If the arrival of summer vacation and this heat wave (holy heat stroke, Batman!) don’t have your kids jumping for joy and itching to get off the sofa, you are in good company. Luckily, there’s a perfect antidote to summer-heat-induced lethargy: 5 Wits.

My family and I checked out the two 5 Wits shows at Patriot Place in Foxboro last weekend, and discovered that they are enormously fun for parents and kids alike. And if you're wondering what else you can do while you're in Foxboro, take a look at my list of 15 Things to Do With Kids in Foxboro. 

Sometime last summer, I was walking in our neighborhood in Roslindale and ran into my friend and neighbor Meg. I must have looked as exhausted as I felt. “Um, can I bring you dinner some night?” she asked. I said yes, of course, but was blown away by her offer. Apart from a life-saving casserole a friend brought over when our daughter was born and the occasional pot-luck contribution, I was relatively unfamiliar with the experience of food as a gift, of sustenance and time. But it is. Meg’s chicken piccata and pasta were amazing, like take-out, only better. My husband and I enjoyed a much needed break from cooking (and cleaning) and some much needed time together.

I wanted to return the favor. And so our supper swap was born.  What if we took turns making dinner for each other? Every other week? Every week? We spun our plan into action. We doubled recipes, and on our appointed days, walked over casserole dishes of mac and cheese, chicken and biscuits, tomato soup. Our kids got used to “dropping off dinner.” It became, you know, a thing. Here's how to set up your own supper swap and make good use of some of this summer's farmer's market bounty.

We finish up our month-long focus on Ridgewood, Queens with a look at the family-friendly restaurants in the neighborhood. While Ridgewood and the surrounding areas are best known for their old-school European spots like the German Gottscheer Hall, as the community has become more diverse in recent years, so has the cuisine. These days you'll find Asian and Italian restaurants next to old-time Bavarian places. And since the neighborhood is home to so many families, it's not surprising that many of the eateries welcome kids. Here are our top family-friendly restaurants in and around Ridgewood, Queens.

From the Montclair Art Museum to the Prudential Center; from the Turtle Back Zoo to Eagle Rock Reservation, Essex County is an eclectic mix of entertainment, business and of course, good eats. From Portuguese to Italian, you’ll find myriad restaurant options throughout this northeast area of the garden state. Many of these local eateries source their vegetation, meats and dairy products from New Jersey farms hosted at daily Farmers Markets.

We moved our family from New York City to Long Island. Any doubts I harbor about the decision quickly dissipate the moment I see my children playing in their own backyard. Whether playing at the water table, on the swing set, or in the dirt, knowing that they have their own special place in nature makes it all worthwhile. And speaking of backyards, there's tremendous satisfaction in creating a garden.

Summer truly is the season of FREE NYC fun, especially for families. So far we've told you about free film screenings, free kids' concerts, free play streets, free sports programs and even free camps. Now we've got a new summer freebie to add to our ever-growing list: free classes for middle school students through the Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center in Tribeca.

While these programs—which run the gamut from performing arts to sports to science and math—give priority to students at I.S. 289, the organization believes there will be space for children from other NYC schools. Read on for details about all the FREE activities on offer, and how your rising sixth to ninth graders can apply for a spot.

Now that I’m looking out the window and seeing…sunshine, I want to capitalize on it.  I’m not sure how long this sunshine is planning on sticking around, so we are heading out the door immediately to cram in as many outdoor activities as we possibly can.  Happily, the Fairfield County area offers no end of possibilities for those interested in biking, beaching, or hiking.

First on our list…a hike.  Water bottles are filled, snacks are packed, and One Direction is queued on my playlist (why, yes, I do have pre-teen girls…).  We are headed for an afternoon of hiking at one of our favorite spots: Ward Reservation. Ward Reservation is just over the New York border in Pound Ridge, about a 30 minute drive from lower Fairfield County.  Or, according to my eldest, 9 Taylor Swift songs away from our house.