Holidays are here and the last thing you need are more plastic dinosaurs or toys that need batteries. Time to re-think the gifts you give. Put a new spin on gift-giving this year and try to give non-tangible items such as lessons and special outings. Experience gifts teach your children the value of making memories. Added bonus: your holidays will be “greener” (something we all can put on our list of resolutions). You can even get your kids on board with this idea by suggesting ways they can give you experience gifts like cleaning the kitchen or a nice dinner alone.

If you're looking for some good reading to gobble up after Thanksgiving, here are some interesting tidbits: a great site for children's book reviews, tips on scoring cheap tickets through Kids Night on Broadway, a peek at the upcoming hot kid flick, my latest children's music recommendation, thoughts on dealing with kids and money and more. Set up a plate of leftovers and kick back.

Give your kids mac and cheese and they get a meal. Teach your kids to cook interesting things and hopefully they’ll make dinner when they’re teenagers. While looking through cookbooks for this round-up, I discovered that a lot of them are joint efforts between family members. It’s not surprising. I love sharing cooking tips and tricks with my food-forward 11-year-old son, and visa versa. He once pronounced a dish I’d made, salmon and vegetables in parchment, "Really good, but it would be better with capers." We tried it his way the next time. He was right. His first cookbook was one of the Roald Dahl Revolting Recipes cookbooks, and it remains a favorite to peruse and use. In that vein, we offer some additional cookbooks with an extra ingredient.
 

Yeah, you might want to just lie around and digest that turkey, but why not haul yourself and the kiddos off the couch and head out to one of the many events New Jersey is offering up this weekend. There are plenty of it’s-almost-Christmas activities, plus some great interactive museum events and my personal favorite—“The Butt Book” book signing. Can’t miss that, now can you.

I love Mom's Night Out.  It’s become a time for me and my friends to get out and try something new and different, most recently a painting class.  I am not exactly an artist, but the class made it easy to pretend I was, which was great fun.  We painted and sipped wine for a couple hours and got to walk out with our own masterpiece. So next time you leave the kiddos at home, perhaps consider letting your creative side loose for the night. From painting on canvas or pottery, to making jewelry or sewing a handbag, there are lots of drop-in art classes in NYC that are great for a Mom’s Night Out.  And don’t be intimidated, these are one time, no experience necessary, just have fun kind of experiences.
 

Click here to see the amazing 2014 Department Store Holiday Windows.

Remember this: your children's holiday memories won't be about the toys they get under the tree, they're going to be about the wonderful holiday traditions that your family shared. One of these traditions should be going to see the department store holiday window displays. These festive holiday windows are a great way to get into the holiday spirit and this simply magical experience is completely free.

Lots of people like to do the Holiday Windows Walk on Christmas Eve, but it's also a great way to walk off your Thanksgiving turkey because the crowds tend to be smaller when the stores are closed (and before the RockefellerCenter tree is lit.) We've rounded up the best ones for kids plus some other great holiday stops to visit while you're in the neighborhood.

Yes, it's that time already. The unstoppable express train that is the Holiday Season is upon us. I have actually been getting emails for a few weeks already from people looking for Holiday info. So, as much as I'd like to put it off, we've been busting out the Holiday posts earlier than ever so all you early planners can be prepared...and now our Holiday Guide is up, filled with everything you need to know to soak up the Holiday magic in New York City.
 

Here we are at the last sane weekend before we are shot out into the chaos that we call “The Holidays” in NYC.  If you have nothing planned for the weekend, look no further, we have the scoop on what to do.  There is great live music for kids and families--everything from a family friendly performance by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to the fabulous Gustafer Yellowgold Show at Symphony Space.  There is a book release party for Christmas Feet at The Pond, a picture book workshop with Melanie Hope Greenberg and even live stand up comedy for kids – by kids!

You could also check out one of the fantastic circus style shows in town right now like the Squirm Burpee Circus at the New Victory Theater, the brand new exhibit on the Brain at the American Museum of Natural History, get grossed out at The Brooklyn Childrens Museum’s Icky Fest, go see The Holiday Train Show at The NY Botanical Garden or find something else to fun to in the Mommy Poppins Event Calendar.

Read on to plan, and no matter what you decide to do have a great weekend.