Archives for April 2019

The L.A. Zoo hosts PBS SoCal KIDS Weekend at the Los Angeles Zoo on Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5, 2019, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event fills the Zoo’s Eucalyptus Grove with a variety of engaging fun for families with Curious George and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Book Readings, themed crafts, activities, and a kids’ dance party throughout the day. Guests can also enjoy a special opportunity to take photos with PBS KIDS characters Curious George and Daniel Tiger from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Character meet-and-greets are happening both days from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Curious George is available for photos from 10:00 to 12:30 p.m. Daniel Tiger is available from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association members at the Contributing Circle level or higher are invited to an exclusive Curious George photo op that takes place only on Sunday, May 5, 2019 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. 

Programming subject to change. While every possible effort is made to allow all guests a visit with the PBS SoCal KIDS characters, a photo with the characters cannot be guaranteed due to high demand and limited capacity. 

For more information, please visit www.lazoo.org/pbssocalkids.

Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5, 2019, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027

COST: All PBS SoCal KIDS Weekend activities are free with paid Zoo admission, which is $21 for general admission (ages 13 to 61); $18 for seniors (ages 62+), and $16 for children (ages 2 to 12). No ticket is required for children under age two. Admission for Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association members is free.

Credit: THE GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOO ASSOCIATION L.A. ZOO PBS SOCALThe private, non-profit Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), which has supported the Zoo in partnership with the City of Los Angeles for more than five decades and provides funding for and operates seven essential Zoo departments, has 55,000 member households representing more than 210,000 adults and children. As evidence of the Zoo’s popularity, GLAZA attracts one of the largest membership bases of any cultural organization in Los Angeles.  Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the landmark Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, drawing more than 1.8 million visitors each year, is home to a diverse collection of 1,400 animals representing 270 different species, 58 of which are endangered. Its lush grounds on 133 acres feature a botanical collection comprising over 800 different plant species with approximately 7,000 individual plants. The Zoo is located in Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways.   PBS SoCal is the home to PBS for Greater Los Angeles and Southern California.  PBS SoCal delivers the full schedule of PBS programs, plus content that is for, about and by the people of Southern California.  Content is available free through four broadcast channels, at pbssocal.org, on PBS mobile apps, and via connected TV services. We provide the community with early education resources and cultural and educational experiences through partnerships, events and grassroots outreach.  PBS SoCal has offices in Century City, Costa Mesa, and Los Angeles.  Connect at pbssocal.org and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.”

Do your kids have a special relationship with one another?

Share a story about the bond your children have or the impact a sibling-like relationship had on you growing up with MAM at www.facebook.com/mambabyusa and they will select three lucky winners to win a $50 prepaid card! As a bonus, share a photo of your baby siblings using their favorite MAM product for a chance to win a $100 MAM prize pack! “

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Credit: MAM.

Mommy 4D Ultrasound is thrilled to present the first-ever Power to the Bump Baby Expo in Long Beach on April 27, 2019 from 11am – 5pm at the Expo Arts Center. Indulge in a one-stop-shop parenting wonderland with unique activities, seminars, and events including: the Mom’osa and Chill Lounge, Kids Zone, mommy makeovers, learn of top parenting products & services, car seat safety, baby + parent fitness classes, connect with healthcare professionals, and much more! To learn more and purchase tickets today visit www.powertothebump.com.

“We are so excited to offer an event dedicated to supporting parents, babies, and families – whether they are expecting, new parents, or already have youngsters that are growing quickly,” said Katrina Stevenson, Power to the Bump Baby Expo Co-founder and Mommy 4D Ultrasound Founder.

Stevenson adds, “We created Power to the Bump so expecting parents, new parents, grandparents, and families with small children can connect with businesses, organizations and healthcare professionals that could offer necessary resources and information. We hope that Power to the Bump will help attendees with tips on their pregnancy journey, parenting, child safety, fitness, healthy lifestyles, and more.”

Among the event’s jam-packed itinerary, attendees are invited to partake in FREE ultrasounds courtesy of Mommy 4D Ultrasound, Kids Zone courtesy of Exum Law Firm, mommy make-overs by professional makeup artists, snacks and refreshments courtesy of Al-Matt Incorporation / Lindsay Hughes, and much more. UC Irvine will offer five stations at the expo including a booth for diabetes awareness, a lactation demonstration, hand sanitation, kick counts and blood pressure.

