By now, many of you have probably organized your summer with military precision. I know I have. We have this much camp and that much vacation and this much time to annoy one another and that much time to drag ourselves around town to various sprinklers. It's all mapped out. Even still, sometimes it's nice to just get away, semi-spontaneously, for a few days of family fun without having to drive very far. New Jersey and the surrounding area offer several weekend destinations ranging from waterparks to pig farms to NJ's many beaches. Enjoy the backseat conversations and wave-jumping squeals, because my brand of nostalgia dictates that I remind you, autumn will be here before you know it. Soak up the sunshine! 

Although the average age for first-time mothers in the U.S. is mid-20s, many New York City women are on a different schedule. In the city, it's not uncommon to see thirty- and fortysomething moms proudly pushing strollers down the streets—often double ones. Becoming a mom later in life has many potential advantages, like maturity and financial security. But there are challenges too, like connecting with your peers. Sure, you can make plenty of mommy friends on the playground, but if you're hoping to meet other parents who grew up on Sesame Street before Elmo, you may want to join a specialized playgroup or meetup.

We previously posted about general parent groups in NYC. In honor of Salute to Moms 35+ Week, which runs May 13-19, we've rounded up some of New York City's best resources for mothers with a bit of life experience under their belts.

I find that dog owners with kids are separated into 2 categories. There are those that had pups well before human kids and treated them like children, lavishing attention on their fur baby before taking the plunge and trying for a real one! And then there are those that don’t even think about adding a furry friend into the mix until their lives are already buzzing with activity from 2 or 3 tots running around. After all, what’s one more body in the house to entertain and feed?

Mother's Day is the main event on all of our sites, from New York City to Los Angeles. Moms, if you have Sunday all planned out, good for you. (Extra points if your family did all the work.) However, if you're still trying to decide how to celebrate in NYC, we've got lots of great suggestions, plus a roundup of our readers' favorite Mother's Day brunch spots.

In other news, strawberry picking season is in full swing and we've got roundups of family-friendly strawberry picking farms and festivals in Long Island and New Jersey. Another great excuse for a day trip: Outdoor festivals. We've got a list of a few fabulous spring festivals in Connecticut. Meanwhile, our Travel site has a beautiful Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort slide show. If your family still hasn't bought you a Mother's Day gift a vacation there would certainly make a good one.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

(Photo courtesy of Harbes Family Farm and Vineyard)

Sun! After a cool, dreary weekend and week all last week, Bill Korbel promises sun and warmth this weekend. Perfect weather for celebrating Mom. This weekend, there are lots of events to help you fete mom (see our Mother's Day Brunch guide as well). There are also some nature activities, and it's the last weekend of the Dreamland Amusements Fair. Happy Mother's Day!

It's our day, Moms! Hang out with the ones that you love, relax or perhaps spend the weekend on the baseball and soccer field like some moms we know (me). For those of you that are getting out and about this weekend you'll have lots to choose from: there are National Train Day events, a free Mother's Day concert or some kiddie rock by Justin Roberts, and even a Dragon Dance at Turtle Back Zoo.  And you can find a listing of all NJ activities for kids in our Event Calendar.