We haven't even been bombarded too early for Christmas yet. So how can it possibly be time to be pressured into thinking about summer camps? Seriously, no pressure, but there is a great camp fair this weekend if you want to get an early start on summer planning and I'll give you just one reason why you should: many camps give discounts if you sign up before December. So if you know you're doing it, why not figure it out now and possibly save some dough?

Mini Jake is Williamsburg, Brooklyn's hip baby design store and sister store to the neighborhood's Two Jakes, its adult counterpart. This 1500 sq foot shrine to baby design is full of some great items to spruce up your baby's room or give as gifts. And, for its size, it is quite a cozy store with little nooks for books, clothing and toys throughout the space.

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Let me put it out there that I'm not a big fan of war, but I am intrigued by the arrival of the brand new, not yet commissioned, USS New York in our harbor. This is not something that happens every day and, I have to say, reading about this ship, it's pretty interesting.

Last year i was surprised when I heard some some of my kids' friends were going to see the movie, Coraline. Really? Even though it's animated, it looked like a horror movie to me. Sure enough, I later heard that many of the kids were having nightmares for weeks after seeing it. But how do parents really know what a movie is going to be like before they see it? Or a book, website, music or video game, for that matter? There is one website that I turn to for media reviews whenever I'm in doubt.

Perhaps when your kids were babies you only gave them hand made wooden toys and never bought them anything with a character on it, but once you send your kids to school, all bets are off. All of a sudden status is measured by how much brightly colored plastic you have in your room, hanging from your backpack and printed on your T-Shirts.

And for kids these days, especially the boys, Pokemon branded plastic seems to be the most treasured. But the Pokemon empire extends far beyond the world of adorable plastic figures, there's cards, video games and stuffed animals to collect also. My kids can't get enough of any of it.

As the city continues the H1N1 vaccination program in schools, the debate seems to rage on. News reports state that fewer parents than expected are giving consent to have their children vaccinated, although some are reportedly planning on having the vaccination done in their pediatrician's office—assuming it will be available there at some point.

Read on for facts and fears over the swine flu vaccine and the big snafu in the program.

New York City is filled with incredible artists and, as parents, we are lucky that many of them make their talents and their services available to families: the concert pianist who teaches children, the painters and photographers who do portraits, artist who create wonderful and imaginative murals, and lots and lots of craftspeople of every stripe. We have created a new page to help these artists connect with the families that can use their services.