As Texas slowly reopens, local businesses need your support more now than ever. From bakeries to fashion designers to toy stores, you can shop small and show some love to Houston-area local businesses offering modified hours, curbside pickup, and even home delivery of their goods and services.

We've already told you about some of our favorite local toy and book stores offering pick up and delivery, and outlined our favorite restaurants serving special-occasion meals, but they're not the only local haunts getting creative to keep the doors open. When looking for ways to support local businesses, we'd like to offer a couple of tips: First, consider buying directly from local businesses instead of third-party delivery services, which often gobble up much of the profit. Second, even local spots not featured below are likely selling gift cards. Consider purchasing one now to use down the line.

And while you're showing your support for the businesses you love, we hope you'll count Mommy Poppins and our small business partners among them. You can support Mommy Poppins by sharing articles you find useful with friends or on your social media channels, checking out our directory of virtual classes, camps, and birthday parties and telling businesses you found them through Mommy Poppins. Also, as part of our effort to keep our local parent writers and this website afloat and support some of our favorite family businesses, we've created Poppins@Home, a platform for small businesses to share free and low-cost online classes and birthday parties with kids all over the country. Please consider trying a few of these fun, affordable, and creative classes—and spreading the word among your friends—as yet another way to support, uplift, and get through these challenging times together!

If Coronavirus quarantine has got you down, help is on the way. Governor Newsom and Mayor Garcetti have begun rolling out their reopening plans, offering gradual relief to families and businesses exhausted by months of Stay-at-Home orders. Going outside has never sounded so thrilling. After two months of lockdown, only seeing each other in car parades and 8pm howls, giving our kids quarantine haircuts and virtual birthday parties, we finally have the beginnings of a plan to get out and enjoy the beaches, hiking trails, and more of LA's natural beauty. If we do it responsibly, we should be able to enjoy some fresh air without putting people's lives at risk.

The plan to reopen California has four phases, and we are in the early stages of Phase 2. Read on to find out what that means for schools and businesses, as well as trails, beaches, farms, and more that we can now visit—as long as we adhere to social distancing protocol and cover up with face masks.

While becoming your child’s teacher can be very stressful, this may be a wonderful opportunity to turn chores into lesson plans. We should insist children help around the house, using everyday things that need to get done as opportunities for them to learn math, science, language arts, and social studies.

For more ideas on things to do with kids during the pandemic, visit our Stay-At-Home Guide for parents.

These days, getting in exercise might not seem so easy—whether you're all feeling trapped in a tiny apartment during the stay-at-home order, your kid's calendar is suddenly jam-packed with virtual learning and Zoom playdates, or holding a solid plank position simply sounds like some sort of cruel torture to you. Thankfully, even if you're short on space or time, there are loads of online fitness classes out there for the whole family that can be done on your schedule and from the safety of your own home. And with so many fun, free programs available right in your living room, you and your kids might even find yourselves a little more motivated.

To help make it a even easier for you to squeeze in a daily dose of physical activity, we've rounded up some of our favorite free kid-friendly virtual workouts, and sports and fitnesses classes. From equipment-free tennis drills and ballet to Disney yoga and circus skills, there are options for all ages and interests.

No woman deserves to deal with a pandemic on top of morning sickness and swollen ankles. But expectant moms in 2020 have more to manage during pregnancy and childbirth than the rest of us, as they don masks, schedule virtual doctor's visits, and swap grandma cuddles for FaceTime to protect themselves and family members from coronavirus during quarantine.

That doesn't mean having a baby now need be any less joyous. We recently chatted with an ob-gyn doctor, a doula, and a mom who gave birth (to a healthy baby girl!) in April, and all provided helpful and hopeful answers to our most pressing questions about staying healthy and connected during pregnancy and childbirth. If you're one of the special moms who can put a face mask in baby's scrapbook, take a deep Lamaze breath and read on. You got this! 

Have older babies or kids? Read an infectious disease doctor's advice on keeping your family healthy during coronavirus.

As days turn into weeks and the weeks turn into months, coronavirus quarantine brings a new challenge: the haircut. We're all starting to look more than a little scruffy. Your son's hair is now completely covering his ears. Your daughter's hair is slightly lopsided (one side grows faster than the other—who knew?). Hubby's hair is veering into a kind of Sasquatch/hippy hybrid. And let's not even mention a look in the mirror. When I catch a glimpse of the neighbors during our daily social-distancing walk, I can see, even at a distance, that they are experiencing a similar problem. It's evident the time has come for a haircut. Read on before you pull out your scissors: We've talked to some industry pros from kids' salons around the country to get the best tips for at-home haircuts. These tricks will get you through until the stay-at-home orders are lifted.

So, take a step back from your "let it grow" philosophy, follow these pro-backed haircut tutorials, and dip your toes into the world of home haircuts. For more helpful advice, plus boredom busters to help you survive the coronavirus with kids, be sure to visit our Stay-at-Home Guide.

For Westchester and Hudson Valley families seeking together time in nature, we've rounded up ten destinations for family hikes. Whether you seek an easy walk for little legs or a more challenging excursion for adventurous types, our list can be your new go-to resource for trailblazing.

Time spent in nature is associated with reduced stress and numerous health benefits. Connecting kids with nature can also help instill a lifelong love of nature and a feeling of responsibility for the environment. Fortunately, there's no shortage of green space in our area, and hiking is a great activity that can be enjoyed in all kinds of weather. So fill your water bottle, lace up those sturdy shoes, and choose your preferred setting, be it lake, woods, or waterfall. Read on for details!

Please note that some of the destinations or activities listed below may be closed or canceled during the COVID-19 shut-down.

When I heard that video chatting with a fairy was a feasible activity for my imaginative and increasingly stir-crazy four year old, I couldn't have jumped at the opportunity any faster. Enter Happily Ever Laughter, a California-based cast of fantastical kids party entertainers—think faeries, pirates, mermaids, princesses, and even safari explorers—who have pivoted to virtual playdates and celebrations during the stay at home order. Available for a one-on-one chat with your kiddo while you put the finishing touches on that presentation, or a group call that's worthy of a quarantine era birthday bash or just a special hangout with deeply missed friends, this gang of unique and engaging characters is now available nationwide with as little as 4 hours notice.