Hanami is the Japanese tradition of viewing and cherishing the cherry blossom season. And there's no better place to enjoy the beauty and grace of cherry blossoms than at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which has more flowering cherry trees in one place than anywhere else in the world outside of Japan! Strolling beneath the stunning, pink canopy of blooms is a wonderful spring tradition the whole family can enjoy and Sakura Matsuri, the two-day cherry blossom festival (May 2 and 3, 2009), has delighted families for over 25 years.

For children, Hanami is a delightful learning experience: watching the seasonal magic of spring as the trees show their first buds, burst into a luscious bloom, and finally send out a flurry of petals that carpet the ground in pink and are replaced on the trees by the tiny green leaves of summer.

To celebrate Hanami, Mommy Poppins is teaming up with Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a great photo contest.

STILL TIME TO ENTER. CONTEST EXTENDED THROUGH MAY 5th!

Enter our Hanami Photo Contest to win an incredible prize package.

It can be hard eating out when your child’s on a restricted diet: You struggle to find a place that serves what he can eat, or you find one and he won’t eat what they serve. But you won’t have those problems at these places, which are convenient and kid-friendly. We've rounded up a handful of restaurants which serve meals that all kids will like and can eat even if they are vegan, vegetarian or have food allergies. Plus, they're all cool and fun for New York kids.

If you have a toddler who loves Thomas, then you're going to love this giveaway. Thomas the Tank Engine returns to the Beacon Theatre with an all new, live musical adventure: Thomas and Friends Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes to Town.

Thomas lovers will follow the familiar tale from the Island of Sodor, where Thomas and his friends must learn to work together to prepare for an exciting event under the Big Top. All your child's favorites, Percy, James, Gordon, Sir Topham Hatt and of course Thomas and a cast of circus performers will entertain with a story that teaches the importance of friendship and cooperation.

We're giving away 4 tickets to Thomas and Friends Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes to Town. And, don't forget to enter our giveaways for Dear Edwina and The Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus.

When I was a kid the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus was the circus. But now, we haven't been to the Ringling Brothers Circus in years. There's a lot of circus competition now with not just The Big Apple Circus, but Cirque de Soleil and lots of small circus acts. But this year, I have heard great things about the big Ringling Brothers circus. They've gotten rid of the three ring format and made their acts more of a visual feast a la Cirque de Soleil, but with animals. It sounds like it's beautiful, magically and truly a special performance.

We're giving away 4 tickets to the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus Zing Zang Zoom. And, while there's still time to enter our Dear Edwina giveaway, tomorrow will be our last giveaway of this event with tickets to Thomas the Tank Engine at Madison Square Garden. So check back in tomorrow, but see below for how to win the Circus tickets.

As usual, toward the end of our giveaway events, things start to heat up a little bit. There's still time to enter our La Famiglia Dimitri Giveaway. This afternoon we'll be posting a Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus giveaway, and tomorrow it's Thomas the Tank Engine. But right now we've got the critically acclaimed (and not just by my own discerning critics) Dear Edwina.

Dear Edwina is about a girl who has a rocking advice column she performs out of her garage. It is a great show with a great message and super songs. Check out our full review here. But if you want details on how to win four free tickets plus a discount code, click to read more. And stay tuned for the great giveaways coming up later today and this weekend.

Enter to win 4 tickets to Dear Edwina:

This weekend is chock full of Spring fun. You might want to try an Easter Egg Hunt in New York City or on Long Island. There are some great places to enjoy a nice day trip. But Easter could always wait till next weekend, cause there are lots of other cool events happening his weekend, from a juggling festival to a "Petacular", the season "openings" of Coney Island and Prospect Park, and the not to be missed International Pillow Fight Day or Brooklyn Kids Record Day. Check those activities out and more inside:

Hurray for the New Victory Theater which offers family friendly shows at budget friendly prices. And not just puppet shows of familiar fairy tales either. The New Vic shows fresh, interesting performances that adults enjoy as much as kids. Their latest is La Famiglia Dimitri, an European family circus.

Although the New Vic recommends La Famiglia Dimitri to children over the age of four, there were plenty of younger children sitting aloft the cushy booster cushions, clapping and laughing as the multi-faceted performers worked their magic. Hailing from Switzerland, these five men and women sang and played Latin American tunes on a variety of instruments from accordions to trumpets, while dancing on tightropes, juggling ping pong balls out of their mouths, clowning, and fully entertaining the enraptured crowd.

I felt like I’d been transported into old time Europe watching a family troupe of gypsies performing by the side of the road, using the few simple props they kept in their caravan – handkerchiefs, boxes, rope and simple pancake make-up. My four year old and I were utterly engaged and the two hour show (with a brief intermission) passed quickly.

It’s a musical extravaganza, a circus (without animals, which, being a vegetarian, sometimes vegan, I appreciated more), and a magic show. Well worth a visit.

Find out how to win 4 tickets to this show, plus a discount code inside:

If you thought this was the Year of the Ox, you are so wrong. According to the United Nations, it’s the Year of the Gorilla. In order to raise awareness about the threats to the iconic Gorilla species, the United Nations has declared this year the “Year of the Gorilla” and the Wildlife Conservation Society (the global conservation organization that owns and operates the Bronx Zoo) is helping to support these beautiful beasts with a month-long celebration of the planet during Earth Month and a fundraising run that supports their work to protect gorillas.

Check out the fun, family –friendly events that are going to be going on at the Bronx Zoo in April: