Patty Lennon is the CEO and Founder of Mom Gets a Life & Mom Gets A Business. She is a mom advocate, coach, writer and speaker based here in CT. Patty thinks it is important for moms to care for their own needs while raising their children. She speaks with hundreds and hundreds of women across the country each year and inevitably what she hears is that moms know exactly what they need to make their lives better… they just don’t have the money to make it happen.

It’s hard to believe it, but spring is finally here!  What better way to bring in the new season, than a trip to a state park.  Suffolk County is filled with them! With so many activities to choose from, you might want to make a list of your favorites and then work your way through all of them.

We all want to raise cultured, engaged children and luckily for us NJ parents, many local museums are willing to lend a hand. Several museums have spring exhibits that include intricately crafted fine art and options for your young scientist. The observations and conversations that can strike up on a museum stroll are a welcome breather from the constant activity of daily life. So pick a rainy day and head to one of these wonderful spots for some hands-on discovery.

On the very last day of spring break, a bunch of Mommy Poppins bloggers and our families got together for a private cruise on the East River Ferry. Yup, those are our kids in the photo freezing their behinds off on deck! (The things we make our children do in order to get a good shot.) Even though it felt more like winter than spring, we had an awesome time. We hope your spring break was also full of fun adventures.

Speaking of the season, even though Mother Nature hasn't quite gotten on board, spring festival season still kicks off this month. All of our tri-state-area sites have roundups of the best April fairs and carnivals, including NYC, Long Island and New Jersey. Plus, all of those sites also published their monthly Go Lists this week, highlighting the best things to do with kids in each area throughout April.

If you're already looking ahead to summer, be sure to check out our Camp Guide. We keep adding new posts, like this roundup of five sleepaway camps for kids with food allergies. If it's a vacation you're after, our Travel site just profiled the gorgeous Sanibel Island, a Gulf Coast barrier isle located off Florida. Or closer to home, you could plan a trip to the Jersey Shore. Although it took a beating from Hurricane Sandy, our New Jersey site has an update on recovery efforts at a number of Jersey Shore hot spots so you know the deal before you go, as well as ways you can help areas that are still rebuilding. And of course nearby Liberty State Park makes for a fabulous spring day trip... and if you grab the ferry there you can appreciate NYC from the water, just like we did earlier this week.

Here's what else we covered on our NYC site this week, including big news about Mommy Poppins expanding to Westchester and more.

Earlier this week in our April NYC Go List, we told you about the biggest family concert happening in New York City this spring: the annual Kindiefest at BAM, which sold out super quickly. But don't worry: Kindiefest isn't the only cool gig in town this season.

Spring is a particularly great time of year to catch kids' bands in NYC. Local acts are emerging from hibernation with new tunes in preparation for the summer concert circuit, including popular groups like the Deedle Deedle Dees, Elizabeth Mitchell and Brady Rymer. We've rounded up 10 awesome concerts to put in your calendar this spring, but the best part is these big names don't cost big bucks. In fact, seven of these shows are 100% FREE.

April is Autism Awareness Month, and according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it affects 1 in 88 children, making it the fastest-growing developmental disability in the country, with no cure. The CDC also reports it can cost a family an average of $60,000 a year.  I know several wonderful children who have been diagnosed, and their parents want awareness, research and resources to help their young ones live long, meaningful lives.

Thumbs Up at the Fowler? I give it two thumbs up!
The Alvin Ailey celebration at the Music Center?  It's got a good beat; you can dance to it!
Kids Run the Bases at Dodger Stadium? An out-of-the-park home run!

What? You think you can do better?  Sigh. Everyone's a critic. No really,  I mean that. Everyone's a critic. Especially kids. (If you doubt that, ask mine for a review of my cooking prowess).  (Double sigh.) If you think your kid has what it takes to be the next Siskel & Ebert / Leonard Maltin/ Pauline Kael, you should check out our Kid Critic opportunity. We're looking for a few kids who call 'em as they see 'em, to review short films that are being shown at the the Los Angeles Children's Film Festival. Fame and fortune (or at least a free seat at the movies) could be theirs.

Now give us your opinion of this weekend's highlights...