Friday is Veterans Day so most of us are looking at a three-day weekend! (My son's school is even closed on Monday.) Luckily there's plenty of family fun to be had on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

There is a slew of special events at various museums. The Jewish Museum is hosting an Ezra Jack Keats Family Day in conjunction with its exhibit celebrating the iconic children's book author and illustrator. The New York Historical Society is reopening after a lengthy renovation with a brand-new attraction for families: the DiMenna Children's History Museum. The Children's Museum of Manhattan unveils a new permanent exhibit Eat Sleep Play. The New York Transit Museum is offering special programming along with its new ElectriCity installation. And there's a brand-new museum opening on Veterans Day at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

If none of those strike your fancy, there's also the delicious Chocolate Show, BAM Rose Cinemas' Puppets on Film festival (which includes a screening of The Muppet Movie) or a Little Orchestra Society classical concert.

And that's just a few of the great things going on this weekend. Read on for all of our picks and remember, you can find additional options in our Event Calendar.

Has it been two weeks already? Apparently so, and we're back with our biweekly news roundup.

Before you head to the polls for Election Day (or to the playground since public school students have the day off), check out our take on a number of interesting stories, including the suggestion that boys get the HPV vaccine as well as girls (because it's nice to share), a possible space museum in Midtown West and some awesome public art.

If you live in Litchfield County, your children may have attended a workshop sponsored by ASAP, The After School Arts Program based in Washington, CT. ASAP was created 13 years ago as a way to engage Region 12 children in artistic and cultural activities that otherwise would not be available to them. What started as eight workshops has turned into over one hundred as well as a summer camp program, field trips, concerts and classes for preschoolers and adults.

ASAP's programming is extensive, covering all ages and including workshops such as beatboxing, hip hop dancing, making ecobooks and creating a musical from your favorite book. Anyone can attend one of the numerous workshops and the after school programming is open to all Region 12 area students.

A new event this year, A Celebration of Young Photographers, invites students to submit a photograph reflecting their interpretation on this year’s theme: Perspectives on Home. Joanne Torti, Executive Director, sees this as a true community event--one that is open to all children, grades 3-12, across the region. One that allows them to explore their creative side and be recognized for it. It's also a fun way to usher in the holidays.

Well, our kids’ teachers (a.k.a., our saviors) are off to the NJEA Convention for a couple of days this week, leaving us with bored children at home. Sure, they could watch TV for 72 straight hours or force you to do glue-y and paint-y crafts, but we’d like to give you a few more options. Try a camp or see a play or head out to the grand opening of an indoor amusement park. But whatever you do, savor the moments—you know, because we only have about ninety more school days off coming up.

We had the good fortune to attend Peter Pan in Boston last Wednesday. (Please see our review for details about the show.) The next afternoon, Mommy Poppins Boston talked with one of the show’s producers, Robert Butters, for some insights about the production.

Read on for excerpts from our interview.

As you may know, we are featuring the Upper West Side on Mommy Poppins this month, writing about fun things to do, cool toy stores and places to eat, stay and play.

As part of our Upper West Side focus, we're hosting a Moms' Night Out with one of our favorite family spots in the neighborhood, Scribble Press, and it's a wonderful chance to take care of your holiday card and gift making.

As we mentioned last week, Mommy Poppins' neighborhood of the month is the Upper West Side. We already shared our top 30 things to do on the UWS. Today we're highlighting our favorite toy stores in the area.

The UWS is so family-friendly that you can find a business selling toys on most blocks (along with a Starbucks or two). The West 80s in particular could be dubbed "Toy Store Row." Now if you ask my three-year-old, there's no such thing as a bad toy store. However, as an UWS parent who frequently finds herself searching for last-minute birthday party gifts, I certainly like some more than others. Here are sixUpper West Side toy shops that really stand out from the rest in terms of products, prices and cute offerings. One even has a Tooth Fairy Registry.

What a scary week! Last Saturday felt like February (can you imagine if that had been a weekday? NYC schools probably would have been closed—heck, Central Park playgrounds are currently shuttered and many suburbs were totally derailed by the storm). Then on Monday, families dressed up in their creepiest costumes to trick-or-treat for Halloween. (That's me and my family dressed in our Addams Family best.) We're still suffering from a bit of a chocolate hangover in our household. Luckily, we've got lots of suggestions about what to do with all of that leftover candy.

Now that October 31 has come and gone, we're starting to turn our attention to the holiday season. Over the next few weeks, we'll be updating our Holiday Fun Guide and adding new posts, too. We're also highlighting a new neighborhood this month: the Upper West Side. So stay tuned for in-depth posts about things to do and places to play in the area.

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.