Akumal Beach Resort, Mexico: An All Inclusive Resort for a Laid-Back Family Vacation
March 20, 2022 4:06 pmThe Akumal Beach Resort in Akumal, Mexico is an all-inclusive family beach resort about 65 miles south of Cancun. Akumal... View Article
Mommy Poppins
Top Indie Bookstores for New Jersey Families
October 15, 2016 12:13 pmNew Jersey has many wonderful independent bookstores run by dedicated bibliophiles that offer children’s programs, storytimes, indoor activities, and books galore... View Article
Comic and Cartoon Drawing Classes for Creative NJ Kids
February 22, 2016 12:16 pmDo you have stacks of stories your kids have drawn for you? Does the spelling in all the thought bubbles... View Article
Thanksgiving Meal Planner
November 2, 2014 12:17 pmWhilst we are busy being thankful, it’s also ok to plan. It leaves more time for thankfulness on Thanksgiving. If... View Article
Hosting a Fun Birthday Party at Home
April 1, 2014 12:36 pmWell, Mommy Poppins has given you the skinny on birthday parties from ice cream bashes to museum shindigs and now... View Article
Spring Movie Preview for NJ Kids and Families
March 21, 2013 12:37 pmAs the weather warms up we all want to be outside, but I’ve heard tales of April showers bringing May... View Article
Fun Springtime Activities for Kids and Families in NJ
March 15, 2013 12:39 pmYou can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.–Pablo Neruda The cherry blossom petals flutter like... View Article
Long Weekends in New Jersey and the Northeast: 5 Fun and Family-Friendly Mini-Vacation Spots
January 24, 2013 12:40 pmSometimes you want to go where no one knows your name, but alas, you have to take the kids with... View Article
Great Recipes for Cold Winter Nights: Soups, Casseroles and Entrees
January 10, 2013 12:41 pmIt’s time to hunker down with calories. Oh sure, some of us might be slipping into a bathing suit over... View Article
The Best Books for NJ Kids of Every Age
December 17, 2012 12:42 pmAnd they’ll shriek squeaks and squeals, racing ’round on their wheels. They’ll dance with jingtinglers tied onto their heels. They’ll... View Article
Great Holiday Cookie Recipes Made With Chocolate and Cheer
December 9, 2012 12:44 pmMy 6th Annual Cookie Exchange party is coming up, and if I can manage to finish decorating the house, it... View Article
NJ Museums’ Fall Exhibits, From Jackie Robinson to Building Teeny Tiny Things
October 19, 2012 12:45 pmCulture. We all want it — and not just in our yogurt. We live next to one of the best... View Article
Apple Recipes and Fall Crafts for NJ Families
September 11, 2012 12:46 pmIt’s the most wonderful time of the year again, when the children go back to school and everything on the... View Article
Local Summer Getaways for NJ Families
May 14, 2012 12:47 pmBy now, many of you have probably organized your summer with military precision. I know I have. We have this... View Article
Enjoy Spring Cooking with Fresh Finds at NJ Farmers’ Markets
April 16, 2012 12:48 pmI really enjoy spring cooking. It beats spring cleaning, and the fresh flavors of ramps, asparagus, tiny potatoes and tangy... View Article
“Mirror Mirror’: A Fun Take on Snow White for NJ Kids and Families
March 30, 2012 12:50 pmI think it’s safe to assume that most of us have watched, and rewatched, a slew of princess movies, and... View Article
Spring Walks, Hikes, and Programs for NJ Kids and Families
March 22, 2012 12:51 pmSpring has sprung! I won’t belabor the fact that it’s barely been winter, since lately I seem fixated on the... View Article
5K Races and Fun Runs for NJ Kids and their Parents
March 16, 2012 12:52 pmThis ridiculously mild winter has been running heaven, not too cold or too wet. I mean, I didn’t run of... View Article
Review of Family Film: “The Secret World of Arrietty”
February 16, 2012 12:58 pmAs fans of movies from Studio Ghibli, particularly those directed by anime master Hayao Miyazaki — Ponyo, Kiki’s Delivery Service... View Article
Slow Cooker, Soups and Stews: Suggestions for Superb Winter Meals
January 4, 2012 1:00 pmI realize that we all feel stuffed from the holidays and either inspired or offended by all the happy magazines... View Article
Holiday Cookies: Old Standards and New Hits
December 19, 2011 1:01 pmThis year will be my 5th Annual Holiday Cookie Extravaganza. We make the treats, we package them all pretty, and... View Article
Best Kids’ Books to Give as Holiday Gifts (in our humble opinion)
December 14, 2011 1:02 pmI could go on and on about how much I love books — reading them, shelving them, smelling them, quoting... View Article
Apples and Pumpkins and Growing up…
October 26, 2011 1:03 pmI love baking with my kids — except when I don’t. Saturday morning I was rushing to finish some desserts... View Article
Kids’ Knitting, Sewing, Ceramics and More
September 19, 2011 1:04 pmNow that the kids are back in school, it’s time to start driving them all over the place for swimming,... View Article
Get Packing! School Lunch Ideas and Tips
August 31, 2011 1:07 pmHere we are in the dregs of summer. The coffee grounds. The crumbs. No longer are the glorious sun-soaked days... View Article
One Great Day (and Night) in NJ: Camping at Harmony Ridge
June 29, 2011 1:07 pmWe were all snugly sleeping in our tent. The hubs and myself comfortably (mostly) on our bourgeois air mattress, and... View Article
Weekend events in NJ June 25-26: Arts, Crafts, Fairs and Dora!
June 22, 2011 1:08 pmThis weekend is the breather between school ending, and camp and other summer activities beginning. It’s that time when we... View Article
NJ Weekend Events June 4-5: FREE Festivals, Lady Pirates, Talking Bears and World Oceans Day
June 2, 2011 1:12 pmJune. Ahhh… The end of car pools, coats and homework crying fits. The beginning of summer, when the memory-making feels... View Article
Run for your life! 5K Races/Kids Fun Runs in NJ
May 10, 2011 1:14 pmSometimes the full-throttle, leap-into-our-waiting-arms hug from a kid or two is the very reason we drag our tired selves out... View Article
Loving Mom: Mother’s Day Events in NJ
May 4, 2011 1:15 pmOh, Mothers. We get the love. We get the hate. We get the primordial hugs from the short people who... View Article
One Great Day in NJ: Campgaw Mountain Reservation
April 19, 2011 1:20 pmWhen I was a kid I loved being outside. My mom lived on a farm and my brothers and I... View Article
Spring Fling! Early Spring Activities in NJ
March 13, 2011 1:27 pmIt’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh,... View Article
Play (or Craft) on President’s Day in NJ
February 16, 2011 1:28 pmIf your brood hasn’t experienced quite enough bonding and cabin fever courtesy of New Jersey’s many snow days, you’re in... View Article
Chinese New Year: Celebrating The Year of the Rabbit in New Jersey
January 31, 2011 1:29 pmMost of us are familiar with the celebrated Chinatown festivities in New York City that mark the Chinese New Year,... View Article