Welcome to the inaugural weekend of 2013! The first days of January are always a little bittersweet as we watch all of the holiday sights come down, recycle our Christmas trees, and return to our busy school and work routines. But there's never a dull day in NYC. Sunday marks Three Kings Day (a.k.a. the twelfth day of Christmas), plus the New Year brings lots of cool new cultural experiences like family art workshops at the Whitney and The New Museum, and Film Forum's classics for kids movie series, which kicks off on Sunday. There's also Stories for Sandy Hook, a wonderful all-ages benefit for the families in Newtown, Connecticut and a ton of nature fun, including seal and bald eagle watching.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our picks are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar. Happy New Year!

With decorations packed up and put away and out of town guests gone, how about bundling up for some winter family fun? Check out story time at the Trailside Nature Center and Owl Prowl at the Tenafly Nature Center. Or indulge your little one’s imagination at the Battle of Princeton Family Adventure and the Dino-mite Meet and Greet at Liberty Science Center. Read on for our top picks and you can find a listing of all NJ activities in our Event Calendar.

I've always dreamed of having fun backyard birthday parties complete with bounce houses, pony rides and an ice cream man, but alas, I have only winter babies whose party options are limited and always in danger of being canceled due to weather. Last February we told you about fun winter birthday parties for New Jersey children but here are 5 more options to add to our Birthday Party Guide, plus a brand new sneak peek venue!  

Every year, we knock an experience or two off our list of 100 things to do with kids in NYC before they grow up. In 2012, my family braved the crowds at Dylan's Candy Bar (No. 8), Dave & Buster's in Times Square (No. 28) and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Inflation (No. 98), all for the first time. And I know that Mommy Poppins' founder Anna and her kids finally made it to the Easter Parade (No. 27) and went on a couple of auditions just for fun (No. 2). But just when we think we're making a real dent in that list, a slew of brand-new must-see attractions pop up in New York City. Not that we're complaining—that's one of the reasons we love living here.

Even if you're still working on visiting all of the amazing places that opened in 2011, 2012's top new spots deserve to be on your radar. If you read the site every day, you'll probably already know about most of these, but if you missed a few of the 500 or so posts we wrote this year, here's a roundup of our favorite new NYC attractions for families that opened in 2012.

Hope your holidays are going well! You'll be able to keep the holiday celebrations going this weekend with a Kwanzaa celebration at the African-American Musuem of Art, New Year's Eve celebrations (be sure to check out our listing of New Year's Eve Celebrations for families, the Silly Dilly Band at the Long Island Children's Museum. Happy New Year!

It's been a very quiet week on all of the Mommy Poppins sites as we spend time with our families. That photo is from Christmas at my mother-in-law's house and please keep in mind, we also do Hanukkah in our home! But more important than the presents (which are still sitting in a big pile on my living room floor as I figure out where to put them all) were the memories we made. We had a particularly festive time this year and I hope your family's celebration was as uplifting. I think we all really needed that.

Although many of the holidays are behind us, Kwanza is in full swing, New Year's Eve is just a few days away and holiday break is only half over. So there's still plenty of time to enjoy holiday fun in NYC or you could even take a day trip to see seasonal sights in New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut. Our CT site recently posted about the incredible Christmas House in Torrington, which looks like it rivals the famous Garabedian family Christmas House here in the Bronx. And there are other awesome displays in Long Island and New Jersey that are worth traveling to if you have access to a car.

From all of the moms here at Mommy Poppins, we wish you and your family a fabulous New Year! Thank you for sharing 2012 with us. Here's what else we covered in NYC this week:

Happy New Year!

Boston offers families plenty of vacation week and weekend activities, plus some fun ways to ring out 2012 and welcome in the new year. Families can choose from kid-friendly celebrations at area museums, and the first-in-the-nation First Night celebration, plus ice skating and New Year’s Day hikes to start the New Year out on the right foot. Most of the holiday events of 2012 wrap up this weekend, and, if the ever-changing New England weather cooperates, local ski areas will be making snow and grooming their trails.

Still looking for things to do? This week, we introduce our 100 Things to Do in Boston with Kids - a bucket list of sorts that offers Boston families plenty of ideas. How many have you done with your family?

Read on for details, or visit our Events Calendar for more activities, and enjoy!

It's the final weekend of 2012 which means the holidays (and the year!) are quickly coming to a close. It's your last chance to enjoy all of the holiday fun New York City has to offer like outrageous Christmas lights, department store holiday windows, twinkling trees and a slew of seasonal shows.

Even though Hanukkah and Christmas are behind us, Kwanza is just beginning, plus New Year's Eve and Three Kings Day are on the horizon. And if you need a break from all the celebrating, the Parks Department is running a nature scavenger hunt in Fort Tryon Park and the Staten Island Zoo is hosting a special dinosaur demo.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our weekend picks are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Holiday Fun Guide. Happy (almost) New Year!