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.

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.

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.

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.

When I was a kid we would drive from our home in Queens to Nunley’s, a small Long Island amusement park, located on Sunrise Highway in Baldwin. I’d beg my parents to let me ride the kiddie roller coaster for the tenth time and then I’d head to the arcade for a ride on their gorgeous carousel. In the early 90’s, I heard that Nunley’s was closing and I was heartbroken. I felt like a large part of my childhood was being erased. Thankfully the carousel was saved and is now housed between the Cradle of Aviation and the Long Island Children’s Museum on Nassau County’s Museum Row. Although I can’t take my kids to Nunley’s for a game of mini-golf, I can still enjoy a ride on the carousel with them. Read on to find out how you and your kids can visit Nunley's Carousel and other great carousels on Long Island.

On Mother’s Day, matriarchs are treated extra-special, whether it's a fancy brunch, a thoughtful gift or just some well-earned time off.

But talking to other moms (and from our own experience), we've realized that what we love most about Our Day is getting the chance to spend some downtime with our kids—no screens, no chores, no studying. It's a day to enjoy each other's company, pure and simple.

In honor of that sentiment, we've rounded up some great things your kids can do with you (instead of for you) on Mother's Day that you'll enjoy as much as they will. But why limit these great activities to Sunday, May 8? All of these activities can be done year-round, so any day can be your special day together.

Albert Einstein once said, "If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." The folks involved in the four-day Festival of Ideas for the New City certainly embrace that sentiment of innovation.

From Wednesday, May 4 to Sunday, May 8, more than 200 downtown organizations, including founding partner the New Museum, will put pool their brain power to think up ways to improve NYC. The fest is organized into three parts: lectures (informative to be sure, but not for kids); 80 related projects, exhibits and performances at various downtown venues; and a very cool sounding street fair that will take over the Bowery and beyond on Saturday, May 7 from 11am-7pm.

The StreetFest is definitely the highlight for families. More than 75 organizations and businesses will show off their ideas, including cooking demos with urban farmers, gardening classes, bike tours, locally grown food, art and technology projects, and more. We've got the scoop on the most kid-friendly activities at the fest.

Now that spring break is over the countdown to summer has begun. But finding the perfect camp isn't the only thing on the agenda. It's time to start thinking about how your family will acknowledge your children's teachers for all of their hard work this past academic year.

We've rounded up fun, handmade ways you and your kids can say thank you—besides a gift card. If you do go the cash or gift card route, have your kids decorate the envelope with pictures and stickers. That personal touch is sure to get you an A+.

Handmade doesn’t necessarily mean homemade, so if the thought of crafting in your apartment scares you or you'd like professional help, we understand. We've got the goods on fantastic local spots where you and your children can make great gifts without trashing your place.

Teacher Appreciation Week kicks off this Monday, May 2 and goes through Friday, May 6, so this is the perfect time to get crafty. But if you can't get any of these projects together by the end of this week, don't worry: Public school kids have until June 28 to get creative for teacher, and independent schools don't let out until the end of the month.