Although we usually promote upcoming events in our jam-packed calendar, a few—like the annual New York International Children's Film Festival and Japan Society's Doll Fest—get booked up so fast we want to make sure we tell you about them way in advance, like today. Others we only hear about at the last minute and we don't want you to miss them, like the free Skylanders Giant Ninjini figure giveaway, which happens today. In more enjoy-at-your-leisure news, Williamsburg gets yet another kiddie boutique, school-age children can snag $1 tickets to a series of classical concerts and a brand-new Brooklyn gym brings parkour and capoeira to kids.

If you didn’t get enough of the Hunger Games and are dying to bring out your inner Katniss, head over to C & B Archery in Hicksville for the latest craze in sports.  While you may need Mapquest to find the place, since it’s tucked away in an office complex on Commercial Street, once you do you will find a staff that is eager to please and one that provides excellent instruction.

President’s Day Weekend is on the horizon and a family getaway is especially refreshing during the dog days of winter. The following destinations offer families a much-needed break at discounted prices.  If you’re looking for an all-inclusive hotel near NYC, an urban escape in Philadelphia, Norfolk or Chicago, a ski vacation in Santa Fe, Beaver Creek or New Hampshire, or a discount Disney Cruise, read on for some money saving winter deals.

February may be the shortest month of the year, but sometimes it sure does feel like the longest.  The holidays are over, the snow's novelty has worn off and we're left with cold winter days, dark evenings and sometimes I'm tempted to hibernate inside my house until spring.  Kids will be anxiously awaiting the Groundhog's prediction this weekend to see if his shadow tells us to expect an early spring or six more weeks of winter.  But regardless of what that little guy predicts, we've got some great ideas to get you out of the house and enjoying yourself this weekend. 

We admit we jumped the gun when we posted our list of the best sledding hills in NYC earlier this week. We were just so excited about the snow (that's my daughter in the photo, gleefully making snow angels in her schoolyard) and we had hoped there would be more of it.

Of course we don't need a blizzard to enjoy winter sports. Many nearby ski and snow tubing resorts blow their own, and our New Jersey and Connecticut sites have plenty of great seasonal activity suggestions, in case you're thinking about taking a trip over the upcoming four-day midwinter break. Looking for additional getaway suggestions? Our Travel site also has a post about five mini-vacation spots for families in the Northeast, including the popular CoCo Key Water Resorts in New Jersey and Connecticut.

Back here in NYC, we launched our February Go NYC List featuring the absolute best things to do with kids throughout the month so you can plan ahead. We're particularly excited about the Citi Pond Winter Film Festival, which kicks off this coming Monday, February 4 with an outdoor screening of the classic animated Disney flick Peter Pan in Bryant Park. The Mommy Poppins team will be there with a table so come say hello. We'll even be handing out vouchers for free hot chocolate to our readers while supplies last. Watch the movie as you glide around the ice or pull up a rink-side chair.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

In NYC, it's easy to forget that there is wildlife living amongst us. And I'm not talking about rats, alligators in the sewers, escaped tigers or even backyard chickens. There are eagles and Red-tailed Hawks, raccoons and even the occasional coyote.

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is great for bird-watching and the Alley Pond Environmental Center will introduce you to creatures living in our wetlands. And now there's a fun new way to discover even more hidden wildlife on a NYC Audubon Winter EcoCruise.