Valentine's Day is a holiday I've always had a love-hate relationship with, but considering my husband's love affair with all things Apple, this year I'm turning it over to his mistress to celebrate Valentines Day. It's a good move, really, because Apple seems to have the bases covered this V-Day from free apps to help you plan a special night out, to heart iTunes store gift cards, or even a pretty pink or red iPod Nano and plenty of creative ways to use the technology to make special, memorable Valentines Day Cards and Keepsakes. Read on to find out more about some really cool and creative Valentines Day Gift Ideas.

Oh, and check the Snap This Up section at the top of the home page for a great giveaway! (hint: it's an iPod and you can touch it)

A few interesting articles to share this week about Facebook privacy (you may be surprised what you don't know), the lifelong health benefits of vaccinations, and some quirky New Yorkers who are going without heat. Plus school news about a new school, new program and lots of new playgrounds. And free self-defense classes for teens and FREE movie rentals.

This week there are lots of fun kids concerts being offered by local businesses to help raise money for aid to Haiti. And a bunch of baby and kid stores are donating a portion of their sales to relief efforts also. Take some time to have some fun and do some good at the same time.

With the cold and wet days we've been having, nothing sounds more appealing than hanging out in a cool cafe and there's no reason that you can't do some cafe chill time even with kids in tow. Just ask Rebeca Ramirez-Haskell who has been keeping a blog called The Coffee Beaners where she records her explorations, with son Diego, of the best coffee shops in NYC. Rebeca has chosen some of her favorite places to share with us.

Some neat tidbits to share this week with a new exhibit called Mission to Mars opening up at the Intrepid Museum, free CPR training classes that can also get you a free week at the gym, cool filmmaking vacation camps for kids, a great author speaks, and fun "Playdate for Haiti" event.

Walking around NYC seems to always lead to some adventure or another. One of the things I particularly love is when we stumble upon some cool street art. When we do we always make sure to stop and enjoy it. Last Friday we came across an interactive video art piece which is installed in an empty storefront on Lexington and 33rd St. The kids had a great time playing with it (see video below) and it inspired me to share some other cool public artworks that you might want to check out.

If you are an email subscriber, you may already have heard about the Shoofly sale on now at their Tribeca store for 50% off kids shoes, hats and accessories, but I've come across a bunch more too. Read on to find out how to save 50% on the Big Apple Circus, get a healthy and yummy breakfast for $1, free iPhone apps for kids, and some more baby/children's clothing store sales:

[UPDATED: July 13, 2012]

Chess is becoming a more and more popular program for children both in school and out of school as parents and educators see how learning chess can help children develop critical thinking skills and other positive academic and non-academic abilities. I recently sat down with Fred Wilson, who has been teaching chess to kids in Manhattan for 18 years and runs the chess programs at NYC private schools such as Grace Church, Little Red School House, City and Country School, and the Village Community School (no wonder he's a legend in the Viilage), to pick his brain on all that he knows about learning to play chess for kids in NYC.

Find out how to know if chess is right for your child, ane asy way to know if they are ready to play chess, why kids should play in tournaments and how to find a good chess program for your child: