Confession: I grew up with a pool table in my basement. Totally awesome, I admit! But here’s confession Numero Dos: I never learned how to play pool. My sister and I would roll the balls around and watch the adults in our family play, but we never learned the ropes ourselves. However, it was pretty obvious the excitement of a pool table and all its colorful balls brought people together—and isn’t that most important? Below is a list of seven family-friendly billiards venues in New Jersey. Bring your kids in for some fun—and if they’re really good, can they teach me how to properly shoot pool? It’s never too late, right?

What have you been doing to keep the kids busy these final days of summer break? We here at Mommy Poppins are furiously crossing off items on our summer bucket lists. Yesterday, a few of us got together and spent the day on City Island in the Bronx. Today, we're off to the recently reopened Rockaway Park in Queens. Where do we go for destination inspiration? Mommy Poppins' in-depth NYC Kids Neighborhood Guides. For the past two years, we've been highlighting one neighborhood a month in a series of in-depth posts, and now we've put all of those hyper-local guides together on one jam-packed page. Even if you've lived in NYC all your life, you'll undoubtedly find cool new-to-you things to explore with your family. I sure have!

September has arrived, which means all of our sites have published brand-new Go Lists highlighting the absolute best things to do with kids throughout the month. It's a particularly awesome month for family events in NYC, with lots of our free fall favorites like Fort Tryon Park's Medieval Festival and the Dumbo Arts Festival. But you'll find plenty of great picks in nearby Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut, too, including things you can only do outside the city like apple picking and farm harvest festivals.

The back-to-school season is in full swing and so is our massive back-to-school giveaway. We have already awarded a few of our fabulous prizes but we've got a bunch to go including a $250 gift certificate for Sears Optical, a Disney Junior package, Schwinn bikes and KRE-O CityVille Invasion building sets by Hasbro. All of the giveaways will be over soon so enter now.

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

It happens every year. I whine and moan about the end of summer, and the incomprehensibly early start of school. Finally Labor Day comes and even I have to admit, it’s time for Back to School. And then I realize: no one in my house is in school yet. We're still at the pre-school phase. September, Shmeptember, it's all the same to us. Yay, problem solved. But then this year I realized, this is our last year pre school.  Our last chance to enjoy weekday activities (free museum days! Kids clubs at the malls!)  Time is ticking on free entry to museums and theme parks and the Metro. 

It’s not just about getting in free, it’s also about buying into the magic. Right now, my child truly believes that costumed character in front of her is the same animated friend she loves on TV. And this month alone I can take her to see the Octonauts, Doc McStuffins,  the Wiggles, and for the pièce de résistance Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Sofia the First in one show. (Seriously, if you’re bucking for Mommy of the Year, get your kids tickets to this one.)

Lucky you, no matter how old your kid is, you can still enter to win awesome back-to-school bootie in our Swagapalooza Giveaway. A few of the drawings have closed already (you snooze, you lose) but there’s still plenty of time to enter for a Target gift card, a Motorola MBP26 Baby Monitor and a $250 Sears Optical Gift Certificate, to name a few.

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

It may be difficult to believe, but it’s the first weekend of (unofficial) fall, and with a beautiful weekend on tap, Boston offers kids and families plenty of festivals and other outdoor activities to enjoy, events like the Cambridge Carnival International, Boston Charter Day Celebration, Verrill Farm’s Barbecue & Farm Day, the Natick Food Truck Festival, and more. Our best bets for the weekend are below, and you can check our Event Calendar for lots of other options.

This is also the first good weekend for picking apples; check out some of our suggested orchards in the area (plus some recipes for using all those apples). And while most “big” kids are focused on the new school year, if you’re feeling like you need a little structure in your days with the younger set, we’ve rounded up a few nice playgroups for tiny tots. Working on the after-school schedule? Quite a few of our favorite local kindie musicians are also amazing teachers - check these music classes out.

Finally, our big back-to-school giveaway continues through September 15. Enter to win a slew of incredible prizes like Schwinn kids' bikes, a Disney Junior package, a $50 Target gift card, $250 to spend at Sears Optical and more. Each prize has a separate entry form and ends on a different date, so start clicking!

It's the final countdown! NYC public school students are headed back to school on Monday so this truly is the last weekend of summer break. Both days are jam-packed with FREE annual events we look forward to every year like the West Side County Fair in Riverside Park South, Arthur Avenue’s Ferragosto in the Bronx and the NYC Honey Fest on Rockaway Beach. Plus there are mutlicultural celebrations in honor of the Jewish New Year and the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

As we head into fall, there's a whole new crop of seasonal fun like apple picking near NYC and our big back-to-school giveaway, which continues through September 15. Enter to win a slew of incredible prizes like Schwinn kids' bikes, a Disney Junior package, a $50 Target gift card, $250 to spend at Sears Optical and more. Each prize has a separate entry form, so start clicking!

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar. And if you're looking to plan out your entire month, check out the latest edition of our NYC Go List, which highlights the absolute best things to do with kids throughout September. With annual favorites coming up like Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science, the Medieval Festival in Fort Tryon Park and the Dumbo Arts Festival, it's truly a banner month, so make sure you have your calendar handy.

Summer is winding down and many kids head back to school on Monday but the weather is gorgeous and there are great ways to squeeze in lots of outdoor fun while its still warm out. Friday Mamaroneck Shares hosts their final block party in the summer long series. Saturday there's the annual Yonkers Riverfest or Take Me to the River Music and Art Fest in Hastings-on-Hudson. Sunday the weekend long White Plains Jazz Fest comes to a close with the White Plains International Food & Jazz Festival and Greenburgh Nature Center is hosting their Harvest Party.

Read on for our top weekend picks for families in Westchester. If you see something that piques your interest, be sure to click through to the listing for full details. And be sure to check our Event Calendar for more events happening this weekend and beyond. 

This weekend, it's festivals galore on Long Island, many of which are featured on our September Go List. Check out the East Northport Annual Festival, the Grande Festa Italiana, and the Fiddle And Folk Fest. Theatre Three in Port Jefferson has a spellbinding evening on tap as The Amazing Kreskin hits the stage. In the mood for one last dose of summer fun? Then head out to the East End and check out the Shelter Island Beach Blast. As always, check our events calendar every day for fun activities for the family.

Our Back to School Swagapalooza Giveaway is in full swing. We have some amazing prizes up for grabs. Brand new bikes, a year's supply of school uniforms and vitamins, backpacks, books, gift cards, and school supplies. Pay attention though, as each giveaway ends on a different date. Good luck!