It was so hot last weekend—insert your best, “How hot was it?” joke here—it was hard to talk or think about anything else. Rant about climate change, curse Mother Nature or stomp your flip-flopped feet, there's nothing we can do. At least we have some relief from the heat... for a few days, anyway.

Of course, even 100-degree temperatures can't stop the city that never sleeps, and we've got lots of news to share, including controversial new teacher evaluations, restaurants that ban kids, a children's museum in the Bronx and a new floating pool. So turn up your AC and enjoy.

Ms. Scott has dedicated her entire working life to helping people create healthier, more stress-free lives. She has had a private practice as a health consultant and educator for over 30 years, designing effective stress management workshops for families and corporations. Leigh has two grown children and lives in Westport, CT. LeighScottParenting.com

Who Gets the Oxygen Mask First?

In case of an emergency, airline stewards always remind us to put the oxygen mask on ourselves first and then our child but instinct tells us to put the oxygen mask on our child first. Our brains are wired to protect our children, even if we die in the process. No wonder it is so hard to put ourselves first as a parent. Self-care is a concept that has to be forged into our brain to override that protective instinct.

I don’t know about some of you, but summer can be a very stressful time for me, when my days are dedicated to trying to figure out what to do with my boys from morning to night.  My number one priority?  Keeping them cool and happy.  My number two priority?  Keeping myself sane enough to keep them cool and happy. Anyone with a child on the Autism spectrum who can say that summer is 100% fun, please tell me your secret!

Editor's note: The Rubin Museum will close its doors on Sunday, October 6, 2024.

As New York City museums go, the Rubin Museum of Art is just a baby, but it's definitely growing fast. The only museum in the Western Hemisphere dedicated to the art of the Himalayas (Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China and many other Far East countries and cultures), its collection is varied and vast—there are countless figures of deities, shrines, instruments, textiles and more—and the institution as a whole is surprisingly family-friendly.

We wrote about the Rubin back in 2004, but so much has changed since then, we revisited the museum as well as this post. Not only is there an impressive slate of programming for kids, including drop-in workshops and festivals, the Rubin opened an education center in the summer of 2011, which accommodates children and adults.

Next door to the museum, the two-floor center features circular stairs that mirror the main space's dramatic spiral staircase. It's a lovely addition with large classrooms and a performance area, cute cubbyholes for backpacks, and colorful kid-made art interspersed with items from the museum's collection.

The Rubin is a wonderful destination on any day: The artifacts are stunning and easy for kids to digest (a solid gold statue of a deity doesn't need to be put in context; it's just cool), and there's a cafe with delicious eats. Happily though, there are kids' activities almost every day. Here's what's going on at the Rubin for families this season.

With the weather we've been having, perhaps the last thing you want to do is pick up a book about the hottest season.

But you'll be pining for summer fun soon enough: longer days, summer Fridays, family vacations, and afternoons spent in the sprinklers and at the beach.

Even though summer isn't even half over, I catch myself feeling nostalgic for it. It's the season we always seem to measure by how close it is to being done. These ten children's books capture its big and little pleasures: the magic of keepsakes, awesome (and not-so-great) photos and the making of memories. Every one is a must for your summer reading list.

If your kids are anything like mine, they've been begging to see the reboot of The Smurfs since those little CGI blue guys (and one girl) started taking over all the ad space in the city. (They seem to be everywhere! On buses, phone booths, billboards, etc.) 

Although I was a big fan of the Smurfs back in the day and I adore NPH (a.k.a. Neil Patrick Harris, the movie's human star), I don't have the highest hopes. That said, I know where I'll be next Friday, July 29: in a movie theater enjoying the air-conditioning, eating popcorn and watching my son have a good time.

But you know what I actually am excited about? Smurf Week in NYC! NYCGo, New York City's official tourism organization, has partnered with local cultural centers like the Brooklyn Children's Museum and the New York Botanical Garden for five days of smurfy fun for families. Yes, it's a marketing ploy to get you to see the movie, which you'll probably end up doing anyway. But a lot of the activities sound super-smurftastic.

Read on for the smurfiest highlights (and we promise, no more smurfing around).

Do you know that a quarter of Fairfield County's area is covered in water? Getting out on the water in a kayak, a sailboat or on a stand-up paddle board can provide hours of summer fun.

Paddle on a neighborhood pond

Kayaking is an easy and safe water sport, especially on the calm surface of a protected pond. Nearly every town offers family-friendly and safe spots for kayaking. Most operate small boat rental places at municipality-owned lakes. The Town of Ridgefield’s Parks and Recreation Center has a little boathouse on the Great Pond in Martin Beach Park with single and tandem kayaks and paddle boats that can accommodate the whole family.

We promise we're not going to obsess on the heat. And we're not going to sing "Hot Hot Hot" or "It's Gettin' Hot in Herre" (sic) like your annoying coworkers. But man, it is boiling in NYC right now... hard to believe just six months ago we were suffering through snow days!

The terrible temperatures didn't dampen our spirits though. We still managed to have some great adventures visiting a Wild Safari, sailing on the Ikea Water Taxi and getting wet at Pier 84 in Hudson River Park.

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.