Meghan Rose

Before becoming a parent, Meghan Rose worked at pioneering internet companies like AOL, eToys.com, and eBay. After having twins, she shifted her focus to literacy, co-authoring Home is Where the Books Are (Choice Literacy, 2013) and launching LitforKids.com. Now based in Los Angeles, Meghan is all about finding fun things to do with kids. Please send her ALL your ideas and suggestions for national parenting and travel articles, or drop a note just say hi: meghan@mommypoppins.com

Latest posts by Meghan

Free Valentine’s Day Coloring Pages and Valentine's Day Cards Printables for Kids

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Tue, 02/06/2024 - 12:25pm

Last minute, easy Valentine's Day cards, here we come. Photo by Ally Noel for Mommy Poppins

Looking for printable Valentine’s Day coloring pages, word searches, and ideas for easy Valentine's Day cards kids can make?

Valentine's Day is all about sharing the love! It's a perfect time for crafting and creating, when you have perhaps dozens of Valentine's Day cards to make for family members and the whole class. We've rounded up loads of free Valentine's Day coloring pages and free printable Valentine's Day word searches, which can double as cards.

For bigger gestures, we've also got 5 easy Valentine's Day card ideas kids can make for everyone they know—all of which are made with things you can pick up at the last minute at any local craft store or even big box store, or even pharmacy.

For more sweet crafts and treats, check out our Valentine's Day Guide to Crafts, Activities, and Snacks for Kids. You'll find more paper craft fun in our roundup of our favorite 1000 Coloring Pages and Printable Activity Sheets for Kids.

30 Banned Children's Books You Should Read Today

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Thu, 02/01/2024 - 12:28pm

New Kid book signing with author Jerry Craft. Photo by Ally Noel for Mommy Poppins

Books are getting banned at an alarming rate, especially children's books. When you think banned, you think there's got to be something controversial, mature, or upsetting in the books. But many of these books are classics that are beloved by generations of kids.

While kids might want to ban bedtime, bathtime, or broccoli, we're guessing that books like Charlotte's Web and Captain Underpants are things kids would rather celebrate than ban. We've compiled a list of frequently banned children's books that kids of all ages adore. So go ahead, be a rebel. Read a banned book. Books are magic, and knowledge is power.

For more of our favorite books that expand minds, thoughts, and hearts, check out our Best Kids' Books Guide to Great Reads, which includes incredible Kids' Books About Racism, Best LGBTQ Books for Kids, and more great book recommendations.

Winter Fest OC is an Old Fashioned Fair with a Holiday Twist

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Thu, 11/30/2023 - 11:08am

Costa Mesa's holiday tradition at the OC Fairgrounds, Winter Fest OC, is back—and better than ever. With a new Snow Play tent and an even better ice tubing hill, the traditional county fair with holiday flair is a blast for kids of all ages. There are plenty of rides perfect for the preschool pack, enough thrilling and upside-down rides for your teens, and then some rides that parents can't resist that offer up great photo ops, like the Merry-Go-Round and Ferris wheel.

Speaking of photo ops, there are enough throughout the fair grounds and in the North Pole Journey that you'll be able to grab a great family holiday card picture, too. With snow flurries, a holiday parade, and a holiday show, this throw-back to your childhood county fair is a perfect family outing for any of those myriad vacation days we have coming up!

For more holiday outings and adventures in the Los Angeles area from Santa meet-and-greets to dazzling holiday lights, visit our Guide to Christmas Activities and Holiday Events for LA Kids!

Best Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals for Parents and Kids

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Thu, 11/16/2023 - 10:43am

Gerber Childrenswear already has Black Friday deals going! Photo courtesy of Gerber

Getting bombarded by Black Friday, early Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Cyber Week, etc deals. It’s fantastic that all these sales are taking place, so parents can save money on all the toys and gear we want to get our kids for the holidays.

What’s not so great? Spending time away from your family to scroll through pages and pages of deals, trying to find ones that are really worth it, actual money savers, truly great & useful products. So we did it for you! From Barbie’s Dream House to Nintendo Switch to stunning wooden indoor/outdoor playhouses, we’ve rounded up the best Black Friday deals for kids.

For more holiday ideas, from gifts for all ages to affordable stocking stuffers, we've got a fabulous NEW Gift Guide.

3 Days in Seattle with Kids: Your Ultimate Itinerary

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Sat, 11/11/2023 - 9:19am

Pike Place Market is the beating heart of Seattle and a perfect place to start exploring. And eating!

Seattle is a city you fall in love with instantly. While there are so many things to do with kids in Seattle, I promise you that in three short days, you can explore enough of the city to feel like a native. It's a vibrantly green, friendly, walkable, delicious, coffee-tinged, slightly weird, and yes, rainy city. It's also a city that knows how to handle the rain: with a smile, no umbrella, fabulous coffee, and plenty of fun things to do indoors.

Let's also not forget the gorgeous summers, stunning views when sun peeks through, and great sports teams. It's such a welcoming, easy city, that if at any point tired kids make you ditch your well-thought-out itinerary (see below) and just play, shop, eat, and walk around, you won’t regret that for a second.

For more things to do in Seattle, check out our list of 35 Things To Do in Seattle With Kids. To explore more of the great Pacific Northwest, explore 50 Things To Do in Portland, OR With Kids and more in our West Coast Family Travel Guide.

Mommy Poppins' New Web App and Notifications Are the Easiest Way To Find Fun Things To Do

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Sun, 10/22/2023 - 10:34am

Now we can send you articles about things to do in your neighborhood that match your interests!

We're super excited to tell you about a new way to get updates from us and use Mommy Poppins more easily on your phone. Introducing notifications from Mommy Poppins, which you can sign up for instantly on your phone—right from our brand new web app.

That new popup around the corner? We’ll let you know when it’s open—and if it’s worth the hype. We’ll also give you inside tips on how to get there, when to go, how to make the most of your outing with kids, and if the food is varied enough for your picky eaters and worth the price!

Read on to learn how to sign up for notifications and how to get the Mommy Poppins app on your phone.

Baby Registry Must-Haves: Your Guide to the Best Tried and Tested Products

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 10:32am

If you only put one chew toy on your registry, it should be Sophie the Giraffe. Photo courtesy of the Vulli Store on Amazon

Putting together a baby registry? We pooled a whole lot of parenting expertise to put together the ultimate baby registry list!

This baby registry must-have list includes everything, from car seats and strollers to mobiles and snot-suckers. We've got recommendations for a range of items that all the moms and dads at Mommy Poppins have really put to the test—and we’ve included a range of price points. We also point out which products you’ll use multiple times a day and which are fun extras. And finally, we’ve got some unique and surprising ideas that you don’t even know you need!

Read on to get the scoop on just which products belong on your baby registry. For more baby recommendations and expert advice, from where to babymoon to all about baby developmental milestones, check out our Baby and Maternity Guide.

Take a Ghost Tour in Los Angeles and Discover the Terrors of Tinseltown

Submitted by Meghan Rose on Thu, 09/28/2023 - 11:22am

The Hollywood sign's spooky history is part of the tour. Have you seen the sign's ghost when hiking?

Ghost tours are perfect Halloween (or anytime!) fun for teens, tweens, tourists, and even locals who love LA.

My kids are teenagers. That means they are too old for pumpkin picking at Underwood Farms. They also have inherited my horror of a jump scare, which means they have no interest in Halloween Horror Nights or the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. But these kids raised in the era of true crime podcasts can get down with some real-life spooky stories. So when I heard about US Ghost Adventures LA tours, it sounded like a perfect family Halloween teen outing.

I signed us up for the LA Ghosts: Terrors of Tinseltown Tour, and guess what? I was right! An evening of laughing, walking, learning, spooking, and eating chocolate with your teens is worth its weight in gold. Read on to learn more about just how scary the tour is, where it goes, and why it's my family's new Halloween tradition.

For more fun with teens, check out our Los Angeles Activities Guide for Teens and Tweens. And, since this tour made me remember how fun it is to play touring in my own town, I really recommend checking out our Ultimate 3-Day LA Itinerary by a Local Mom. Man, I love LA.