Leading the way in empowering parents, family healthy and embracing the baby bump, Power to the Bump Baby Expo will offer a variety of seminars, activates, and workshops showcasing the best baby, toddler, and essential parenting products and services. For more information, a full list of activations, exhibitors and workshops, and to purchase your tickets today visit www.powertothebump.com.

Event: Power to the Bump Baby Expo
Date: Saturday April 27, 2019
Time: 11am-5pm
Venue: Expo Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90807

Credit:

About Power to The Baby Bump Expo
Power to The Baby Bump Expo is a premier event that will exhibit the best baby, toddler, and essential parenting products and services for growing families. Organized by Katrina Stevenson, a medical diagnostic sonographer at Centinela Hospital and owner of Mommy 4D Ultrasound; Arielle Stevenson, a Mother, U.C. Berkeley graduate and co-owner of Lil Whiby, Mommy 4D marketing and branding; and Jonte Grant, UC Berkeley graduate and co-owner of Lil Whiby, Mommy 4D and Power to the Bump, to empower families and parents to be.

For the past 20 years, members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) have celebrated our planet with annual Party for The Planet® events. This year, with support from the Disney Conservation Fund, members will be helping their communities “spring into action” with opportunities for families to volunteer to improve our planet from Earth Day (April 22) to World Oceans Day (June 8), including a weekend festival, trash clean-up, bioblitzes, habitat restoration, and native planting activities.  April 27 and 28, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.: Earth Day Festival at Aquarium of the Pacific. Activities include: E-waste recycling, tips to protect the planet, and an opportunity to learn how to be a community scientist by documenting organisms spotted during Explorer Time: Harbor Critters shows in the Marine Life Theater. April 27 and 28, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.: City Nature Challenge and Spring Fling at L.A. Zoo. This event highlights conservation and sustainable living in celebration of Earth Day. Activities include: recording biodiversity using iNaturalist, live entertainment, crafts, special animal feedings, an Earth Expo, educational activities, photo ops, and more. April 28, 9 a.m.–11 a.m.: Los Cerritos Wetlands BioBlitz. Become a community scientist with the Aquarium using iNaturalist to record animal and plant biodiversity in our wetlands, home to endangered species. May 4, 9 a.m.–11 a.m.: Griffith Park Restoration. At 4,310 acres, Griffith Park is four times the size of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and nearly five times the size of New York’s Central Park. Participants will be restoring trails and habitat—from trash removal to planting native plants. Advance registration required. Space limited. June 1, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.: Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration. Join Aquarium staff and the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority in restoring this vital habitat at the mouth of the San Gabriel River. June 4 or 5, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.: During this one-day adventure on Santa Cruz Island with the L.A. Zoo, participants will help conservation organization Channel Island Restoration restore crucial island habitat. Suitable for ages 13 and older. Advance registration and deposit required. Space limited. June 8, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.: Party for the Planet will wrap up with a World Ocean Day Celebration at the Aquarium highlighting ocean conservation and inspiring us all to work toward a better future for our planet. In total, over 120 AZA members will be hosting Spring Into Action events during the 48 days.  “AZA-accredited facilities are experts at connecting families to nature. Party for the Planet™ offers families the perfect opportunity to visit their local AZA-accredited facility, celebrate the Earth’s biodiversity, and learn how they can take action to make a difference,” said AZA President and CEO Dan Ashe. “AZA-accredited facilities are working to help save species worldwide, and inspire the next generation of conservations to action. We are so grateful to the Disney Conservation Fund for helping AZA members make an even bigger impact this year with their grant support. The events our members have planned are inspiring and impactful, and I encourage families everywhere to find their local event and get involved!”  For more information about Aquarium of the Pacific events, visit www.aquariumofpacific.org/events. For more information about L.A. Zoo events, visit www.lazoo.org/partyfortheplanet. Some Griffith Park and Santa Cruz Island events require advance registration and space is limited. For more information about Party for the Planet, visit www.aza.org/party-for-the-planet.  In addition to events happening in Los Angeles, signature events will also happen in five other cities across the country: Brevard, Fla., Chicago, Ill., New York City, N.Y., Philadelphia, Pa., and San Francisco, Calif.

