Looking Back: Top 2016 Go Ask Mom posts

Apex mom turns idea into multi-million dollar business: As part of our Monday features on local moms, the post updates the success of Kelly Shiley, an Apex mom who turned her idea into a multi-million dollar business called Mary Squared.

Christmas light displays to open for season: An annual favorite, this post covers the opening of the region's major community light displays each year.

Massive new indoor family fun center to open in September: This August post generated plenty of excitement about the opening of Galaxy Fun Park this fall. The post announcing its opening date also made it into our top posts of the year.

When is Halloween? Monday, Oct. 31: As I say every year, these are two of the top questions I get from readers each year: What day and what time should I send my kids out for trick or treating. (The answer, almost always, is going to be around 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 31).

Families scramble after popular indoor playground closes: Families mourned the loss of PlayNation, a popular indoor playspace, last February and also scrambled to make alternative birthday party plans.

State parks system opens two-room cabins at Carolina Beach: News that N.C. State Parks and Recreation has opened four new two-room cabins at Carolina Beach, along with nine RV-friendly sites with full utilities at its 83-site campground, sparked plenty of interest among Go Ask Mom readers.

Reminder: All Wake schools delayed two hours, two Johnston schools closed on Election Day: Election Day was big news this year on a lot of fronts - include school delays and closures.

#100thingsWRAL: 100 activities, road trips, destinations for summer fun: Readers kept coming back to peruse our list of 100 activities for summer fun.

Sassafras: 14 pieces to look for when you go to Raleigh's biggest playground: When Sassafras All Children's Playground at Laurel Hills Park opened, it included some unique pieces designed for kids with special needs and mobility issues. We featured them in this post.

Explained: Why do kids insist on wearing shorts when it's freezing outside: A perennial favorite, this post from 2014 continues to reach into our top posts of the year as parents wonder why in the world their kids would want to wear shorts when it's below 40 degrees outside.