With the panic of Swine Flu receding, we can go back to our regularly scheduled anxieties, like whether the quality of life for families in New York City is going to suck as the economy declines. With overcrowded schools, family-friendly businesses closing left and right, and the costs of everything from metrocards to taxes going up while salaries and savings disappear, is the recent age of New York's family-friendliness going to disappear also? On the plus side, news about some new playgrounds, and a new law that will hopefully help reduce air pollution. And on the side-lines, furor over a Consumer Reports finding that some parents saw as an attack on attachment parenting.

We think of New York City as the "real" world, but then there's that other real world: the one where our food is grown and our clothes are made. We can be fairly isolated from these everyday realities. But even in New York, there are ample opportunities to learn about where things come from.

This weekend is Sheep Shearing Weekend with a couple of events to learn about how wool is turned from a sheep's winter coat into the fabric that makes our clothes and other things. Find a sheep shearing event in the city or drive out for one in the 'burbs. For extra credit check out an art exhibit about felt that takes it to the next step to show how wool is made into felt and many beautiful objects made from felt.

Yeah, it might rain, and you've been thinking about getting surgical masks to even take the whole family out to the grocery store...but there is too much going on this weekend to just stay at home. So get the family, grab the Purell--and probably an umbrella or two--and brave the elements for an amazing weekend of cherry blossoms and wildflowers, spring and school fairs, ring swinging, a block party and bike tour, a family festival to end all festivals and free bikes and comic books.

If you're concerned about public places and swine flu, sani-hands is giving out free samples of their sanitizing wipes on Friday, May 1 in Times Square from 10am-1pm, or just make sure to wash your hands frequently.

Yes, your child will most likely come home from school with a Mother's Day gift. Perhaps a ziti collage or a bouquet of paper flowers suspended on pipe cleaners. And you will ooh and ah. And appropriately so. But why leave all the fun to school when you could celebrate Mother's Day as a family, making Mother's Day crafts together (you for your own mom, them for theirs) or Moms could even send dads off with kids to make Mother's Day gifts for a few hours and that would almost be gift enough.

Many kid venues offer Mother's Day gift-making workshops where kids can glue tissue paper flowers together, but we've gathered some unique events where kids of all ages can step the Mother's Day gift-making up a notch, even if Dad has to pitch in a bit.

Just because you have kids, doesn't mean you can't enjoy going out for a beer once in a while. And taking the kids along is fine as long as you choose your watering holes wisely. Bringing your kids to bars is a great way to hang out as a family, while you get to go out and have some fun, too. In order to keep the other patrons happy as well, these are some good general guidlines: arrive early, stick to bars with ample space (outdoor if possible) and bars that welcome kids with kid-friendly food.

If you're game for taking the kids to a family-friendly bar, here are the best ones to try:

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Sure you could get a piece of dazzling jewelry, but where's the fun in that? Mother's Day is all about paying tribute to the magic of Motherhood, so choose a gift that stands up and salutes to all that is precious, magical and beautiful about moms.

Here's our list of Mother's Day Gift Ideas that will warm moms' heart and give her joy for years to come. 

Sweating like pigs: This weekend there were basically two topics of conversation in New York City, the heat and the swine flu. I can't help you much with the heat, but I do think it is important that people are well informed about the swine flu issue. Read more inside to find out the latest details, the most reliable source of information for swine flu news and what you can do to protect your family.

Oh and...more news about the new stay at home dads, a woman giving birth on fifth avenue, the secrets of the American Museum of Natural history, Lemonade Day, the new and old animals at the Bronx Zoo and more.

The weather is going to be beautiful this weekend and what better reward than to spend a wonderful afternoon in the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, especially now that the Cherry Blossoms are in their prime. Of course, visiting the Cherry Blossoms could lead to its own reward if you enter your photographs of your children and the cherry blossoms into our Kids of Hanami Photo Contest.

Let me spell it out for you; the reward would be a Brooklyn Botanic Garden Pass, Mother's Day Luncheon at the Gardens and a generous prize package of beautiful gifts from the BBG store.

Take a look at some of the beautiful entries we've received: