by Julie Marden

We continue our Preschools in Boston series with a glimpse at five Cambridge preschools, from one of the oldest parent cooperatives in the country to a Harvard affiliated non-profit childcare center. Granted, some of these have long wait lists, but there are a surprising handful of openings right now.

We’ve provided an overview of the school philosophies and basic requirements below, but a look at these schools’ websites – and, of course, a visit! – is highly recommended as you begin to clarify your hopes and requirements for your children and their educational paths.

We’re not sure if you’ve noticed, but New Jersey is a big state. BIG. And as Mommy Poppins expands to cover more of this BIG place, we find ourselves in need of more writers who want to help us create the best content for local parents. We're looking for freelance bloggers to write reviews of local venues and events, as well as well-researched roundups of the top activities, classes and experiences for kids. Read on for additional information and instructions on how to apply.

Yes, we realize your kids will be unwrapping their trick-or-treat loot for weeks to come. But if your family is as serious about sweets as mine, it's worth checking out the 14th annual Chocolate Show - New York, which takes place Thursday, November 10-Sunday, November 13. While the tickets are pricey ($30-$40 for adults), children under 12 get in free and once inside, all tastes and activities are included. The only additional cost is if you want to buy chocolates to take home. (For me, resistance is futile.)

My children and I attended Chocolate Show - NY last year and just loved it. (I mean, it's chocolate. What's not to love?) It's very family-friendly and even includes a Kids Zone, where creative youngsters can draw and paint with chocolate, make chocolate-flavored pasta and decorate cupcakes with—wait for it—chocolate. New this year is the Chocolate Grab game. Just like a scene out of Willy Wonka, kids will grab handfuls of chocolate and the child who finds the specially wrapped piece will win a prize, like tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular or the upcoming revival of Peter Pan.

Here are other some other sweet things you can do at the 2011 edition of Chocolate Show - New York.

It's been a few years since Halloween fell on a school day (not to mention a school night). But if your kids didn't get trick-or-treating out of their system over the weekend at various parties (or if their festivities were totally snowed out on Saturday, which felt more like Christmas than Halloween), you can still celebrate on Monday night.

We've rounded up awesome family parades, spooky parties, cool haunted houses and, of course, great places to score candy. And here's the real treat: All of them are free or very inexpensive. So grab your little ghosts and goblins—or in my case, a flying squirrel—and hit the town. Whatever you decide to do, try to arrive early and plan for crowds: Young or old, everyone in New York City loves Halloween!

Does anyone else think Halloween should be a mandatory three-day weekend? Especially with October 31 falling on a Monday. Even though you can get your fill of Halloween parties and costume parades over the weekend, my family still intends to trick-or-treat door-to-door on Monday evening... even though I know we'll pay for it on Tuesday morning.

While Halloween was definitely our theme of the week, we're already looking ahead to winter fun (although we hope we're not as bad as Duane Reade, which has had a Christmas section since, oh, about August). Many outdoor ice-skating rinks open for the season this week, and we reviewed Mystery at the Museum, which is a cool, interactive way to tour the American Museum of Natural History. Remember that when you're entertaining out-of-town holiday guests.

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, as well as selected stories from our brand-new sites in Boston and Los Angeles.

When it comes to most things to do, NYC beats the suburbs hands down. Grocery shopping? Not one of them. Supermarket-deprived neighborhoods, walk-ups and lack of a parking (or even a car) make city shopping a challenge. For a long time FreshDirect has been a game changer for NYC families, but now there's a new option for online grocery shopping. This year, Peapod brought suburban grocery shopping to the City and I put it to the test.

Read on to find out how Peapod's new service in NYC stacks up to FreshDirect and how you can save a lot of dough on your groceries.

We’ve haled the haunted houses, prattled on about the parades and listed Halloween events until we’re Wicked-Witch-green in the face. But guess what? The main event is Monday so there’s more; more screams, more squeals, more spooky happenings, all weekend long. Creative Jack-o-lanterns on display, haunted hayrides, pet parades, and a freaky funeral reenactment celebrate this weekend's tricks and treats. Have fun and don't eat too much candy!

10/28 Update: It's supposed to rain and SNOW this weekend in NJ, so make sure to double-check that your weekend event is still happening!

Happy Halloween!

Boston families can enjoy a variety of Halloween weekend activities that run the gamut from the scary to the not-so-spooky. Check out our roundup of Halloween fun for events that have been happening all season, plus 20 free (and one almost free) events happening at local libraries, malls, and bookstores. And read on for even more coverage of Halloween events, plus performances by the Airborne Comedians and Stacey Peasley, Play Date at the ICA, the annual Classic Cartoon Festival, and more.

As always, if the weather is questionable, we recommend checking with the venue before heading to any outdoor event.

Keith Munslow Ticket Giveaway: Keith Munslow comes to the Regent Theatre in Arlington on Saturday, 10/29, and two Mommy Poppins Boston families can win free tickets to see his show, Songs and Stories, Cartoons and Comedy. Send me an email to enter. Winners will be selected by Friday at 2pm.