Kristin's Kickbacks List Week of 3-18

Activities

March 17-20. Give and Get is here! Get 30% off your purchase at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society gets 5% of what you spend! (Not valid online). Here’s the link to the coupon: http://gap.p.delivery.net/m/p/gap/gcan/gpjump.asp?p=bp/lls.html

If you don’t make it shopping this weekend, this coupon is good for Old Navy for 30% off your entire purchase through March 24^th. http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/info.do?cid=62414

March 19. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Huge used book sale at Mid Valley Regional Library. Children’s books are generally 25 cents each! 16244 Nordoff Street, North Hills. 818-895-3650.

March 19. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Family Festival at the Getty Center.1200 Getty Center Dr., Los Angeles. Free admission, parking is $15. The whole family can discover the richness and beauty of the ancient empires of India, Japan, and China as well as the recent explosions in artistic creativity. Experience traditional Chinese opera, listen to Chinese folktales told by a master storyteller, and be dazzled by the amazing music and dance of these vibrant cultures. Includes hands-on activities for the kids. Here’s a link to check the schedule: http://www.getty.edu/education/kids_families/programs/center_family_festival.html

March 19-April 17 (while supplies last). Visit the Busy Bee Learning Store at Kidspace to purchase live caterpillars for $5. Then raise your caterpillars from pupa to chrysalis, and finally into beautiful butterflies by following the directions included with your butterfly adoption kit. We did this last year and it was a lot of fun! Kidspace Museum, 480 North Arroyo Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91103.

March 20. 6 p.m. Marrieds Meeting at The Church on the Way. Come enjoy fellowship with other married couples. Childcare is available!

March 20. 6 p.m. FREE weekly concerts at LACMA. These one-hour concerts are presented free to the public on Sundays in the Leo S. Bing Theater. This week: Pianist Andrew Brownell performs Clementi: Toccata, Opus 11 and Sonata in B-flat, Opus 24, No.2; Mozart: Variations on a Theme of Paisiello, K.398; Beethoven: Sonata in B-flat, Opus 22. If you don’t make it there, you can also listen online for free at: http://www.lacma.org/programs/SundaysLive.aspx#audio

March 22. 10:30-11:30 a.m. FREE. Toddler story time at Borders at the Northridge Mall.

March 24 (and subsequent Thursdays). 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free Mommy and Me Class at The Church on The Way for children under 5 years of age. Please bring a snack for your child. King’s Kid’s Building, West Campus, 14800 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, 91405. Call 818-779-8000 for more information.

Upcoming Events

April 22 - April 24. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Big Bunny’s Spring Fling at the Los Angeles Zoo. This event features bunny related crafts and activities including the Be-A-Bunny Ear Craft and Funny Bunny Face Painting. Children can also pet bunnies and plant their own carrot seeds to take home. In addition (for a nominal fee), Big Bunny will be available for souvenir photos. 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027. (323) 644-4200.

Kristin's Kickbacks List Week of 3-11

Activities

March 11-12. 2-5 p.m. Free Starbucks Petites dessert when you buy any handcrafted drink.

March 12. 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Large garage sale at 7953 Aldea Ave., Van Nuys, 91406.

March 12. 10 a.m. FREE Build and Grow Clinic at Lowes. Bring your child to Lowe's and they can build a project. The kids get goggles and an apron and a kit to build an item. They use hammers their size and get a patch afterward for completing the project.

March 12. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free admission to Japanese American National Museum. 369 E. First Street, Los Angeles. 213-625-0414. This month’s theme is building and architecture.

March 13. 6 p.m. FREE weekly concerts at LACMA. These one-hour concerts are presented free to the public on Sundays in the Leo S. Bing Theater. This week: UCLA Philharmonia performs Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and Miraculous Mandarin Suite. Neal Stulberg, conductor.

March 15. 10:30-11:30 a.m. FREE. Toddler story time at Borders at the Northridge Mall. This week learn about St. Patrick’s Day.

March 17 (and subsequent Thursdays). 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free Mommy and Me Class at The Church on The Way for children under 5 years of age. Please bring a snack for your child. King’s Kid’s Building, West Campus, 14800 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, 91405. Call 818-779-8000 for more information.

