Brussels is a kid-friendly city that manages to be fun loving while maintaining an air of grace.  It gets down to business yet is surprisingly hip.  It is not as big or bustling as London or Paris, but that is part of its charm.  Brussels works just that little bit harder to enchant you.  Medieval architecture blends with funky painted murals, and a statue of a little boy urinating is the mascot of this city.  The people here get the humor in life, which makes it an excellent place to travel with kids.

Brussels is officially bilingual, and though it is predominately francophone, Flemish is also an official language. It is the seat of the European Union, so you will hear a polyglot of languages. It is easy to get to via high-speed rail from many European cities, making it a convenient stop if you are visiting other continental cities.  It is a worthy stand-alone vacation destination, especially if you take some time to explore Belgium’s other towns.  Fairytale-pretty Bruges and arty, under-the-radar Ghent are both worthwhile day trips. 

The following attractions are great family spots, but keep in mind that Brussels is high on ambience, so wandering the cobblestone streets and squares is the city’s best attraction.

It doesn't matter whether your kids attend public, private or parochial: New York City parents are always being called on to donate their money and (even more precious) time to help their children's schools. In fact, vigorous fundraising is an integral part of many schools' success, academic and otherwise.

As a PTA board member for my son's school, I have been very involved in the fundraising process. I've developed initiatives for new money makers and also managed tried-and-true cash cows. While I don't pretend to be the next Jean Joachim, the über PTA mom who helped raise more than $1 million for the Upper West Side's PS 87 and then wrote the book Beyond the Bake Sale, I am a former marketing executive with more fundraising ideas than my son's school can feasibly handle in a given year. I'm happy to share a few of my favorites with my fellow NYC parents.

In addition to raising money for the school, my ideas are meant to be fun for families and foster community. All of these projects require a bit of prep, but since school just started, there's plenty of time to get them going. June is a long way off!

On Sunday, November 4, the Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) is kicking off its Tenth Anniversary Season with a concert, and we're giving away tickets! Read on to find out more,,,

Culture. We all want it — and not just in our yogurt. We live next to one of the best museum cities in the world, but our dear NJ also has much to offer in the 'get smart' department. From the wonderfully curated Newark Museum, to lovely small spaces like Monmouth Museum, there's an array of exhibits and activities for the whole family. And NJ museums don't take all day, so get cultured up until lunchtime, then go for a hike, have a picnic, or hit another gallery. You'll be more interesting by dinnertime. 

We all try to make the best, most wholesome meals for our families, but life happens, and increasingly, families are eating out; of course, increasingly, prices are going up, and budgets are getting tighter, often making family dinners at restaurants the first thing to get cut. But it is possible for a family of four or more to eat out affordably. Lots of restaurants across the Island offer kids-eat-free deals with the purchase of adult entrees. Here, a good sample of the deals.

As you can see from the photo of my daughter in full Nightmare Before Christmas regalia, we're ready for Halloween in our house! We're ready for it on the Mommy Poppins sites, too. This week, we rounded up free family-friendly Halloween parades in NYC, do-it-yourself Halloween decorations and accessories, haunted houses in New Jersey and Halloween train rides in Connecticut. Be sure to check out our Halloween Guides for NYC, New Jersey and Connecticut for a truly terrifying amount of seasonal activities.

Of course Halloween isn't the only scary thing on our mind: We're also all obsessed with the upcoming election. Our Boston site shared a wonderful post about teaching your kids about voting. Regardless of which candidate you support, it's important to involve your kids in the process so that when they grow up, they become voters, too.

In other big news this week, Mommy Poppins is getting our own ice cream flavor! And we want you to help us choose what it will be. Our friends at Malu, which is one of our top places to have dessert in Long Island City, are considering five different flavors and you can vote for your favorite on our Facebook page. Make it sweet!

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