On Mother’s Day, matriarchs are treated extra-special, whether it's a fancy brunch, a thoughtful gift or just some well-earned time off.

But talking to other moms (and from our own experience), we've realized that what we love most about Our Day is getting the chance to spend some downtime with our kids—no screens, no chores, no studying. It's a day to enjoy each other's company, pure and simple.

In honor of that sentiment, we've rounded up some great things your kids can do with you (instead of for you) on Mother's Day that you'll enjoy as much as they will. But why limit these great activities to Sunday, May 8? All of these activities can be done year-round, so any day can be your special day together.

Albert Einstein once said, "If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." The folks involved in the four-day Festival of Ideas for the New City certainly embrace that sentiment of innovation.

From Wednesday, May 4 to Sunday, May 8, more than 200 downtown organizations, including founding partner the New Museum, will put pool their brain power to think up ways to improve NYC. The fest is organized into three parts: lectures (informative to be sure, but not for kids); 80 related projects, exhibits and performances at various downtown venues; and a very cool sounding street fair that will take over the Bowery and beyond on Saturday, May 7 from 11am-7pm.

The StreetFest is definitely the highlight for families. More than 75 organizations and businesses will show off their ideas, including cooking demos with urban farmers, gardening classes, bike tours, locally grown food, art and technology projects, and more. We've got the scoop on the most kid-friendly activities at the fest.

Now that spring break is over the countdown to summer has begun. But finding the perfect camp isn't the only thing on the agenda. It's time to start thinking about how your family will acknowledge your children's teachers for all of their hard work this past academic year.

We've rounded up fun, handmade ways you and your kids can say thank you—besides a gift card. If you do go the cash or gift card route, have your kids decorate the envelope with pictures and stickers. That personal touch is sure to get you an A+.

Handmade doesn’t necessarily mean homemade, so if the thought of crafting in your apartment scares you or you'd like professional help, we understand. We've got the goods on fantastic local spots where you and your children can make great gifts without trashing your place.

Teacher Appreciation Week kicks off this Monday, May 2 and goes through Friday, May 6, so this is the perfect time to get crafty. But if you can't get any of these projects together by the end of this week, don't worry: Public school kids have until June 28 to get creative for teacher, and independent schools don't let out until the end of the month. 

Here at Mommy Poppins, we love to party, so we never let a holiday go by without celebrating. That includes Cinco de Mayo, which takes place this Thursday, May 5.

Cinco de Mayo officially commemorates the day the Mexican Army defeated French forces at the Battle of Puebla back on May 5, 1862. But it's also a general celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

Of course a lot of college students also use the holiday as an excuse to drink way too much tequila. (Pre-kids, we used to raise our margaritas on May 5 as well.) Now that we have families, we skip the bar crawl but still join in the fiesta. Here are some great ways to mark Cinco de Mayo with your family out on the town, or in your own home. 

We are so ready for the weekend. That's when we can start doing all of the cool things we wrote about on our sites this week! 

We're already spoken for on Saturday: The Mommy Poppins gang will be hanging out at the Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair. Drop by our tent for fun activities and awesome giveaways.

Sunday brings more seasonal fun, including festivals and fairs, Bike Month festivities and a slew of other family-friendly events.

And that's just a taste of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

April showers are over and May blooms are finally here. This weekend we're wrapping up Earth Day with a Wild Earth Fest in Mountainside and an Ar-B-Que in Short Hills. Outdoor festivals are all over the Garden State with the NJ Marathon (including kid runs) in Long Branch, Rutgers Day in New Brunswick and Piscataway, and the Hoboken Arts and Musis Festival. A sure sign of spring is that sheep shearing begins this weekend at the Cory Miller House in Westfield and the ponies are out and offering free rides at the stables in Basking Ridge. Finally, the Newark Museum and the Morris Museum both are hosting dinosaur days with fossil digs. Welcome, spring!

Fun, food and festivals describe the events and activities going on this weekend. The weather is much warmer, the sun is due to stay around for a while so why not make this a family festival weekend? From Arbor Day to May Day to a Sheep to Shawl Festival...we’ve got your weekend covered!

Do you enjoy making decisions? We hope so, because there are so many amazing activities this weekend, including highly anticipated annual favorites, you've got some tough choices ahead of you.

Festivals are the big draw. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Sakura Matsuri: Cherry Blossom Festival, the Hippo Playground Spring Fair, the Five Boro Bike Fest and a couple of better-late-than-never Earth Day celebrations are all happening this weekend. For many, the main event is the legendary Tribeca Film Festival Family Street Fair on Saturday. If you attend, make sure you drop by to say hi to the Mommy Poppins team: Our tent will be located on the west side of Greenwich Street at Jay Street.

There are also a lot of rockin' concerts this weekend, including Kindiefest, David Weinstone and Music for Aardvarks, Junior Jam and Recess Monkey. (Check out our Poppins Perk deal for half price tickets to the Junior Jam show)

Speaking of monkeys, you can also check out what's new at the city's six zoos (we're counting the Aquarium), the highlight being the Bronx Zoo's annual Animal Tales Extravaganza fest.

And if that's not enough for you, the Mommy Poppins Events Calendar is full of other options like storytimes, stage shows, exhibits and more. Whatever you end up doing, we wish you a fabulous weekend!