My daughter had just turned two, and naturally we wanted to do something special to celebrate. But when I started to research venues to rent, I realized that we were looking at $300-plus for a few hours of toddlers smashing frosting into things--and that was just to rent the space! I couldn't justify the expense, especially her young age.

But how could we have a party at home in our teeny, tiny 1.5 bedroom apartment? Well, we found out and we've lived to tell the very successful tale. Here are 10 simple rules to follow when you want to host a budget birthday in a small space.

So if a Southern California groundhog sees his shadow, does that mean we have six more weeks of... the same sunny weather we always have?  Because, no offense to anyone who might be snowed in, but even the coldest days of our winter are oddly lacking in winter-like qualities. (Except for all the snow.)

But the winds of change are blowing, because hello! Blink and it's February. Our shortest month is also chock full of holidays, with Lunar New Years, Valentine's Day (get your kid started on your presents at the free workshops this weekend), Presidents Day, and a whole month of African American History.

Then again, we may be skipping spring altogether, because this weekend we get a visit from the boys of summer:  your Los Angeles Dodgers are inviting folks over for a baseball love fest. So, in keeping with the season, why not get a move on and enjoy the great outdoors? Unless it rains, in which case you should totes stay inside.

Keep reading for some of our most seasonal picks for this weekend...

After the blizzard forced most Long Island families indoors for several days this week, you're probably itching to get out of the house and shake off that cabin fever. We have you covered with live theater, science experiments, detective work and edible workshops.

Don't see your event listed here? Add it to our events calendar. And if you don't receive this post in your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter, which now also includes a weekday roundup of activities for Long Island kids running Monday-Friday.

Especially after this week's blizzard, you and your family might be hoping for an early end to winter. Ironically, the Groundhog Day Extravaganza in Topsfield scheduled for this weekend has been canceled due to the winter weather conditions. However, kids can search for signs of other animals at Fun With Animal Footprints and Signs in Natick or explore the sculpture park and exhibits at ARTfull Explorations at the deCordova in Lincoln. If you're not ready for winter to end just yet, the annual Snow Festival in Boston offers tons of fun activities in the snow.

Some great events going on indoors this weekend include the Big Family Quiz Thing and a free Play Date at the ICA, featuring the museum's annual children's film festival. In performances this weekend, families have their pick between Stuart Little, Gustafer Yellowgold's Show (pictured), Sleeping Beauty, and more local favorites.

Also on Mommy Poppins Boston this week:

• We hope the ideas in our list of 40 Snow Day Boredom Busters came in handy!
• If you're north of the city, you won't want to miss our roundup of 7 Fun Indoor Playgrounds for Kids North of Boston.
• This week is a very good time to try melted ice art, a science project perfect for preschoolers. 
• February is already here! Check out our top family fun picks for the sweetest month in Boston. 

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to check out the full events calendar!

If your family has cabin fever from snow days, don’t despair--we’ve assembled our top picks for the coming weekend in Westchester to help get everyone out of the house and back in action.

In light of this being Super Bowl weekend, we’re excited about the special edition of Let's Cook Together!, where little kids and their big grown-ups can jointly prepare a festive Bowl-worthy meal. Also on the sports theme is We Got Game: Sports on Film, with a topic you’ll probably recall from when it garnered considerable media attention--and debate.

Need a little mental stimulation after the abbreviated school week? There’s the Annual Chess Tournament, a history lesson at Old-Time Carpentry and nature study at Marvelous Moths: Grand Opening Weekend.

If you’re feeling like you just want to kick back and be entertained, try the much-lauded B.Y.O.K. (Bring Your Own Kids) Concert Series: Joanie Leeds & the Nightlights or Free Concert: Yonkers Philharmonic. For more interactive entertainment, there’s Danceworks for Children.

Finally, you’re sure to be a hero when you take your child to the Frozen Party--which is FREE!

Check out our Event Calendar for even more great activities, as well as our roundup of the best places to go sledding in Westchester. Read on for details about this weekend's top picks.

Winter seemed to settle in for good this week, and I bet I'm not the only person looking forward to Groundhog Day and perhaps the possibility of an early spring.  We have rounded up some celebrations of our furry friend happening around the state this weekend. We've also got some other ideas to keep you busy whether outdoors, with our Guide to Outdoor Skating in Hartford County, or indoors, with our Frozen Science for Preschoolers ice art project. Bookmark our Snow Day Boredom Busters, so that you'll always have these 40 easy ideas at your fingertips on those winter days when kids are stuck at home. Our February GoList has 20 of our top picks happening across the state this month. As always, check our Events Calendar for the latest updates on activities across the state, and when winter weather is in the forecast, make sure to double check with individual venues to confirm that activities have not been canceled or postponed.

It's going to be a snowy Super Bowl weekend with lots of cool options for NYC families who aren't into watching the game. (We're Puppy Bowl fans in our house!) Enjoy multicultural fun at the Korea Society's New Year's celebration, the Children's Museum of Manhattan's Japanese storytelling fest and the annual Thunderbird American Indian Dancers Annual Dance Concert and Pow-wow at the Theater for the New City.

It's also a great weekend to see a family show. Click, Clack, Moo at the Kaye Playhouse, Lionboy at the New Victory Theater and TADA! Youth Theater's Everything About a Family (Almost) are all wonderful choices. Or you can also score majorly discounted tickets to many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.

And if we get another "blizzard," you can hit one of NYC's best sledding hills or hole up inside and try some of these snow day boredom busters.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. If you want to plan out your entire month, check out our brand-new NYC GoList highlighting the absolute best things to do with kids throughout February.