Saturday morning Jamie woke up at 6:45, which in our house means someone is getting up and someone gets to stay in bed. I lost. We ended up at Salted Melon in Phillips Place right when they opened, split a breakfast burrito that I should have ordered two of, and by the time we got home Emily was awake enough to want the same thing to go. That's the kind of morning that accidentally turns into a good one.
Emily handed me the newsletter this week. I wrote something about my dad and five things he did that I'm still thinking about now that I'm the one with a toddler watching me. It got longer than I planned. Anyway - let's get into it.
🌱 What We’re Doing
Your week in Charlotte, planned.
Juneteenth and Father's Day get most of the attention this week, but the list runs through Wednesday and has 43 events in it. There's a lot going on outside the headliners.
The Dad-Cathalon at Daniel Stowe is the one I'm most interested in attending. Someone scheduled a tie-tying competition and golf skills challenge and called it an athletic event, and I respect that.
✨ A few standouts:
Saturday Swap: Toys and Kids Books (Saturday, free): Bring outgrown toys and books to Innovation Barn and trade them for something new-to-you. A good excuse to clear out the playroom without spending anything.
Dad-Cathalon at Daniel Stowe (Saturday, garden admission): Dads compete in tie-tying, trashcan basketball, grocery bag carrying, and golf. Heats run every 15 minutes. Moms are invited to judge.
Monday Night Brewing Birthday Bash (Sunday, free): 20-foot water slide, bounce house, dunk tank, mechanical bull, watermelon eating contest, and $2 hot dogs. Pack a dry change of clothes.
Monster Jamcomes to Spectrum Center July 18-19, and if your kid has ever been interested in trucks at any level, this is the event. Grave Digger, El Toro Loco, and Megalodon are among the 12,000-pound trucks competing in racing, two-wheel skills, and big-air freestyle runs.
Queen City Doulas and The Grove CLT are running a two-partbirth prep classin July that's worth knowing about if you're pregnant or have a friend who is. It's led by Suzanne Wentworth, a maternal-child nurse, lactation consultant, and childbirth educator with 25 years of experience. The two sessions run July 13 and July 20, 6:30 to 8:30pm at The Grove CLT, covering labor, comfort measures, partner support, postpartum recovery, newborn basics, and feeding.
If you've ever wondered whether pelvic floor therapy is actually for you, this Monday is a good time to find out. Tranquility Pelvic Health is teaming up with @crane.seven for a Pelvic Floor 101 on June 22 from 6:30 to 8pm. They're covering what it is, where it is, and how to care for it.
Charlotte is about to get a new mayor, and the vote happens this Monday. The City Council narrowed 114 applications down to five finalists who are being publicly interviewed Thursday: Harold Cogdell Jr., Carrie Cook, Robert Harrington, James "Smuggie" Mitchell Jr. (current mayor pro tem), and Caleb Theodros. The council votes June 23 on who replaces Mayor Vi Lyles, who is stepping down July 1. The new mayor serves through December 2027. The Charlotte Ledger has put together profileson all five if you want to read up before the vote.
This week's Babies on the Boardwalk at University City Library is cancelled
Pineville Regional Library Update: The Pineville Regional Library is still closed due to damage from a car crash. Please be sure to check the library’s website for updates on their reopening before you plan a visit
I wrote something for this issue about my dad and five things he did that I'm still thinking about now that Jamie is old enough to watch me and quietly take notes. It's about showing up even when it's inconvenient, letting your kid take risks, and what it looks like to love your family well in the everyday, unglamorous moments. It got longer than I planned. The Pokémon cards and the sprinkler system both make an appearance.
Emily hijacking David's newsletter for one second to bring you this important review:
I had never gotten a car seat professionally cleaned before. I figured most of you haven't either, so I treated it as a research project. One seat is $50, two are $90, and she also does strollers, wagons, pack and plays, and high chairs. She's based in North Charlotte and offers free drop-off at her house or pickup and delivery for $10 each way. The turnaround is 24 hours. Jamie's seat came back smelling like nothing had ever happened in it, plus she tucked in a little goody bag with crayons and a coloring sheet for him, which I was not expecting and absolutely loved.
Full breakdown of prices, how to book, and why this is worth it even if your car seat looks fine on the surface is on the blog.
Full transparency: Dava cleaned our Nuna Pipa infant seat for free in exchange for this review. I also paid $10 for delivery because getting to North Charlotte mid-week with a toddler and a third trimester was not happening. All thoughts are my own.
Where We're Eating 🌯
Saturday morning, Jamie woke up early, so we decided to make the most of it: a grocery store pickup and then a stop at Salted Melon in Phillips Place to give Mom a little extra time to sleep. We pulled in right at 8am when they opened, and it was just right. Parking was easy, a handful of tables were already filled, but it didn't feel crowded or hectic.
Inside, the space is bright, spacious, and naturally kid-friendly. About half of the ten or so groups had babies or toddlers with them. There were plenty of high chairs ready, and the mix of standard tables and lounge-style couches with low tables made it easy to settle in with a little one. If you'd rather be outside, there are multiple patios wrapping around the building with covered spots, so you can usually find some shade.
The menu works well for families. Alongside the expected breakfast options, there are sandwiches, bowls, salads, and sides you'd be happy to order at lunch, plus a few kids' items. Jamie and I split the Bandito Burrito: scrambled eggs, Oaxaca cheese, tater tots, roasted scallions, bacon, chipotle aioli, roasted salsa, all wrapped in a honey wheat tortilla. I should have ordered one for each of us because we both loved it. I added a latte, which was excellent. The Overnight Sensation oats and The Notorious BEC both looked very tempting for next time.
After breakfast, we walked up and down the block, checking out storefronts getting ready for a busy shopping day near the mall. It was still calm and quiet before the 10am rush. We stumbled into a few unexpected bonuses for a toddler: Jamie was thrilled to find the elephant statue in front of 800 Degrees and insisted on sitting on it, and on the way back he started pointing excitedly toward the Hampton Inn. Turns out he was pointing at the fountain out front with lion statues. I couldn't let him get in, but he loved running around it and inspecting every lion.
Before we headed home, we called Emily to tell her how good the breakfast burrito and latte were. She wanted in, so we grabbed the same order to go. No one was disappointed. Salted Melon is a solid call for an easy morning out or a mid-day bite when you're running errands in SouthPark.
Here's To: the $2 hot dog at Monday Night Brewing on Father's Day, which might be the most dad-coded thing to look forward to all week.
🌱 David
Husband of Emily (Founder, The Charlotte Sprout)
P.S. Emily proofread this before it went out. I stand by everything she left in.
Help The Sprout grow. If one idea made your week easier, please forward this email or tag @thecharlottesprout so more Charlotte parents can find us. 🌱
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