New York City is, slowly but surely, starting to recover. Buses hit the streets on Wednesday and subways started rolling again in parts of the city today (bonus: public transportation is FREE on Thursday and Friday. You can see a map of which subways are running on the MTA website.) And although public schools are closed through Friday, restaurants, culture spots and other places are beginning to reopen—save for businesses in neighborhoods that were hard hit by the storm like Coney Island, the Rockaways, much of Staten Island and downtown Manhattan, which is still without power. Even as life gets back to normal for much of NYC, it's important to remember our neighbors in need. Something we should all keep in mind, even as we start getting out and about again.

Since schools are out for the rest of the week, many kid-centric spots are offering special activities on Thursday and Friday. Here's where to take the family through the end of the week.

Our weekend roundup of events includes concerts by Vanessa Trien in Arlington and the Boston Children’s Chorus in Boston; magic shows with Bonaparte in Natick and Scott Jameson in Brookline; and the first Christmas Festival of the season. Read on for details, and remember, you can find more things to do by checking out our Events Calendar.

Our thoughts are with those who are living without power or cleaning up the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Although several Boston-area towns have had to “reschedule” Halloween, most children have donned their costumes, hit the streets and sorted through their loot by now. If the sheer volume of candy freaks you out, we have some ways make it disappear.

And while we’re finding it a bit hard to believe that end-of-year holiday activities are gearing up so closely on the heels of Halloween, our Events Calendar is starting to fill up with things to do for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve. Tickets to some of the more popular events go quickly, so it’s worth exploring the Mayor’s Holiday Special website, which offers half-price tickets to many holiday shows all over Greater Boston and is a great resource if you’re interested in saving some money and still seeing some of the best shows around.

Enjoy the extra hour of sleep on Sunday with Daylight Saving Time!

This is one of those weekends when it's going to be tough to plan. (Heck, it's hard to plan the next two days! Public schools are officially closed Thursday and Friday.) As of this writing, power is still out in downtown Manhattan, much of Staten Island and parts of the other boroughs; subways aren't running (but some will be as of Thursday) and buses are limited; all NYC parks are closed; and many of our neighbors are trying to piece their lives back together after suffering devastating losses, all due to Hurricane Sandy.

After spending so much time cooped up this week, we all want to go out and start enjoying our city again, but it's probably going to be a bittersweet experience. If you're looking to assist New Yorkers in need after Sandy, read our post about ways you can help locally. There are even volunteering opportunities this weekend to help clean up NYC parks (must be age 12 and up though).

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. As always, you can find additional options in our Event Calendar. That said, before you head out to any of these happenings, check the events' official websites as details may change depending on the residual effects of the storm.

Many CT families are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. We at Mommy Poppins wish our readers a smooth recovery and power restored quickly. Towns such as New Haven, West Haven, East Haven, Fairfield, Orange and Milford have delayed trick-or-treating until November 7. 

If you are able to get out of the house this weekend, we have some activities that will lift your spirits and give your kids a fun diversion. Just be sure to call before you go to make sure the event hasn't been canceled. While out and about be very careful of downed power lines and loose tree limbs.

Who could have ever imagined that Halloween in CT could be postponed or even canceled for a second year in a row due to weather?! We've just gotten back on line ourselves in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and want to extend our deepest wishes for peace and love to all of those who are affected by this recent tragic storm. That being said, many children are still hoping to get out and celebrate Halloween. The information on town openings is still uncertain in some areas. If your town was heavily damaged, most likely Halloween will be postponed or canceled. Please don't take the children out in areas where trees and electrical wires are down. Call your local police department for the update on whether your town has been deemed safe or not. If not, maybe you can get a group of neighbors together and celebrate in someone's home instead. All of that being said, here is a listing of some Halloween events that are still going on around the state. Have a safe and fun Halloween everyone! You deserve it!

After the nonstop barrage of agonizing photos, videos and news coverage of Hurricane Sandy and her aftermath, I find that I'm only now starting to process how devastating the storm has been to our city and the entire East Coast. My family and I were lucky: Our East Harlem neighborhood is practically untouched, and we never even lost power. Other members of the Mommy Poppins family were not so blessed: Many of our bloggers are still without power, a few suffered damage to their homes and our special needs contributor, Alison, and her family have pretty much lost everything in Rockaway. I think all of us know someone in Alison's position. Even if your local area is fine, the effects of the storm have just been so far reaching that all New Yorkers have been personally touched by it in some way.

Over the past few days, I've read a lot of articles about how to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Most suggestions involve donating money to national organizations like the Red Cross and Save the Children, which is wonderful. But for New Yorkers who want to make sure their money is used locally, or readers who are interested in more hands-on opportunities, here are five ways you can give back to New York City after this unfathomable natural disaster.

New York City schools are closed on Wednesday, which means you've got to find ways to amuse the kids... again. At this point, you've probably burned through our list of things to do at home during the hurricane and you're itching to get outside. While the subway remains shut down and power is still out in parts of the city, limited bus service has resumed (and it's free on Wednesday!) and the severe weather warning has been lifted, so you can actually go somewhere—you just need to know what's open.

Although it's going to be a long time before it's business as usual in New York City again, we did find a number of kid-friendly places that are open and welcoming families on Wednesday, October 31. Be sure to call ahead before you go to confirm prices, hours and availability (details seem to be changing minute by minute due to the post-hurricane chaos).

New York City (and the entire East Coast) is still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. So Halloween may not feel as festive this year. While it may seem like an inconsequential thing to think about right now, the fact is lots of children (and grown-ups!) look forward to October 31 all year long, and many are hoping they can still enjoy a bit of trick-or-treating despite the events of the last few days.

If your family is lucky enough to have survived the storm unscathed and you're up for costumes and candy, we've got the scoop on which Halloween parades, spooky parties and haunted houses are still happening. Unfortunately, many big annual events have been canceled due to the storm (even the huge annual Village Halloween Parade!) but there are still a few things going on. One big word of warning: As of now, everything we've listed is supposedly still on and we're doing our best to reconfirm all of them but be sure to visit the events' official websites before you head out to make sure they're still happening as planned.