Whether it’s good old-fashioned angel food or trendy Southern red velvet, birthday cake is still the highlight of any party for kids. These days, however, the definition of “birthday cake” is expanding to also include cupcakes (amazing what one little episode of Sex and the City can do). Cupcakes are a good party choice because they can be cheaper, easier to serve, and more customizable than regular party cakes—the perfect answer when half your guests want chocolate and the other half crave vanilla. Whichever way you go, consider the following places. They’ll make any birthday party a sweet celebration.

I know what we are gonna do today! My son just turned six and we decided to throw a party surrounding the two coolest boys in the Tri-State area, their annoying sister and their pet platypus: Phineas and Ferb. And even though I did use character plates and cups at the party, I am not talking about just laying out some Phineas and Ferb paper plates and calling it a theme! The party activities and cuisine really evoked the characters and fun of this cartoon. I think the party turned out fantastic. It was super small - just a couple of kids and I had it at home (yes, in a 2 bedroom Manhattan apartment!) 

Read on to find out how I created our Phineas and Ferb birthday party. We've got lots more at home birthday party ideas in our Birthday Party Guide.

March brings us an abundance of opportunities to celebrate our love of books! Schools, libraries, and families across Long Island have kicked off the month by celebrating both the 108th birthday of Dr. Seuss and Read Across America Day. The celebration continues on into next week with some very special book-centered events. Check out these free or cheap activities sure to engage your little bookworm!

When I saw the Star Wars: Jedi Training Academy at Disneyland last year, my first thought was, "this is so cool. I bet you could recreate this experience at home for an amazing birthday party theme." (I never claimed to be normal.) If you haven't seen it, Disney's Jedi Training Academy lets kids learn light saber moves and battle Darth Vader. It's pretty freaking cool, and I figured if you cut out some of the stage craft (like the fog machine) you could fairly simply recreate the Jedi Training Academy experience at home for the most amazing birthday party idea a mini Star Wars geek could imagine.

We still have our Winter Guide up on our front page but since my daughter and I spotted blooming daffodils on the way to school this morning, we think it will soon be time to switch to our Spring Fun Guide.

The warm weather means maple sugaring season is in full swing and that New York City's plentiful playgrounds are buzzing with activity. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We remember years when it snowed in April, so don't give up on winter fun quite yet.

Our summer camp coverage continued with roundups of sleepaway camps that offer SAT prep, and nature-filled sleepaway camps on Long Island and in Connecticut. Meanwhile our New Jersey site's been all about birthdays this week, with posts on ice cream parties, animal parties, and party planners and entertainers. If you want to stay on top of everything that's going on in New Jersey, Long Island, Connecticut, Boston or Los Angeles, you can subscribe to our free newsletters. Read on for everything we covered on Mommy Poppins NYC this week.

Lots going on this weekend! MPLI fave Long Island Children's Museum is offering many quality programs and shows, including a Read Across America Celebration; a couple of Long Island JCCs are hosting Purim celebrations; and Imaginocean is playing at the Staller Center. Enjoy!

New Jersey is known for its outlets, its malls and of course, its mini-malls. Although we can all find some bargains and good deals at chain and departments stores, sometimes we need a unique touch. The garden state has an abundance of independent baby boutiques. So you if you’re looking for a special gift for your niece or just a stand-out look for your own tot, visit one of the many shops open in our area.

Russian is my first language, so when I became a mom, I resolved that all of my children would be bilingual. I now have three kids and failed with all of them in their own way (not unlike what Tolstoy said about unhappy families). They are all definitely English dominant.

But I did do one thing right with my now eight- and five-year-olds: In addition to speaking Russian to them from birth, I also enrolled them in baby sign language classes. Not only were they able to communicate through sign months earlier than their mouths and tongues were capable of physically producing words, it created a perfect bridge from one language to the other. When I spoke to them in English (if their father was around), I signed the words. If I spoke to them in Russian (when we were alone), I signed the words. Making the same sign whether I was speaking English or Russian crystallized the point that all three–English, Russian and sign–referred to the same thing, and really helped them keep it all straight.

Here are some places where families can take baby sign language classes in New York City.