This weekend it’s a little hard not to feel overcome by a sense of doom. We’ve got Friday the 13^th.  We’ve got April 15^th, which, though it isn’t Tax Day this year, is the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. And then, on April 17^th, we’ve got Tax Day. (They say 17 is the new 15). Luckily, we’ve found family events filled with fun to brighten your outlook and lift your spirits, and even score you some free food.

If your tax bill has been a burden, maybe it’s time for your kids to learn a trade. You don’t have to pull them out of school just yet; you can wait until summer. Our intrepid camp researchers have found Sewing  Camps and Classes for LA Kids.

You know what I’d like to tell the tax guys?  Go fly a kite!  Seriously, they must be way overworked this time of year, putting in long hours, and nothing is quite as relaxing as sending a fluttering kite aloft to drift on the breeze. Luckily, Mommy Poppins has the lowdown on the way up there activity. Check out our list of Kite Festivals and Places for LA Kids to Fly Kites.

All things considered, this weekend might be a good time to go to a galaxy far, far away. And you’d better go now, because this is the closing weekend for Discovery Science Center's exhibit Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination.

And finally, since every tax cloud has a silver lining, we’ve found a few tax day freebie offers to soften the blow.

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

Wow.  This has never happened before. We are sorry to report that there are no events this weekend. Not a one.  It was bound to happen sooner or later, the random intersection of timing and chance and …

APRIL FOOL’S!!!  Of course there are events this weekend. There are events up the wazoo (can we say that on a family-friendly site?). April is the month of Easter and Passover and Spring Break and Earth Day, and by gosh your basket will be full with fun, fascinating, and frequently free festivities. It’s time to emerge from our winter hibernation (hello, it rained last week!) and start enjoying all that Los Angeles has to offer.

For starters, how about a little camping?  Southern California offers a wealth of family campgrounds, and naturally we’ve got the list.

His big day may not be until next week, but the Easter Bunny is already in town, meeting his fans and posing for pictures. Mommy Poppins has peered into his datebook and marked down the best Easter Bunny appearances.

Is your holiday less about  jelly beans and more about matzoh? For those looking for Passover-approved bakery goods, we have the unleavened lowdown. (As a bonus, did you know that many Passover treats are gluten-free?)

Still looking for something to do? Can we recommend: Chris Burden's Metropolis II at LACMA? Museum of Flying at Santa Monica Airport?  Or any of our top picks for the coming weekend…

Ah, Spring has sprung in the City of Angels. This season always fills me with a sense of anticipation: for the flowers that will bloom, the longer days and sweeter weather, and the hours that will need to be filled while school is on break.

Luckily, Mommy Poppins has you covered, whether you're looking for some awesome spring break camps, or for fun activities you can do as a family. 

What's that ...at the Discovery Science Center? I sense something; a presence I've not felt since... well, since we visited the Jedi Academy at Disneyland. I'm talking of course about the Star Wars exhibit that runs through April 15. The fun and educational exhibit offers great family bonding opportunities over spring break.

Do your vacation plans involve leaving on a jet plane? Boy, do we have a game changer for you. Mommy Poppins has found a service that can match you with nannies or babysitters who are taking the same flights you are. It's worth it just to have someone to answer the 500th iteration of "when are we going to get there?"

For those planning farther ahead we have the latest installment in our LA school series: a primer explaining all the what-when-where-whys of Charter Schools.

And finally, if all this planning is making you hungry, may we suggest a shopping trip to Santa Monica Whole Foods? 5% of all purchases made on Thursday, March 22 will be donated to the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, (which is an awesome place to take your kids, and worth every penny of our support).

Read on for our favorite picks for this weekend.

This edition of our weekly best is chock full of savvy scoops. We pride ourselves on being in the know with the best and coolest activities out there, but even our seasoned editor was surprised by the awesomeness that is the Toyota Symphony for Youth - and you can still catch it this weekend!

No doubt you've been waiting with bated breath as we've been adding installments in our summer camp/ break camp series. Now, for the first time, you can view all the articles in one place, our Los Angeles Camps Guide. It's like having the boxed set - and we add episodes every week!

Having launched our expedition into the world of camps, we next turn our eye toward education. This week begins our series on Co-op Preschools with a look at the best that the Westside has to offer.

And, having established ourselves as your number one resource for fun activities with kids on land, we're now declaring the seas to be our domain as well, as we reel in the best local whale watching.

Finally, in case you've forgotten, we've still got a giveaway running - and Friday is the last day to enter! Keep reading for our favorite picks for the weekend, and to be reminded about our sparkling giveaway!

Well, that was over quick. Even with an extra day, February has gone all "been there, done that" on us. Makes you think Spring is just around the corner, despite any predictions a certain groundhog (or the weatherman) might have made. Luckily Mommy Poppins is on the ball with our list of 10 Spring Break Camps that LA Kids Love!

Spring Break might put you in a mindset for Spring Cleaning, and we're here to help with that, too. Anyone can talk about tidying closets, but you know you're a Mommy when it's your car seat that needs cleaning. This week we take a look at CleanBeeBaby unique car seat cleaning service, and there might even be something in it for you. (SPOILER ALERT: it's a giveaway!)

But before you kiss Winter good-bye, you might want to take in one of the many Purim festivals going on around town. Purim is a Jewish festival that celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people, complete with an evil villain, valiant heroes, crazy costumes, and all manner of revelry, and it goes without saying that Mommy Poppins has the lowdown on the best Purim celebrations for your family.

Read on for our favorite picks for this weekend, and to find out more about that giveaway...

This week's giveaway from CleanBeeBaby is a no-brainer. We all have car seats and strollers. They all face daily assaults from the toddler arsenal. (Cheerios. Goldfish. Raisins. Sand. …Not to mention an array of bodily fluids). They need to be cleaned. 

But we’re faced with a dilemma. Cleaning the car seat means taking it out of commission for a day or more (you can put the cover in the washer but have to let it air dry).  It also means taking it out of the car - uninstalling it - and then having to reinstall it ourselves. (No pressure or anything, but did you know that more than 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly?) We've found a terrific solution, and we get to share it for free in this week's giveaway!

There is no greater star in the children’s literary world than Dr. Seuss, (aka Theodor Geisel).  His March 3 birthday is honored as National Read Across America Day, and the festivities are already starting this week.  So grab your well-worn copy of Cat in the Hat and get ready for a wild weekend. Oh the places you'll go...

Like skiing perhaps? Mommy Poppins has a snowtastic review of the children's ski school at Mountain High. (I wonder if they'll take on a Mommy with two left skis?)

Next we take you off the slopes and into the kitchen, with the latest in our continuing series on summer camps. This week we whip up a list of the finest culinary camps for kids.  But you don't have to wait if you're hoping for pancakes; we can tell you where to score some for FREE!

Read on for our favorite picks for this weekend, and to find out about those free pancakes…

Love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is next Tuesday, and all around Southern California kids can craft  and hear stories and sip tea in honor of that most romantic of days. If you're still looking for a special way to celebrate Valentine's with your little ones, we've got plenty of heartfelt suggestions.

Nothing sets my heart aflutter like the simple beauty of children at play (what can I say, I'm a Mom!). As a gift to you, we've come up with a list of public school playgrounds that open up to the community when school isn't in session.

And for those who have a more heart-pounding definition of romantic, we have a giveaway to announce that's simply smashing!

Read on for our favorite picks for this weekend and to learn more about the giveaway...