THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED. READ THE NEW VERSION HERE.

When you are a new parent New York can be like a sea of humanity: people, people everywhere, but not a soul to commiserate with. Finding the right parenting group can give you an instant social network to share the trials and tribulations of parenthood. Some mothers groups plan events and get-togethers, some offer seminars and discussions on pertinent topics, and some are just a place to chat on-line. Here are ten twelve NYC parenting groups for moms and dads of every stripe.

Eating locally is all the rage now, and the Greenmarket in Union Square is the place to go to stock your fridge with great local produce. But you can get local when it comes to shopping for kids too and you don't have to go any further than the southern edge of Union Square Park. Local New York artists set up stands along the southern perimeter of the park and we found some wonderful unique items there.

Last week's post about Little Maestros got a bunch of interesting comments which shows how individual choosing classes for your child can be. Everybody has their particular likes and dislikes, another reason to be thankful we live in NYC where there are so many choices that we can find classes that suit our own tastes. My personal favorite for music classes is Music for Aardvarks. I just love David Weinstone's songs which are fun and groovy for kids and adults. The quirky lyrics and song subjects really relate so well to our lives here as city kids and their grown-ups. Classic songs like the "Taxi" song, "City Kid" and "Subway" celebrate the experiences of growing up in an urban environment, but I also love songs like "Lollipop Doc":

"I said okey dokey you know best 'cuz you're the doc but before I go, I'd like to know, hey, where's my lollipop?"

Kids love pets. Especially furry ones. Double especially big, furry, drool-y, ones that need to be walked and run and scooped up after several times a day and kenneled when you go on vacation and given expensive shots. Except they don't like all that stuff so much.

And the whining and begging and pointing out of cute dogs can wear a parent down to the point where maybe having a cute little doggie doesn't seem like such a bad idea, even if you do live in NYC in an apartment the size of a toothbrush holder and work 60 hours a day to pay for it. Which can lead to post traumatic pet ownership.

But, dogs are forever. You can't just get a cute puppy and keep it for a little while and then return it when the charm wears off...or can you? Urban travel guide, Gridskipper, reports on a new service that has come to NYC that may be the final answer to that perennial question, "Mommy, can I have a puppy?"

Just a couple more days of vacation for me and the family. I'm going off-line for these last few days and I'll be back to regular posting on Monday.

I swore I'd never stand in line behind a velvet rope again. But when I heard about Baby Loves Disco

Sherri Margulies is a an awesome film editor who happens to be the mom of an adorable little babe in NYC and, now, is Mommy Poppins' first contributor. Her first two posts, featured today and tomorrow, are about music activities for babies in NYC. Welcome, Sherri!

Just like everyone else in Manhattan, I learned quickly that I needed to register my little one for some classes in order to get her resume going to get into a good preschool. My nanny, who rocks, thought it best to demo some music classes. Demo classes for a 6 month old, sounded crazy, but I thought she must know something I didn't, and indeed she did. After trying out Music Together and Music for Aardvarks we came across Little Maestros and she was blown away.

In my last post, I said that my current favorite outing with kids in NYC is to take the trolley to explore the South Bronx. I thought I'd write up some more details so more of you can enjoy this great excursion. And thanks to everyone who has contributed their favorite outings.