What's Your Favorite Mommy Moment?

Being a mother is one of life's most wonderful gifts. There's no greater reward in my life than the bond I have with my kids—but I'll still take my breakfast in bed as a runner-up.

Here's a little slide show of some of the favorite mother-child moments from all of us at Mommy Poppins. These years just fly by. We hope they are filled with lots of hugs, kisses, squiggles and giggles.

Share your favorite Mommy moment with us here in the comments, or share your photos with us on our Facebook page. Happy Mother's Day!

Weekly Wrap Up: Mother's Day Fun, Handmade Gifts for Teacher and Drop-Off Date Night Childcare

Moms aren't the only ones feeling the love this Mother's Day week; it's also Teacher Appreciation Week and Cinco de Mayo. Woohoo! As if we needed another excuse to go out and party.

Speaking of going out, when's the last time you enjoyed date night in your family? A number of play spots are offering evening drop-off care, so parents can enjoy some adult time, while their children are plied with pizza and activities.

But this weekend, the focus will be on mom. What will you do? Enjoy a fancy brunch? Or spend quality time with your kids?

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Your NJ Weekend May 7-8: Mostly FREE Fun From Horses to Sheep, Ballet to Musicals, and May Day to Marvel Comics!

It may be Mother’s Day weekend, but after your “breakfast in bed” (READ: frozen waffles, a Go-gurt and orange juice, served with love,) the focus is back on the family.  What to do this weekend? We suggest heading out to take in an amazing performance–there’s both a fantastic, fun musical, and a beautiful family ballet to choose from.  If you’re into the outdoors, head to a NJ State History Fair in the park, a sheep-shearing festival at a creamery, a horse-drawn wagon ride on a farm, or a May Day Festival in the woodlands. Comic books your kid’s thing? Nip over to your neighborhood comic store for National FREE Comic Book Day! Then, pack up the family and head home to your kitchen to clean up the “loving” mess.

Free and Fun Things to Do for NYC Kids and Families on Mother's Day Weekend May 7-8, 2011

Mothers, this weekend's all about you. So why don't you decide what to do on Saturday and Sunday? (As if you don't do that most of the time anyway.)

There are many mom-pleasing events to choose from this weekend (in addition to brunch), like my pick: the Garden Party at the New York Botanical Garden, featuring blooming azaleas and lots of old-fashioned family fun. Music lovers can catch Peter and the Wolf at Lincoln Center on Saturday. If you're in the mood for theater, The Paper Bag Players are performing a free show down on the Lower East Side on Mother's Day. And while Cinco De Mayo is officially on Thursday, the colorful annual Mexican parade takes place on Sunday.

If you want to start celebrating a little early, there are two amazing festivals on Saturday: the innovative Festival of Ideas for the New City StreetFest on the Bowery, and the retro-cool  Street Games in East Harlem.

Warning: According to weather reports, Sunday may be a washout. (Mother Nature, how could you do that to us on our big day?) Before heading to an outdoor event, make sure to check its official site for weather-related updates or cancelations. If it does rain, you can always find something fun to do indoors in our Inside Activity Guide.

Our best bets for the weekend are below but remember, there are always additional options in the Mommy Poppins Events Calendar.

Have a great weekend, and Happy Mother’s Day to all of you from your fellow moms at Mommy Poppins.

Two Children's Theater Companies Open New Spaces Downtown

New Yorkers are used to lots of businesses opening and, more often it seems, closing. So while we were sad, we weren't exactly surprised when two veteran children's theaters announced that they were losing their spaces and looking to move. Manhattan Children's Theatre is running its final show in its Tribeca theater, The Complete Works of the Brothers Grimm (Abridged), through May 30. Meanwhile the New Acting Company, which is performing its campy take on Snow White through May 15, will vacate its Greenwich Village location next year. No details yet on where these companies will end up.

But for every spot that closes, another one opens. It's just the nature of this town. So we're happy (and again, not all that surprised) to tell you that two other NYC family theater mainstays, Galli Theater and Teatro SEA, have brand-new theaters in downtown Manhattan.

We've got the scoop on their new spaces and the shows they'll be performing the rest of this season.

Loving Mom: Mother's Day Events in NJ

Oh, Mothers. We get the love. We get the hate. We get the primordial hugs from the short people who drop their backpacks and hearts at our feet, with all the hope that we will pick them up and put them back where they belong. We get a warm Sunday in May where one little fist clutches some petrified flowers and the other a hand-printed poem, and a quiet, 'here you go, Mama, I made this for you.' We also maybe want a lovely brunch, a cocktail and an afternoon without any dishes or laundry. Fortunately, New Jersey offers many opportunities for family fun on Mother's Day, from wine tastings to oceanside music. So take the perks, because Monday is right around the corner.

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