Families who head to the Life is good Festival on Saturday and Sunday (9/24-9/25) can enjoy great music for kids and adults, an array of games and activities, diverse local food, and hands-on art projects. Performers include nationally known musical talent and popular children’s performers.

The festival aims to raise $1 million to benefit the Life is Good Playmakers, the action arm of the Life is good Kids Foundation, whose mission is to help children overcome life-threatening challenges, including violence, illness and extreme poverty.

Now that the kids are back in school, it’s time to start driving them all over the place for swimming, soccer, and pogo-stick practice, or if your kid is artsy, ceramics, beading and sewing. A recent rise in the popularity of crafting — knitting, it’s not just for Great Aunt Bertha anymore — means many kids are a part of the trend and NJ has no shortage of captivating shops. Some are drop-ins, some are multi-week courses, and they aren’t cheap, but then neither are Junior’s sword-swallowing lessons.

You know how sometimes a piece of clothing can bring back a past conversation or experience? From a white wedding veil to a black funeral dress to a sequined dance recital leotard, our wardrobes and our memories are intertwined. It's a girl thing and it unites women everywhere.

That's what makes the show Love, Loss, and What I Wore such a great way to spend a moms' night out. A series of vignettes about the ups and downs of various women using clothing as the connecting thread, the hit Off Broadway show will celebrate its two-year anniversary on October 1, and it doesn't look like it's going out of style anytime soon.

While my previous moms' night out suggestions, like cool dance and art classes, and a downtown scavenger hunt, were more interactive, Love, Loss, and What I Wore is really engaging and moving, and inspires meaningful post-show conversations. Plus, at select performances, you can add on childcare for just $15 per kid. So gather your girlfriends, put on something fabulous and get ready to bond.

Ahhhh, date night. Just the mere thought of this rare event can bring parents right to their happy place. You know, that place where you can finish your sentences without interruption, only cut up your own food, enjoy an activity without whining or reprimanding and most importantly, spend quality time with your significant other. Pure bliss, indeed. As lovely as this is, date night can often be a challenge to plan. Coordinating (or even finding) a babysitter can be a feat in itself and then there’s the task of planning the actual night out. Not to fear, weary parents, we’ve done some of that research for you and there are many options for quality and super fun childcare in the evenings. Let us get you and your significant other out on the town!

The Los Angeles Grail, the Great Quest of the Southland, may well be the search for the ultimate family weekend getaway. The vacation that gives the most pleasure for the least effort. The highest decadence to travel time ratio. And I am here to share the news that Nirvana is only an hour away down an Orange County stretch of the 405 to Huntington Beach.

Yes, you read that right: surfing nuns. I know you're intrigued, so read on to find out about those ladies of the cloth and their saintly surfboards. If you'd prefer non-religious sports, try wending your way through the corn maze at Terhune Orchards on Apple Day. Or if you're looking for a good old fair, there are country fairs, folk fairs and a clown hoopla to choose from. And remember, the first official day of fall is next week, so enjoy your last weekend of summer!

Even though autumn doesn't officially start until September 23, we were all about fall this week. We began updating our Fall Fun Guide, and shared our picks for the best concerts, museum exhibits and theater shows for kids this coming season.

Our two new sites in Boston and Los Angeles are picking up speed. Boston highlighted six cool exhibits for families and in LA they're already looking ahead to Halloween with a roundup of pumpkin patches. Let your friends in those cities know that they can sign up for their respective newsletters.

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.

Wowza, I wish I had a time machine this weekend so that I could manipulate the clock and attend all of the fun  and creative events planned. There are loads of options and you'll be hard-pressed to choose just one. Wilton, Orange, Woodbury and Fairfield are having fairs this weekend. In Woodstock you can experience their Civil War Living History event. For survivalists, check out the free wilderness survival workshop in Kent and for animal lovers do the behind the scenes aquarium tour in Norwalk. There's even a hay bale search in Woodstock and a Rubber Duck Race in Woodbury. Club Getaway and K.E.L.F. are joining forces and opening the club for the day to families. Kayaking, the rock climbing wall and zip-lines are just a tiny bit of the activities to choose from on Sunday.

This week we've rounded up apple picking farms and are giving away tickets to the CT Renaissance Faire (the drawing ends this Friday night at 5pm.) If you are looking for after school activities in Fairfield check out our post. Join our growing facebook community and LIKE us today. You can also friend us on twitter to stay up to the minute with reminders of what's happening around town.

On a more serious note, our New Jersey editor has recently participated in a roundtable discussion for a CBS news special: "Bullying: Words Can KIll". It airs this Friday, September 16 at 8pm EST. The program covers the affects of bullying and explores methods to address it. Read more for the low-down on what's happening this weekend.