GLUTENUS MINIMUS HAS CLOSED FOR BUSINESS AS OF OCTOBER 2015

As a gluten free parent with two gluten intolerant kids, there are some things I really miss, like being able to go out for a quick slice of pizza.  I can’t tell you how many times we have gone to places that serve gluten free pizza, only to have them tell us they just ran out of the GF crust.  If someone in your family eats gluten free, you’ve probably had similar experiences. If you have, I have very good news for you: Glutenus Minimus, the gluten free bakery in Belmont, is now serving pizza!

It’s true. I have been there and seen it with my own eyes.

As this weekend marks the start of April, let's hope winter-like weather is officially behind us. There are lots of fun Easter events and activities for kids planned all over Connecticut this weekend. We've covered some good ones in Hartford, Litchfield and Fairfield Counties. Spring Break is right around the corner and we have a great Giveaway for a Family 4 pack of tickets to Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk. If you share the FB post with a friend that counts as a double entry. Have you started your summer camp search yet? Let our Summer Camp Guide help you narrow down your options. Summer will be here before we all know it! However, until then, this is what's happening around CT this weekend:

Wow.  This has never happened before. We are sorry to report that there are no events this weekend. Not a one.  It was bound to happen sooner or later, the random intersection of timing and chance and …

APRIL FOOL’S!!!  Of course there are events this weekend. There are events up the wazoo (can we say that on a family-friendly site?). April is the month of Easter and Passover and Spring Break and Earth Day, and by gosh your basket will be full with fun, fascinating, and frequently free festivities. It’s time to emerge from our winter hibernation (hello, it rained last week!) and start enjoying all that Los Angeles has to offer.

For starters, how about a little camping?  Southern California offers a wealth of family campgrounds, and naturally we’ve got the list.

His big day may not be until next week, but the Easter Bunny is already in town, meeting his fans and posing for pictures. Mommy Poppins has peered into his datebook and marked down the best Easter Bunny appearances.

Is your holiday less about  jelly beans and more about matzoh? For those looking for Passover-approved bakery goods, we have the unleavened lowdown. (As a bonus, did you know that many Passover treats are gluten-free?)

Still looking for something to do? Can we recommend: Chris Burden's Metropolis II at LACMA? Museum of Flying at Santa Monica Airport?  Or any of our top picks for the coming weekend…

Although March came in like a lamb and is leaving like a lion there are a lot of spring events and activities to be found in New York City this weekend.  Kids can party with the Easter Bunny at one the festive Easter Egg Hunts or pre-Passover fun can be found at the mellow Dave Grover concert and the Egyptian-themed Story of the Exodus performance. Families can also learn about the Chinese Qing Ming Festival Spring celebration.  The tropical splendor, Brasil: Gardens in Paradise, the 2012 edition of the Macy’s Flower Show continues through the weekend and offers special family performances.

Look for outdoor fun at the old-fashioned race around the farmyard event at the Lefferts Historic House, the nature-themed scavenger hunt at the Blue Heron Nature Center, the Bike Bonzanza and Rodeo at PS 261 or opening weekend at the Queen’s Botanic Garden.  

Some Mommy Poppins favorite performers are on deck this weekend. Dan Zanes is playing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (act fast if you want a ticket they are almost sold out), the incredible Gustafer Yellowgold celebrates his new CD at 92Y Tribeca and the unique Pasta! A Pop Ups Musical plays Symphony Space.

More of our best bets for a fun weekend are below but be sure to visit the Mommy Poppins Events Calendar for more options.

If you plan to have a staycation over Spring Break we have a great give away for you! Stepping Stones Museum has lots of fun shows and activities planned over the entire Spring Break week. Enjoy 4 FREE tickets to the museum any day between April 14th and April 20th. 

Take a beautiful, and very deep, brick room and fill it, wall-to-wall, with a thick layer of soft, colorful yarn and thread waste and what do you get? A most unusual, and thoroughly fun, bouncy space where running, jumping, flipping through the air, turning summersaults, and of course, digging for treasure, are simply irresistible--and not just for kids. My five-year-old son wanted to stay all day. So did my husband.

You may be surprised to find that this fun is not in a play space or a children's museum, but at MoMA PS1, the contemporary art museum in Long Island City. Read on to find out more about this and some other exhibits at MoMA PS1 that will make checking it out in the exhibit's last weekend worth the trip.

I love taking my kid to see live theater. Over the years, we've seen shows from Broadway to the Fringe Festival, but the ones that have made the biggest impression on her are the productions at TADA! Youth Theater. Part of that is because she's watching her peers onstage: the children's troupe is made up of local youngsters ages 8 to 18. But I think my daughter loves TADA! for the same reason I do: Its original musicals are funny, sweet, thought-provoking and all around awesome. And the tickets are super-affordable:$15 for adults, $8 for kids.

We've written many rave reviews of past TADA! shows, so we're excited to offer a huge ticket giveaway for the company's entire 2012-2013 season. One lucky family will win four tickets to four TADA! musicals, including Up to You, which opens in April, and two runner-ups will snag seats to one or two shows. All told, over $500 worth of prizes!

Read on for more info on this wonderful kids' theater company, and the scoop on how to enter to win TADA! tickets.

Summer camps can sometimes run in the pretty high range and can be a hefty expense for many families. But if the majority of camps unfortunately do not fall within your budget there are still a few other options available for your child. There is a selection of summer camp choices that offer a cheaper rate or are even FREE!