We had an awesome time at our inaugural Mommy Poppins Family Cruise last Sunday. That's my daughter in the pic, helping to hoist the sails of Manhattan by Sail's Clipper City Tall Ship. (She turned eight that very day so I figured it was time to put her to work.) We put up a photo gallery on our Facebook page of all the fun we had, including face painting, Bill Gordh's sea songs and incredible views of the Statue of Liberty. Our next cruise is coming up on Tuesday, August 20 and it's got a pirate theme! Read our post for all the details and to book tickets.

It's the last full month of summer break so there's no time to waste: NYC's beaches and pools close on Labor Day. If you're in need of childcare those last few weeks before school starts, check out our post about late-August/early-September camps—we keep adding new programs as we hear about them. Or if you're looking for day trip ideas, check out our regional sites for inspiration. Westchester's August Go List includes one of my family's summer favorites: the New York Renaissance Faire in Sterling Forest. Much as we love NYC's free public pools, city kids really get a kick out of taking a dip in natural swimming holes like these ponds and lakes in Connecticut and New Jersey. Or stick close to home and explore the "forgotten borough:" We're highlighting the best things to do in Staten Island throughout the month.

Finally, if you're thinking about taking the kids to one of the big summer family flicks, our Boston site has parent-child reviews of Smurfs 2 and Turbo, so you can get opinions from both sides!

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