The kids are back in school (that's my boy in the photo, heading out to his first day of third grade!) and we parents are back to the grind. Come Saturday, the whole family is going to be ready for some serious fun. Happily, there are plenty of fabulous FREE activities this weekend like Little Italy's annual Feast of San Gennaro, Brooklyn Bridge Park's Kite Festival, the 92nd Street Y's StreetFest, and the cool and creative Morningside Lights lantern-making workshops.

If you're looking to plan out the rest of your month, check out our September Go List, which highlights the absolute best things to do with kids including our Eco Family Cruise on Manhattan by Sail's Clipper City Tall Ship next Sunday, September 22. Kids can enjoy interactive ecology activities, face painting, nautical skill demos and spectacular New York Harbor views. Advance tickets are a must so get yours today.

All of our best bets for this weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar.

Schedules and school work already got you down? September in New Jersey just happens to be full of family fun, so take a little break and enjoy some quality time with the kiddos. Check out the always popular Atlantic City Seafood Festival, Apple Day at Terhune Orchards or take a Sea Glass Beach Hike and look for treasures at the Alpine Boat Basin. And remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

We've been working hard on our Classes Guide, updating old posts and adding new ones. Reading about awesome and enriching kids' classes is always fun... until you get to the prices. That's why we're happy to extend these eight great deals to our readers. Save big on classes like golf, art, guitar, animation and more. Act fast! Most of these bargains will be gone before the fall leaves turn brown.

So your little Peyton Manning is eager to strut his or her stuff on a 100 yard field, but you're not quite ready for helmets, shoulder pads, and -- yikes! -- the tackling part. Not to worry. Flag football  is an extra-curricular activity that offers the challenge, strategy, running, and "plays" that the other rough-and-tumble football has to offer, without the impact. And (yea!) you don't have to rent all that gear. Read on for a round-up of flag football opportunities and leagues in your neck of the field.

Every time I saw Lorelai and Rory Gilmore stroll the streets of Stars Hollow I felt a ping of jealousy. This picturesque small town may have only been located on TV, but its local restaurants, town center, quirky shops and hopping Main Street gave it a remarkable hometown charm. New Jersey is home to many of the country’s oldest communities, so today we start a new series on Mommy Poppins New Jersey, "Great Small Towns in NJ". With summer destinations like Cape May, distinctive college towns like Princeton and more, the garden state represents small town USA from Sussex County down to Salem County.

"Been there, done that," you're thinking, but not in a ho-hum kind of way. You dig LA's flagship museums (LACMA, The Natural History Museum, The Getty, to name a few), but sometimes you crave some off-the-beaten-path cultural destinations to add to your repertoire. We hear ya! So allow us to provide some inspiration. Ta da! Five lesser-known local gems we hope you'll get to know.

It's hard to know exactly how to explain the events of September 11th to our children, much less figure out how to commemorate this difficult anniversary. With that in mind, there are a variety of events to offer choices to Long Island parents, as every family and every child is different. Here are a few events that are held in honor and in memory of those whose lives are lost, and those who helped save lives during the attack on the World Trade Center.

I'm going back to work full-time this month, which is terrifying, but I'm determined not to give up our family dinner time together; it's time we all need to reconnect, unwind, and besides, it's pretty hilarious when our two-year-old wants to clink glasses and say 'cheers'.  I have written about time saving meal swaps before, but what about the nights when it's just you, a toddler or two, and dinner that's not yet made, assembled, or otherwise prepared? Here are some easy ways to transform that hour before dinner from meltdown city into happy land (ok, most of the time).