Goodbye polar vortex, hello daffodils.  Spring really is on its way, bringing warmer breezes and school break.  If you are planning a vacation, there are good deals on family getaways to Boston, Washington, D.C., Saugerties in the Hudson Valley, Dallas, Virginia and Charleston. More exotic locales such as Playa Mita, Mexico and Costa Rica are also on sale.  If you’re a fan of the films Frozen or Rocky , try your luck and enter a sweepstakes to win an escorted Adventures By Disney trip to Norway or a trip to Philadelphia.

We’re beginning to thaw out and it sure does feel good! St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, so don your green outfits and get festive with parades in Morris County, Atlantic City and more. And for a dose of spring, sign the kids up for a Science of Gardening workshop at Newark Museum or take an outside Story Walk for beginner readers at Tenafly Nature Center. And remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

Buying a stroller just may be the most important baby purchase a New York City parent makes. After all, a stroller in NYC gets a serious daily workout as you take your tot to visit wonderful parks and museums, explore vibrant neighborhoods and use it as a makeshift grocery cart. Even if you prefer to wear your baby, your back will probably need a break at some point.

Since we NYC parents are incredibly hard on our strollers—pushing them over uneven sidewalks, jerking them up subway stairs, collapsing them every time we get on a bus or in a cab—we can't just go with whatever model happens to be in. We need our stroller (or, more accurately, strollers, since you'll probably start off with a heavy-duty model for your baby and then graduate to a lightweight umbrella stroller around age 2) to be able to accommodate our unique lifestyle. Having been down this bumpy road myself, here are 10 questions I wish I had known to ask before buying a stroller to use in NYC.

The clocks have officially sprung ahead and the temperatures are slowly on the rise. Spring is in the air (finally!) and for many of us, that means locking down a choice summer camp where our kids can play and learn in a fun, nurturing environment. Last week we told you about traditional day camps in Southern Westchester. Now we're turning our focus to the northern part of the county.

Our round-up of traditional summer camps in Northern Westchester includes nine camps that incorporate all aspects of providing an amazing summer experience with expansive grounds, modern facilities and a wide variety of programming sure to please any camper. Read on for our top picks for fun and educational day camps in Westchester's northern towns and villages.

Also, don't forget to check out our new Westchester Camp Directory, full of information for camps of all kinds in and around Westchester. Plus we continuously update our Summer Camp Guide to keep you up-to-date on the latest camp offerings.

We've been researching, crowd-sourcing and reminiscing like mad, and we're thrilled to be able to present our Guide To Great Small Towns in Northern NJ! The first of our Guides to small towns in the Garden State (Central NJ, you're next), our growing database of "sweet", "charming", and just plain old "great" little towns touches on our writers' favorites, from Chester to Nutley to my personal fave, Hoboken; and so many more. Check out our picks and feel free to tell us some of your beloved small towns in the comments!

Summer is right around the corner (hooray!), which means it’s time to think about camp for the kids. Why not check out Camps R Us? Founded by Long Island natives Joanne and Gary Turnier, Camps R Us aims to give families the highest quality summer camp programs at the most affordable price.