This morning my daughter ripped the July page off her calendar with a mix of excitement and sadness. She was giddy because she turns eight this month but she was bummed because she realized that summer break is halfway done. That's why we plan to make the most of the next five weeks by crossing off items on our summer bucket list like hitting Rockaway Beach, going on rides at Coney Island and getting out on New York Harbor for a sight-filled sail.

We're actually doing that last one this Sunday at Stories & Songs of the Sea, the first in a series of Mommy Poppins Family Cruises we're hosting with Manhattan by Sail. My daughter can't wait to hit the water on the Clipper City Tall Ship for close-up views of the Statue of Liberty, tunes and tales by Bill Gordh, face painting and other family fun. Tickets are still available so book yours now.

While my family has been enjoying our NYC summer staycation, other Mommy Poppins bloggers have been traveling both near and far. Anna and her family got to test drive the 2014 Subaru Forester on their adventures in New England and the Maine. Our Boston peeps shared their picks for offbeat fun on Nantucket and our friends in New Jersey hopped a NY Waterway ferry for the first time.

Since it's a new month, all of our sites shared their respective Go Lists, highlighting the best things to do throughout August in each region. There's lots of FREE fun on tap for NYC this month but it's worth checking our Go Lists in Westchester, New Jersey, Connecticut and even Boston since a really special event might inspire a day or weekend getaway.

This week's giveaway is a bilingual birthday bash by Bilingual Birdies and you still have time to enter. And forgive us if we brag for a second, but Mommy Poppins got a nice shout out in the Huffington Post this week. One day you'll get to say you knew us when.

Here's everything else we covered on the NYC site this week: