I don't usually post on the weekends, but there has been so much to post about and I just haven't been able to get to it all. I'll be posting today and tomorrow. Here's a roundup of a bunch of random activities for this weekend and upcoming week.

Broadway is back. I went to see Is He Dead?, a new Mark Twain play. You can find discounts for this and other shows, like The Grinch at NewYorkology.com.

I stumbled upon a really cool after-school and camp program, Wild Blue. It dubs itself as a geography-oriented exploration and adventure center for children aged 3-11. They are having an Open House today, Sat., Dec. 8th from 10am to 12pm or 2-4pm at 401 East 76th St with activities for kids, and examples of some of the experiences their explorers have been through. If any one goes to this and wants to report back, or knows about this program, I'd love to hear about it.

The Mommy Poppins Holiday Toy Swap & Drive is ON!

Two important announcements on this Holiday-giving focused post. First, we have a winner in our Craftsbury Kids giveaway. Congrats, Michelle R! It's nice to ba able to give something back to my readers too.

Next, the Mommy Poppins Holiday Toy Swap & Drive is ON!

Today we are excited to announce the Mommy Poppins Holiday Guide. In it you will find all the Holiday related posts in one easy to navigate place. We hope this will make it easier to find information and plan your Holiday outings.

We will be updating the Holiday Guide every day not only with the newest posts, but also exclusive content created just for the Guide (today you'll find delicious Italian Christmas cookie recipes from Granny Poppins) and event listings.

It was a busy weekend. In the Holiday Guide, under Shopping, you'll see we also created a Mommy Poppins Holiday Store. We've selected some of the best toys for NYC kids. These are the toys represent quality over quantity.

You don't have room for every toy under the sun. Give these carefully chosen toys and your children will be entertained for hours and hours, and years and years with the same toys. They let kids use their imaginations, get some active play, and all the toys have been selected for being compact; creating suburban playroom-sized fun for tiny, NY-sized apartments.

When my children were very young I had a wonderful neighbor who became a dear friend. They were of Italian heritage and had similar aged children. We shared holidays with each other for years. We went to their house to trim the tree, hang the Advent Calendar, bake Christmas cookies and eat a 7 fish dinner Christmas Eve and they came to our house to light the menorah, eat latkes and open presents. These memories have always stayed with my family though eventually they moved and life took us in separate directions. Mrs. D passed away this year so I wrote to her husband asking him for her Christmas cookie recipes. Now I will share them with you. Mrs D's Traditional Italian Christmas Cookie Recipes:

Another fun month at Mommy Poppins:

I was interviewed for a fun article about how to not spoil your kids during the holidays that ran all over the country. I even had some country radio guys in Minnesota try to trick me into coming onto their morning zoo show so they could make farting sounds at me.

We welcomed two new contributors, Dani Finkel and our Granny Poppins, Sharon Kleinhandler.

We had an amazing week of giveaways, with prizes from The Dish's Dishes, Via Toy Box, Blush Topless Undershirts, and more.

And...today we have a giveaway going on for a Craftsbury Kids Gift Certificate.

After the top posts, read on for some important reminders and a great activity for this weekend.

Discover Five Great Indoor Activities for NYC Kids

Mommy Poppins Giveaway-a-Thon: Via Toy Box

Blue Man Creativity Center, Reggio Emilia and Preschool Parenting Talk

5 Best Ice Skating Rinks for NYC Kids

Ask Mommy Poppins: Mommy and Me Swim Classes in NYC

Worrying about lead paint, the environment, and the extinction of small, local businesses and artisans is not the only reason to look for alternatives to big box stores and toys. How about the pure pleasure of giving and having absolutely melt-in-your-mouth beautiful, simple, hand-crafted, heirloom toys that will inspire kids to use their imaginations and instill a sense of magic and wonder?

Craftsbury Kids is a mother-owned company selling toys, art, clothing, and decor for parents who are looking for something different than the cookie cutter, mass-produced flashy electronic toys. Most everything is handcrafted by independent artisans and small cottage industries. You can even shop by categories of toys Made in The USA, Made in Europe and Fair Trade if you like.

Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. All I know is I get weak in the knees when I look at their Holiday Gift Guide.

My favorite page is the Warm Fuzzies. As far as I'm concerned, every child should have one of these froggie hats. I'm writing to Hillary right now to suggest we put it in law.

My son would love this toy wooden helicopter, but honestly I'm not sure I would care if he ever played with it or not. It would give me so much pleasure just to see such a beautiful toy sitting there on his, or my, shelf every day.