Look on my kids' bookshelves and you will find tons of books about New York City. And not surprisingly, we do not have one book about New Jersey. I mean, what comes to mind when you think about New York? The Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, and there are even some who think of the Statue of Liberty (boo! it's on the Jersey side!). What comes to mind when you think about New Jersey? The weeds growing on the side of the turnpike? Well, Thomas Yezerski wrote a book for children called "Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story" and it celebrates just that... the neglected wetlands of New Jersey. Have you ever walked or boated through the Meadowlands? If you have, you will know why we were so excited about this book!

They say nothing is certain but death and taxes, but they forgot one: birthdays. Every year they come, whether you celebrate them or not. Of course, kids live for their birthdays (my daughter's been counting down the days until she turns six since the day she turned five!), and that kind of excitement and anticipation can put a lot of pressure on parents.

But there's no reason to stress. We've got the scoop on how to throw a memorable party, whether you're a DIYer who hosts every bash at home, or the kind of parent who prefers to pay someone else to do all the work.

After years of writing about parties, we've compiled our favorite posts onto one page. Plus we've added a super-cool Party Planner tool, which allows you to search for venues and entertainers by theme.

Read on for a sampling of what you'll find in our new-and-improved New York City Kids' Birthday Party Ideas Guide.

It's Spring and along with the flowers and new leaves on the trees ticks are lurking in the woods and tall grasses. There's plenty a parent can do to protect their children from this disease. Lyme disease was first discovered in Lyme, CT in the 70's.  It's preventable if recommendations are followed and can also be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. However, if  left untreated serious illness can occur. Most cases of Lyme disease develop during the spring or summer months, when people are more likely to be outside walking in the woods or in tall grass.

To prevent ticks from attaching to you or your kids:

The locavore movement is expanding in NYC, and there are some great new ways to get fresh, locally grown meats and produce on your table. This year, we've discovered new CSAs that give you more flexibility and convenience, including ones that deliver to your door, or allow you to order à la carte rather than requiring you to purchase a full share.

If you aren't familiar with CSAs—Community Supported Agriculture groups—they are organized arrangements that allow consumers to buy food directly from the farmers. This helps give small farmers the financial support they need to make it through the planting season, and it gets fresher food on your table. Usually you buy a share (or a half share) of a farmer's output, and in return you receive a boxful of vegetables, fruit, eggs, cheese or meat every week throughout the growing season. If you're interested in signing up for a CSA, now is the time since spots fill up fast.

There are drawbacks to traditional CSAs: You have to pick up your food at a central location, you often have to put in volunteer hours and you don't know what will end up in your box ("you get what you get and don't get upset"). Plus, if you travel or go away on weekends during the summer, you'll miss part of your share, which is a drag since CSAs are kind of expensive. But this year, we've found some new, more flexible options.

Is it us, or did the week go by really quickly? Not that we're complaining. We've been planning our weekend since, oh, Monday or so.

Although Mother's Day is behind us, moms are always No. 1 in our book. That's why we kicked off the week with a slide show of the moms at Mommy Poppins and their kids, and asked our readers to share their pictures on our Facebook page. It's not too late! Log on and show off your fabulous family.

Technically it's still spring but with temperatures in the 70s, we're starting to think about all kinds of summer fun, like ice cream and camping. And we rounded up the best family events at the New York Public Library's upcoming centennial festival—they're all free.

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

There's a ton of theater in this town for little kids (especially girls). From Angelina Ballerina to Pinkalicious to Freckleface Strawberry, sometimes I think every pink-clad kit-lit heroine has had a musical made in her honor. But once your elementary schooler graduates to middle school, there aren't a lot of options, unless you're willing to spring for Blue Man or Broadway.

That's why I was so excited when I heard that the New Victory was bringing back one of its signature shows, Peter and Wendy, which played at the theater in 1997 and 2002. Based on J. M. Barrie's novelization of his Peter Plan play, Peter and Wendy is a much more melancholy take on the famous story. The suggested age is 10 and up, and that makes sense. With a deliberately slow pace (the production clocks in around two and a half hours), abstract puppetry (a pair of nightshirts represent Wendy's brothers, John and Michael) and a wistful tone, this tale of a motherless boy who won't grow up is best appreciated by those who have—or are about to—grow up themselves.

I have my criticisms of the production: The treacly Irish music sounded like the soundtrack to Titanic, and the Peter puppet was way more creepy than cute. But overall, it's a haunting, one-of-a-kind experience. Here are eight reasons why you should take your family (or, if your kids are too young, consider it for date night).

Spring break, parent-teacher conferences, Easter, Passover–doesn’t feel like we’ve had a full week of school forever.... ’til now.  Break out of the back-to-school doldrums with a day of letting loose: shear sheep, jump a space shuttle, dance around a Maypole, go fishin’, boogie in the streets or board a battleship!  Leaving the Cartoon Network-watching couch on the weekend a big enough family task? Try a tamer activity–maybe a local production of Disney’s “The Jungle Book,” or a visit to one of Morris Area’s nine museums offering FREE admission. And remember your mantra: “2 weeks until Memorial Day break, 2 weeks until Memorial Day break.”

This weekend has it all: fantastic festivals, sports, theater, music, dance and museum events for families, all free or inexpensive. There's so much going on (seriously—we have five pages of events in our calendar!) it's hard to know where to start.

Well, how about the sports front? There are two competitive track events, the Hershey Track & Field Games and the NYRR Youth Jamboree, and Asphalt Green is also hosting its annual Big Swim. Since May is Bike Month, there are lots of cycling events, like the Brooklyn Bike Jumble, a flea market geared toward riders.

As for festivals, the main event is the Ninth Avenue Food Festival, but lots of schools, like P.S. 84, are throwing fetes, and in Queens you'll find the Highland Park Strawberry Festival.

Cultural treats include a concert by Peter Yarrow & Friends, New York Ballet Theater’s Sleeping Beauty, Living Large at the American Museum of Natural History and tours of the Little Red Lighthouse.

Be sure to check out the Mommy Poppins Events Calendar for even more options. Now here are the highlights for the weekend.