We're all itching to get outside, but the weather is still unpredictable enough that it's worth doing one more indoor activities post. every once in a while we like to update you with more free indoor activities like story times. You can see all our previous posts on free indoor activities, story times, and art classes in the Winter Fun Guide.

Congratulations to Amber who won our Elf Tennis giveaway. Amber will be enjoying five free tennis lessons with the special Elf Tennis approach.

Private schools just had their Spring Break and public schools have theirs coming up and as we're waiting for the weather to warm up, we've got vacations on the brain.

Have you ever been stuck with a family vacation that actually seemed like more work than not being on vacation? If you are used to having childcare, a family vacation can be a shocking experience. It's not something that most people want to admit, and of course we all love spending lots of time with our kids, but hard-working parents need some real down-time too or they're going to have their own little melt-downs that no binky can fix.

Taking a babysitter on vacation with you might seem like a huge luxury, but sometimes luxuries are really necessities. But wanting to take a baby sitter on vacation with you and actually doing it are two different things, two things with lot of steps in between, like how much to pay and how to find a sitter who will travel with you, etc. The experts at Sittercity have shared some tips with us on how to make the fantasy a reality.

In March we've had a lot of very popular posts. While the 100 Things to Do with Your Kids in NYC is still the most popular post on the site for the third month in a row, the Camp Guide has been getting almost as many viewers. We added a couple more posts to the Camp Guide this month and will continue to add as we post related content.

Who has time to read? We've rounded up the top stories you don't want to miss from the NYC media this week.

Toxic Toys. A PBS Now program talks about the dangerous chemicals in many plastic toys, not just ones from China. Watch the episode online.

Buy the NYC Toilet Map for only $2.50??”a must-have for the potty training years. ??”NewYorkology

This week, a toy and clothing swap, a contest to name the Riverside Park Hawks, a chance to meet Mo Willems, and a fun way to learn physics. All free. Plus some cool, off-beat activities and concerts worth the price. And don't forget the free Elf Tennis demo classes on Sunday.

I haven't done an archive post in a while and it's too bad, because looking back on the posts from last March there a ton of good ones. In fact, I just updated the POPULAR POSTS list over in the left sidebar with some new, great old posts like Useful Links for School Hunts, An Overview of the Preschool Admissions Process, and more.

But today's post is a great list of alphabet books. Unique, artistic alphabet books have become very trendy lately. These ones all celebrate the alphabet through urban environments:

Harbor Conservatory is proud of its 38 year history of helping children gain
a deeper appreciation of music, dance and theater through individual and
group instruction, special ensembles, public performances, master classes,
and faculty and guest artist recitals. The Conservatory serves beginning
students as well as though talented youngsters with professional
aspirations.

SUMMER PROGRAMS
3 Different programs - ideal for children and teens ages 6-19, Beginners &
Intermediate

MUSICAL THEATER INTENSIVE

This course is ideal for youngsters' 11-16 years of age, beginners and