Upcoming Events

March 19. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Huge used book sale at Mid Valley Regional Library. Children’s books are generally 25 cents each! 16244 Nordoff Street, North Hills. 818-895-3650.

April 22 - April 24. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Big Bunny’s Spring Fling at the Los Angeles Zoo. This event features bunny related crafts and activities including the Be-A-Bunny Ear Craft and Funny Bunny Face Painting. Children can also pet bunnies and plant their own carrot seeds to take home. In addition (for a nominal fee), Big Bunny will be available for souvenir photos. 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027. (323) 644-4200.

Kristin’s Kickbacks List Week of 11-26

Activities

November 28. 6 p.m. FREE weekly concerts at LACMA. These one-hour concerts are presented free to the public on Sundays in the Leo S. Bing Theater. This week: Ruslan Biryukov (cello) and Pavel Petrov (piano) perform Handel: Passacaglia for solo cello, Cassadó: Spanish Suite, and Barber: Cello Sonata.

November 30. 10:30-11:30 a.m. FREE. Toddler story time at Borders at the Northridge Mall. Theme this week is music and dancing.

December 1. 9 a.m. Get tickets for January free day for Huntington Gardens. Call 800-838-3006 or get tickets online at http://www.huntington.org/default.aspx.

December 1. 7 p.m. Free Church Family Christmas at The Church on The Way, East Campus. The children’s choir presents a musical for the whole family.

December 2. 9:30-11:30 a.m. Last Mommy and Me Class at The Church on The Way for this year. For children under 5 years of age. Please bring a snack for your child. Theme this week: Celebrating Christmas. King’s Kid’s Bldg. on the West Campus. 14800 Sherman Way, Van Nuys. 818-779-8000.

Ongoing Deals

Anyone who is considering a membership to the Los Angeles Zoo can save $10 on the cost of the membership through December 31, 2010. Use promo code: 11010FFW www.lazoo.org

Get a free download of the Veggie Tales Holiday album The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree from Amazon.com. You can either download each song individually, or if you want the whole album at once, you'll have to download the Amazon mp3 software. Either way, it's FREE! There's no indication of how long this offer will be available.

Upcoming Events

December 3-4. Dec. 3 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Dec. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 2 Day Book Sale at the Mid Valley Library. Amazing used book sale with children’s books generally 25 cents! 16244 Nordhoff St., North Hills. 818-895-3650.

December 5. 1:30 p.m. 27th Annual Granada Hills Holiday Parade. On Chatsworth St., from Petit Park Ave. to Zelzah Ave. Over four thousand youth participants representing 150 entries will be marching down Chatsworth Street Sunday, December 5th. This year's theme "Favorite Holiday Gifts and Presents." The Granada Hills Holiday Parade is the largest holiday youth's celebration in the San Fernando Valley featuring celebrities, marching bands, equestrian units, youth groups, drill teams and decorated floats.

December 5. 5 p.m. 5^th Annual Lighting of the Valley’s Christmas Tree at The Church on the Way Sports field. Free hot chocolate, live nativity, Christmas carols and more!

December 16. 6:30 p.m. Christian Performing Arts Center CHRISTMAS SHOW will be held at Houses of Light in Northridge. 19408 Londelius St., Northridge. $3.00 per person general admission. I went last year and enjoyed the show very much!

Kristin’s Kickbacks List Week of 10-8

Activities

October 1-31. Kids, ages 3-9, get free admission to San Diego Zoo (with purchase of adult ticket). If you were planning a trip, this would be a good time to go.

October 8. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Mom’s Bible Study begins at The Church on the Way. Join us as we study the book of Daniel using Beth Moore’s study guide. Childcare is available for $2 a child. Come eat, fellowship and study with us!

October 8. 6-8 pm. FREE weekly jazz concerts at LACMA, no reservations required. LA Times Central Court. This week: Two- time Grammy Award winner Ernie Watts.

October 8-9. Used book sale at Northridge Library. Get a bag of books for $2! Hours: Oct. 8 & 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 818-886-3640. 9051 Darby Avenue, Northridge, 91325.

October 8-10. Free Pasadena Art Weekend. See more details below: http://www.pasadenaartweekend.com/

October 8. 6 to 10 p.m. Art Night Pasadena.
Visit many of Pasadena's cultural institutions for free, including the Norton Simon Museum and Kidspace! Park at one of the venues and then take one of the free shuttles to the other museums.

October 9. 11 am to 5 pm. Art Walk Pasadena. Colorado Blvd. & El Molino Ave., Pasadena, CA. The Pasadena ARTWalk is Pasadena's largest urban art fair with over 6,000 people attending yearly. The event highlights some of the best Southern Californian visual artists showcasing their work in painting, sculpture, watercolor, photography, mixed media, ceramics, jewelry, drawings and printmaking. ARTWalk is free and all ages are welcome.

October 10. 1-6 p.m. Old Pasadena Cultural Dance Festival at Levitt Pavilion, Memorial Park - 85 E. Holly Street & Lineage Performing Arts Center - 89 S. Fair Oaks Avenue. This free festival of multi-cultural costume, music and movement will feature dance troupes performing traditional Mexican, Russian, African, Irish, Spanish Flamenco, East Indian and Chinese dance amongst others. Attendees are also encouraged to visit the Lineage Performing Arts Center for free dance workshops throughout the day.

October 9. 10 a.m. FREE Build and Grow Clinic at Lowes. Bring your child to Lowe's and they can build a fun house mirror. The kids get goggles and an apron and a kit to build an item. They use hammers their size and get a patch afterward for completing the project.

October 9. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Target Free Family Saturday at the Japanese American National Museum. The day includes workshops, performances, and craft activities for children. 369 East First Street, L.A., 90012. (213) 625-0414. http://www.janm.org/

October 9. Used book sale at Mid-Valley Regional Branch. This is a sale not to miss! Children’s books have all been 25 cents in the past! It’s held in a small room stuffed with books, so I try to go without my children if possible. 16244 Nordhoff St., North Hills, 91343. 818-895-3650.

October 10. 6 p.m. FREE weekly concerts at LACMA. These one-hour concerts are presented free to the public on Sundays in the Leo S. Bing Theater. This week: Guest pianists from New England Conservatory perform works in commemoration of Robert Schumann's bicentennial.

October 12. 10:30-11:30 a.m. FREE. Toddler story time at Borders at the Northridge Mall. Theme this week is Heads and Tails by Matthew Van Fleet.

October 12. 6 p.m. FREE. Kids Club at The Commons at Calabasas. This week: Family Magic. 4799 Commons Way, Calabasas.

October 13. 11 a.m. Kids Club at The Lakes in Thousand Oaks. This week: Spin-Art Workshop. Be sure to wear play clothes—you may get messy! 2200 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., T. Oaks, 91362.

Restaurants

Wendy's is selling their Jr. Frosty booklets. You buy them for one dollar and get five coupons for a free Jr. Frosty between November 1st and February 1st.

McDonald’s also has coupon books right now! You pay about $1 (some stores may charge a little more) and you get a coupon book that includes 12 FREEBIE Coupons! You get the following coupons: 3 FREE Apple Dippers, 3 FREE Small Cones, 3 FREE Small Apple Juice or Milk Jug and 3 FREE Hamburgers. Coupons are valid for use 11/1/10 – 12/31/10. Redeemable by children 12 and under.

Upcoming Events

October 22-24. 9 a.m.-5 p.m LA Kids Consignment sale in Santa Clarita. This is a one-weekend only children's consignment sale where you can find 50,000+ gently-used and new kids items from cribs to toys to bikes and clothing for newborns through pre-teens. 24901 Avenue Stanford, Valencia, 91355. http://www.lakidsconsignment.com/

October 23. 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Healthy Neighborhood Festival. Music and dance workshops and performances. Cooking workshops. Admission, parking and health screenings are free. The California Endowment. 1000 N. Alameda Street, L.A., 90012. www.calendow.org/healthyneighborhoodfest

October 29. IHOP is offering Scary Face Pancakes free of charge for children 12 and under (one per child). The Scary Face Pancake includes an oversized signature buttermilk pancake with a whipped topping mouth and strawberry nose, served with two mini OREO® cookies and candy corn on the side to allow kids to create their own pancake.