Well, folks, we made it through.  Our tricks were treated; our houses were haunted; our buckets were filled with more candy than we’ll ever be able to eat. Now it’s time to sit back, take a breath, and relax, before the onslaught of turkeys, trees, and jolly old elves begins. (Outdoor ice skating has begun already!)

In the spirit of restoration, we all get an extra hour of sleep this weekend. It’s the end of Daylight Savings Time for 2011, so in the wee hours of  November 6 the clock “falls back” an hour. Make sure to reset your clocks (and it’s a good time to check the batteries in your smoke alarm, as well).

This week's fun includes events for TwiHards, Muppet lovers, and kiddie music fans as well as one last chance for arachnophiles.

Venice del Play Beach Camp (which, in spite of the name, meets on the beach in Santa Monica) is always a great option for school holidays. The yoga, boogie board, and sand castle experts are out there in the California sunshine on Veterans Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, and any other time that school is closed - winter, spring, summer, or fall. All you have to do is call.

Guaranteeing a 5-to-1 ratio of adults to children is important when there's water involved, which explains why the camp charges $90 for a full day of fun. However, Venice del Play is offering Mommy Poppins readers a $15 discount for a limited time! Grab this deal for Veterans Day Capoiera Camp and pay only $75.

Halloween has come and gone and fall is starting to seem like it's on its way out already. But before we say goodbye to fall, we've rounded up more festival fun, some cool nature events, a kid's show, and a few links to help if your house is overwhelmed with Halloween candy.

Now that all of the Halloween madness is over, we're looking forward to a calmer weekend. Not that there aren't cool things to do—this is NYC after all. The main event is Sunday's annual ING New York City Marathon, which takes over all five boroughs (and makes getting around a bit of a pain). But there are also lots of awesome kids' concerts to choose from, including The Deedle Deedle Dees, the Anna Banana Band and Suzi Shelton, a brand-new family series at the French Institute and, since it's the first weekend of the month, many museums are offering free admission and special family programming. And since daylight saving time ends on Sunday, you get an extra hour of fun (or sleep) too.

And those are 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.

Halloween is barely over and I am already preparing my Thanksgiving menu and checking names off my Christmas list.  I love the holidays, but just when I think my stress level couldn’t be any higher, this wonderful time of the year rolls around and I have to juggle the needs of my children and the desire to make this a great holiday season for them. For those of you who are in the same boat and in need of some support, here are a few support groups in the Burlington & Camden county areas.

Many of you have heard about the snow storm that ravaged CT Halloween Weekend. Many events have been canceled and rescheduled. As of this writing 675,000 homes are still without power, including my home. At times we've enjoyed the quiet and solace that power outages force upon you as well as having to cuddle together for warmth. However, today when we found out that school was closed yet again we ditched the cold, snow and electric free country life and drove into the city; hence how I am able to publish this post. Electricity is good. Very good. And we miss it. Badly. Please have patience with us here at MP CT as we get back on track. Things are destined to be wacky for the next few days. And if you are suffering too, we hope you are making the most of this imposed down time and are able to spend quality time with friends and family. Instead of trick or treating this year my children went sledding with friends. What else can you do but make the most of it?! Stay safe out there!

by Julie Marden

We recently added to our Preschools in Boston series with a post focusing on five preschools in Cambridge. Three of the five hold Open Houses in November. These are great opportunities to tour the facilities, meet teachers and staff, and get a feel for how your child might fit in.

by Julie Marden

We continue our Preschools in Boston series with a glimpse at five Cambridge preschools, from one of the oldest parent cooperatives in the country to a Harvard affiliated non-profit childcare center. Granted, some of these have long wait lists, but there are a surprising handful of openings right now.

We’ve provided an overview of the school philosophies and basic requirements below, but a look at these schools’ websites – and, of course, a visit! – is highly recommended as you begin to clarify your hopes and requirements for your children and their educational paths.