As a parent, finding time for doctor's appointments, job interviews, or the much-coveted date night out can be challenging enough -- finding someone to watch the kids can be even more difficult. Turning to your virtual village to organize a childcare cooperative is a great, free alternative to costly babysitters or drop-off centers.

A babysitting co-op lets you trade time watching each other's kids for time to do real grown-up things like go to appointments, clean the house, or just take a break. Lots of parents do this informally in a "you get my back this time, I will get your's next time" approach, where the only reckoning of debts owed is karmic.  This works great among friends, but tends to involve only a small group of select people.  Creating a more formally organized cooperative allows parents to expand their network of willing sitters while accurate tracking keeps things fair and equitable. Here's how to get started:

'Tis the weekend before the main event and every ghost and goblin will be out in NJ, so grab your last chance at a pumpkin festival or do some Creepy Crawly Worm Dissection. And if you're aching for some non-spooky fun, try a overnight campout at a lovely arboretum or an enormous crafts festival with special activities for your junior craftsmen. Remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar and whatever you do, don't miss a chance to enter our great Giveaway to win $150 of Target Boys and Girls clothes and a $100 Target gift card. Happy Halloween!

During my previous monthly special needs posts, I've rounded up music classes and dance lessons for New York City children with special needs. Today, I'm highlighting adaptive art programs for children with different abilities, like my tween son.

Although my boy has participated in all kinds of special needs sports, and social groups, art has never been very high on his wish list. With his limited fine-motor skills, short attention span and tendency to get easily frustrated, it's understandable that it's not a favorite. But I really wanted to find a creative outlet for him that he would enjoy.

So I started to investigate the kinds of special needs art programs available around the city, and as usual I wasn't disappointed—but I was surprised. While there are only a handful of studios offering adaptive experiences, some of NYC's major museums have incredible special needs hands-on sessions, most of which are FREE. Here are five special needs art programs for families, as well as two others that sound interesting but are open only to schools.

A birthday party celebration in the Hamptons doesn't need to focus on the pool or the beach, and during the cooler months, you'll want to find a fun indoor activity. Whether you have a sporty kid, a princess, a future marine biologist or a budding artist, there are party venues for every interest area, age and budget.

So, you’ve found the perfect location for your family photo, and you’ve decided on a photographer. Great, but now you keep asking yourself questions (in a jittery voice): What will everyone wear? How will I get the kids to behave? What if the baby won’t stop drooling? No need to panic. Professional photographer Korri Leigh Crowley has five tips for getting the most out of your family photo shoot experience, panic-free. 

Angeleno families are offered so many options at Halloween time it can become overwhelming; with limited time and funds, what are the real must-spook events? Which ones are worth driving for, and which are just more of the same on the other side of the hill?

We've chosen our top five venues for pumpkins, spooks, and things that go "Boo!"

While we may not have fancy waterside parks like neighboring Long Island City, there are still some great places to play in Sunnyside and Woodside, both outdoors and in. In addition to playgrounds like Lou Lodati Playground and Windmuller Park, which frequently features live entertainment at its band shell, there's the lovely members-only Sunnyside Gardens Park that locals can join and visitors can explore during a handful of annual public festivals.

We have a handful of drop-in places to play indoors, too, including two local libraries with regular storytimes, a pair of awesome playgroups and, if you're really in a bind, a Chuck E Cheese's. (You may hate it but kids love it!) We continue our month-long focus on Sunnyside and Woodside with a curated roundup of our favorite romping spots in the area.

Fall is in full swing and we've got some great seasonal deals for New York City families. Our generous sponsors are offering discounts on a variety of fun kids' activities for all ages and interests, including a live-action stage adaptation of Jim Henson's beloved Dinosaur Train (one of our top fall family theater picks), creative classes at Let's Gogh Art NYC, a holiday photo shoot from c'est beau photo, tickets to Quiet Clock, the Musical and the Zumbini™ music and movement program for tots. Don't wait to take advantage of these great bargains. Deals this good will be gone long before the first snow falls.