Other Sites

It’s summertime, people, and we don't need to tell you that it's hot outside. Really hot. So we've been spending way too much time indoors glued to our computer screens, surfing, reading and gathering.

And that's great news for you, because we're passing along all of the cool info we acquired (and none of the extraneous junk) to you. Everything that made the moms at Mommy Poppins go "hmmmm" or “cool!” or “wow!"

From a Department of Education feedback form to mommy bloggers in Kenya to Harry hysteria, here's what we rounded up.

Whether you have a baby, toddler or are still experiencing the pregnancy glow, head to the first ever, A Child Grows in Brooklyn Baby Expo to learn everything you need to know about raising a kid in this crazy city. We've got the info here for you to find out how to join the other parents at the spectacular Toren penthouses in downtown Brooklyn for need-to-know workshops, shopping for the hottest new gear, awesome raffles where you can win some serious swag (think, Uppababy strollers and Stokke highchairs) and also attend some great parenting seminars.  Other fun goodies like manicures and blowouts for the ladies as well as activities for the babies will be on offer. Did I mention the first 250 registrants get a pretty cool gift bag and everyone receives a free subscription to Time Out NY Kids?  Sure wish this was around when I was pregnant.  Read on to find out more.

I am halfway through this week of "Best Of 2010" lists and and I'm starting to think I might not be cut out for this type of thing. It's hard to pick some blogs knowing you are leaving so many others out. To make matters worse, my innocent little list of the Best Local NYC Blogs got linked from the NY Times, so now my choices are forever part of the blog of record.

So before I jump into my list of my favorite Mom Blogs, I'd like to make a little speech about how I am choosing. (clear throat, tap fork on glass). The blogs I am including are blogs that inspire me, each in their own way. They are also the blogs that I happened to have thought of during the few hour window that I wrote this post. Tomorrow different things will be on my mind and I will find new sources of inspiration (and remember old ones that I didn't think of when I was writing this — and apologize in my head to people I left off the list). But I hope that this post will be a source for you to find some new inspiration too, with some great blogs that maybe you didn't know about yesterday.

10 Favorite Mom Blogs that Inspired Me in 2010:

The new year is a time of reflecting. Looking back on 2010 there are so many great discoveries we made that we'd like to share. This week, in addition to our regular posts, we'll be sharing some of our favorite websites and other stuff that we've enjoyed this year, starting with some of the great websites about living in New York City. These sites are great resources that often inspire me (when I have time to read them). You may want to book mark this post to check back with these cool blogs often.

On January 7, 2011 it will be exactly 4 years from the day that I posted my first post on Mommy Poppins. As the site has grown, I have asked myself what can I do, now that Mommy Poppins is read by hundreds of thousands of parents every month, to make a real, immediate difference in the lives of other New Yorkers. The answer that I came up with was to start a new site that would be dedicated to raising money for NYC schools. Education has always been a passion of mine and I have been a dedicated advocate of NYC public schools, which are struggling more than ever with terrible budget cuts.

So I am very excited to announce the launch of my newest website, Poppins Perks, which will offer great deals for NYC families with 40-90% off of products and services we love, plus each Perk will be targeted to fund an important project for one NYC classroom through a partnership with DonorsChoose.

I hope that Poppins Perks will enable you to try out more of the best things in New York City for families at unbelievable prices. Read on to hear more about Poppins Perks and our first Perk, a great Holiday gift for a friend, relative (or yourself!)