I never thought I'd be so happy to see school buses clogging up the streets! Those yellow vehicles were a welcome sight for the NYC families who suffered through the month-long strike. It was a wonderful way to return to school after midwinter break, which was short but filled with fun. Here at Mommy Poppins, we even slowed down a bit so we could spend some quality time with our children. We hope you did too!

But now it's back to business. And since it's February, one of the top things on most parents' to-do lists is figuring out summer camp. We're in the midst of updating and expanding our NYC Summer Camp Guide, and this week we posted about the best new programs set to debut this year. But don't just look at our Camp Guide: Our sister sites also have the scoop on exceptional camps in their areas, including commuter programs. So check out our Summer Camp Guides for Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey.

Even though February break has come and gone, these final winter weekends are a great time for day trips. Maple sugaring season has arrived and we've got the scoop on the best places to taste the sweet stuff in upstate New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Or consider a visit to the World of Wings in nearby Teaneck, New Jersey, where kids can get up close and personal with butterflies, insects and reptiles, and then hit an indoor bounce house, all in one building!

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week: