During the last few years Somerville has become a haven for both foodies and families. With more parents with little ones moving into the city, many kid-friendly restaurants have been popping up all over town. 

While going out to dinner with small children isn’t always a fun or relaxing experience, breakfast is often a much better option. The next time you’re looking to dine out with the whole family, try one of these Somerville breakfast spots sure to please parents and kids alike.

We laughed; we cried; it was better than Cats. Well, actually it was cats, and we didn't really cry, but I'll stand by better than Cats—because instead of going home with Memory stuck in my head, I went home with my son intent on training our cat (infinitely preferable). What I'm talking about is The Acro-Cats, an unusual touring show I stumbled upon this weekend that offers a solid hour of feline performances. The show is currently playing at North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre, and in May it moves on to a short run at the Art Theatre of Long Beach. If watching kooky cat ladies convince rescue kitties (and a few other random critters) to perform unlikely tricks sounds like it could give you a chuckle, then read on. It certainly tickled our funny bone.

Cinco de Mayo is typically associated with bottomless margaritas and bar crawls, which are not exactly family friendly. But there are ways to celebrate the holiday that don’t involve adults-only activities. In fact, it’s the perfect time to get a little history and cultural lesson in with a dash of fun—and a great way to welcome spring.

Cinco de Mayo is often mistakenly thought to be Mexico’s Independence Day, but it’s actually a celebration of the Mexican Army’s surprising victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Learn more about the holiday and have some fun celebrating at these five Boston-area kid-friendly Cinco de Mayo events.

The warm weather is finally here! Let’s rejoice and get outside. Fairs and festivals are popping up all over the Garden State in May. If you enjoyed our guide to NJ’s April Spring Festivals, you will love our round up of May Spring Festivals in NJ! Get your NJ family to one of these fun-filled festivals in NJ.

We've probably all seen at least one production of Cinderella, whether in film form or onstage. But have you ever seen the fairy godmother roll in on skates? Or the evil stepsisters played in drag? The Commedia Cinderella, presented by Ragtag Theatre Company, is a raucous and rambunctious adaption on the timeless fairy tale. From a furry, colorful sneaker in lieu of a glass slipper to song and dance numbers performed to pop hits, Commedia Cinderella, kept us in giggles, even if some of the jokes flew right over my kids' heads.

Read on for our full review of this Off-Broadway family show, playing in NYC through mid-summer 2016.

Dining out in the evening with kids is not always relaxing or fun, especially with picky eaters and early bedtimes to consider. But breakfast is a whole other ball game. Everyone’s rested and ready for the day, making it the perfect time to get out of the house for a classic, casual meal. Here are our picks for best kid-friendly breakfast spots in Cambridge.

There has been plenty written in the news lately about how kids are specializing in sports earlier these days, training harder than ever—in team sports in particular—to compete at higher and higher levels. This puts extra stress on growing bodies and often leaves parents on uncertain ground. As a parent of an athlete, I often wonder when my kid says, "It hurts here," how seriously I need to take it. Is this a bath and a good night's sleep after a tough work out, or is it a trip to the doctor? Like many parents I know, I sometimes find myself asking the coach for input, when really I should be asking a specialist. 

Knowing a good resource for kids' sports injuries is a big help—which is why I'm excited to be writing about LA's Orthopaedic Institute for Children. It has given me a chance to get some of my own questions answered on the topic of parenting an athlete, and to share the info with other sports parents. I posed a few questions to the associate director of the Orthopaedic Institute for Children’s Center of Sports Medicine in Los Angeles, Dr. Jennifer Beck, who gave me some great information about supporting a young athlete, and about why the demanding nature of sports while a young body’s musculoskeletal system is rapidly changing can sometimes cause injuries.