Okay,  I know I said it was summer last weekend, but now it's really summer. Official like. The whole summer solstice, northern hemisphere most inclined toward the sun*, first-day-of-summer summer. So now you really ought to go out and do summer things. Go on a picnic. (We can help you with that). Go berry picking. (Covered). Frolick outdoors and pop some ollies and grinds on your skateboard,** (you're a bit old for frolicking, don't you think? But we can help with the skateboarding).

In fact, it is so very summer that we are already talking about the Fourth of July.  Did you know you can watch fireworks from boats? Well, you can, and we can help you set sail everywhere from Dana Point to Lake Arrowhead to watch them bright sparklies.

One of my favorite perks of the summer is the many ways to see a movie for free. (Besides sneaking in the exit door, that's not playing fair). We can fill you in on the free (or almost free) kids' matinees, free movies under the stars, in the parks, at the beach and more. There are so many freebies you almost have to wonder why anyone would pay to see a movie. Scratch that, I know why: because Mike and Sully are back!

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for the weekend ....

Summertime, and the living is easy! (Said no parent ever). Most of the school districts in the Los Angeles area either are on break or will be before you know it. That leaves you with a lot of hours to fill. Oh no, who can you turn to for help?! Where will you find a hand-picked guide to berry picking? Will a guide to easy beaches just wash ashore? Is someone trumpeting about the coolest outdoor summer concerts series across the Southland?  Seriously. Let me know when you find out because I have no idea.*

If your thoughts turn to travel in the summer months, be sure to pay a visit to one of our sister sites. They can fill you in on the Mommy Poppinest events and activities in their necks of the woods.  (I'm totes jealous of the Dan Zanes concert I saw listed on Mommy Poppins New York, and thinking I might just have to board a plane and a ferry to sample the Nantucket fun Mommy Poppins Boston writes about.) You'll  probably want to check out each of the Mommy Poppins city sites, especially now that there are seven of us and... oops.  Did I just let the cat out of the bag? Well, you were going to find out sooner or later...

...Mommy Poppins has a new addition! Our new addition is a new edition, Mommy Poppins Westchester (the one in New York, not the home of LAX). It launched this week, and we couldn't be prouder! Why not pop on over and take a peek? We think you'll agree it's the most precious site ever, (or maybe we just think so because we haven't slept in a week). Naw.  It's a cutie!

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for the weekend ....

June is busting out all over, all over the Valleys and the Hills!*  With Memorial Day come and gone, we are now officially in the summer season, which means an abundance of grade A, E-ticket  activities. We can get you started on filling in your datebook with our June Go List of must-do events. (Spoiler: there's a lot of fun stuff).

If the impending summer break fills you with more dread than anticipation, no worries: we've got you covered with our comprehensive camp guide. We can point you to traditional day camps, but that's just the beginning. LA is a camper's paradise, with science camps, sewing camps,  cooking camps, horse riding camps, art camps and, of course, acting camps and surf camps. To name a few.

Love Mommy Poppins so much you wish you could bring us with you wherever you go? We can make that happen, with your help. Mommy Poppins is launching a mobile app, that can do things like point you towards activities near your current location or help you find free events. That's the good news. The less good news is that it's only starting for the New York site right now, but the hey-it's-still-good news is that one other site will be chosen to launch its app soon after that. The and-this-is-where-you-can-help news is that we need LA Mommy Poppins readers to leave comments on the indiegogo page requesting that LA be the number 2 app to launch. Easy peasy.  You can also contribute a few sheckels to the cause there, but only if you want to.

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for the weekend (which you would totally already know if you had the Mommy Poppins LA app, just sayin' )....

It’s starting to look a lot like summer this weekend, because suddenly there is so much to do! (That and the mercury’s unexpected leap into the triple digits.) We’ve got festivals celebrating everything from bugs to banjos,  strawberries to seals. We bid a fond adieu to the Renaissance Fair and REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival, and say hola! to Anatolia.

Hm, wait a minute, do they speak Spanish in Anatolia? Probably not. I’d know a lot better if we had one of them bi-lingual kids around here to translate. Since mine are strictly monolingual (unilingual?) I’d better start looking into some serious language instruction. Luckily, Mommy Poppins has the scoop and low down on language immersion and bilingual schools in LA. Què bueno!

