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.

When I was a kid I loved being outside. My mom lived on a farm and my brothers and I spent many a summer getting lost in the cornfields, and locked in the chicken coop. (That last one was just me.) But  upon the discovery of gossip magazines and teen angst, I decided that hot, sweaty, buggy, cold, windy, mild, sunny, rainy, snowy, overcast, undercast, sideways weather was just not for me, and I broke up with the outdoors. Inside and I had a good time, but eventually Central Park and picnics called me back outside, and then I camped. I slept outside. I even had fun, despite the torrential rain. And then I had children, who should really come with a warning: MUST NOT BE KEPT INSIDE ALL WEEKEND. PRONE TO SELF DESTRUCTION. So, we hike. (And camp, but that's another story. Stay tuned.)

As of 2012, it seems like the cooperative is no more. However, Sunnyside Ballet has moved to a new larger space.

Here in Sunnyside, Queens, just steps away from the 40th Street-Lowery Street stop on the 7 train, is a lovely little studio for kids' dance and theater classes. The name of the Sunnyside Arts Cooperative says it all: It was launched in June 2009 by several moms, all working arts professionals, who wanted to share their expertise with neighborhood families.

Their vision is paying off. One of the founders, Catherine Lutton Espinosa—a former performer with the Martha Graham Dance Company who teaches creative movement and is also studying for her master's in early childhood development at Hunter—says that not only the kids are learning, the moms are, too.

Read on for an inside look at this unique community spot.

Who doesn't like a birthday party ... especially when the birthday girl weighs 3,000 pounds and gets her own two-week celebration? Kids of all ages will enjoy the party being thrown for Button the Hippo's 14th birthday at Adventure Aquarium. The two-week celebration—running from April 16th through May 1st—has something for everyone to enjoy.

Earth Day is fast approaching but as they say, shouldn't every day be Earth Day?

In the spirit of that statement, the National Wildlife Federation has teamed up with Nickelodeon, TheMotherhood.com and other bloggers (including Mommy Poppins!) to get the word out about B Kind 2 Earth Day, which encourages everyone to do something nice for the planet on Earth Day and beyond. 

But you don't have to wait until April 22 to start: Grab the brood, head outdoors and reconnect with our fantastic planet today and all year long. If you feel inspired, make your pledge to do something kind for the Earth on the B Kind 2 Earth Day Facebook page.