Who doesn't like a birthday party ... especially when the birthday girl weighs 3,000 pounds and gets her own two-week celebration? Kids of all ages will enjoy the party being thrown for Button the Hippo's 14th birthday at Adventure Aquarium. The two-week celebration—running from April 16th through May 1st—has something for everyone to enjoy.

Earth Day is fast approaching but as they say, shouldn't every day be Earth Day?

In the spirit of that statement, the National Wildlife Federation has teamed up with Nickelodeon, TheMotherhood.com and other bloggers (including Mommy Poppins!) to get the word out about B Kind 2 Earth Day, which encourages everyone to do something nice for the planet on Earth Day and beyond. 

But you don't have to wait until April 22 to start: Grab the brood, head outdoors and reconnect with our fantastic planet today and all year long. If you feel inspired, make your pledge to do something kind for the Earth on the B Kind 2 Earth Day Facebook page.

There's something huge at the American Museum of Natural History, and I'm not talking about the Blue Whale. I'm referring to the groundbreaking new exhibit The World’s Largest Dinosaurs, which is sure to be a big hit with amateur paleontologists young and old. This fascinating show focuses on the supersized sauropods, and goes beyond dusty old bones to examine these giants as the living creatures they once were.

This exhibit isn’t about when but how these animals lived and thrived for 140,000 years. Their story is told in different sections, each with kid-friendly interactives and tons of models, which delve into the physiology and biology of these enormous creatures. We explored the exhibit last week, and you won’t want to miss this innovate spotlight on the sauropods.

Have some power struggles in your family? Kids wearing you out? You wearing them out? Enter the lovely and down-to-earth Susan Stiffelman, author of Parenting Without Power Struggles: Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids while Staying Cool, Calm and Connected. Ms. Stiffelman is a licensed Marriage, Family and Child counselor, an Educational Therapist, and Parent Educator. She's also a teacher. And a mom. A mom to a college student, which means that she raised a child to adulthood without killing him or having a nervous breakdown. This alone would give her the authority to speak on the topic at hand, but, oh, there's so much more.

Is everybody ready for spring break? We know your kids are. Public-school students are off from Saturday through Tuesday, April 26 and it's certainly an eventful time. Passover kicks off the evening of Monday, April 18, and Easter follows on Sunday, April 24. In between, we celebrate our planet on Earth Day, which falls on Friday, April 22. No need to wait until the official dates; you can hunt for eggs, munch on matzo and honor Mother Nature this weekend and all spring break long. 

There are lots of non-holiday activities too. We've rounded up awesome (and inexpensive) things to do over spring break as well as some cool camps. The Tribeca Film Festival is hosting free "drive-in" movies and there are exhibits to explore, concerts to rock out to, shows to see, fairs to attend and other spring fun.

Break is the perfect excuse to finally take a day or weekend trip, or just hit another borough or cross a nearby bridge. So read on to see what else we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Warning: Mother Nature is reminding us who's boss by bringing storms our way on Earth Day weekend. Before you head to an outdoor event, be sure to check its official website for weather-related updates or cancellations.

The very first Earth Day in 1970 was a grassroots event that hoped to inspire the U.S. government to enact important environmental legislation. Four decades later, Earth Day—which always falls on April 22 but is also celebrated on other days—is a worldwide phenomenon with more than 1.5 billion participants. To some, it's a massive secular holiday; to others, it's a day of action.

There are tons of Earth Day activities for kids, including huge green festivals, fun eco-crafts, educational workshops and much more. No matter how you decide to mark the day, take heart in knowing that NYC is one of the greenest cities in America.

Here's how to celebrate Earth Day 2011 in the Big "Green" Apple.

Many Mommy Poppins writers absolutely adored Birdhouse Factory, the last show Cirque Mechanics brought to the New Victory Theater. So we were all really looking forward to the Las Vegas troupe’s new spectacle Boom Town. Of course high expectations can sometimes lead to disappointment.

So I’ll be honest: Not everyone here enjoyed Boom Town as much as my five-year-old daughter and I did. There’s no question that the Metropolis-esque Birdhouse Factory was more striking in terms of aesthetics, narrative and feats. But Boom Town, which is set in the Wild West during the Gold Rush days, has a lot of hokey charm, with silly clowns, impressive aerial and balancing acts, and lots of silly slapstick.

Here are seven reasons why I think circus lovers should book a trip to Boom Town.