Winter months can be tough on the whole family. When it's too cold and blustery to play outside, what do you do? Local playgroups are a great way to get everyone out of the house. Kids will love making new friends and playing with new toys, and you'll love staying warm and chatting with other adults. A playgroup can be an essential part of any stay-at-home parents life year-round, so check out these great places and see if there's one near you.

On a recent rainy Monday I wondered – as most parents do on cold, wet days at home with their kids – “What are we going to do today?” Of course, a visit to my daughter’s favorite playground was out of the question. Then I remembered hearing about Catch Air, a new indoor play space that had recently opened in Paramus. I loaded my rain-slickered preschooler into the car and we headed up the Garden State Parkway. “Where are we going?,” she asked. Turns out, we were headed on an aquatic adventure.

Although you may have decided to give out non-edible treats this Halloween, chances are your neighbors are still handing out the sweet stuff. When your kids come home from trick-or-treating with all that loot and start sorting through it, the sheer volume may make you freak out (even more than the pint-sized grim reaper at your door did).

What are you going to do with all that candy? You could let the kids eat most of it in one sitting and get sick, or you might be tempted to dump it in the trash. There's no need to take drastic measures! I recommend giving your kids the opportunity to pick out a few of their favorite pieces and then make the rest disappear like magic. Read on for a few neat tricks. 

With just a few weeks until the election and politics all over the news, voter fatigue may have started to set in. It’s at this point many of us are thinking, “I can’t wait until this election is over.” I’m definitely there. But it’s important to remember what’s at the core of all this political ping pong (or maybe dodge ball): our vote. Whether you look at selecting our country’s leaders as a right, privilege, duty, or obligation, it is an opportunity to have our voices heard. It is also a teachable moment for our kids. For tips and resources for teaching your kids (even the youngest of the crew) about citizenship and the importance of being informed and involved, read on. We have a rundown of ideas, interactive websites, books, and crafts for you to share with toddlers to teens.

It's that time of year again—the sugary treats are flowing freely from trick-or-treating, parties, and parades, and parents are either hiding their kids' Halloween haul or eating it themselves. There must be a better way, right? Never fear—Mommy Poppins has the solution. Whether you're in the city or the suburbs, you can find local businesses that'll turn sugar highs into good deeds. 

We may all be walking around our neighborhoods Halloween night dressed as witches (note to self: find witch hat in closet), but we’re not really mean; we’re planning to let our kids eat unreasonable amounts of refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and non-organic chocolate way past their bedtimes on a school night - for one night anyway.

The dilemma comes on November 1. When the trick-or-treating is over.

Like other big days, Halloween is a holiday of traditions. There's the tradition of collecting heavy bags of candy, the tradition of eating it until you're sick, and the tradition of wondering what the heck you're supposed to do with it all a few days later. 

Spicy or robust, fruit-flavored or floral, a hot cup of tea can set the right tone for time with anyone special, but especially with one of your own children! Are you looking to spend some special time with a tween or teen? Or trying to occupy a rainy afternoon?  Take them out for a cup of tea in one of these Connecticut tea rooms and see how the conversation flows.