Planning a Party? Then Check Out Our New and Improved NYC Kids' Party Guide

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They say nothing is certain but death and taxes, but they forgot one: birthdays. Every year they come, whether you celebrate them or not. Of course, kids live for their birthdays (my daughter's been counting down the days until she turns six since the day she turned five!), and that kind of excitement and anticipation can put a lot of pressure on parents.

But there's no reason to stress. We've got the scoop on how to throw a memorable party, whether you're a DIYer who hosts every bash at home, or the kind of parent who prefers to pay someone else to do all the work.

After years of writing about parties, we've compiled our favorite posts onto one page. Plus we've added a super-cool Party Planner tool, which allows you to search for venues and entertainers by theme.

Read on for a sampling of what you'll find in our new-and-improved New York City Kids' Birthday Party Ideas Guide.

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month

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It's Spring and along with the flowers and new leaves on the trees ticks are lurking in the woods and tall grasses. There's plenty a parent can do to protect their children from this disease. Lyme disease was first discovered in Lyme, CT in the 70's.  It's preventable if recommendations are followed and can also be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. However, if  left untreated serious illness can occur. Most cases of Lyme disease develop during the spring or summer months, when people are more likely to be outside walking in the woods or in tall grass.

To prevent ticks from attaching to you or your kids:

Buying Local Food: CSAs in NYC with Delivery

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The locavore movement is expanding in NYC, and there are some great new ways to get fresh, locally grown meats and produce on your table. This year, we've discovered new CSAs that give you more flexibility and convenience, including ones that deliver to your door, or allow you to order à la carte rather than requiring you to purchase a full share.

If you aren't familiar with CSAs—Community Supported Agriculture groups—they are organized arrangements that allow consumers to buy food directly from the farmers. This helps give small farmers the financial support they need to make it through the planting season, and it gets fresher food on your table. Usually you buy a share (or a half share) of a farmer's output, and in return you receive a boxful of vegetables, fruit, eggs, cheese or meat every week throughout the growing season. If you're interested in signing up for a CSA, now is the time since spots fill up fast.

There are drawbacks to traditional CSAs: You have to pick up your food at a central location, you often have to put in volunteer hours and you don't know what will end up in your box ("you get what you get and don't get upset"). Plus, if you travel or go away on weekends during the summer, you'll miss part of your share, which is a drag since CSAs are kind of expensive. But this year, we've found some new, more flexible options.

Looking for Things to do with Kids in Eastern Connecticut?

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Let's face it. Sometimes we just want to know about what's happening in a specific region of CT and NOT the entire state. If you are just interested in finding something to do in Eastern Connecticut you're in the right place.

For all current events you can go to the Events Calendar on the Connecticut Mommy Poppins page and in the "search events" box type in "East". Voila! Up pops all of the Eastern CT events for you to choose from. You can also find specific blog entries that are related to Eastern CT under the East tab. Have any ideas or suggestions for Eastern CT blog topics? Email me at: CT@mommypoppins.com. I hope you enjoy the site! Mary Beth

Looking for Something to Do with Kids in Central Connecticut?

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Let's face it. Sometimes we just want to know about what's happening in a specific region of CT and NOT the entire state. If you are just interested in finding something to do in Central Connecticut you're in the right place.

For all current events you can go to the Events Calendar on the Connecticut Mommy Poppins page and in the "search events" box type in "Central". Voila! Up pops all of the Central events for you to choose from. You can also find specific blog entries that are related to Central CT under the Central tab. Have any ideas or suggestions for Central CT blog topics? Email me at: CT@mommypoppins.com. I hope you enjoy the site! Mary Beth

Looking for Something To Do in Fairfield County?

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Let's face it. Sometimes we just want to know about what's happening in a specific region of CT and NOT the entire state. If you are just interested in finding something to do in Fairfield County you're in the right place.

For all current events you can go to the Events Calendar on the Connecticut Mommy Poppins page and in the "search events" box type in "Fairfield". Voila! Up pops all of the Fairfield events for you to choose from. You can also find specific blog entries that are related to Fairfield under the Fairfield tab. Have any ideas or suggestions for Fairfield county blog topics? Email me at: CT@mommypoppins.com. I hope you enjoy the site! Mary Beth

Looking for Something To Do in Litchfield County?

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Let's face it. Sometimes we just want to know about what's happening in a specific region of CT and NOT the entire state. If you are just interested in finding something to do in Litchfield County you're in the right place.

For all current events you can go to the Events Calendar on the Connecticut Mommy Poppins page and in the "search events" box type in "Litchfield". Voila! Up pops all of the Litchfield events for you to choose from. You can also find specific blog entries that are related to Litchfield under the Litchfield tab. Have any ideas or suggestions for Litchfield county blogs? Email me at: CT@mommypoppins.com. I hope you enjoy the site! Mary Beth

Fun Things to Do for Connecticut Kids and Families May 14th-15th: Farm Days, Shows and Festivals, Civil War Reenactment

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MuThere's a lot of fun stuff going on this weekend in CT and we have the low-down for you. For a bit of culture check out the  Aquatic Dance Festival or the Music in the Garden Concert Series.

Go back into history at the Litchfield Civil War Commemoration, the Robin Hood Festival, the Primitive Skills Day or at the Artifacts Identification Day.

Dennis Leary is hosting  the 6th Annual Celebration of Young Writers in Washington Depot. And Joshua Kane performs a one man interactive psychic family show in Fairfield.

For a taste of nature, there's Spring on the Farm at Heckscher Family Farm in Stamford and a Farm Day in West Hartford which includes butter making, sheep shearing and hayrides.

That's not all. Check out the weekend highlights below and enjoy!

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