Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon -- You Can Be a Family and Lead Separate Lives

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are laughing off stories they're back together ... they're not.

Mariah posted a photo of the former couple at the Bronx Zoo with their twins, Moroccan and Monroe, captioning the pic, "Happy Easter!!! #ontheegghunt #NYiswild."

According to our sources, while the two talk every day, reconciliation is not in the cards. We're told they try to see each other once a week, sometimes with the kids and other times alone because they've become friends again.

We're told the divorce process has been easy -- it helps when there's a prenup -- but any sort of romantic relationship is ancient history. They both feel they're better off as friends.