mommy's blog

After a long time talking about it (and readers begging for it), Mommy Poppins is proud to announce the birth of our Westchester site. Now you can find out about the best things to do, see and experience with kids in Westchester County and the Hudson Valley in posts written by local moms, as well as browse our carefully curated Westchester Event Calendar. You can also sign up for our Westchester newsletter to stay on top of all the great things going on in the region.

You've all heard the hype: In NYC, you have to sign your kids up for summer camp at the beginning of the year otherwise you'll never snag a spot. Honestly, for some camps that really is true: Ultra-popular, small camps fill up quickly with returning campers who get first priority, so you have to be on the ball for those programs.

However, even if you haven't spent one minute thinking about summer camp this year, there's no need to panic. There are lots of programs that still have space. Large camps like the 92nd Street Y, Chelsea Piers and Oasis can often accommodate kids up until the last minute, and many specialized programs have availability here and there.

Of course, if you've been too busy to book a camp for your kids, you hardly have the time to call around now. That's why we did the work for you: Here are more than 50 camps that still have spots for summer 2013 (as of this writing). For more information about these and many other New York City-area camps, visit our 2013 Summer Camp Guide.

We know you count on Mommy Poppins to find cool things to do with your kids. And we've heard that on the computer, our site is pretty easy to navigate and find what you're looking for. But when you're out and about, finding kid-friendly activities or places to eat on Mommy Poppins isn't that easy. Yeah, we have neighborhood pages with maps, but we admit it's not the best way to find stuff on your smartphone.

That will change with the launch of our new app. The Mommy Poppins App will allow you to find all the great places we write about on our sites—spots to create, be active, learn, shop, eat and more—easily on your phone. We've been working on it for months and we are on track to launch in June. But we have a few final hurdles to jump and we're hoping you can help. And we've got some great incentives if you do.

Read on to find out more about the Mommy Poppins App and the IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign we just launched where you can snag cool rewards like swag, your child's picture in the app, a ticket to our swanky launch party or even a private consultation with Mommy Poppins founder, Anna Fader.

Extraordinarily.
There are many stories people can tell to explain how they got where they are today or why they chose the path they did. If you ask me why I started this website, I could tell the story about how I made a New Year's resolution to start a blog and stay with it for one year. Or I could talk about how I felt like my job in advertising was taking me away from mothering too much. I could focus on my passion to curate all the amazing opportunities for kids in NYC that you couldn't find out about in other family publications. I've mentioned all of those things and more when interviewed or asked about the founding of Mommy Poppins, but there's one version of the story I've never told.

Whether Long Island's East End is your go-to getaway spot or just your dream vacation, our new Hamptons and North Fork Family Guide has everything you need to get the most out of your visit this summer. And since we want everyone to be able to experience Long Island's slice of heaven, not only will our guide feature affordable family-friendly activities, day trip ideas and indoor activities, if you sign up for our soon-to-launch Hamptons and North Fork newsletter, you'll automatically be entered to win awesome prizes so you can enjoy a little bit of the beach yourself.