One word that never needs translating is free. As in gratis, keep yer paws outta my wallet. If you were wondering how long you could bring your kids along to Southern California attractions for zero dollars cheap, look no further. Our handy-dandy guide tells you the cut-off ages for free admission!

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend... (some of which are free even for old folks like Moms and Dads!)

It doesn't start until Monday and I’m already stressing. I speak of course of Screen Free Week, in which parents are encouraged to turn off (TVs, Blackberries, iPads) and tune in (to the great big world out there).  Surviving a week without screens, is that even possible?

Here’s my suggestion: get as much screen time in as you can this weekend. To get you started, may I suggest the Los Angeles Children's Film Festival?  We caught a few of the films last weekend and there is much to amuse and inspire young film-goers.  To give you an idea of what you’re in for, check out the reviews from our kid critics, (they say it much better than we ever could!)  And be sure to buy your festival tickets through our links - a hefty chunk of change will be donated to the school of your choice!

There’s one screen usage even the most avowed Luddite couldn’t begrudge, and that’s logging onto Mommy Poppins. (How else are you going to find the ultimate scoop on fun activities for your family?) So friend us on Facebook, sign up for emails and tweets, or go old school and type in our URL; Mommy Poppins is here to help you through. To get you started, keep reading for our favorite picks for this weekend…

We here at Mommy Poppins are all about mothers, and this weekend, we’re celebrating the biggest mother of them all: Mother Earth. We are blessed to live in a region full of outdoor destinations, many of which host Earth Day festivities. Naturally, we’ve compiled a guide to the best Earth Day celebrations.

What’s more natural than kids and garbage? Earth Day ushers in the season of Sanitation Open Houses. Kids can tour sanitation yards, attend recycling fairs, visit landfills, and even ride in a garbage truck.

Oh, mama, wait til you read what our kid critics have come up with! Check out their reviews of some of the films in the upcoming Los Angeles Children's Film Festival. Be sure to leave comments on your favorites: the critics with the most comments win exciting prizes. (Plus, if you use the links in their reviews to purchase your festival tickets the school of your choice gets a donation!)

And, of course, our thoughts are with the people of Boston and now Waco. We are inspired by the resilience of these communities, and by the courage and strength of those who run towards the disasters to assist others.

Keep reading for our favorite picks for the weekend…

This weekend, there are two types of people: Folks who’ve finished their taxes and are free to party like it’s April 16,  and folks who are filling out forms down to the wire. (Perhaps we should make a third category for the LaLaLa-I-can’t-hear-you April 15 denialists.) Regardless of which camp you fall into, you're sure to appreciate the Tax Day Freebies we've found.

For those of you with an open calendar, there's plenty to find cheer in this weekend. The butterflies are returning to the Natural History Museum, the Chumash are returning to Malibu, old friends are returning to Disneyland, my tax return is due AAACK. Happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts. Free Cinnabon. Aaah.

If your tax bill has been a burden, maybe it’s time put your kids to work. We’re looking for a few good critics to review the short films of the Los Angeles Children's Film Festival.  No experience needed, just an interesting point of view.

Keep reading for our favorite picks for the weekend, and to find out about the freebies.

Thumbs Up at the Fowler? I give it two thumbs up!
The Alvin Ailey celebration at the Music Center?  It's got a good beat; you can dance to it!
Kids Run the Bases at Dodger Stadium? An out-of-the-park home run!

What? You think you can do better?  Sigh. Everyone's a critic. No really,  I mean that. Everyone's a critic. Especially kids. (If you doubt that, ask mine for a review of my cooking prowess).  (Double sigh.) If you think your kid has what it takes to be the next Siskel & Ebert / Leonard Maltin/ Pauline Kael, you should check out our Kid Critic opportunity. We're looking for a few kids who call 'em as they see 'em, to review short films that are being shown at the the Los Angeles Children's Film Festival. Fame and fortune (or at least a free seat at the movies) could be theirs.

Now give us your opinion of this weekend's highlights...