Credit: The L.A. Zoo and The Aquarium of the Pacific.

Go on any pump sale website, and you`ll be amazed at the diversity that you`ll see there. Nowadays there are so many different pumps on the market. So, on the one hand, this means that even the most fastidious customer will be able to find the right product. But on the other hand, such diversity increases the risk of getting confused and buying something that is not at all suitable for your pool and your goals. After all, the freshness of water, cleanliness of the pool, its service life, and maintenance cost depend on the pump itself. Let’s find out together how to choose the best pump for your pool and what to pay attention to.

Information

Take this process seriously, you should prepare yourself in advance for the purchase of the pump and find as much useful information as possible on this issue. And you won`t necessarily have to contact a professional company for advice – read special articles on the Internet, find stories of people in the forums. As a rule, articles are written either by specialists in this field or by people who have already had experience in buying and installing equipment for swimming pools. So you can learn about all the nuances in advance and avoid other people’s mistakes.

Purpose

First of all, the pump should correspond to its purpose. Therefore, you`d better clearly decide for yourself for what purpose you buy a pump and familiarize yourself with existing pump types. If you need a pump for pumping out water, this is one thing, filtration and purification is quite another. In fact, the variety is enormous – from heat to circulation pumps. If you want to achieve a few goals, then maybe you need to buy several separate devices. Also pay attention to your pool itself, its size and construction. The acquisition of a very powerful pump for a shallow pool will entail extra electricity costs, and a cheap weak device won`t be able to cope with the volume of water in the hundred-meter pool. Ultimately, the service life of both the pump and the pool depends on the correct setting of the purpose. So the pump must respond to your requests.

Producer

Once you have understood which type of the pump you need, pay attention to the manufacturer. We don`t have to choose pumps every day, so before you buy, find some reviews about the manufacturer and its history. Don`t choose the cheapest or suspiciously profitable option. Since the pump is a rather complicated device, it just cannot cost less than a certain average market amount. Cheaper alternatives may be either of very poor quality or just a fake.

Mind Filter

If the pool water isn`t filtered, then it`s not safe. That`s why often the pumps are produced either with an already built-in filtration system or are connected to separate cleaning equipment. When selecting a pump for a pool filtration system, you should take into account that the pump performance must exactly match the performance or the throughput of the filter. If the pump is more powerful than the filter, it will incredibly quickly supply water into the filter, causing continuous overloads. As a result, the quality of cleaning work will decrease, and the filtering equipment will instantly fail. The pump you choose should work along with the filter. You can also buy a variable speed pool pump which will become a good way out. According to the sanitary rules, the time of complete water exchange in the water cleaning system is 6 hours. During this estimated time, the pump must pump all the volume of water in your pool. Knowing this rule, you can calculate the desired pump performance – you need to divide the entire volume of water in the pool by 6 hours.

Noise Level

While choosing a pump, people often don`t pay attention to this aspect. However, an overly roaring pump can become a real challenge for you after a couple of days of service and just spoil the rest. So it`s better to give preference to quieter models. As a rule, manufacturers indicate the noise level of their pump in decibels so that consumers know what to expect. Even a 10-decibel difference will significantly reduce the discomfort of your ears. But keep in mind that the noise also depends on how and where the pump was installed. In order to avoid the spread of sound vibrations, you should follow the installation recommendations (the pump should not touch the wall, an anti-vibration base is needed, the necessary distances between fixings should be observed). The size and shape of the room, as well as the type of flooring also significantly affect the noise level.

Heating

Water heating system allows you to reach the ideal water temperature and use the pool in any weather throughout the year. If you want to heat the water, think about it in advance. In such a case, you should pay attention to heat pumps, which already have the heating mechanism in their construction. Otherwise, after installing a conventional pump, you will have to buy an additional heater, which will significantly increase energy consumption and financial costs.

So, if you decided to install an outdoor pool in the yard, you`d better choose a pump and a filter for it. Otherwise, the water doesn`t circulate and sooner or later the reservoir turns into a swamp with algae, insects, and dangerous bacteria. Take the purchase of a pump for the pool seriously as you buy rather expensive equipment. A good pump, selected with all the features of your pool, can significantly extend the life of the artificial reservoir and will delight you for more than just one season.