Jeffrey Tambor

From TV shows including “Arrested Development” and “The Larry Sanders Show” and movies such as “There’s Something About Mary,” you all know Jeffrey Tambor, the actor.

Now meet Jeffrey Tambor, motivational speaker.

“I’m doing a seminar on Saturday, March 21 at AFI [American Film Institute], and the title is, ‘What’s Keeping You?’ ” he said. “It’s a workshop for professional and personal success, but it’s really about learning what’s keeping you from your dreams. I’ve taught this at the South by Southwest Film Festival for three years, and it’s something that’s really close to my heart. And this is the perfect time for it.”

For details, go to www.jeffreytambor.net.

Tambor, who lives in Topanga with wife Kasia and their children, 4-year-old Gabriel and 2-year-old Evie, also is rumored to be working on a film version of “Arrested Development.”

“I’m very excited and I think it’s moving forward,” said Tambor, “but I’m enjoined not to talk about the details.”

OK, then talk about your weekend.

Tractors and trains

Our weekends are circumscribed by our young children, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. One of our favorite haunts really sounds unhip, but wonderfully so -- it’s Travel Town in Griffith Park. My son, if he had his druthers, would actually like to be a train. It’s a terrific venue and the kids get to climb all over the trains while Mommy and Daddy enjoy a wonderful picnic lunch at one of the tables. And we sit there and have a restful, beautiful time.

Another thing we like is to take them to Underwood Farms in Moorpark. It teaches you all about how a farm operates and the animals and machinery involved. The kids love it, and it’s fun for parents too.

Froggy’s is the place

At any given time you can find us at Froggy’s, our local boîte. At the unchic hour of 5 or 5:30 p.m., we are usually the first diners to arrive. It’s the Topanga place. They have a nice fireplace, so it’s really cozy and toasty in the fall and winter. We are big fans of Taco Tuesday there, but there’s also the delicious fish chowder that I just adore, and I’ll order a Caesar salad too. And we all like the chocolate cake. You can go there looking like a bum and it’s fine.

For birthdays, the Santa Monica Aquarium is always a big hit. They do it up right. It’s right near the pier and they have ample parking -- jeez, I sound like an investor! But they bring out things the kids can touch, and there’s no wink-wink, aren’t we being cute for the children. They make it interesting for everyone.

Quiet time

My wife and I also like to have a little time to ourselves, and one of our favorite places is Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica. I love the tuna carpaccio, and then we’ll share a pasta. They have great pumpkin ravioli, and the lobster diablo and potatoes are so good too.

After dinner -- I haven’t done this in a long time -- but I used to love to go hear some jazz at the Baked Potato on Lankershim. That place is just the best.

On Sunday night we are huge fans of Yang Chow, right off Topanga Canyon. The dishes are amazing and the wait staff is so good to the kids. It’s the perfect way to wrap up a weekend.

mark.sachs@latimes.com