If you live in my neighborhood, you know the 4th of July is around the bend -- not because there are flags and bunting everywhere, but because the fireworks have already started.  Practice makes perfect, I reckon.  I prefer to leave my pyrotechnics to the professionals (... and unfortunately, out of earshot thanks to a skittish 4-year-old), and this year, several cities and towns will celebrate Independence Day with a skyward spectacle.  Some locations go full blast with the patriotism, adding food, music, picnicking and more to the mix.  Why not make a day of it?!

Summer break, summer heat, summer camp—summer is all anyone's talking about. This week on our NYC site, we added a bunch of new posts to our Summer Fun Guide, including info on where to watch Macy's 4th of July Fireworks, a roundup of free boating programs and a list of family-friendly restaurants with outdoor seating. We also launched our first-ever NYC Kids Visitors Guide, so tourists can get to know our city the way we do (although even if you're a native, we suspect there are still things for you to discover).

On our New Jersey site, the summer fun continued with a roundup of water parks (including Sahara Sam's, which we're running a deal on) and a post about the best spots to watch those Macy's sparklers from across the Hudson. Our Long Island site also has a roundup of amusement parks that make for great day trips. If you're planning to head to Cape Cod this summer, our Travel site has a list of 25 things to do in Wellfleet.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

In addition to our regular posts about activities, we try to keep parents informed about topics that impact the lives of NYC families. Now, on top of our biweekly roundup of news links, keep an eye out for posts about relevant news pieces a few times a week.

Our first installment touches on the hot-button topic of PTA fund-raising. A recent New York Times article investigated the budgets of some PTAs that raise surprising amounts of money. It's not a simple issue. Read on to find out what they're earning and both sides of the story.

It's the first weekend of summer! AND it's supposed to cool down enough to get out and enjoy it. Check out the Long Island Caribbean-American Festival at Eisenhower Park. Or if you want to stay indoors, cool down with some ice cream at the Sundae Summer Kickoff at Darlings and Divas of Amityville or visit the Long Island Children's Museum or the Children's Museum of East End for their fun activities for the kids. Either way, there's lots to do to kick off the summer. 

If the last day of school weren’t indication enough, this incredible heat wave is confirmation that summer has officially arrived, and with it, the start of summer vacation. Whether your kids are in camp all summer or your family is just figuring out what to do day by day, the next few months offer ample opportunity to explore all that’s going on in and around Boston.

We’ve highlighted a few of our suggestions for the coming weekend below - from Metrowest Family Theater’s presentation of Once on This Island and a concert by Vanessa Trien to a Strawberry Festival and RiverFest in Concord and the opening of the Frog Pond Spray Pool on Wednesday.

Planning to get away during the summer? Check out the latest in our Weekend Getaways series: 25+ Things to Do in Wellfleet on Cape Cod for things to do at the beach. And for those staying closer to home, Tara has rounded up a great list of summer reading and book programs.

Read on for more of our weekend picks, and be sure to check out our events calendar for more ideas.

Enjoy!

Welcome summer!  It’s finally here!  At last, no more school, adios, homework, we get to play at the beach all day and go to the park and ride our bikes and… oh. Wait a minute. We’re the parents. We still have to go to work. Totally. Bogus. So while our kids are playing at totally awesome water playgrounds, we’re bringing home the bacon. While they’re cooling off at a free kids movie, we’re frying it up in a pan. (At least we have something to munch on while they’re out playing).

Though there are some downsides to the longer days (“Yes, I know the sun is still awake but you need to go to sleep!”) overall the summer provides boatloads of fun that even poor overworked, underappreciated parents can enjoy. Behold: the launch of summer concert season. This weekend alone, you can lay out your blanket or unfold your chair (or where relevant buy a ticket and get an actual seat) at the Hollywood Bowl, the Skirball’s Family Amphitheatre performances, Manhattan Beach’s Concerts in the Park, and the Farmer’s Market’s Family Fun Series, (and those are the mere tip of a very large entertainment iceberg!)  From now until Labor Day, your kids are legally barred from stating they are bored, because there is just that much to do.

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend...

It is the month of June,
The month of leaves and roses,
When pleasant sights salute the eyes,
And pleasant scents the noses.

Nathaniel Parker Willis

I grew up in the South where summer is eternal and often taken for granted. But when I moved to Connecticut, I quickly learned to savor the gorgeous summer days as a Floridian might delight in a few falling snowflakes. This weekend, take time to stop and smell the roses (literally!) and rouse your senses with the sights and sounds of the Nutmeg State.