Although the average age for first-time mothers in the U.S. is mid-20s, many New York City women are on a different schedule. In the city, it's not uncommon to see thirty- and fortysomething moms proudly pushing strollers down the streets—often double ones. Becoming a mom later in life has many potential advantages, like maturity and financial security. But there are challenges too, like connecting with your peers. Sure, you can make plenty of mommy friends on the playground, but if you're hoping to meet other parents who grew up on Sesame Street before Elmo, you may want to join a specialized playgroup or meetup.

We previously posted about general parent groups in NYC. In honor of Salute to Moms 35+ Week, which runs May 13-19, we've rounded up some of New York City's best resources for mothers with a bit of life experience under their belts.

I find that dog owners with kids are separated into 2 categories. There are those that had pups well before human kids and treated them like children, lavishing attention on their fur baby before taking the plunge and trying for a real one! And then there are those that don’t even think about adding a furry friend into the mix until their lives are already buzzing with activity from 2 or 3 tots running around. After all, what’s one more body in the house to entertain and feed?

Mother's Day is the main event on all of our sites, from New York City to Los Angeles. Moms, if you have Sunday all planned out, good for you. (Extra points if your family did all the work.) However, if you're still trying to decide how to celebrate in NYC, we've got lots of great suggestions, plus a roundup of our readers' favorite Mother's Day brunch spots.

In other news, strawberry picking season is in full swing and we've got roundups of family-friendly strawberry picking farms and festivals in Long Island and New Jersey. Another great excuse for a day trip: Outdoor festivals. We've got a list of a few fabulous spring festivals in Connecticut. Meanwhile, our Travel site has a beautiful Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort slide show. If your family still hasn't bought you a Mother's Day gift a vacation there would certainly make a good one.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

(Photo courtesy of Harbes Family Farm and Vineyard)

Sun! After a cool, dreary weekend and week all last week, Bill Korbel promises sun and warmth this weekend. Perfect weather for celebrating Mom. This weekend, there are lots of events to help you fete mom (see our Mother's Day Brunch guide as well). There are also some nature activities, and it's the last weekend of the Dreamland Amusements Fair. Happy Mother's Day!

It's our day, Moms! Hang out with the ones that you love, relax or perhaps spend the weekend on the baseball and soccer field like some moms we know (me). For those of you that are getting out and about this weekend you'll have lots to choose from: there are National Train Day events, a free Mother's Day concert or some kiddie rock by Justin Roberts, and even a Dragon Dance at Turtle Back Zoo.  And you can find a listing of all NJ activities for kids in our Event Calendar.

It's Mother's Day weekend and we wish every mother in the universe loads of love, peace and compassion this Sunday, May 13th. If you plan to celebrate the day there are plenty of Mother's Day activities, events and places to brunch in our Fairfield County and Hartford County posts. In Litchfield we love to celebrate by heading out to the Mayflower Inn, the Winvian or Community Table for a nice meal and beautiful atmosphere. Pricey, but well worth the splurge. We've also listed even more events happening for Mother's day in our events calendar so be sure to check that out too. For Mother's Day we wanted to give our readers some extra love so we have a giveaway currently running. It ends this Saturday, May 12th and the winner will receive their choice of either a $50 gift cert for Three Monkeys and Me, a children's boutique situated in lovely Kent, or 2 tickets to see a documentary or foreign film at the Avon Theatre. There's also a little discount in there for any reader in the market for comfy and stylish maternity and lounge wear. And now, here's the weekend scoop!

Happy Mother’s Day!

We’re all about Mother’s Day in Boston this week, with a full calendar of special events that kids and families can do together. From the Watch City Festival that runs Saturday and Sunday, the Spring Open House at the Blue Hill Observatory and concert with Karen K on Saturday to Lilac Sunday and the Duckling Day Parade on Sunday, families can find plenty of things to do. Read on for weekend highlights, and see our calendar for more events.

Our Mother’s Day weekend coverage continued this week with some ideas for Mother’s Day day trips, and some special crafts kids can make for their moms, plus some great places to find crafts for your own projects. And for new moms - a roundup of Boston-area new mothers groups.

Enjoy!

We continue our month-long focus on Chelsea with a look at the neighborhood's best places to play indoors and take kids' classes.

Although Chelsea is filled with wonderful parks and playground like the elevated High Line and community hub Seal Park, it's also home to large number of indoor romping spots. From drop-in play spaces to members-only kid gyms, the Rubin Museum of Art's Education Center to theater, art and cooking programs, here are 17 places for kids to play and learn in Chelsea.