious but also touchingly real.

The story line of the sleep-deprived new mother (Jennifer Jostyn) who is more focused on nighttime feedings than her desirous husband (Alan Tudyk) is also frank yet touching.

"Did you see what went on down there?" she asks him, incredulous that he's so interested in getting back in the saddle, as it were. "It's like a grenade went off."

While at times the number of couples and attendant story lines felt a bit overwhelming, I really appreciated the moments when the future parents I could relate to were on screen. Stolberg allowed his characters unruly and selfish moments, which exist at any part of parenthood -- from conception and beyond.

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Fabulous Fords Gear Up at Knott's Berry Farm

CC dances in front of a Ford Fairlane at Fabulous Fords Forever.

In the summer of 1987, before I started seventh grade, my dad and I drove from Oklahoma to Los Angeles in a 1964 Ford Fairlane -- a car, he assured me, that would be very popular in the retro-loving La La Land.

He drove across five different states in that car, at one point asking me not to fall asleep, which I did maybe 15 minutes later. (Some loyal sidekick I am!)

That was a fun trip. I can still remember the vastness of the Arizona desert and the heat of the California sun. Other details are fuzzy more than 20 years later (wow), but I remember that car, with the manual stick shift on the driving column, taking us down Santa Monica Boulevard to the beach, where I saw the ocean for the first time. (It was also where I, wearing a then-trendy Coca-Cola swimsuit, got knocked on my bum by a crazy-strong wave -- you know, the kind they don't have in Oklahoma.)

So it was fun this weekend, when I took CC down to Knott's Berry Farm to check out Fabulous Fords Forever, an event dedicated to rides from Ford Motor Company. Surely, there would be a Fairlane somewhere in the crowd. And what a crowd it was. There was a sea of cars in every direction.

CC sidled up to the above Ford Fairlane, a tarted-up version of the pale beige variety that my dad had, as well as a 1929 Buena Park Police car (above right). She also dove into the front seats of a new Ford Explorer on display, and looked a little perplexed next to the "Disco Pinto," covered in tiny mirrors (below).

And while CC had fun checking out some "awesome" cars, as she called them, what perhaps intrigued her most were several families of free-range chickens and roosters roaming around the Knott's lagoon.

"Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!" she cried, as visitors looked on smiling.

"Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!" a rooster answered back, much to CC's surprise.

It was a little trip down memory lane -- at least for me. My dad's car wasn't there, but his California-born granddaughter was, checking out Fords and soaking up her native sun.

(Note: Media tickets for Fabulous Fords Forever and Knott's Berry Farm provided.)

Giveaway Tickets: 'Expressing Motherhood' Comes Back to LA

UPDATE: Congrats to Rebekah, who won two tickets to see "Expressing Motherhood!" Please email me at losangelesstory@gmail.com with your full name, email and which night you would like to attend the show. Thanks again to everyone who participated!

"Expressing Motherhood," the live stage show featuring entertaining stories from real moms, is back in Los Angeles for Mother's Day, ready to reveal (almost) everything about the ups and downs of one of the noblest professions -- yes, motherhood.

Created by moms Lindsay Kavet, who serves as director/producer, and Jessica Cribbs, who is also a producer, "Expressing Motherhood" was a project born out of creativity, feelings of isolation, and community in early 2008. It has since traveled to New York and Boston in addition to L.A. and is looking at Chicago as a possible next stop.

I had the chance to talk to Kavet about the show's beginnings as well as what's in store for the upcoming run, April 27-May 7. I'm also giving away 2 tickets to one of the performances, so be sure to check out the info below.

L.A. Story: How did you come up with the idea for "Expressing Motherhood"?

Lindsay Kavet: I was a stay-at-home mom -- I still am -- but I was just done breastfeeding, my son was about a year and a half, and I just felt so isolated. I had come to L.A. for my passion, which is film and the arts, and Jessica was my fellow stay-at-home friend mom, and I called her up and I just said, "What if we do something where moms just share their stories?" And she helped me figure it out, like, "Let's just do it." We had never produced for theater before. We basically just started working on it when our children were napping.

L.A. Story: How many kids do you have?

Lindsay Kavet: I have a 4 1/2 year old, a 1 year old -- both boys -- and I'm pregnant with my last, a girl, due in August.

I've directed three-quarters of these shows pregnant, maybe even more. I definitely feel like being pregnant and being a mom has brought me a lot of creative juice.

L.A. Story: The mothers in the show write their own material. How did you come up with that format?

Lindsay Kavet: Well, I thought two things. I've always wanted to cater this toward still being a stay-at-home mom, so if moms can write their own material, that not only gives them a chance to be really creative but we can also cater toward writers, not just actors. Or moms who just want to write. And secondly, I don't know that I was capable of writing a full script, a whole production. It was a lot of work. So this way, it was a shared responsibility. It was like, women who would come to me had to have some kind of self-drive, so it just kind of worked out. And they could showcase their own work, which is always nice.

L.A. Story: Are they professionals, or is it a mix?

Lindsay Kavet: It’s a total mix. We’ve had women who’ve never even performed, ever in their lives. And it’s so funny because they’re really favored because they’re so genuine, because they’re just so happy to be up there for the right reasons – they have this burning desire to express themselves. But we’ve also had actresses, which is wonderful because they have experience in theater. And then we have mommy bloggers, who are really great at writing, and we’ve had moms who’ve written books, so we run the whole gamut.

L.A. Story: What's the audition process like?

Lindsay Kavet: Our audition process is really not normal. I basically hold submissions a couple of months prior to our show, and I have everything set, so the moms know what dates they have to be there for. And I read their pieces -- that’s it. I never meet these women until the two rehearsals we hold the week of the show. It’s very unusual.

L.A. Story: Have you performed in the shows?

Lindsay Kavet: I have. I’ve performed in about half of the shows. When we took the show to New York, I didn’t because I was like, one less thing to think about. So I haven’t performed the last few shows, but I have performed in over half of them.

L.A. Story: What stories have stuck out for you?

Lindsay Kavet: It's hard. It's almost like talking about your kids.

L.A. Story: What are some of the qualities you look for in submissions?

Lindsay Kavet: I like people to show us versus tell me. I want them to show me what they went through because then the audience will know what they were feeling.

And I like shorter pieces. When I first started out, the pieces were like 15 minutes long, and now they’re down to six minutes.

And I like pieces that are specific, not really like, “Oh motherhood is hard.” One piece we had was about how you can’t stop arguing in front of your kids even though you know you should. You know it’s not healthy, but your ego gets in the way.

Of course, we’ve had really dramatic, moving pieces. We had a woman (who lost) her baby at 8 months, and then we also have more lighthearted, humorous pieces, so we run the gamut. What everybody says when they leave the theater is, "Oh my God, you took me on a roller-coaster ride."

It’s not traditional in the sense that it’s all comedic or dramatic. It’s kind of up and down, all over the place. But I feel like that’s how real life is.

*** GIVEAWAY ***

I'm giving away 2 tickets to see "Expressing Motherhood" at Elephant Space. The show runs April 27 (opening night) through April 30 and May 4-7.

To enter, leave a comment below telling me why you would like to see this show.

For more chances to win, follow me on Twitter. I'm at @la_story. Or you can "Like" the L.A. Story Facebook page.

Just be sure to leave extra comments telling me you did so.

Good luck, and I'll announce the winner on this post (not a separate one) Monday, April 18!

Expressing Motherhood
Elephant Space
6322 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Tickets: $20 at www.brownpapertickets.com