The beauty of Labor Day is leaving the labor behind—which is exactly what our NYC editor, Raven, has done this week to celebrate the end of summer. Never fear, though: If you're counting on Mommy Poppins to guide you on your own labor-free way this holiday weekend, there are plenty of us left here to shine a light on all that is fun, festive and/or FREE this week, in easy reach of the city. Not only that, we're kicking off back-to-school season with one heck of a bang: $2,000 worth of fabulous prizes in our Back-to-School Swagapalooza! Awesome prizes include two Schwinn kids' bikes, $150 worth of personalized school supplies from My Chronicle Books, a Disney Junior package, a $50 Target gift card, $250 to spend at Sears Optical and oodles more. You enter for each prize separately, so start clicking!

Care to escape the city for, say, Elizabethan England? It's never too late (or at least not until late September); the New York Renaissance Faire is still going strong in Tuxedo Park, including the holiday Monday. Or spend a few corny hours in Sleepy Hollow for Philipsburg Manor's CORNucopia celebration in Westchester. (Speaking of Westchester, our Westchester site is looking to hire a new Events Editor, in case you know just the person.)

If you're headed for the Hamptons this weekend, there's a Pow Wow worth stopping in on, and our New Jersey team has several suggestions for day trips in the Garden State. If you've got a pooch you don't want to leave at home, bring him along for a special doggie day out at the Ocean Oasis Water Park. Connecticut has fairs and festivals popping up all over this holiday weekend, including a life-affirming Labor Day parade in Newtown.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

The smell of freshly-sharpened pencils and the crunch of a fresh apple -- it's time for school again! There are so many books out there to get your kid in the mood for everyday academia. Kids starting school for the first time may be experiencing excitement peppered with anxiety over separation from parents. First graders may be having trouble with the transition to longer days, new teachers and new friends. Starting a new school year can be tough on kids of any age. Try some books that use humorous storylines and positive ideas to help ease your child's transition into a new year. Check out our list of the best back to school books for your NJ kids preschool - 7 grade.

So you want to shake it up this Labor Day in Fairfield County.  You're bored at the thought of the beaches, and not waiting around for a backyard BBQ invite.  Oh, no.  You want options.  So here you go: a Labor Day 2013 grab bag, that will work come rain or shine this weekend.

We had returned to the US after living overseas for seven years just three days before the terror of 9/11. While it was hardly the welcome home we had expected, with my husband working in NYC at the time (across the street from the WTC) and me trying to unpack boxes and settle two young children into new schools on my own, the day was for our family, as for so many others, a life-defining moment.

Lots of really good things have happened in the subsequent years, but each year, the anniversary of the attacks always gives us pause. There are many ways families can mark the day, remembering the victims and honoring the heroes. Whether you explore an exhibit, visit a memorial or volunteer to help others, there are enriching and educational things to do on September 11 with your kids, some of which we’ve listed below.

It's back-to-school time, when parents heave a joint sigh of relief/groan of pain as they send their kids off to be educated for another year. To help you ease back into the new school routine, we're doing a huge giveaway with back-to-school essentials and swag.

We've got some amazing prizes that you and your children will love. Brand-new bikes, a year's supply of school uniforms and vitamins, backpacks, books, school supplies and more. Click on each link to enter that giveaway. You must enter each giveaway separately to be eligible to win that prize.

There are multiple ways to enter. Plus you can share with your friends to earn even more entries, and spread your entries out throughout the giveaway week. Pay attention, though, because each giveaway ends on a different date. Good luck!

For some moms, the toddler years are a golden era in which every outing is a glorious and gleeful first to be experienced together. For others, the toddler years feel like a string of stressful, overwhelming days in which entertaining an 18-month-old seems sooo much more complicated than it was supposed to be. Either way, SoCalMoms offers a great way to get more enjoyment out of the toddler years. The group's Toddler Camp treks around some of LA's most kid-friendly destinations (like the ones on our 100 Things To Do with Kids Bucket List), making all of the arrangements as a sort of traveling playgroup - with SoCal as the playground. (And read on for the Mommy Poppins discount!)