Choosing a summer camp is always a complicated algorithm of deciding between myriad choices: day or sleep away camps, staying in the city or sending the kids to the country, all-around or specialized sports, arts or science camps...but this year there is another factor that is weighing heavily into family summer planning and that is finances.

One thing that can help making a decision about summer camp easier is going to a camp fair. There are four Camp Fairs coming up. At the upcoming New York Family Camp Fairs you'll find over 40 day and sleep-away camps represented for kids from preschools to teens. You can meet camp directors, ask them your questions and get a feeling of the camp's personality, plus get information and applications all in one place. Believe me, that's a lot easier than calling each camp individually to request their cheesy video brochure (you'll plenty of those at the camp fair too).

Raise your hand if you learned to read from The Electric Company...So many of us did. Now Sesame Workshop is bringing The Electric Company back with a whole new updated and revamped show complete with some of our favorite bits, like phonetic silhouettes and celebrity guest stars. I have to confess that I watched the preview segments myself and thought ,well, let's say that they didn't live up to my youtube enhanced memories of the classic Electric Company. But what do I know? I'm old. So I didn't dismiss it without letting my kids weighing in...

Soul of Shaolin is a spectacular performance by the troupe that opened the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the first production from the People's Republic of China to Ever appear on Broadway. Part circus, part martial arts demonstration and part Peking Opera, held together by a simple—and not entirely necessary—plot, Shaolin is one amazing feat of acrobatics after another, with swords flashing, spears rattling and a little dancing thrown in.

In third grade something amazing happened. All of a sudden my daughter graduated from reading books that seemed to be written for the sole purpose of teaching kids to read, and started reading some really good children's literature. Some of her favorite books this year have been from the Inkheart series: Inkheart, Inkspell and Inkdeath, by Cornelia Funke.

Inkheart, is a fantasy fiction story about a girl whose father has the ability to read people in to and out of books which obviously goes all wrong and sets them off on an adventure of a lifetime. As my daughter puts it, "It's scary enough that you want to keep reading to the next chapter, but not so scary you have nightmares." But, what she loves most about these books was that the stories are all about books, with lots of clever references to other favorite books.

Inkheart is a child booklover's book that keeps its readers engrossed for the full 560 pages and on through the next books, which are just as long.

They have just made a movie out of Inkheart which will be in theaters on Friday, January 23, 2009. I hope it's good otherwise there are going to be a lot of very disappointed Inkheart fans.

Happy Martin Luther King Day. Whether you're working or home with the kiddos, here's all the news that's (probably not) fit for print. Ever wonder what would happen if you named your kid something crazy, like, say Adolf Hitler? One family in NJ just found out. Plus, facing the velvet rope at a nightclub as a mother, scientists who are experimenting on their own kids, indoor alternatives to keep your kids from climbing the walls, Uncle Mexico wants you, and which sex toy is right for you?  Jump!

An editor from another kids parenting publication (I'm not going to out him/her) emailed me that s/he had no idea what they were going to do with their kids for a three day weekend of subzero weather. If she is stumped, then the rest of us are totally SCREWED! But seriously, here are some of my favorite websites for inspiration for indoor activities and things to do on a rainy, or freezing cold, day. These are mostly smaller blogs, written by moms with really sweet activity ideas. Check out these sites, browse through the archives, click on their blogrolls to find other great related sites. (Hey at least you'll be occupied all weekend.)

Top 5 Craft and Indoor Activity Websites:

The weather is going to suck this weekend so start strategizing now. Stay in? Or try one of these fun events? You may also want to check our Indoor Activity Guide for additional indoor ideas. Here's the best of this weekend, including a very cool and fun art exhibit tonight only in Williamsburg.

If you've been reading this blog for a long time, you know about my love of ZipCar, the car sharing service that lets you rent a car in New York City by the hour. While ZipCar has been adding more cars and locations, there's a new competitor on the road, Mint.

Just like ZipCar, Mint offers car rental on demand and by the hour. Gas and EZ Pass are included. Even the rates are identical, except for an introductory promotional offer that allows you to rent a Mint car for just $2 an hour Monday through Thursday, 8 am to 5pm.