The holidays are over, the kids are back to school…everything is back to normal. Except now they're bored, suffering from postholiday letdown. How can you keep them entertained? We've got you covered. Disney on Ice is in town, the Long Island Children's Museum is opening a new exhibit and is presenting a fun performance in its theater, plus there are a couple of children's productions being put on around the Island.

We continue our focus on Park Slope this month with a roundup of our favorite indoor places to play in the nabe.

A Park Slope resident by way of Scotland, I am a pretty hardy soul when it comes to braving the elements. You'll often find me and my daughter romping through Prospect Park in the cold. But even I have my limits, and New York City winters have certainly challenged mine in recent years! Fortunately, Park Slope has plenty of places where kids can play inside. We've rounded up 15 cozy indoor spots, many of which are free.

Happy 2012 everyone! We hope you rang in the New Year with all the frivolity and caution thrown to the wind that the night deserves, and maybe even made it through to midnight (don’t worry; East Coast time counts).  Now it’s time to get back on track, tidy up your messes, and follow through on your resolutions.

If one of your resolutions was to recycle more, we can help you off to a good start. Mommy Poppins has the low-down on Christmas tree recycling options throughout Los Angeles!

We now return to our regularly scheduled program of classes, shows and festivals to keep your kiddies occupied and amused. Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend.

Wow! It sure has been a cold week! Don't let the cold keep you from getting out and doing something fun with the kids this weekend. I'm resuming my summer camp search after it was interrupted by holiday preparations last month. To help you get started we did a post about a few great summer camps in Fairfield County. If you have a favorite summer camp you'd like us to share with our readers please comment on our facebook page or shoot me an email. In need of some new and delicious slow cooker, soup and stews recipes? Enjoy, complements of Sarah at our MP NJ site.

Now for the weekend fun! You can still check the Festival of Lighthouses Display at the Maritime Museum. This exhibit places 24 lighthouses throughout the aquarium through Jan. 16. At the New Canaan Nature Center you can learn how to do some winter animal tracking. Go old school and learn about and decorate your own Rubik's Cube at Stepping Stones Museum. For those Sherlock Holmes fans it's Junior Detective Day at Greenwich Historical Society and don't miss out on the Victorian Tea Party at Gunn Memorial Library and Museum. Read on for some more fun activities and stay warm this wintry weekend!

Happy New Year, New Jersey! You could always stay in and cook some delicious winter food or go ahead and bundle up and brave the cold to enjoy a whole host of post-holiday events. Take your pick from this weekend's fun stuff, which include an outdoor hike in search of owls, a space show, craft classes and an exciting robot competition. Stay warm!

The new year started with a taste of winter, and while there’s still no snow in the forecast, local ski areas are making their own as fast as they can. The annual Winter Trails Day in Weston will also get families out and moving. Concerts with Gustafer Yellowgold, Ben Rudnick, and Debbie and Friends, and other events are lined up for the weekend.

As part of our occasional area museums series, we visited three museums on the North Shore: the Wenham Museum (Wenham), Cape Ann Museum (Gloucester), and Peabody Essex Museum (Salem). Read our review, and please let us know if your family has a favorite museum.

Hard as it may be to believe, the camp fair season has begun in earnest, starting this weekend with the Camp and Summer Expo at Dexter Southfield School. We’re also working on listings of favorite camps in the area. If you have a great camp to recommend for our articles, we’d love to include it - just send me an email with the information. Thanks!

Enjoy!

[UPDATED: JANUARY 24, 2013]

This time of year those languid summer afternoons spent in the park, watching your children engage in endless free play while their imaginations run wild, seem a distant memory. Never fear, the Upper West Side has become the unofficial craft capital of New York City, a place where neither rain nor snow will slow your kid’s creativity down. It is teeming with all-weather spots to keep the kids engaged for a few hours, without creating chaos in your home. These hands-on craft activities are just the sticky mess that your child craves, with the added bonus of taking home a handmade keepsake. Here are six places to make your own crafts, perfect for the dog days of winter. And since crafting usually makes my family’s stomach growl, nearby spots to pick up a snack are also listed.

The winter months can seem very long when its frigid cold and you’re trying to stay indoors. But just because the temperatures dropped it doesn’t mean you have to go into hiding. There are still plenty of indoor options that can help to lure you out of your home and still keep you toasty warm and entertained. From entertainment centers to shows and sports games check out this compilation of indoor things to do to avoid cabin fever during the cold weather season.