I admit it, I'm lovin' The NY Times this week...

In a relationship rut? Check out this article on Michael Roach and Christie McNally, the Buddhist couple who vowed to be both celibate and never apart by more than 15 feet. It will either give you some ideas or make you feel just fine with what you've got going on. Either way, it's totally fascinating.

More Stroller Nazi Talk. Stroller Moms can't get no love in Park Slope. And is anyone else out there also getting tired of the term Stroller Nazi?

This weekend is absolutely jam-packed with festivals and activities, so I will just write about the top ten can't miss activities in brief. Also be sure to check out our Weekend of trickster and Folklore Events post for this weekend. This is yet another weekend I wish I could be in ten places at once (one of them obviously being in bed...oh, man, wouldn't it be great if you could spend the day in bed while your other self went out with the kids and did all kinds of fun stuff...sorry, little mommy fantasy moment there.) 

Photo: Anansi, The Spiderman of Africa

My son loves trickster stories (gee I can't imagine why). Trickster stories exist in one form or another in just about every culture. We have Bugs Bunny and Johnny Depp, but Native American and African stories are filled with animal trickster tales.

Trickster stories are great for kids. Kids love seeing grown-ups act like mischievous children and also getting fooled, but trickster stories also help children see mischievous behavior from another perspective and learn about the consequences of their actions.

This weekend there are a bunch of activities to expose kids to some fun and interesting trickster and other folk and multicultural tales.

I want to thank everyone for participating in our Mother's Day Giveaway Week. It was really fun reading everyone's comments and giving away all those prizes. Today we're announcing the winner of our Mother and Child Portrait Session Giveaway and I wanted to share the posts that readers picked out as their favorites in the comments of our Spa Giveaway. In addition to some of our most popular posts and favorite weekly features like Linkin' Blogs and Free Fun Friday, a bunch of readers have really been paying attention and chosen some of the hidden gems of the site as their favorite posts. Take a look at what your fellow readers have been liking on the site:

Reader's Choice: Best Mommy Poppins Posts
Armchair Exploring: Cool sites to discover off-the-beaten-path New York
Mom??™s Groups Roundup
best candy stores in NYC (Actually two posts, Economy Candy and Sweet Life)
Green Sites for Families
It's time to give up the (water) bottle.
100 things to do with kid in NYC
Indoor Activities for NYC Kids
where to ski with kids in new york
summer camp overview
Great Places to Swim
99 Sensory Activities For Any Child

Thanks, everyone, for reading the site and sharing your favorite posts with us. We're glad you like it!

And now to announce our big winner:

Just cause the last time you sat down to read a newspaper was when ???pooped out??? still meant tired to you doesn??™t mean you can??™t stay up to date with what??™s going on. We??™ve rounded up the top stories you don??™t want to miss from the NYC media this week.

Also, don't forget that you have until 11pm tonight to enter into our last Mother's Day Giveaway, an amazing portrait photography session.

Are you a helicopter mom or a free-range mom? NY Times reports on online programs that allow parents to track their kids daily progress in school for the ultimate helicopter move, while Lenore Skenazy of letting her 9 year old ride the subway alone fame grapples with other peoples' perceptions of the free range moms on her blog Free Range Kids.

It's Friday which means we have come to the last day of our Mother's Day Giveaway week, it's been a lot of fun reading your comments and giving out some great gifts. Thanks to everyone who has participated...but it's not over yet. Today we have an incredible prize we've been saving all week!

(And don't forget to see if you are already a winner. The winners for the Mommy Cards, Flowers and Spa prizes are announced at the end of this post. Earlier giveaway winner are listed on previous posts.)

Mother of All Giveaways Finale: Mother and Child Portrait Sitting
We are ending the week with the mother of all prizes, the gift of a mother and child portrait session by the amazingly talented Brooklyn-based photographer Leah Michaelson. Leah has exhibited internationally and has photographs in the collection at The Museum of Modern Art. Check out her website to see her work, which is really beautiful.

We heard what real moms want for Mothers Day in the comments of our Mommy Cards and Flowers Giveaway. Not Diamonds, not even jewelry or flowers. What moms really want is time. Time alone. Time with their kids. Time for dad to be with the kids. So we've rounded up some Mother's Day weekend activities that cover all the bases, whatever Mom's in the mood for.

For mom who wants a fun day out with the whole family
First Annual LIC Bike Parade!
Socrates Sculpture Park
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Registration 11:30 AM
Workshops 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Parade 3:00 PM - 4:00PM Rain or shine!
FREE

I'm always afraid that the cool, artsy community events will die out in NYC, but here's an example of a brand new one just being born.

I loved reading all of the Mother's Day wishes in yesterday's Mommy Cards and Flowers Giveaway post. You should all send your husbands or male friends over there to find out what women really want for Mother's Day. It's not that complicated, right?

There's not much talk about jewelry or almost anything material, it's mostly relaxing, either by herself for a little me time or relaxing with the family. In that vein, two women specifically dreamed of a little pampering at a spa and we are happy to say that we can perhaps help out somebody with that dream as today we are giving away a Pamper Me Package from Gloria Cabrera Salon and Spa in Midtown.

After you learn about this excellent prize be sure to check out our winner of Tuesday's Metropolitan Moms Hands-on Cooking Class Giveaway which will be announced at the bottom of this post. Good Luck!

Mother of All Giveaways Day Four: Pamper Me Spa Package
It's high up on the fantasy list for most moms, a little TLC for the body and the mind. Let your cares melt away when you submit yourself to the confident hands of the experts at Gloria Cabrera Salon and Spa,