Back when we were doing our Mother's Day Giveaway, we asked our readers what they wanted for Mother's Day and one post totally cracked us up. It was from Kate, who wanted a fake LeSport Sak bag and a Monkey Museum portrait. We are all too familiar with fake bags, but we had to go check out what the Monkey Museum was.

It turns out it's this really awesome art and we immediately wanted some too. So Kate, thanks for sharing this idea with us so now everyone can have the chance of getting a Monkey Museum piece for Father's Day with our Father's Day Giveaway!

Hudson Warehouse's Much Ado About Nothing

Our Community Spotlight is a monthly feature where we talk to a local mom who is making a difference in the community or otherwise deserves to be celebrated and supported. We also offer free Community Spotlight ads to small local mom-owned businesses. If you know of someone who should be profiled or would like to apply for a free ad, drop us a line.

Exercise. Something you know is good for you, but yet, so easy to avoid. And, when you have to pay through the nose for a gym or yoga class it can feel like adding insult to injury. But, no more excuses, here are some great free exercise opportunities all over the city, so - just do it! Bryant Park Free yoga and tai chi on Tuesday mornings and yoga on Thursday evenings. Make a whole day of it; bring your laptop and enjoy the free wireless before or after your downward dog!

[THIS POST IS FROM 2008. PLEASE SEE OUR 2009 EVENT PICKS FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.]

I can't believe it's Memorial Day Weekend already...and I'm cold! But here it is and it's bringing the good weather with it. Memorial Day Weekend marks the openings of the city beaches and swimming pools. Also Victorian Garden's Manhattan's own amusement park. And this week is Fleet Week. Get ready for summer with our lists of top family beaches, swimming pools and amusement parks. Whether you are staying in the city or heading for the hills it looks like this Memorial Day Weekend really will be a great kick-off into the summer season.

The big fireworks display Thursday night was just the beginning of the celebrations for the 125th Anniversary of Brooklyn Bridge. This weekend is filled with fun family events starting tonight, plus a bunch of other interesting cultural events. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

The travel industry is notoriously ridden with a lot of "guides" that are actually just advertorials. But family bloggers and parent writers are stepping up to give parents traveling with kids real information based on their personal experiences. We've gathered together the top genuine resources for family travel from blogs to books.

DeliciousBaby
An excellent site I have found is DeliciousBaby. Debbie blogs about traveling with her two small children in the US, Canada and Europe, sharing their favorite destinations, kid-friendly restaurants, plus her site has lots of great family travel tips to make traveling with kids a little easier.

Despite the fickle weather, summer is just around the corner and it's time to get serious about planning those summer vacations. So, this week we thought we'd share some summer travel ideas with a couple of family friendly destinations to inspire your summer travel dreams. This first one is a guest post from Jackie Burwell from the Bay Area's aParentlySpeaking blog. Jackie shares her insider tips on a visit t San Francisco with kids. Thanks, Jackie!

We here at the Bay Area's aParentlySpeaking blog know families traveling to San Francisco are looking for a few key things: the soaring orange bridge, clanging cable cars and that famous Ghirardelli chocolate. So here's our idea of a perfect day or two by the Bay with tots, teens or tweens; five cool family outings that should give you and your kids your photo opps, trolleys and treats, but show you another side of our pretty city too.

Photo Credit: Contra Costa Times

I admit it, I'm lovin' The NY Times this week...

In a relationship rut? Check out this article on Michael Roach and Christie McNally, the Buddhist couple who vowed to be both celibate and never apart by more than 15 feet. It will either give you some ideas or make you feel just fine with what you've got going on. Either way, it's totally fascinating.

More Stroller Nazi Talk. Stroller Moms can't get no love in Park Slope. And is anyone else out there also getting tired of the term Stroller Nazi?