Talk about déjà boo! Remember that freak snowstorm we had the weekend before Halloween last year? Well, Mother Nature is playing another cruel trick on us as we all brace for Hurricane Sandy. Due to the approaching wild weather, the NYC Department of Transportation has decided to suspend subway and bus service beginning at 7pm on Sunday, and the NYC Department of Education has canceled school on Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30! (Follow NYC Public Schools on Twitter for the most up-to-date info.) All New Yorkers are being urged to stay indoors from Sunday night until the storm passes.

While we hope this turns out to be much ado about nothing, chances are your family is going to be spending a lot of time at home over the next few days. If you're wondering how best to prepare (hopefully you've already shopped for necessities like food and filled the bathtub with water), just turn on your local news or visit the official website of your town, city or state. New Yorkers can find info on potential flooding zones, emergency shelters, evacuation notices, public transportation updates and more at nyc.gov.

So what are you going to do to keep your kids (and you) from going stir crazy during the hurricane? After all, you can only watch TV for so long (especially if the power goes out). We've got the scoop on some fun crafts, kid-friendly recipes, cool analog games and even Halloween fun you can do at home. Here are creative ways to keep busy during Hurricane Sandy.

The sad fact is, small businesses have it rough in New York City, especially these days. We're constantly posting about family spots that have closed—this year alone we've lost bowling alley Harlem Lanes, the Little Gym of Harlem, the Upper West Side Scribble Press and Park Slope's arcade/restaurant PSbkln, to name a few. But this time, one of our favorite kid-centric businesses has reached out before it shutters to ask families for help. Beloved children's bookstore Books of Wonder is in dire financial straits and is soliciting donations in order to stay open into 2013.

Hopefully Frankenstorm Sandy passes through without a re-enactment of last year’s Halloween power outages and trick-or-treating cancelations. There are so many fun Halloween festivities going on that we have our fingers crossed the weather doesn’t interrupt our plans this holiday. If you haven’t checked out any of the local Haunted Houses be sure to celebrate this year with one of these kid-friendly Halloween events in Hartford County.

The Family Wellness Center in New Britain is having a Halloween costume party Wednesday, October 31 from 10 am-12 pm. There will be Halloween themed games, activities and treats.

Saturday October 27, Blue Back Square in West Hartford will be hosting a Pumpkin Carnival & Halloween Stroll. Head over to the Whole Foods from 9:30-10:30 am for live music, giveaways, photo ops, games, and meet costumed characters. Then from 10:30-11:30 there will be a parade through Blue Back Square and West Hartford Center with trick-or-treating at participating merchants, opportunity to climb aboard a fire truck and more!

Did you wait too long to order your child's Halloween Costume? Did you get the wrong size costume and need a quick and easy back up plan? Has your child changed his or her mind about their dream costume numerous times? Do you just want a funny and simple costume that will get a laugh?  Here are 10 quick and down'n'dirty ideas followed by costume suggestions crowd-sourced from your very own MP NJ writers.

I don't know about your home, but ours is already filled with candy thanks to all of the pre-Halloween parties we've been attending. (I figure I can give some of our loot away on October 31.) This weekend is jam-packed with ways to celebrate All Hallows' Eve in NYC, New Jersey, Connecticut and on Long Island. Our Travel site even has a roundup of Halloween weekend getaways and deals in case you want to treat your family to an out-of-town celebration.

If you're thinking about throwing a Halloween shindig at home, we also have some cool holiday crafts and tasty recipes for you to try.

Believe it or not, Halloween isn't the only thing on our minds. This week also marks the opening of many outdoor ice skating rinks in NYC and we're looking ahead to Election Day with a roundup of one-day holiday camps for kids since public schools are closed that day. Here's what else we covered on our NYC this week:

Don’t. Panic.

It’s a week before Halloween and you don’t know what your kid is going to wear to go trick-or-treating. You’re going to be okay. Mommy Poppins is here to guide you towards some easy, crowd-pleasing costumes.

We're mostly talking about younger kids here, babies on up through kindergarten (and we've even got some special ideas for young girls). Much older than that and they either insisted you get their costumes ready weeks ago or took matters (along with your car keys) into their own hands.

It's the final weekend before Halloween, and Boston families can enjoy a variety of Halloween weekend activities that run the gamut from the scary to the not-so-spooky. Check out our roundup of Halloween fun, including more than 20 mostly free Halloween events for kids and families. And read on for some great non-Halloween events happening this weekend, including the Boston Book Festival, Play Date at the ICA, and the annual Classic Cartoon Festival. Plus, check our Events calendar for more activities.

Plus, there’s still time to enter one - or both - of our giveaways:

• We’re giving away copies of the new prequel to The Boxcar Children series, The Boxcar Children® Beginning: The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm, signed by author Patricia MacLachlan
• We’re also giving away a family four-pack of tickets to the Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) season-opening concert on November 4

The deadline for both giveaways is Friday, 10/26, so be sure to get your entries in soon!

Enjoy!

Due to the approaching hurricane, many activities on Sunday may end early or be canceled entirely. Make sure you visit the events' official websites before you head out to make sure they're still on.

It's the final weekend before Halloween and New York City is filled with spooky ways to celebrate. It's your last chance to get your ghoul on at the Bronx Zoo's Boo at the Zoo, Ascarium at the New York Aquarium and the New York Botanical Garden's Haunted Pumpkin Garden. There are also a slew of super-popular annual festivals like Ghouls and Gourds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Children's Fall Festival (canceled due to the hurricane) at the Queens County Farm Museum and a bunch of FREE kids' costume parades.

If you want to wait until October 31 to get into the holiday spirit, there are actually some non-Halloween events this weekend like the Little Orchestra Society's Happy Family concert, Pickle Day on the Lower East Side (moved to Sunday, November 4 due to the hurricane), a few Day of the Dead celebrations and the opening weekend of Citi Pond at Bryant Park, NYC's only FREE outdoor ice-skating rink.

There's so much going on this Saturday and Sunday, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. (We admit, we had a couple of panic attacks while writing this post!) That's why we've done the work for you by highlighting the very best things to do with kids this jam-packed weekend, Halloween-themed and otherwise. Now all you need to do is go and enjoy!