If  the thought of throwing another bouncy house birthday party during the winter has you feeling dizzy, check out our list of out-of-the box birthday party places. From candy making to getting close to nature (yes, even in the winter), we have ideas that will excite, delight and intrigue. Of course, we've also also rounded up the usual birthday bash locales in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, too! And be sure to check out our Long Island Birthday Party Guide.

As condo buildings and new businesses sprout up all over South Boston, restaurant owners have clearly taken notice.  The area has been introduced to some great new culinary additions in the last couple years.  Combined with some fabulous old stand-by's, Southie is now holding its own as a reputable place to come and dine.  Luckily for the large numbers of families moving here, many of these establishments are kid-friendly.  Here are some of my favorites in South Boston, and don't miss my recommendations on where to eat when visiting the Boston Children's Museum.  

We finish up our series of posts about Flushing with a roundup of places to play in the neighborhood, both indoors and outside. The area is home to Queens' largest green space: the attraction-packed Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which we've written about in depth before. You'll also find the smaller Kissena and Bowne Parks featuring playgrounds and a rec center.

Too cold to run around outside? While there aren't any traditional indoor play spaces in Flushing (yet—it's only a matter of time), you will find an indoor ice-skating rink that's open year-round, two family-friendly bowling alleys and a library with regular programs for children. Here are the top 12 places for kids to play in Flushing, Queens.

We continue our month-long coverage of the Rivertowns in Westchester, a collection of quaint villages along the Hudson. For the purposes of our posts, we're including the villages of Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown, Ossining, Croton-on-Hudson and the city of Peekskill. Route 9 runs straight through, making it easy to zip from town to town exploring the parks, playgrounds, and historic sites.

We've already told you about fantastic local coffee shops in the Rivertowns. But if your stomach is really grumbling (and so are your kids'), there are plenty of family-friendly dining options as well. Read on for details on 10 of our favorite places for dining and dessert in the Rivertowns. 

When it comes to choosing a summer camp, you hope for an amazing experience for your child, full of love, fun, creativity, learning, and “family.” Add some gorgeous horses into this mix, and you have the recipe for Kamp Kierson, the summer camp run by Mike and Jessie Richardson of Kierson Farm. Read on to find out more about this charming horse farm and its wonderful summer camp experience in the heart of Flemington, NJ, just one hour west of New York City.

From a blogging standpoint it's been a quiet week on Mommy Poppins. But personally we've all been super-busy spending quality time with our kids over February break. My daughter and I took advantage of the winter season by going sledding and ice-skating, kind of like our own much-less-graceful version of the Winter Olympics. Next up: A few museum outings, a second viewing of the awesome Lego Movie (our Boston site has a great review of the flick) and wonderful weekend fun like a screening of West Side Story introduced by Oscar-winning star Rita Moreno (I'm going to have to stop myself from screaming her Electric Company catchphrase, "HEY YOU GUYS!" And we may even try one or two of the WeeWork projects we've been posting. I am pathetically challenged when it comes to crafts, but my creative eight-year-old has promised to hold my hand to help me through.

With four more days of midwinter break to go, there's plenty of time to take a family day trip. Maple sugaring season has arrived and we have roundups of tri-state area spots where you can see how the sweet stuff is made in Westchester and upstate NY, New Jersey and on Long Island. Our Westchester site also has a list of 40 things to do with kids in the quaint Rivertowns that dot the eastern shore of the Hudson River, all accessible via public transportation. Or enjoy a multiday getaway in winter hot spot Lake Placid, NY, which offers a wide variety of cool seasonal activities like skiing, snowboarding and a toboggan chute.

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

If you’re in the mood for some live performances, there are plenty happening in Westchester this weekend. The kids will be mesmerized by the Bossy Frog Band Beach Party in an interactive musical concert. The Missoula Children’s Theater presents a musical adaptation of Hansel and Gretel at the Emelin Theater. And Westchester Community College hosts Danceworks where the performers invite the children to join them up on the stage.

This weekend also kicks off the maple sugaring season in Westchester. Trailside Nature Museum and Teatown Lake Reservation have sugaring events happening this weekend. For more nature themed activities, Make a Seed Bomb at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, have Breakfast with Buster the Bunny at Westmoreland Sanctuary, and participate in a scavenger hunt at the Marshlands Conservancy.

Sunday is the first day of Restaurant Week at Ridge Hill Shopping Center where you can get great deals on lunches, dinners, and treats. New Era Creative Space in Peekskill is hosting two events on Saturday. Design, build and decorate a structure for your favorite toy with the help of ArchforKids educators. You can also drop your children, ages 4-8, off for a Pajama Party which features art, games, stories and dinner.

Read on for our top weekend picks. If you see something that piques your interest, click through to the event listing to view full details. Want the weekend fun delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for our FREE weekly newsletter to stay up to date on all the fun happenings around town. Looking for more options? Be sure to check our Event Calendar for more fun happening this weekend and beyond.