It's no secret that buying a family membership to one of NYC's kid-friendly museums can be a real money saver, especially if it's your go-to bad weather play spot. (My child has spent many a rainy day romping around the Hall of Gems at the American Museum of Natural History, just like I did when I was her age.) But some museum memberships come with more than just free admission to the one institution—they also get you access to other culture spots at no additional cost.

While recently researching our post on ways to save on the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, we were reminded of one of the best bargains like this for families: the Association of Science-Technology Centers' Passport Program, which potentially gets you free admission to hundreds of museums around the world. However, as with any good deal, there's some fine print. We've got the scoop on the rules and restrictions for the ASTC Passport Program to help you decide whether it's worth it for your family. All you need to do is a little math.

Showers in the forecast? Really? As we continue to ride this weather roller coaster, we’re working on filling our Events Calendar with things for Boston families to do both inside and out. This weekend outdoors, families can check out Winter Trails Day, meet Olympic stars at the Frog Pond, or visit the Franklin Park Zoo. Indoor options include a puppet show with Galapagos Puppets and performances by Veronica Robles, Bob the Magic Guy, and Ben Rudnick. Read on for our top picks.

Also this week on Mommy Poppins Boston:

• Escape from winter in New England - five fabulous Indoor Garden Spaces;
• Find more than books at the public libraries - Free and Discounted Admission to Boston Attractions;
• Plan ahead - Summer Camp Fairs start this weekend;
• Read about our 13 favorite Boston parent blogs

Whatever you choose to do this weekend, enjoy!

Wow, it’s cold out there. And by there, I mean everywhere but here. Here’s pretty darn nice. I’d even venture to say it's beach weather, but that might seriously bum out some of our ice-bound brethren.

Sure you can find snow if you want. You can feel the Chill (at least until Sunday). But now’s definitely one of those times when you simultaneously think, “I like living here” and “why does anyone live anywhere else?” (Seriously. Does anyone have an answer for that?)

There's plenty of SoCal style fun to keep your family amused this weekend, from LA's perennial Bob Baker Marionettes to free improv workshops at Second City, a zip-lining, tomahawk throwing Tu B'shvat shindig in Malibu to a beach birthday party for 1930s icon Marion Davies. Or, if you want to act in solidarity with the frozen majority, you could always try to win Mommy Poppins' latest giveaway!

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for the weekend...

With the frigid temperatures this week and rain on the way, indoor events might be your best bet for weekend fun. Fortunately, there are many live performances and other indoor events happening around Westchester this weekend. Fancy Nancy the Musical is playing at Tarrytown Music Hall and Shrek the Musical is at Play Group Theatre. The Teacher from the Black Lagoon and many other storybooks will be put into a musical revue at Emelin Theater and Shakespeare in the Church is showing at St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site.

Visit the County Center to see all your favorites from WWE Live. Learn the basics of modern dance from Danceworks at the White Plains Public Library or take advantage of the opportunity to see The Yonkers Philharmonic and the West Point Ragtime Band as they both give free performances on Sunday.

If you’re thinking ahead to summer camps, visit Bounce in Yorktown Heights to learn about the JCC Camp Discovery, the School of the Holy Child to learn about The Challenge Camp, and Rye Country Day School to learn about all types of camp programs in the US and abroad.

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. Looking for more options? Be sure to check our Event Calendar for more fun happening this weekend and beyond in Westchester.

There's lots of indoor fun on tap this weekend (even though it's supposed to warm up there's rain on the way). Kids can get messy and gooey at the Brooklyn Children's Museum's annual IckyFest weekend, celebrate the Jewish New Year of Trees at the Museum at Eldridge Street and enjoy face time with a live wolf at the American Museum of Natural History.

There are some cool cultural activities, too, like the show DiNO-Light: A Glow-in-the-Dark Dinosaur Adventure at Symphony Space and a FREE Martin Luther King-inspired Robbi K & Friends concert. This is also the weekend to recycle your Christmas tree at the Parks Department's annual MulchFest and to enter the online lottery for FREE winter swimming lessons for kids at NYC Recreation Centers.

Those are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. If you like planning ahead, be sure to check out our January Go List highlighting the best things to do with kids throughout the month, including our special Mommy Poppins Event: a performance of Still Awake Still! at the New Victory Theater with interactive pre- and post-show activities.

Here at Mommy Poppins Boston, we are always on a journey to find more wonderful ideas for family fun in Boston to share with you. Along the way, we often bump into great parent blogs. As we reflect on the roads we traveled last year, and look for new ways to spend meaningful time with our kids this year, we consider the blogs written by local moms and dads that inform us, help us to feel connected, change the way we see parenthood, or just make us laugh. So, (drum roll, please), here are our 13 favorite new (or new to us) parent blogs in 2013, covering everything from autism to umami, parenting in Boston on a budget to LGBT parenting adventures.  

January can be a tough time for people, especially with how dangerously frigid it has been. You might be thinking ahead to spring and wishing for warmer weather. But we've put together our January Go List, The Best Things to Do with Kids this Month that gives you ideas, so you can plan ahead and have things to look forward to. If you are looking for a weekend getaway that doesn't involve skiing, take a look at our review of our Foxwoods Resort Adventure. It's not only a play place for adults!

If you do like to ski, we have our post on Six Family Ski Resorts in CT: The Lowdown. Our CT Winter Fun Guide is also full of skiing, snow tubing, indoor play places and more. To get the most out of the site, be sure to follow us on Facebook (make sure Mommy Poppins CT shows up on your feed by including us in your "interests list." To put a page on your "interests list," hover over the "Like" button and you'll see a pull-down menu that offers an "add to your interests lists" choice).

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and be sure to get the weekend round up every Thursday in your inbox. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Pinterest in order to get updates on events, current contests and free giveaways. Our event calendar is updated constantly with fun activities around the state.

Here are some fun suggestions for the weekend.

We're major theater lovers at Mommy Poppins so of course we're big fans of the New Victory Theater and its amazing family shows from around the globe. We are thrilled to be partnering with the theater again to host a fun-packed Mommy Poppins Event at the New Vic on Saturday, January 18 at 3pm. At this exclusive gathering, Mommy Poppins readers can enjoy the kid-friendly cabaret-style musical Still Awake Still!, participate in an interactive preshow workshop, and stick around afterward to meet the performers and decorate a delicious handmade cookie compliments of our friends at Cookie Party.

Read on to find out more about this special Mommy Poppins event and how you can save 20% on tickets.