Forgive the rhetorical question, but can anyone make acrobatics more exciting than Cirque du Soleil? The Canadian circus phenomenon has umpteen touring productions in at least umpteen cities, and what keeps us all coming back for more goes beyond the gymnastics, the tumbling, the trapezes, the unicycles, the silks, the flying rings, the trampolines, and the tightropes. It even goes beyond those unexpected flourishes like the steampunk waterskiing flamenco rollerskating bullfights. What takes our breath away is the all-out drama of a celebration of the human body. Or, as my 10-year-old more succinctly put it midway through TOTEM at the Santa Monica Pier, "Talk about impossible!"

Somehow it's January already - a time for recovery (from the holidays) and resolutions for the new year. As we plan how to make Mommy Poppins even better than it was last year, with even more insights into even more wonderful ways to enjoy our time with kids, we take a look at some of our favorite mommy blogs of 2013, raising a glass to the network of parents who enrich all of our experiences in LA parenting. We're highlighting 10 below who turn out some of SoCal's finest reading for busy, fun, connected, and curious moms. And so, in no particular order (since they're all wonderful) we present 10 of our favorite family blogs from last year, covering everything from recipes to private schools, from baby gear to kids' auditions. Please feel free to shout out some of your own favorites in the comments below!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Of course actual snow in Los Angeles County is rare enough to be saleable on ebay (anyone still have that 2007 Malibu snow in the freezer?), but several Southland locales offer a reasonable facsimile of snow at this time of year. From Anaheim to Pasadena, we get several opportunities in the coming weeks to introduce our kids to snow, without introducing them to picking up their wet snow gear from the floor. And most of the events below are free!