I was 10 years old the first time I tried my hand at decorating a cake, and I was instantly hooked. I've never been artistic with a paintbrush or pen, but give me a pastry bag, and magic happens. Fast-forward about 30 years, add in three kids and 33 kids' birthday parties between them, and I've learned a few tricks for creating bakery-quality cakes on a busy-mom schedule.

These birthday cake ideas and decorating tips yield showstopping results with very little skill required, and I'll even share with you my shortcut trick for turning a boxed cake mix into a bakery-worthy birthday cake recipe.

Of course, there are times when even a shortcut cake masterpiece is out of reach, so be sure to check out our ready-in-an-instant mug cake recipes and find more parent-tested meals in our Guide to Easy Recipes for Kids.

Muggles and wizards alike can circle a magical date on the calendar: Harry Potter New York has set its opening for Thursday, June 3, 2021. The flagship store, in the heart of the Flatiron District, transports visitors to the Wizarding World with 15 different themed areas spread out over a sprawling, three-floor, 21,000-square-foot-retail wonderland.

The opening is one of our most anticipated family-friendly debuts of the year. Read on for more magical details and a sneak peek at the shop's interior.

A visit to the family-friendly New York Botanical Garden is a treat in any season, but a trip now means not only close encounters with the garden's living collection but also the larger-than-life art of Yayoi Kusama.

Kusama: Cosmic Nature opened at the garden last weekend and runs through Halloween. Read on to learn more about the exhibit and why it's worth a visit—or two—before fall.

Brooklyn's already family-friendly waterfront is getting a cool new feature just in time for summer 2021: A new 18-hole mini-golf course dubbed Putting GREEN is set to open in Williamsburg.

Read on for more details on the project, which also includes a 20,000-square-foot sustainable farm, and start planning your summer day trip to explore all the fun along Brooklyn's East River shores from Brooklyn Bridge Park to Domino Park and beyond.

Editor's note: As of April 21, 2021, the opening day has again been delayed. Organizers hope the attractions will open sometime during summer 2021. The Sea Life Aquarium at the American Dream entertainment complex in New Jersey has set its grand opening date for Tuesday, May 4, 2021. With a "city under the sea theme," its interactive exhibits showcase more than 3,000 sea creatures from jellyfish to sharks. Opening alongside the attraction is a Legoland Discovery Center. Both were slated for spring 2020 openings but saw their debuts pushed back by the pandemic.

The first Sea Life to open in the Northeast, the New Jersey aquarium joins nine other locations across the U.S., including aquariums in San Antonio, Texas, Orlando, Florida, and Carlsbad, California.

Large-scale, step-inside, immersive art displays are having their moment in NYC, but you don't have to wait until the late-spring Van Gogh Exhibition to step inside a sprawling art-filled space. Artechouse NYC, located in the lovely and packed with family-friendly amenities, Chelsea Market, has just debuted a brand new show, and it's worth adding a visit to your calendar.

Read on for our Artechouse NYC review and find more fun art-inspired destinations in our Guide to Museums, Galleries, and Exhibitions.

With one more week before daylight time savings begins, we've found something fun to light up your evenings: Domino Park has debuted a new public art display, Reflect, from artist Jen Lewin.

The installation in the park's popular summertime sprinkler area had us running, jumping, frolicking, and generally enjoying its colorful interactive nature. Read on for the details, and find more great public art to explore in Lower Manhattan, too.

It's no secret parenting through a pandemic can be many things: maddening, endearing, frustrating, creative, crazy...we could keep going. But, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the Dumbo Improvement District is counting on NYC parents to supply it with photos to fuel a new public art display in their honor.

At-Home Heroes: An Homage to Parenting Through a Pandemic runs from Mother's Day, Sunday, May 9, through Father's Day, Sunday, June 20, and you can submit your memorable parenting moments now. Chosen photos will be projected in 65-foot-by-40-foot glory on the Manhattan Bridge nightly from dusk to 10pm. Public viewing takes place from the Pearl Street Triangle.

So, start scrolling through your photostream, whether it's filled with silver linings, family resolutions, or something far messier.