A HUGE thank you to everyone who has donated to help the children of Seneca Houses get the basic school supplies they need to start this school year. Through the generosity of Mommy Poppins readers we have raised almost $1000 worth of school supplies! Wow, I knew you guys were awesome!

But there is still more we can do. Yesterday I received these wonderful letters from some of the children with their school supply lists as well as the Pre-K supply list. I have added the items these children are asking for as well as the Pre-K list that I received.

Also, a corporate donation that had been promised for 75 backpacks fell through, so I am now trying to get backpacks for the kids. I am looking for a business that might be able to help us get the backpacks at a discount or for free, but I don't know if this will be possible.

If you would like to buy a backpack for a child please pick one from the Amazon Wishlist or if you donate cash through the PayPal donate button, I will use that money to buy backpacks and deliver them myself.

If you haven't had time to donate yet, please take a moment to read their letters and buy something from their wishlists.

The great thing about shopping for kids clothes is A) Their whole wardrobe costs about the same as just one pair of your shoes. B) They look good in everything. C) You don't have to try anything on eliminating the worst part of shopping in my book. That's not to say that even shopping for kids clothes can't be a hassle, but seeking out fun clothes like these cool duds for kids makes it much, much more fun.

We had the experts at some of our favorite clothing stores for kids, tell us what the hottest items are this Fall for NYC kids. Here's what they said:

You don't need to burn a lot of dough or fossil fuels (meaning even more dough) to have a great Labor Day Weekend. We've got 10 fun family activities that you can enjoy for cheap or even free.

Labor Day Weekend for me is all about having one last hurrah for summer, so these activities all focus on getting outside, either with an easy day trip from New York or doing something in the city that makes you feel like you're not. This isn't like most of my free and cheap lists. Some of these activities cost a bit of cash, but I figure, if I'm staying in the city or skipping the hotel, it's worth it to pay a little bit to feel like I'm getting some vacationing in.

Here's 10 ideas that will take you away, without getting too carried away:

We launched our Back to School Guide last week and since then we've already added a bunch of new posts with more on the way. But for a special Linkin' Blogs we thought we'd give some link love to some other great back to school guides out there.

Cool Mom Picks always has the best recos for adorable stuff for moms and babies and the Cool Mom Picks Back to School Shopping Guide is jam-packed with wonderful backpacks, lunch boxes, shoes, jackets, supplies, and even snacks and organizational supplies for moms.

On a much more brass tacks level, the Consumer Reports Back to School Guide has tips for parents on health, safety, saving money and, of, course electronics recommendations. Read about vaccinations, how to save money on kids clothes, how to know if your child's backpack is too heavy and much more.

In my post about the farms you can visit in Westchester, I mentioned that it is easy to get to Philipsburg Manor and Stone Barn Farms without a car, using public transportation. I thought it would be cool to write about some of the other day tips you can take from NYC using public transportation. There's really no reason to be stuck in the city just because you're car-less (or want to save your gas money on, say, the down payment on an apartment). There are plenty of fun family day trips that can be easily accessed using Metro-North trains or busses.

The MTA actually has an entire section of their website dedicated to what they so romantically dub MTA Getaways . You've probably seen this advertised in the subway, but I know I never really looked into it before. Many of the trips you could do any time, but the MTA has also worked with local tours and groups to create specific event packages.

Here are some car-free day trips that are definitely worth a try:

My friend Mady was telling me last week at the beach about another mom at our school who would go home from her summer place two weeks early and spend the entire time just cooking and freezing dinners for the year. Wow.

I'm not a big cook ahead type of person. I've never even liked the idea of doing the prepare all the meals on Sunday thing, but I love the idea of being that organized (and fetishistic) about planning ahead for the school year. And I guess that's kind of the thought behind our Back to School Guide.

One of my favorite things to obsess about just before school starts is which classes and afterschool programs will my kids take this year. The Back to School Guide has about 50 different programs listed and I'll be adding lots more as I continue to seek out and obsess over all the options and cool offerings for NYC kids this Fall.

You'll also find

This is the second in a series of posts listing free demo classes for this Fall. Find more free demo classes and exclusive discounts in our first free demo class post.

New Manhattan Movement and Arts Center Children’s Program – Meet the teachers, try out classes, and enjoy additional fun and surprises at an Open House from 9:30 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 14, at Manhattan’s newest arts center. The MMAC Children’s Program, launching September 15, offers classes ranging from Mommy & Me to art, music, dance, theater, yoga and martial arts, for ages toddler to teen. Information: (212)787-1178. 

SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR Mommy Poppins Readers - $25 off when you enroll at the Open House; use discount code “MOMMY POPPINS".

Apple Seeds- Demo reservations are taken on a first come first serve basis, check out their website to see which class fits your little one. To reserve a spot, call 212.792.7590 - note that there is a limit of 2 demos per family, per semester.

One of the great joys for me of working on this site has been the ability to help other people. Typically that means helping people figure out what to do this weekend or giving them some useful bit of information or other. But this summer I had the opportunity to do something even more profound when I was contacted by Jennie Velazquez of Seneca House.

There are over 15,000 homeless children in New York City and Seneca Houses provides temporary housing for over 100 of them. This summer I worked with Jennie and her Executive Director Maritza Alvarez at Seneca House to help fill these children's summer with the types of wonderful activities that my own children take for granted (Thank you to The Children's Museum of Manhattan, Splish Splash Water Park and others for donating their admissions).

Now that summer is winding down, these kids face a new challenge. While we are all doing our back to school shopping for crisp new school supplies, the children of Seneca House have nothing.