Whenever the weather starts warming up, I immediately think of Bob Marley. I hear your collective, “huh?” but let me explain. I am a music maven. I associate specific songs and artists with everything from seasons to subway stations. (The 72nd Street 1-2-3 stop has Vampire Weekend all over it).

When my daughter was born, music took on an even more important role in my life. I love introducing her to all of my favorite tunes, and finding new bands for us to shake our booties to.

As you can imagine, we go to a lot of concerts, and I'm particularly excited about the lineup at the third annual Kindiefest in Brooklyn, a music conference that highlights cool kids' bands. Organized by bigwigs involved with the genre, (which now goes way beyond Dan Zanes), most of the con is industry only. But it caps off with an amazing, open-to-the-public concert on Sunday, May 1 at noon at Littlefield in Boerum Hill. Kiddie music queen Elizabeth Mitchell and You are My Flower headlines the show, and the Verve Pipe, Aaron Nigel Smith, Oran Etkin, Heidi Swedberg, and Tim and the Space Cadets are also on the program. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door, and babies are free.

Reading about all of these music makers, I started thinking about my favorite local kids' groups. No surprise that we have a lot of great ones, since NYC is such a rockin' town. Here are my top five Big Apple bands for kids and families.

Eliza, a mother of 3 living in Litchfield County, had an inspirational moment one day while grocery shopping. Tired of the usual meatballs, burgers and Bolognese rotation, she has begun a quest to cook authentic ethnic meals from a different region each week. Last week was India, this week Spain and next week will be Israel. 

With several family birthdays requiring special favorite dishes, I was only able to cook two Spanish meals this week but both were delicious.  Similar to all other Mediterranean countries, the Spanish cuisine has two basic elements- olive oil and garlic.  

My daughter loves all things feline, so I was thrilled to take her with me to preview this film (opening today). She was hoping for adorable lion cubs and I was hoping for a great story, awesome cinematography and thrills/chills. I’m glad to report that Disney did not disappoint either of us.  “African Cats” is a beautiful and moving documentary about the love of (cat) mothers for their (kitty) children. The expression “she’s like a mother lion” will make a lot more sense once you’ve seen “African Cats”.

Happy everything! Easter, Passover, Earth Day and spring break all coincide this week, which means a lot of fun (and food!) for families through the weekend.

Of course, spring break lasts until next Tuesday, so be sure to check out our roundup of free and inexpensive things to do.

It's not all about the holidays around here, though. We wrote about a lot of other awesome activities and services for families over the past seven days. From giant dinosaurs to a doctor who only makes house calls, here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

So, the weather guys predict a cold and rainy weekend, but heck, when have predictions panned out this Spring? We say, don your Easter bonnets, pack for sunshine, rain or snow, and get the family going. Indoor experiments, outdoor planting, indoor performances, outdoor egg hunts–even a chance to make the Guinness Book of World Records for Diaper Changing. Turn off the weather channel. Sound the “We’re leaving in 5 minutes ” warning. And go, NJ.

Enjoying all the spring break activities this week? Or preparing to enjoy the spring break activities next week? Well, save some of that energy up for this weekend. We’ve got some fun activities and events for you and your family. Even though this weekend is loaded with Easter Egg Hunts, there are still many other ways to enjoy the time. From having a banquet with beasts to celebrating Earth Day, this weekend is sure to be jam packed with fun fun, fun!!

Earth Day, Passover and Easter, oh my! Talk about something for everyone this weekend.

Warning: Murphy's Law dictates that it must rain whenever the weekend is filled with outdoor fun. As of now, Saturday's supposed to be a washout and Sunday may be as well. So before heading out to an alfresco event, be sure to check its official website for any weather-related updates or cancellations.

Families can commune with nature at the Staten Island Zoo’s annual Earth Fair, celebrate Passover at the Museum at Eldridge Street or attend one (or many) Easter egg hunts around to, including our favorite: the rotten egg hunt at the Bronx Zoo, hosted by cast members from Broadway’s The Addams Family.

Another spectacular annual event, the NYC Easter Bonnet Parade, takes over Fifth Avenue on Sunday. (Click here to see our slide show of colorful photos from 2009.) And if you're looking to fill your little bunny's basket with treats, we've rounded up the best places to buy Easter candy, as well as ideas for what to do with all of those sweets post-holiday...besides eat them.

Other weekend fun includes the wonderfully artsy St. George’s Day Festival on Staten Island (which has an indoor plan in case of rain), Brooklyn Bridge Park's annual Spring Fling (which is rain or shine), featuring kid rocker AudraRox, and the Bronx Zoo's ongoing Animal Tales Extravaganza, starring Spider-Man this weekend. Dinosaur fans should head to the American Museum of Natural History for its brand-new World’s Largest Dinosaurs exhibit. Prefer Porsches to prehistoric creatures? Then hit the New York International Auto Show at the Javits. The Tribeca Film Festival's family programming also kicks off this week, with free outdoor screenings, including The Muppets Take Manhattan on Saturday night. Check the event's website in case of rain!

Below are additional best bets for the weekend, but don't forget to check out the Mommy Poppins Events Calendar, which is filled with storytimes, concerts, stage shows and more. Have a happy holiday, whatever you're celebrating!

As the mother of a baby and a toddler, I dread taking the kids to the pediatrician's office. When one is under the weather or has a checkup scheduled, it’s a pain to drag the other one along. Plus, I worry about all of the germs they’ll be exposed to.

And when either of them gets sick during the night, I always wish the pediatrician could come on over, just like the doc did on Little House on the Prairie. It's so difficult to diagnose what's wrong over the phone.

That’s why I was very intrigued when I found out about Dr. Edward Kulich, a New York City pediatrician who only does house calls. So when I noticed my 10-month old was showing signs of pink eye, I gave him a call.