In my last MP² post, I wrote about why every parent should have an iPhone. I talked about a lot of great features, but I didn't even really scratch the surface of all the apps that are available for the phone. Of course, there are more than 10 great apps for parents, but this round-up will get you started with some fun, useful and just silly iPhone apps, particularly for parents. (By the way, most of these work with the iPod Touch also)

Scribble (FREE) —Lets kids (or parents) draw with their finger right on the screen and then shake to erase, like an etch-a-sketch. Great for little kids.

This week I'm introducing a new feature on Mommy Poppins: MP², or Mommy Poppins Squared. Yes, I can no longer contain my inner geekiness, (as if writing this blog isn't bad enough) I must now parade my extreme interest in all things geek for you all to see. I'm kicking off MP² with a series of posts about the iPhone as a parenting tool. Next month look for Science Week (which I've been geeking out on this month in preparation. Whoohoo!).

Why every parent needs an iPhone

There are whole books dedicated to which gadget parents need or don't need. For my money, the number one gadget on every parents' list should now be an iPhone. Yes, it's expensive, but the iPhone is like the Swiss Army knife, it has so many features bundled into one little slick package that you should save your money on everything else and just get this (okay you'll need a couple of other things too).

(at right) Hand knit iPhone from Daddy Types

Here are the 10 essential tools your iPhone will replace, making it the ultimate parenting tool:

Have you noticed the new Events Calendar on Mommy Poppins lately? After a full four months of development, during which it was admittedly pretty pathetic, the calendar is now full of great activities, including over 55 Halloween activities, most of them free.

Judy Sklover, our new Events Editor, will be hand-picking the best events and activities all over NYC for kids. Expect to see only the best free activities, educational programs, and unique events for NYC kids you won't find listed anywhere else. Unlike other NYC resources, we don't just post every press release that comes across our desk. We actively seek out cool stuff and only post events we would go to ourselves.

FIND IT:
The events calendar is in our left sidebar. To see events, click on the date you're looking for to see that day's events or click on the month to see the whole month. You can also view our calendar in week or list view. I prefer list view myself because I can see upcoming events with a summary of what and where they are.

USE IT:
Another feature you'll notice is our Upcoming Events widget. Right there in the sidebar you can see the next five events at a glance. It's a great way to check what's happening that day if you need some inspiration, but be aware some days we have more than 5 events listed and you'll want to go to the main calendar view to get the complete list.

I want to thank Judy, the newest addition to the Mommy Poppins team and mommy dynamo. She was her school's PTA president for more years than anyone should sanely serve and has been a terrific community member. I'm thrilled to have her on board and I also want to thank the Wildlife Conservation Society and all our other advertisers for recognizing what a great little site this is and supporting us with their advertising dollars, making it possible to add features like this new event calendar .

Getting this calendar working was a big step for me, but it's only the first one. I want to make it even better and am going to be continuing to work on it. So email me with what you think could make it better and I'll see if I can make it happen in the next round of improvements.