Reader, Carmen, submitted this great indoor activity tip. Thanks, Carmen!

Take a trip back to the late 1700's without ever leaving Brooklyn. The Lefferts House is one of a very small number of farmhouses to survive from Brooklyn's Dutch settlement period, over 300 years ago. This family-friendly destination features hands-on craft activities, a gardening program and furnished rooms to reflect daily life in the 18th century.

What my daughter and I enjoy best is the child's room, just off the entrance. Here, young ones can dress as they did on days past, play 'I Spy', color a mural, and play with toys and games from that time.

You can now rent bicycles in Lower Manhattan for FREE! Perfect for families, you can even get bikes with baby seats or Tag-a-longs (those kid bike add-ons that turn a bike into a tandem perfect for young bikers to safely ride with a parent). They have wagons too!?

Bike Around Downtown is a new program that lets you borrow a bike for a two to three-hour window. You can register online and pick up your free bike at the South Street Seaport Bike and Roll booth. From there you can bike up the Greenway up the East or West sides, or even head over to Governor's Island. (By the way, I noticed that they are also renting-not for free- bikes on Governor's Island now, with tag-a-longs available there too.)

Wow! Who knew that so many NYC moms were harboring a deep, dark love of all things eighties. Watch out, friends, because it looks like ribbon barrettes and leg warmers are on their way back! Or at least for one night while our Big TIcket Giveaway winners, Jennifer M, who's still jonesing for Duran Duran, and Tamara, who believes that the only thing today's fashion needs is more flourescents and black rubber bracelets, go for FREE to see Xanadu! Congrats, Ladies.  The 80s awaits you in Xanadu!

For everybody else who would like to drink the neon-tinted waters of Xanadu, you might want to get tickets for Family Days at Xanadu which are Saturday, July 12th and August 9th.  Purchase a ticket to the 2PM show and get a free voucher to a post-show party at Dave & Busters, the Times Square arcade at 3:45.  The voucher includes a $10 gaming card and free gift bag with Xanadu memorabilia, they also have food and drinks there which you can purchase.  Use Code XUFAM65 at BroadwayOffers.com or 212-947-8844. *

The 80s passionate nostalgia from the moms was matched equally with some serious dinosaur love for those who entered to win tickets to Walking with Dinosaurs.

The great thing about New York City's outdoor festivals is that everyone can enjoy them. If it's kids music, at least the grown ups can enjoy being outdoors on a lovely day or evening, relaxing. And, generally kids will put up with an outdoor concert or performance if they can run around, dance, play and picnic while you enjoy a little grown up entertainment for once.

The following (mostly) free outdoor festivals are not specifically children's festivals, but they, for the most part, each have at least one kids performance and otherwise offer great performances in great outdoor environments around NYC, making a fun day or evening out with the kids either way.

Because our emails did not go out last week, we are extending our big ticket giveaway by one day to give everyone a chance to enter to win these great ticket prizes. All entries must be in by tonight at 8pm in order to qualify. We will announce the winner tomorrow, June 16th. Good Luck!

We would also like to announce that we have added classified ads to the site. You can post ads in many categories, including childcare, toys, gear and real estate for sale or wanted. Postings have already started even before we announced them. Find our classified listings in the green tab at the top of the page. It's totally free.

Just cause the last time you sat down to read a newspaper was when "pooped out" still meant tired to you doesn't mean you can't stay up to date with what's going on. We've rounded up the top stories you don't want to miss from the NYC media this week.

A Mother's Work Is Never Done.  If you can't remember the last time your husband (or wife) did the laundry and are feeling pissed about it, this article in the Times Magazine is for you.  Any way you measure it, studies show women do about twice as much around the house as men,  here are some people trying to balance the work.

What do you pay?  Park Slope Parents conducts its first Nanny Compensation Survey and publishes the results.  

It can be hard to wow! a NYC kid. They've seen it all and can be too cool to be impressed with much. But we're giving away tickets for two shows, Xanadu, and Walking with Dinosaurs , that will make a big impression even on the most jaded New York City kid, or maybe even especially a jaded NY kid.

Xanadu, a little piece of musical heaven

During Xanadu, Melpomene, in just one of several meta comments throughout the production which make fun of the show and other Broadway hits, states that "it's like kiddie theater for 40 year old gays." Xanadu, the remake of the tragically bad 80s flick starring Olivia Newton-John, isn't made for kids, but it will appeal to them greatly.

Read on to find out the ten reasons you should go see Xanadu and find out about our giveaway for Xanadu and Walking with Dinosaurs tickets.

Look at this recipe of fun for kids:

Today we are launching a new page on the site, The Mommy Poppins New York City Neighborhood Guide for Families. This guide is a NYC neighborhood guide specifically written for families. In its pages you will find the best toy stores, parks, shopping, family friendly dining and tons of fun places to visit in each neighborhood. You'll find that each post covers its neighborhood with a unique voice that reflects the style of the community. That's because each post in this guide has been written by a NYC neighborhood blogger, parent blogger or other prominent community member who lives and breathes their neighborhood. We figured, who knows the ins and outs of each community better than them?

Whether you are looking for a fun new place to explore for the afternoon, or new digs to settle for good, we hope our neighborhood guide will excite you to explore some of the amazing neighborhoods of New York and the best places in NYC for kids.