When I was young, the dazzle of summer included my Auntie Grace's homemade coffee ice cream and the thrill of helping to make it. Oh, the delicious anticipation of taking a turn hand-cranking the ancient ice cream maker, lifting the top, and hoping the cream inside had thickened enough to be scooped and swallowed. There's nothing quite like hand-crafted ice cream. But, of course, there's also nothing like summer laziness and letting someone else make the ice cream for you. Read on, hammock dwellers, for we've got the inside scoop on the most delectable ice cream (and gelato) on the Westside, most of which is made in-house. Come on in and have a lick.

Whether you spell it Foxboro or the official “Foxborough,” it’s an equally fun place to spend the day with kids this summer. There’s something going on for every age and every interest, like celebrating New England football at The Hall at Patriot Place, storytime at the cinema, exploring the Nature Trail and Cranberry Bog, live music, hiking, biking, or indoor adventures at 5 Wits. There are lots of interesting things to do, and many of the activities are free!

It's always fun to find a unique enrichment experience for kids, something quirky and different from the usual music, dance, and mommy-and-me fare. The Hamptons and North Fork offer several "off the beaten path" art classes to stimulate little creative minds.

Summer is here, and vacation deals are plentiful for those looking to score a discount.  Hotel chains like Embassy Suites and Millennium are featuring excellent rates and bonus giveaways at popular locations.  Consider an exclusive resort in Vermont, back-to-nature yurt camping at Yosemite, a family-friendly town in Georgia, a Florida beach resort and more options for your next family holiday.

Summer is in full-swing and, as the governor announced live on the Today show the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, the Jersey Shore is back and open for business! This is generally true, however there are a few areas that were hit the hardest that aren't bouncing back as quickly as others (including Mantoloking and Sea Bright). Things may still be on the mend, but there is a lot of fun to be had at the shore this year. Keep reading for a 2013 update to my previous post to get you in the know about the beaches at the Jersey Shore! Here's a list of some of the spots that are open now and how much they will cost you. Let's all continue to help "restore the shore" and get down there with our NJ kids and families this summer!

It was a week of happy endings and exciting beginnings! Our kids finished up at school and are all now enjoying summer break and camp. (My daughter sang and danced all week at TADA! Youth Theater which, coincidentally, is doing a great giveaway with us this week.) Public pools opened for the season and—thanks to supportive readers like you—our Mommy Poppins App IndieGoGo campaign was fully funded! We're putting the finishing touches on the app as I type, and we'll have more info about the rollout later this season.

Right now all of our sites are in full-on July 4th mode. We've got posts about explosive Independence Day celebrations on Long Island, in Westchester, New Jersey and, of course, Macy's 4th of July Fireworks right here in NYC, which you can watch for FREE from land or, if you're feeling flush, on a Hudson River cruise. Whatever you do over the holiday, there are lots of NYC staycation activities in our Summer Guide and ways to keep cool in our Water Fun Guide.

Meanwhile, if you're looking to get away for the holiday or anytime this season, be sure to check our Travel Guide for vacation inspiration near and far. We just added a roundup of six spectacular family resorts in Virginia, and the site has lots of other posts about family travel in the U.S., the Caribbean and Europe.

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