I won $500 at a hackathon last week. I was feeling very smart and accomplished. Really riding the high. Then I pulled into our driveway (which is on a big hill, so I can't see over the hood) and ran directly over Jamie's UPPAbaby Vista stroller. So that was a fun way to come back down to earth. The universe said "congrats on your $500, here's your bill."
The good news? It turned out only one back wheel was damaged. The bad news? I still had to source a replacement wheel for a stroller that costs more than my first car. BUT. Plot twist. Someone on Facebook Marketplace down in Waxhaw was selling the exact wheel for $15 because their stroller fell out of the back of their pickup truck. This is peak Facebook Marketplace energy and I'm here for it.
So on Sunday, David, my mom, Jamie, and I all drove down to Waxhaw to pick up this $15 wheel like it was a hostage exchange. And since we were already there, we figured we'd check out a park and grab ice cream. As you do.
🌱 What We’re Doing
Charlotte stuff to get on your calendar this week
Two Holi celebrations, a massive consignment sale, and Charlotte FC's home opener all in one weekend. Also, if your kid is into art and mess (redundant, I know), Kidcreate has St. Patrick's Day crafts both Friday and Saturday. Friday's a registered workshop ($54), Saturday's a drop-in. Saturday is the move if you're allergic to advance planning like I am.
The TTB KidZ consignment sale runs through Sunday at The Park Expo and it is enormous. 80,000 square feet, 100,000+ items. Sunday is 50% off day, which is either genius or chaos depending on your tolerance for competitive shopping. If you're pregnant or have a kid who outgrows shoes every 6 weeks, just go. Also, the Raptor Center Baby Shower is Saturday if you want to watch a hawk fly over your toddler's head while they completely ignore it in favor of a stick on the ground.
✨ A few standouts:
Holi at Elon Rec Center (Saturday, $8) has free food for the first 300 people. Dress in white, bring sunglasses for little eyes, accept your fate.
Charlotte FC home opener is Sunday at 7:30pm, so this is a babysitter-or-bedtime-gamble situation. But opening night energy is worth it if you can swing it.
Fresh Air Hour at Anne Springs Close Greenway (Thursday, 5:30-8pm, free) has live music, trail access, and is the kind of low-effort evening that makes you feel like you have your life together.
Your featured park, playground, or indoor play spot.
We were in Waxhaw on Sunday for reasons previously explained (see above), and we stopped at David G. Barnes Children's Park right in downtown. It's small but really cute, split into a toddler side and a big kids side. Jamie wanted nothing to do with the toddler area and beelined for the jungle gym, where he proceeded to go down the curved slide backwards approximately 47 times, saying "WEEEE" at the bottom every single time. There's also a skate park right next to it, restrooms, and it's walking distance to Waxhaw Creamery (my favorite local ice cream in the Charlotte area, but fair warning, it will be packed).
Spring forward this Sunday (March 8). Set your clocks ahead one hour before bed Saturday night. If you have kids, I don't need to tell you what this means for your Monday morning. I wrote a whole survival guide with tips for adjusting schedules, blackout curtain recs, and a pep talk for the parents who (like me) did not start adjusting bedtime early enough.
Top Chef Carolinas is here. The premiere dropped early on Peacock and Bravo's YouTube channel this week, and the full season kicks off Monday, March 9 at 9pm on Bravo. The new season is set in the Carolinas and one of the competing chefs is from Stagioni right here in Charlotte. Yes, the same Stagioni I reviewed last week. So if you've been there, you can now say you ate at a Top Chef restaurant before it was cool. All episodes are supersized to 75 minutes this season, so plan your post-bedtime viewing accordingly.
SEA LIFE Aquarium is running a pre-spring break sale: 40% off annual passes. That brings them down to $47 per person (normally $79). If you've been even once, you know your kid will want to go back approximately every weekend until they turn 18. An annual pass pays for itself in two visits, plus you get 50% off for up to 6 guests, which is clutch when you have family in town and need a rainy day plan.
Green River Revivalat the Whitewater Center is March 14. They literally dye the river green for St. Patrick's Day. There's a half-mile kids' run, yoga, live music, and the river turns green at 1pm. Free admission, $13 parking. I know I say "get there early" about everything, but I really mean it this time. My dad and I tried to go one year around lunchtime and the parking lot was completely full. Like, turn-around-and-go-home full. Get there in the morning, do the kids' run, grab a spot, and settle in for when the river turns green at 1.
📝What I'm Learning
The stuff nobody warns you about
Every article about daylight saving time with kids says the same thing: start adjusting bedtime 15 minutes earlier each day the week before. Simple. Makes total sense. Except here's the part nobody mentions: to move bedtime earlier, you have to move dinner earlier. And to move dinner earlier, you have to move everything earlier. And when you're a working parent who picks up your kid from daycare at 5pm, the math just... doesn't math.
Right now our schedule is dinner at 6, bath at 6:30, books and bed around 7. That already feels like a sprint from the moment we walk in the door. I'm trying to nudge dinner to 5:45, and eventually 5:30, but every 15 minutes I shave off the evening is 15 fewer minutes I actually get to spend with Jamie before the whole bedtime assembly line kicks in. And after being away from him all day, those minutes feel really expensive to give up.
So I'm learning that sometimes the "right" parenting move and the move that feels right as a parent are in direct competition. And I don't think there's a clean answer. I'd rather have a slightly overtired kid on Monday than spend his entire evening rushing him through dinner so I can optimize his circadian rhythm. Maybe that's the wrong call. But it's the honest one.
If you've cracked the code on this, genuinely, email me. I will Venmo you.
Here's to surviving the time change, snagging something good at the consignment sale, and getting at least one evening this week where bedtime doesn't feel like a NASCAR pit stop.
See you next Thursday!
💚 Emily Founder, The Charlotte Sprout
P.S. If you try any of these spots, tag us on Instagram @thecharlottesprout! I love seeing your family adventures (and yes, I will judge your ice cream flavor choices).
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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