We heard what real moms want for Mothers Day in the comments of our Mommy Cards and Flowers Giveaway. Not Diamonds, not even jewelry or flowers. What moms really want is time. Time alone. Time with their kids. Time for dad to be with the kids. So we've rounded up some Mother's Day weekend activities that cover all the bases, whatever Mom's in the mood for.

For mom who wants a fun day out with the whole family
First Annual LIC Bike Parade!
Socrates Sculpture Park
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Registration 11:30 AM
Workshops 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Parade 3:00 PM - 4:00PM Rain or shine!
FREE

I'm always afraid that the cool, artsy community events will die out in NYC, but here's an example of a brand new one just being born.

I loved reading all of the Mother's Day wishes in yesterday's Mommy Cards and Flowers Giveaway post. You should all send your husbands or male friends over there to find out what women really want for Mother's Day. It's not that complicated, right?

There's not much talk about jewelry or almost anything material, it's mostly relaxing, either by herself for a little me time or relaxing with the family. In that vein, two women specifically dreamed of a little pampering at a spa and we are happy to say that we can perhaps help out somebody with that dream as today we are giving away a Pamper Me Package from Gloria Cabrera Salon and Spa in Midtown.

After you learn about this excellent prize be sure to check out our winner of Tuesday's Metropolitan Moms Hands-on Cooking Class Giveaway which will be announced at the bottom of this post. Good Luck!

Mother of All Giveaways Day Four: Pamper Me Spa Package
It's high up on the fantasy list for most moms, a little TLC for the body and the mind. Let your cares melt away when you submit yourself to the confident hands of the experts at Gloria Cabrera Salon and Spa,

We're in day two of our Mother of All Giveaways. And have we told you what we have in store? Today, a deluxe Hands-On Cooking class for moms. Later in the week we will be giving away flowers, beautifully designed mommy calling cards, a beauty day, and an incredible portrait package with a professional photographer. Don't miss any of these great giveaways!

Mother of All Giveaways Day Two: Metropolitan Moms Hands On Cooking Class

Shouldn't every day be Mother's Day? Well, this week on Mommy Poppins, it is. We're celebrating Moms and honoring our readers with a full week of giveaways. We've got some great prizes totaling thousands of dollars in value and we want you to have it, so enter every day this week!

Mother of All Giveaways Day One: The Fine Art of Family
We are really happy to kick off our week of super big give aways with a gift that all moms love - jewelry!

We don't write about high end stuff here that much, but it's not because we don't like nice stuff, we just prefer to tell people about how to get the best stuff (whether it's stuff to do or buy) without spending a fortune. But we're just as happy to buy beautiful luxury goods as the next person when we can grab it for a steal.

Smitherman & Barnwell, the luxury design house for children, is having a HUGE sale online on Etsy. Regular prices for their luxury collection start at $100 and up, but the sale price for dresses are mostly in the $25-50 dollar range. These are stunning, classic designer dresses, made from imported Italian fabrics, perfect for little girls aged 12 months to 5 years. Shop while supplies last!

By the way, my other secret for beautiful Italian little girl dresses is

Festival Season has begun. This weekend alone there's over a dozen. We've picked out the really good ones for (mostly) free, fabulous fun this weekend. If it rains, take your umbrella and boots and be glad everyone else stayed home.

Not exactly a festival, but also of note to all those with little (or big) comic book lovers, Saturday, May 3rd is Free Comic Book Day. That's not a joke. Walk into any participating comic book store and they will give you free comic books. Type in your zip code to find participating comic book stores. There are several in NYC including Forbidden Planet, St Marks Comics, and Rocketship in Brooklyn.

Eight festivals actually worth going to:

Bowery Babes
THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED. PLEASE SEE THE NEWER VERSION HERE
It's almost Mother's Day, time to celebrate motherhood. And what better way to celebrate being a mom than to get together with other moms and support each other. Let's face it, when you are a new parent New York can be like a sea of humanity: people, people everywhere, but not a soul to commiserate with. Finding the right parenting group can give you an instant social network to share the trials and tribulations of parenthood. Some mothers groups plan events and get-togethers, some offer seminars and discussions on pertinent topics, and some are just a place to chat on-line. Here are some of the best NYC parenting groups for moms and dads of every stripe.

NEWS FLASH: Tonight is 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin Robbins. From 5PM to 10PM stop by your neighborhood Baskin Robbins for some low-cost licks. While you're there you can donate to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

April featured a lot of great posts, especially our Green Month posts. We also added our preschool page, our community spotlight, and we've added a lot of new listings to our Camp Guide. April was great, but I'm even more excited about May. Watch out for a lot of great things in store including a WEEK of SUPER BIG GIVEAWAYS for Mother's Day! We're giving our readers the royal treatment. Plus we'll be launching our Neighborhood Guide and our Slacker Mom Camp Guide later in the month, two projects that have been in the works for months and I'm very excited to finally share.

After the top posts we'll announce the winners of our Great Green Giveaway.

99 Sensory Activities For Any Child
Great Green Giveaway Earth Day 2008
Mommy Poppins Do-It-Yourself Spring Break Eco Camp
Hi Lo: Anime Classes for Kids
More Free Storytimes and Arts and Craft Classes for NYC Kids

And now for the giveaway winners...