There’s plenty going on this weekend, from free movies at the Museum of Science and maple sugaring tours in Milton and Topsfield to a performance by the Stacey Peasley Band in Arlington. Plus, families can go on a time-travel trip during the Museum of Natural History’s Stories through Time family festival. Read on for more of our picks, and be sure to visit our Events Calendar for a complete list.

We’ve had a busy week on Mommy Poppins Boston, covering a range of topics:

• April Vacation Week - four terrific solutions to the "What are we going to do during school vacation?" problem;
• Our new writer, Kristin Quinn (also of Misadventures in Mommyhood), took her toddler to the Museum of Science Planetarium to see every preschooler's favorite red, furry animal in Big Bird's Adventure: One World, One Sky. Find out whether it's a must-go or just an OK show;
• It’s National Craft Month, and we're accepting the Cre8time Challenge - can you find 8 minutes every day to devote to an art activity? Send us your photos, and we’ll add them to our Pinterest Board; and
• A roundup of Gluten Free Dining With Kids In and Around Boston.

Finally, just a reminder to set your clocks ahead on Sunday (seems about 3 weeks early this year!) Enjoy the weekend.

Good news, bad news folks. Good news: spring is in the air, and I know this because we are about to Spring Forward. Daylight savings time begins this Sunday, and that means sundown is later! Bad news, we lose an hour of sleep this weekend. But who has time to sleep when there’s so much to do? This weekend we can hang with whales, woofers, and a wizard, prepare for summer whether our plans are local or abroad, listen to music and make some of our own, learn how to live green and go fly a kite.

Another thing putting a spring in our step, (an Irish jig to be exact), is the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day. Though the holiday isn’t until next Sunday, you can get an early start at this weekend’s Irish Fair (or Tuesday’s hunt for the Leprechaun’s gold). Even the Easter Bunny is starting his rounds. And the surest sign that Spring is upon us: the looming specter of Spring Break. We've found some of the coolest camps to entertain your kids.

Read on for our favorite picks for this weekend …

Even though Easter, Passover and St. Patrick’s Day have not officially arrived, you can celebrate all three this weekend. Put on your best green outfits and head to the Throgg's Neck St. Patrick's Day Parade, the Children's Museum of the Arts for an Irish Dance Party or the Kids Film Fleah at the Irish Arts Center. Meanwhile you can enjoy the first Easter egg hunt of the season at Brooklyn Plantology or hit the Streit's matzo factory for Passover Palooza.

The Mommy Poppins team is also hosting a fun spring-themed event: portrait sessions with live baby chicks. Come out and get an adorable photo of your kids and enjoy other activities.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Winter Fun Guide.

In my family, three of us are gluten free, and I won’t lie – it’s a challenge. But we’ve learned to navigate the area in and around Boston, finding places where we can enjoy comfort food, just like all those "normal" families.

If you’re looking for a family-friendly place to have a good gluten free meal, read on. I've highlighted some of our favorite places to dine, whether we’re in the mood for pizza, burgers, breakfast, bakery treats or just a nice meal. 

Well, winter seems to be hanging on with its icy fingers, but we can still have fun, right? Especially with some of the cool (cold?) activities in New Jersey this weekend. Celebrate Albert Einstein's birthday with some pie on Pi Day in Princeton or Jersey City, catch Cesar Milan on his Dog Whisperer Tour, or build Montclair, New Jersey in Legos at the Montclair Art Museum. Read on for our top picks and find a listing of all NJ activities in our Event Calendar.

This weekend, head on over to the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center’s St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt in Yaphank where you’ll partake in a pot o’ gold hunt, ride on a wagon, and feed some animals. At the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Greenvale enjoy a performance of Peter and the Wolf and Bark in the Park performed by New York Theatre Ballet. In Hempstead, Hofstra University is hosting its 15th Annual Irish Festival, complete with music and dance performances throughout the day, activities for children, more than 50 craft vendors, and authentic Irish food. At the NYCB Theater at Westbury, enjoy a performance of Strawberry Shortcake with the Doodlebops. Also on tap: Smithtown Township Arts Council Presents Mr. Mouse In Outer Space at the Mills Pond House in St. James, and Alexander & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at the Landmark on Main Street in Port Washington.  As always, check out our events calendar every day for fun activities for the family!

We're counting down the days until spring. Oh, it has nothing to do with the weather. We're just really excited about all of the cool things that are happening that season, like the reopening of the long-shuttered New York Aquarium, free indoor swimming lessons, a Glee star on Broadway in Annie and a pair of new Laurie Berkner projects. Hopefully all that happy stuff offsets the bad news, like higher MTA fares and the passing of a famed NYC children's storyteller.

The last time I checked the calendar, it read October. Today, it tells me spring lurks around the corner and just over three months stand between me and the end of school! After recovering from that sobering realization, my thoughts turned towards warmer weather, vacations, and those inevitable moans and groans of summertime boredom. In my house, idle kids mean an unhappy Mom, so summer day camps abound! Luckily, here in New London county, our neck of the woods boasts plenty of opportunities for our creative kiddos.