Sometimes, when the mood is crumbling and the toys are flying, when the tears and tantrums have about done you in, all you need is a book. Barely has "Once upon a time..." left your lips, and they're gone, those, ahem, precious little ones - their previously agitated minds soothed and calmed in an imaginary world far, far away. Of course, sofas and beds and laps are great places to share a story, but so, too, are museums, bookstores and local libraries. Check out our list of story times in and around LA, and consider letting someone else do the reading. There are moments when we all deserve a little happily ever after.

We're still basking in a Mother's Day afterglow (that's three generations of my family in the photo) but we're also counting down to Memorial Day weekend. Our Travel site rounded up some excellent getaway deals for the upcoming holiday weekend including destinations that are a short drive from NYC. Our regional sites are full of cool spring day trip ideas like the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, New Jersey, the USS Nautilus and Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut or pick-your-own strawberry farms throughout the Garden State. If you decide to make it a Memorial Day weekend staycation, there's certainly plenty to do in town like the opening day family festival on Governors Island, the debut of the Dinosaur Safari ride at the Bronx Zoo and the start of the Coney Island season.

There's still time to subscribe to our Hamptons and North Fork newsletter and be automatically entered to win fun prizes. We also have another great giveaway going on: Enter to win a week of Summer Adventure Camp: City Edition run by NY City Explorers.

Wish you could enjoy all of our Mommy Poppins recommendations when you're on the go? Well, soon there'll be an app for that. We're readying our Mommy Poppins App for launch but we need your help. We started an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign so that we can raise enough money to make the app free to all. Contribute to our goal and you'll snag some cool swag and, of course, get the benefit of using the app once it debuts in June. We believe that Mommy Poppins is more than just a website, it's a community. This app is a way for us all to collaborate on something really cool.

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

We know you count on Mommy Poppins to find cool things to do with your kids. And we've heard that on the computer, our site is pretty easy to navigate and find what you're looking for. But when you're out and about, finding kid-friendly activities or places to eat on Mommy Poppins isn't that easy. Yeah, we have neighborhood pages with maps, but we admit it's not the best way to find stuff on your smartphone.

That will change with the launch of our new app. The Mommy Poppins App will allow you to find all the great places we write about on our sites—spots to create, be active, learn, shop, eat and more—easily on your phone. We've been working on it for months and we are on track to launch in June. But we have a few final hurdles to jump and we're hoping you can help. And we've got some great incentives if you do.

Read on to find out more about the Mommy Poppins App and the IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign we just launched where you can snag cool rewards like swag, your child's picture in the app, a ticket to our swanky launch party or even a private consultation with Mommy Poppins founder, Anna Fader.

This weekend, head on over to the EMCON3 Anime Festival at the East Meadow Public Library in East Meadow where you'll enjoy game board demonstrations, anime screenings and workshops, lectures, and more.  It's the opening weekend of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson, a musical tale about quirky competitors and oddball adults in the championship of a lifetime.  The Long Island Fleece & Fiber Fair is taking place at Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead, where you'll see demonstrations including sheep herding, sheep and llama shearing, yarn spinning, dyeing, weaving, and more.  Family Fun Day is taking place at Camp Jacobson at Robin Hood in Old Westbury, where you can check out the School of Rock, plant seeds at the Shavuot Planting Day, and shoot hoops at the basketball clinic.  Also on tap: The Pet Fest & Doggie Treat Bake-Off at the Garden of Eve Organic Farm & Market in Riverhead, and the Wildlife Baby Shower at Sweet Briar Nature Center in Smithtown.  As always, check out our events calendar every day for fun activities for the family!  Long Island is home to many beautiful parks so please be sure to check out our articles on Suffolk County Parks and Nassau County Parks.  If you are a new mom who is looking to get back into shape, please be sure to check out our article on Fit4Mom in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

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!)

There’s plenty of fun and free things to do in and around Boston this weekend. From EarthFest at the Hatch Shell, the Franklin Park Kite Festival, and the Hot Dog Safari on Saturday to the Japan Festival Boston and the Mystic River Herring Run and Paddle on Sunday, the weekend is filled with festivals and celebrations. Read on for more of our weekend picks, and be sure to check our Events Calendar for more ideas.

Looking for more things to do? Rachel, our newest contributor, recently took her two year old to the Arnold Arboretum and has five simple ways to occupy a toddler (or two) and connect with nature in one of the city’s most beautiful and peaceful green spaces. Kristin describes her “love affair” with Baby Wiggle Little Groove - great classes, fun birthday parties and more. Plus, the Highland Street Foundation's Free Fridays schedule is out - Tara has chosen five to highlight, taking into consideration whether other significant discounts (such as library museum passes) are available at another time, how much money is saved, proximity to Boston, and whether the place is good for young children.

Finally, a big thank you to all the families, volunteers, sponsors and supporters who helped make last week’s One Family Music Festival such a success - thanks to everyone’s generosity, we were able to raise over $23,000 for the One Fund Boston. We also brought the families of Boston together to sing, dance, create art, and celebrate the strength and beauty of our great city. It was a day that allowed many families to begin healing from the pain caused by the tragic events surrounding this year’s Boston Marathon, and to reclaim the city for our children.

Enjoy the weekend!

Do you like outdoor festivals? Then you're going to love this weekend. A bunch of our annual favorites take place on Saturday and Sunday, including the Fleece Festival in Prospect Park, the Ninth Avenue Food Festival in Midtown West, downtown Manhattan's free New York Dance Parade, Madison Square Park's no-cost Spring Kids Fest and Brooklyn's ride-filled Kings County Fair.

It's also a great weekend for enriching multicultural fun like El Museo del Barrio's Spanish lit-themed Super Sabado, the National Museum of the American Indian's Hawaiian celebration and the Children's Museum of the Arts' Caribbean Fest.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. Remember, there are even more options in our Event Calendar and our Spring Fun Guide.

One of the things I love about living in Connecticut is that I can be in downtown Hartford in ten minutes, and If I drive ten minutes in the other direction, I can be on a rural, working farm that feels like I'm far away from any hustle and bustle. 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, CT has nearly 5,000 farms. They are wonderful places to show your children where our food comes from, and why local agriculture is crucial to the environment and the economy. If you would like to get out and see for yourself, check out our post on Where to See Baby Farm Animals in Fairfield County.