Now there's yet another reason to spend time in NYC's fabulous parks and playgrounds: Free Wi-Fi! We've got the details on that plus an old-new independent bookstore in Washington Heights, a new robot shop in the East Village, fresh Summer Streets attractions and the last strike at a family-run Brooklyn bowling alley.

You may have seen our post on language immersion preschools in Los Angeles and wondered how to find options like these in Orange County. Well, don't worry! The OC has plenty of choices for bilingual education as well. Whether or not a bilingual immersion elementary school is in your child's future, a second language is within reach.

Back on June 29, we hosted a special Mommy Poppins family cruise on the Clipper City Tall Ship with Manhattan by Sail. The sold-out voyage was such a huge success that many readers asked if we could do more cool New York Harbor trips. Ask and ye shall receive: We are thrilled to be partnering with Manhattan by Sail for our new Mommy Poppins Family Cruise Series.

We have four fun-filled sails coming up between now and October, each with a different theme and enriching kids activities to enjoy while cruising around the harbor (including a festive Halloween sail!). Take a look at some of the photos from our June excursion and read on to find out more about our upcoming sails and how you can book your tickets.

It's hot in Boston, and we're hopeful that our Cape trip in August will be sunny and warm, and just a tad cooler. But we're bringing a few rainy day toys with us, just in case, packed alongside coolers and camp chairs, sunscreen and bug spray. Maybe we won't need them, but one thing I've learned from traveling with a two year old is that it's better to be prepared, for sunny days and not-so-sunny ones. Here are six great indoor activities around the Cape to help you weather the storm, or at least buy you some time until it stops raining. 

Unless you've been living under an industrial sized, air conditioned rock, you may have noticed it's a tad warm around the area. Shockingly, the hottest temperatures of last week's heat wave hit the shoreline like a ton of very hot and humid bricks.  We beach folks aren't used to 100 degree days, so on the off chance we see one or, in last week's case, several in a row, we headed for the most entertaining places that accommodate us the longest and with the best cooling system. Our Indoor Play Guide has come in handy for many trying to have fun on rainy or hot days. And, now that my twins are nearly 8, our adventures include more exciting excursions during the summer, so to beat the heat, we headed out of this world. Well, not exactly, but close. We spent the day recently at Galaxy Roller Rink in Groton, Connecticut and, to say the least, we had a blast!

Watching a movie on the big screen isn't the only way to beat the heat and to entertain the kids in the summer. For those who want to cool off inside, but also want to get the kids' blood pumping a little, take advantage of one of the bowling programs offered to kids this summer in bowling centers throughout Long Island.