(Photo: The Cole Brothers Circus)

The circus is coming to town! The 128th Cole Brothers Circus of the Stars will be traveling across Long Island this July, pitching its big-top tent in fields and malls; amazing audiences with its colorful, classic acts. There will be acrobats, daredevils, elephants, tigers, and of course clowns. It's a classic three-ring traveling circus that began life in 1884 as W.W. Cole’s New Colossal Shows. It is exciting, inexpensive, and very intimate. Every summer since I was a child the circus has come to my town in Greenport. This summer will be no exception.

[UPDATED: December 1, 2012]

As a busy mom, I do a lot of my shopping online. But when it comes to tricky things like making sure there’s that ideal half-inch of space between the tip of my son’s wiggling toes and the front of his shoes, I skip the websites and seek out the services of patient pros and their Brannock Devices (now you know what those foot measuring thingies are called).

Happily for Brooklyn families like mine, there are many wonderful stores in our borough that carry a wide selection of shoes for children, with staff that know how to coax squirming tots into trying them on. While you might be able to pick up a cheaper pair of sneakers, boots or sandals at a big chain store, you won't get the benefit of expert assistance and advice about which shoes truly fit. Here are some of our favorite children's shoe stores in Brooklyn, including two that just opened this year.

It's a few weeks into summer and so far we've lost the sunscreen, wept about a snorkel, inspected bug bites visible only to the child's eye, and made a mean succotash. Basically, same as most summers. (Last year it was a mean cole slaw and weeping about a lost flip flop. We like to keep it interesting.) We're also cooking as usual. There's much to love about summer food, so I've rounded up my favorites, some for you, and some for the little people sitting in front of the TV in their swimsuits.

Having been, ahem…unwise enough…to have three children with birthdays only 5 weeks apart, I have become a veritable expert a throwing parties that are low stress and low maintenance - it's the only way for me to survive "birthday season"!

Of course, the parties also have to be a hit with the kids...no problem. One of my favorite low-stress party strategies is to go for an animal themed party.  Truly, you can’t go wrong here – there are a lot of different ways to make an animal party memorable, fun, educational…and EASY!!!

If one more person asks, "Is it hot enough for you?" we just may snap. (Lucky for them we're too tired to fight back.) If the heat's getting to you too, there are plenty of ways to cool off in the city, like pools, beaches and sprinklers, plus we just put together a list of playgrounds with lots of shade, which we added to our brand-new NYC Parks & Playgrounds Guide.

The Urban Park Rangers are currently holding lotteries for their free family campouts in NYC parks. If your family is lucky enough to snag a spot, our L.A. site has a great post with tips for camping with kids. Our New Jersey site shared an awesome list of mostly free apps to prevent "summer slide." Meanwhile on Long Island, we've got a roundup of 62 things to do on the East End this summer, in case you're heading that way.

If you missed Macy's spectacular sparklers on Wednesday night, don't fret: There are plenty of fireworks coming up, both in the 'burbs and right here in NYC. For example, next Wednesday the New York Philharmonic kicks off its series of free concerts in every borough, and there will be fireworks after all of the outdoor shows. There are also a couple of free family movie series starting up next week, including RiverFlicks for Kids in the West Village and Williamsburg's SummerStarz, plus Clearview Cinemas will be showing free kids' movies on Wednesday and Thursday mornings through the end of August.

You can find more info about all of these cool programs in our Summer Fun Guide. Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

(Photo: Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center)

Long Island seems to be decompressing from the Fourth this weekend, though the Independence Day celebration is going strong through the weekend--you'll find still more fireworks this Saturday. So grab a blanket, take the kids, and enjoy the fireworks shows! There's also a great toy show at Hofstra for all those collector dads (they might even bring the kids along!), and the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center is offering an essential camping skills class.

Anyone conscious the day the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Healthcare Act couldn't help but hear lots of opinions about what it all meant. Surprisingly, the cheers and jeers on both sides did little to help clarify how "Obamacare" is going to affect us as individuals.

Embrace your child’s inner Bam-Bam and Pebbles! Organic, holistic, eco-friendly...these words appeal to those moms who seek baby products that are all-natural and contain no harmful dyes, sprays, or materials. New Jersey moms are sassy, savvy, and not afraid to do research—and realizing sometimes green is the way to go when purchasing baby products. Below is Part 1 of our series on New Jersey-based companies that are riding the green wave and embracing Mother Nature!