Happy New Year! Like many parents, I'm going to be using this weekend to make sure my family is ready for the return to school and work next week, which means pulling out the backpacks and lunch boxes, getting bedrooms and bookshelves organized with new toys and books, and adjusting to the idea of getting out the door earlier again. At least there's still some time to sneak in a bit more holiday fun before Monday's alarm buzzes. The light displays wrap up this weekend, and families can also catch a special Three Kings' Day celebration to round out the holiday season.

If one of your resolutions this year is to get organized, a winter equipment swap can help you clear out the closet and prepare your family for upcoming winter activities. 

Finally, some great shows going on this weekend feature a pirate princess (pictured), a musical puppet show, a symphony of action & comedy, and some familiar Sesame Street characters.

Also on Mommy Poppins Boston this week:

• Check out these family-friendly New Year's Eve activities.
• Our overview of First Night includes plenty of tips for taking the kids.
• Have family in town for the holidays? Scott shares how best to explore the Museum of Science with kids of different ages.

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to check out the full Event Calendar!

Hear that? It’s the calm that follows the holiday hullabaloo. This weekend, activities for Westchester families quiet down a notch, so there’s a greater emphasis on R&R than on ultra-stimulating fanfare.

A great holiday antidote might be a Winter Hike to Lost Pond—both to get back to nature and to burn off all that feasting! For some high-flying fun, see a performance of Disney's Tarzan or watch the swooshes and alley-oops of Iona College Women's Basketball. Join in a FREE wood-working project at Home Depot Kids' Workshops or bop along with your BFFs at Teen Movie.

Refer to our Event Calendar for our daily listings, and complete an easy new year’s resolution to take more advantage of all the Westchester and the Hudson Valley have to offer by signing up for our FREE weekly newsletters!

Happy New Year from your mom friends at Mommy Poppins!

Welcome to a new year! The Mommy Poppins Connecticut team wishes you and your family a healthy and happy 2016. We hope that our posts and Events Calendar will provide you with many ideas for enjoying the upcoming months to the fullest, beginning with the January Go List.

If you’re still recovering from festivities, you can take it easy this weekend, which appears to be pretty quiet throughout the state. It’s the last chance this season to stroll through the Fantasy of Lights in New Haven, or the Festival of Silver Lights in Meriden. You can also relax at Maritime Aquarium with a viewing of The Polar Express, showing for the last time this weekend.

Happy New Year! As we say goodbye to 2015 and usher in 2016, there’s plenty of fun to be had around New Jersey while the kiddos are still on winter break. Soak in the last of this year’s Christmas cheer with a Holiday Scavenger Hunt at Frelinghuysen Arboretum or check out the last weekend of the dazzling holiday lights during the Historic Smithville Holiday Light Show. And if you want to include the whole family in New Year festivities, take them to make a New Year’s Ball Craft at Imagine That Children’s Museum, join in the New Year’s Day Party at Kidz Village or lace up your hiking boots for a picturesque New Year’s Family Walk at Pyramid Mountain. Whatever you decide to do this holiday weekend, we hope you enjoy it with family and friends. For additional activity options, check out our Event Calendar.

A parent walks into the Museum of Science. Strolling along on one side is a 4-year-old boy. On the other side is his 9-year-old brother. With a little planning, it's not as difficult as it might sound to make this day work out for everyone. Here are some tips to keep everyone happy at the Museum of Science when there's an age gap or varied interests with kids.

There's no way around it: most babies fuss and cry a lot. And many new parents are eager to try anything to soothe their little charges, so perhaps it's not surprising that baby massage is one of the latest trendy mommy and me class options in NYC.

Touch is probably the first and most comforting language newborns and infants learn—and massage a timeworn practice. A gentle touch reinforces love, safety and trust between parent and child, making massage instruction one of the more bonding-focused mommy and me classes out there.

The benefits touted for adult or baby massage are compelling: improvement in overall health and sleep, reduction in stress levels, boosting the immune system and easing an infant's colic or even constipation. New York City parents have several great options to choose from, including private sessions at home, as well as venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn that host group lessons in massage.

Find more NYC classes in our Classes Guide and Directory Listings.

Yes, it is winter, although you might not know it most of the time! While the unseasonably warm weather means bad things for our skiers out there, it does make romping around outdoors a bit easier. Take advantage of this weather with some fresh air and fun—and maybe even learn a few things—with our list of the best winter nature programs, workshops and events occurring this season in Westchester and the rest of the Lower Hudson Valley. Take note that many of these programs require pre-registration, so be sure to click through to learn more. 

Looking for more winter fun, whether it's indoors or out? Sign up for our FREE newsletters, check our our Event Calendar or follow us on Facebook. 

New Year's Day is TOUGH—even if you haven't been up carousing until the wee hours. Somehow this seems to be the point in the winter break when the kids have grown weary of one another's company and are bored with their Christmas presents (so soon?). While most of our kid friendly mainstays in Connecticut are closed for the day, we've rounded up a list of those places in Fairfield County that are open for the day from bowling alleys to ice rinks and beyond. You're sure to find something to make your first day of 2016 a blast.

Happy New Year!