In NYC, it's easy to forget that there is wildlife living amongst us. And I'm not talking about rats, alligators in the sewers, escaped tigers or even backyard chickens. There are eagles and Red-tailed Hawks, raccoons and even the occasional coyote.

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is great for bird-watching and the Alley Pond Environmental Center will introduce you to creatures living in our wetlands. And now there's a fun new way to discover even more hidden wildlife on a NYC Audubon Winter EcoCruise.

From those first anxious weeks of infancy to the first day of kindergarten and beyond, it seems like there's no end to things for parents to worry about. With all that worrying about our kids, it's easy to forget to take care of the things that will really protect our families should the worst occur. Making sure you have a will is one of them.

You may think that estate planning is only for the rich, but a will protects more than just wealth. If you are a parent, having a will should be a priority. Laura Fischer is a lawyer working in Manhattan and Brooklyn who specializes in helping families create wills, so you can stop worrying and just get it done. I asked her to share important information about why every parent should have a will and what specifically to put in it. Plus, she is giving away a free Family Estate Planning Package (valued at $1,000) to one lucky reader. Read on to find out more and get this chore off your to-do list.

This event has reached capacity but don't worry, we'll be hosting additional events soon! Since 2007, we've been telling you about the best things to do and places to go with kids in NYC. Starting this year, we're doing one better: We're planning a series of live events for families at our favorite New York City spots, and our first one is coming up next Friday, February 1 at New York Kids Club.

Join us for a few hours of fun at one of the best places for kids to get their ya-yas out: New York Kids Club. This is a free event but reservations are required. Space is very limited and we expect the event to fill up quickly. But don't worry: We'll be organizing many more events over the next few months. Following us on Facebook is a great way to make sure you get early notification of an upcoming event.

Read on for additional details and RSVP now.

Ground Zero has become a must-see destination for many families visiting NYC. Making a visit to the 9/11 Memorial Museum meaningful for children may be challenging, but finding a decent place to eat nearby is even more so. Besides all the construction still under way, the neighborhood lunch spots mainly cater to office workers from the Financial District so there are a lot of fast-food chains and delis with limited seating.

If you are heading up to Tribeca afterward, you'll find many family-friendly restaurants but in the immediate vicinity of the World Trade Center site, options are a more limited. Luckily, I know the area well and can give you the inside scoop on where to look for the best inexpensive kid-friendly restaurants and eats near Ground Zero.

As parents, we instinctively want to make things easy on our kids, but making sure they are faced with appropriate challenges is one of the best things we can do for them. Tackling a challenge builds self-esteem and teaches new skills, resilience and perseverance.

This past summer, I organized a challenge-a-day project for my son that turned out to be really great. Not only were the challenges fun, they exposed him to new experiences and helped him learn new skills. By the end, he was doing all kinds of things that he didn't think he was capable of and, by repeatedly tackling challenges, he internalized the idea that he can, in fact, achieve things that seem hard. A challenge-a-day program can also be great for kids with sensory issues, anxiety or other struggles since it allows them to slowly build up tolerance to desired tasks.

If you'd like to try a challenge-a-day project like my family did, here's what you need to know:

Holiday Portrait Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser Sunday, December 2 at J&R Jr.
Limited space available. Reserve your portrait session now!

Mommy Poppins is hosting a special holiday event that we hope will add some holiday cheer, make your life a little easier and give to those who need it most this year.

Our Holiday Portrait Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser will help you check one of the toughest seasonal tasks off your list: holiday cards. You'll get cool portraits, discounted holiday cards and gift shopping, fun holiday activities all in one—and 100% of the proceeds go to Hurricane Sandy relief. That's a true win-win-win. Read on for all the details about our Holiday Portrait Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser.

One of my favorite outings from our trip to Clearwater Beach Florida, was a day trip we took to St Petersburg to visit the Salvador Dali Museum. The Dali Museum has a huge collection of Dali paintings from his days as a student through his entire career. Kids should find the surrealistic paintings interesting, observing the odd juxtapositions of images, hidden pictures within pictures, as well as the famous melting clocks.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium, in Clearwater Beach, Florida, is quite different from any other aquarium you may have been to. Primarily a rescue and rehabilitation facility for marine life, the aquarium only became a popular place to visit after the story of the rescue and rehabilitation of a dolphin named Winter became a star-studded feature film, Dolphin Tale.

Since the film's creation, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium now has two separate buildings, connected by a free Jolley Trolley. The original building houses Winter and all the other animals that are either being rehabilitated for release or now live at the aquarium because they can not be released back in the wild.

There is also a brand new Winter's Dolphin Tale Adventure building dedicated completely to learning about the story behind Winter and the making of the movie Dolphin Tale. The Dolphin Tale Adventure experience is included with your admission to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and both are interesting and educational.