We said goodbye to Reigning Donuts this week, and I'm not over it. Mini donuts handed through a window in a wall was truly one of Charlotte's most fun food experiences. When we lived in NoDa we used to grab them for breakfast or dessert all the time, so the final visit felt necessary. The line was long, obviously, but worth it. It's becoming a deli window now, which I'm sure will be fine but is decidedly less cute.
On a happier note, Workman's Friend does a fantastic brunch. I'm slightly obsessed with beans on toast (iykyk) and Workman's does it right. We actually almost went to McHale's since we were already in NoDa for donuts, but their Irish breakfast doesn't come with beans? An Irish breakfast without beans? I couldn't do it. We got there after swim lessons and were the first ones in, but it filled up fast with families. They were also setting up for a Galentine's celebration that looked amazing and is going on my calendar for next year. Full review coming the week before St. Patrick's Day.
Thursday night, Jamie and his buddy Hadley had the best time at Pajama Storytime at SouthPark Library. More on that below.
🌱 What We’re Doing
Your roundup of family-friendly events and activities happening this week.
Lunar New Year is the big theme this week. Resident Culture in Plaza Midwood is going all out on Saturday with dumpling making, lion dances, crafts, and a live horse visit. Yes, a horse. At a brewery. I have no further details but we will be there. There's also a children's showcase in Matthews with performances by young local artists if your kid does better with a "sit and watch" situation than a "horse at a brewery" situation.
Beyond Lunar New Year: owl pellet dissection followed by a dusk owl prowl at Stevens Creek on Friday. This is peak "weird Charlotte parenting" and I'm here for it. Hot Glass Alley is doing a free open demo where you can watch live glassblowing with your kids, which is one of those things that sounds like it shouldn't be free but is. And the Rock & Roll Playhouse is doing kid-friendly Grateful Dead at Neighborhood Theatre (shoutout to Stacy for this one), volume turned down for little ears.
✨ A few standouts:
Lunar New Year at Resident Culture with live horse visit, lion dances, and dumpling making (Saturday, free)
Owl Prowl at Stevens Creek with pellet dissection and dusk owl calls (Friday, $5)
Highland cow crafts and cookie decorating at the Whitewater Center (Saturday, $40/kid)
Your featured park, playground, or indoor play spot.
Pajama Storytime at SouthPark Library is the kind of outing that makes you feel like a really good parent for doing basically nothing. Jamie showed up in his valentines day pajamas, immediately found a buddy (Hadley, his partner in crime), and spent half the time eating cookies and the other half trying to sit in other kids' laps during story time. You show up, they hand out cookies, someone reads stories, you go home.
But I have tips for making it even better (starting with dinner at Yafo and ending with why you absolutely need to get there early).
Early voting is happening right now. NC primary is March 3, and early voting runs through February 28 at any Mecklenburg County location. Don’t forget your photo ID! For a clear, unbiased breakdown of candidates and issues before you head to the polls, visit The Election Hub. No excuses, go vote.
If you love the Freedom ParkSmall Playground (full review here), heads up: they're dredging the pond and the Whittington Field parking lot on Princeton Ave is closed until Feb. 21, then weekday evenings after 4:30 and weekends only through summer 2026. Park elsewhere or plan accordingly.
Carolina Raptor Center Baby Shower is March 7. Feeding demonstrations, fly-bys, and raptor observation sessions. You can bring items from their Amazon baby registry to donate (yes, baby raptors have a registry, and it's somehow adorable). Included with regular admission. More info
Charlotte SHOUT! is coming back April 3-19. Over 200 events across art, music, food, and ideas. Kids' entrepreneur market, interactive art in First Ward Park, mini golf designed by local artists. Start following @cltshout now. We'll share our family-friendly picks as it gets closer.
🔖 Worth a Bookmark
A few things making our days a little easier, tastier, or more fun lately.
That's It Mini Fruit Bars — Grabbed these at Costco on a whim (they were on sale, so really it was fate) and Jamie is obsessed. Just two ingredients: apples and whatever fruit flavor you pick. No added sugar, no weird stuff. The mini size is perfect for little hands, and unlike most bars, they're not crumbly, which makes them a much safer bet for the car seat. We got the variety pack with strawberry, mango, and blueberry and they're already our go-to diaper bag snack. Stock up next Costco run.
Canopy Humidifiers — These are the FIFTH humidifiers I've purchased, and I'm not proud of that number. Every time I'd buy one that claimed to be "easy to clean," and every time I'd end up hunched over my sink scrubbing mystery gunk out of crevices no human hand was designed to reach. So I gave up and went with one I can toss in the dishwasher. Every part that touches water goes right in. That's it. They also have UV light and mold-resistant technology, so you're not blowing mystery mist into your kid's room. Pricier, but after four humidifiers in a landfill, I've spent more trying to save money than if I'd just gotten the Canopy from the start.
BBC Good Food Cottage Pie— We made this on our day off Monday and have been eating it all week. Jamie loves it, it reheats beautifully, and it freezes well. Beef mince, carrots, celery, Worcestershire sauce, cheesy mashed potato on top, done. If you're looking for a weekend cooking project that pays off all week, this is it. Or save it for St. Patrick's Day and thank me later.
💡 What We’re Learning
A quick tip, insight, or reflection on the parenting journey.
Breaks Hit the Reset Button (More Than You'd Think)
We finally got back to Aquatots swim lessons after accidentally taking a two-ish month break. I say "accidentally" because it started as skipping one week, then the holidays happened, then January got busy, and suddenly it was February and we hadn't been in the pool since November. Maybe December. I'm trying not to do the math.
Jamie LOVED swim lessons before the break. Smiling, splashing, going underwater without flinching. Our brave little fish. So I assumed we'd pick up right where we left off. We did not.
Every time the instructor transitioned to a new activity, Jamie got scared. Clinging to David, bottom lip out, the works. He'd warm up after a few minutes, and by the end he was laughing again, but that fear at each transition was so different from the confident swimmer we remembered.
Apparently you cannot just put a toddler on pause for two months and expect them to remember they were brave. I filed this away somewhere between "things that are obvious in hindsight" and "things I will definitely do again anyway." He came around by the end of class, so we're not starting from zero. But we're also not where we were, and I'm blaming the holidays.
Curious about Aquatots? I wrote a full review after our first year of lessons!
Wishing you a week of easy bedtimes, snacks that don't end up ground into the car seat, and at least one outing where nobody has a meltdown (including you). I'll be back in your inbox next week with new places to explore and probably another story about Jamie trying to steal something that doesn't belong to him.
Until then, go vote, go to the library (maybe vote while you're at the library!?), and maybe make a cottage pie while you're at it. You deserve a week that feels more fun than frantic.
💚 Emily Founder, The Charlotte Sprout
P.S. I let Jamie bring a peanut butter banana wrap into the car seat this week. I don't want to talk about it, but I do need help. If you know a car seat cleaning service in Charlotte, reply to this email and save me from myself.
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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