Like many families, your family may be thinking about summer plans right now. You may be trying to plan a vacation, but are wondering when the best time to take it would be. You want your children to attend camp so they are occupied beyond the one or two weeks you will be traveling, but most summer camps run for either half or for the entire summer. If you wait until camp ends, you will have to deal with bigger crowds when you travel. Mini camps offer you flexibility that other camp programs do not. Mini camps are short-term summer programs that are usually one or two weeks long. They hold sessions at various times throughout the summer giving families flexibility about when children will be in camp, leaving the rest of the summer for a fun family vacation.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you who will be celebrating it on Sunday. It looks like the weather is going to be drier, at least according to current reports. Who knows what can happen by then? My family and I will be spending several hours in the car driving to my parents' house. Hopefully we won't get stuck in too much traffic, but that's probably wishful thinking. If you don't have plans for Sunday, here are some suggestions:

• Go Out to Brunch or Dinner
• Go Out to Breakfast
• Take a Stroll Through a Botanical Garden

To help families celebrate Mother's Day Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead is offering free admission to all mothers who are accompanied by a child.

This Saturday, May 10, mail carriers in communities across the U.S. will collect non-perishable food that will be distributed to local food bank members of America's Second Harvest. The Stamp Out Hunger campaign is a collaborative effort between the National Association of Letter Carriers and the Campbell Soup Company. All you have to do is leave a bag filled with non-perishable food items next to your mailbox. You can include items such as canned meat and fish, canned or bottled juice (plastic bottles only) and boxes of pasta, rice and cereal. Avoid donating anything that has expired.

More About Giving on Long Island:

Long Island Food Banks
Donating Clothing, Furniture and Household Goods

Have you been following the stories in Newsday about New York State pensions? There's one today that talks about James Hunderfund, superintendent of the Malverne School District. As retired superintendent of the Commack School District he gets a $316,000 New York State pension. In addition to that he earns approximately $200,000 from his Malverne job. In discussing it, Mr. Hunderfund chalks this all up to working within the system. He's probably right. After all he's not stealing the money. He's working within the law and just taking what is rightfully his. Wouldn't you? What I am more deeply offended by, as a tax paying citizen, are the attorneys who were placed on school district payrolls and are now entitled to state pensions. That, to me, isn't working within the system -- it's gaming the system. Fortunately, Newsday's investigation of this has led to state and federal inquiries. We'll have to wait to see how this will all turn out. Hopefully those who have gotten away with so much will be stopped from getting away with more.

I had to run some errands this morning and, in spite of the fact that I had a lot of work to do, I didn't even mind. During the winter I dread going outside, but at this time of year I look forward to it. Although it was a bit chilly this morning, the sun was shining most of the time and I was able to roll my car window down. Most importantly, the trees are covered in green and the flowers are blooming. I think the thing I hate most about winter is the grayness of it all. Welcome to the month of May. I've put together a list of May activities. We begin the month with some leftover Earth Day programs.

Kudos to two of our own government officials. New York State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, who represents Long Beach and has been a longtime advocate for people with disabilities, and Nassau County Legislator David Mejias, who is chairman of the Legislature's Health & Social Services Committee, are beginning to look into a possible link between autism and vaccinations, reports Eyewitness News. Today, according to the report, the two men are meeting with parents who believe the combination of vaccinations given to young children can cause autism. I was astounded to read that in New York State cases of children on the autism spectrum have increased by 700 percent since 1992. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised since I know several families affected by autism. We can only hope this investigation continues and we can find out how to make these numbers go back down.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that attacks one's central nervous system causing vision and mobility problems. You can raise money to help the 400,000 Americans living with MS by participating in the 2008 MS Walk. Walks will take place on Long Island on Sunday, May 4th at Jones Beach State Park and at Belmont Lake State Park, where the event will also include a Pooch Parade. You can register online by going to the National MS Society Web Site. Co-workers, friends, and family are also invited to form teams.

More: Walking on Long Island

Do you need a unique present for a child who is graduating from elementary or middle school? He or she would love a cell phone or an iPod, certainly gifts that keep on giving (and taking from your wallet). For a similar price you can give your child an experience he or she will remember forever. Atlantis Marine World offers a fun interactive program that lets children who are at least 10 years old go behind the scenes at the aquarium.

In each session, which is about two hours long, children will have the opportunity to help the marine mammal staff prepare food for the animals and participate in a harbor seal training session. Participants will also get reserved seating at the Sea Lion Show, a t-shirt and, the pièce de résistance, a kiss from a seal (with a photograph to prove it). Sessions take place on Saturdays from April through September. You can choose a 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. session.

Each participant must be accompanied by a paying adult or guardian. Session size is limited to four people. The fee is $150 per person, which includes admission. Atlantis Marine World members pay $125. To register call Reservations at (631) 208-9200, ext. H2O (426). Get more information on the Atlantis Marine World Web Site.

Each year, on April 22, we celebrate Earth Day. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, but has taken on more significance in recent years as we have become more aware of the need for environmental conservation. The earth's resources are in jeopardy and the more people who know about it, the better. Earth Day events help increase awareness of things we can do to protect the planet we call home. Events celebrating it began this past weekend and will continue throughout this month and into May. Take a look at Earth Day on Long Island to find out about the different events in which you can participate.

Do you have an unwanted bicycle in your garage, attic or basement? Perhaps bicycling was a great new hobby that didn't work out... ten years ago! Or maybe it worked out so well that it's time to buy a new one. If you have a bike to get rid of, Pedals for Progress will take it. This organization rescues unwanted bicycles and sends them to communities overseas, keeping them out of local landfills while providing an environmentally mode of transportation for citizens of developing nations.

On Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the members of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island will be accepting donated bicycles at Wet Pants Sailing Association, located at the end of Foster Avenue, Port O Call in Sayville. They will also be collecting bicycles during the Town of Islip’s Earth Day celebration on May 3rd at Gillette Park in downtown Sayville. Every person who donates a bicycle will also be asked to donate $10 to help defray the cost of shipping the bicycles. If you have any questions or if you would like to make a cash donation, please contact Mr. Montalbine at (516) 250-3002.