[UPDATED: JANUARY 25, 2013]

Yes, New York City is home to skyscrapers and sidewalks galore, but our city is also made up of beaches, forests, marshlands and glacier formations. There are animals everywhere, too: seals in the harbor, red-tailed hawks on Fifth Avenue, raccoons in Central Park and even occasionally coyotes. And since we are located on the eastern flyway, our skies are filled with hundreds of different species of birds. My family is passionate about the natural world around us and so are many other New Yorkers, as evidenced by the myriad of nature centers available to us throughout the city.

Nature centers are a great way to while away a winter’s day and maybe even learn something new about the city. Drop in during their open hours and check out wonderful exhibits featuring animals, plants, history and geography. Or attend one of the many special events or organized group activities going on all winter. The best part is that most nature centers don't charge an entrance fee (although donations are accepted) so it's an affordable outing the whole family can enjoy.

As a parent, one of the most important things to master is dining out with your little ones. As they grow, it gets harder and harder and there are only so many improvised games that can be played with straws and sugar packets. Downtown Jersey City offers some great family-friendly restaurant options, so don’t live in fear–go out on the town, and take the kids with you!

Cirque du Soleil is back at the Santa Monica Pier, reminding us how lucky we are to live where we do, and we've got free tickets to share! There is nothing quite like the thrill of seeing Cirque du Soleil put up its Grand Chapiteau, and this year's treat is particularly fun for kids; OVO is a headlong rush into a colorful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight, and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. Acrobatic bugs - what could be better?

OK, we'll tell you what could be better: seeing the show for free! One lucky Mommy Poppins family is going to win a family four pack with great seats to see Cirque du Soleil's OVO for free! Read on to find out how to score four free tickets to the February 1, 2012 performance!

Last week, we shared our favorite indoor places to play in Park Slope. There are also a number of playgrounds for kids in the nabe, including a bunch in Prospect Park.

Of course, only a handful of these playgrounds are true destinations. Here are our top five playgrounds in Park Slope , including a preview of one all Park Slope families are buzzing about: the currently under renovation J.J. Byrne Playground.

[UPDATED: JANUARY 9, 2013]

This is the second in a series of posts about All-Inclusive Winter Resorts for Family Vacations in the New York City Region. In our previous post, we reviewed Woodloch Pines Resort in the Poconos.

If you like your vacations a little more on the rustic side, Ridin-Hy Ranch might be the answer. This Adirondack ranch resort offers good old-fashioned winter fun, hold the glitz and glamour. Winter activity highlights include horseback riding through snow-covered trails, sleigh rides, ice skating, snow tubing, snowmobiling, cross country skiing and nightly entertainment.

Sadly Bryant Park isn't having a Winter Film Festival in 2014. Who says free outdoor film festivals are a summer-only activity? On Monday, February 4, Citi Pond at Bryant Park launches its third annual Winter Film Festival and Mommy Poppins is a media sponsor! My son and I attended a screening of Happy Feet a few years back on a balmy, 17-degree evening. The movie was shown on a tremendous blow-up movie screen on the Sixth Avenue side of the ice rink. It was pretty cool (in more ways than one).

Think you are hearty enough to brave the freezing temperatures to catch a free flick? Read on to find out more about this fun, frigid film festival and ways to keep warm while you are there. Plus, make sure you come out for the very first screening, Disney's 1953 flick Peter Pan on Monday, February 4—the Mommy Poppins team will be there and we'll be giving out vouchers good for one hot chocolate at Citi Pond’s concession stand Ice Bites.

Keeping kids happy when it’s freezing outside isn’t easy. To get through winter last year, my son and I spent a lot of time at a drop-in center in Park Slope. He’s too old for it now, so I’m always searching for new indoor play spaces. I heard about The Gym Park in Greenpoint. We’ve been twice already and he loves it. We drove both times we visited and street parking was a cinch. Here is what else you'll find if you go.