Hi Friend,

The wallpaper guy comes Monday, which means I have spent the better part of this week staring at swatches taped to the nursery wall trying to decide if I actually like the print or just like that I finally picked something. (I like the print. I'm almost positive.)

We also picked up the glider and curtains this week, so the room is starting to look like an actual nursery instead of a storage closet with good intentions. David keeps asking when I'm going to start organizing everything, and the honest answer is the second that wallpaper's up, because right now there's nowhere for anything to go and I refuse to fold tiny clothes in chaos. (Also, I'm back behind the keyboard this week. David did good work with the Father's Day issue, but I missed bossing you all around.)

This week's issue has a soft play setup I'd book again without thinking twice, what survived my Prime Day cart (more than I'd like to admit), and 19 things happening around Charlotte through next Wednesday.

🌱 What We’re Doing

Your week in Charlotte, planned.

This week is bigger than usual, 35 events spread across all seven days, and Wednesday alone has nine things going on, so the back half of the week is honestly busier than the front. If you need a coffee break that isn't pretend, KiddieCade Happy Hour on Thursday gets you two hours of supervised play and an actual sit-down cup of coffee, and Storytime in the Park on Monday is worth knowing about even if Pineville isn't your usual library, since it's the outdoor stand-in while that branch deals with building damage.

✨ A few standouts:

• Great American Campout at Anne Springs Close Greenway (Saturday into Sunday): an actual overnight campout with s'mores and a canteen serving dinner, no RV required, just a tent.
• Watermelon Day at Charlotte Regional Farmers Market (Sunday, free): games, a meet and greet with the actual NC Watermelon Queen, and free watermelons for game winners, not just samples.
• CLT Knights game with the youth jersey giveaway (Saturday, $23+): first 1,000 kids through the gate get a Levine Children's Hospital jersey, plus fireworks after.

👉 Check out all 35 events here

🚨 On Our Radar

Quick hits you'll want to know about.

• CMS just approved play-based learning trials at seven kindergartens this fall, and parents have until July 1 to raise the money to make it happen. Villa Heights, Eastover, River Gate, Elizabeth Traditional, Hawk Ridge, Lansdowne, and Collinswood Language Academy are the seven schools, which means 31 classrooms and roughly 600 kindergarteners getting an actual hour of play built into their day instead of sitting on a rug.  If your kid's school made the list, or you just like the idea of five year olds playing with blocks instead of worksheets, the GoFundMe link is here.
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control waived adoption fees for cats and kittens through July 5, and it's because the shelter is genuinely overwhelmed. 470 cats and kittens have come in since June 1 alone, and there are still 79 cats and 150 kittens on site right now even with 287 already in foster care. If you've been "thinking about it" for a while, this is the week. Main shelter is at 8315 Byrum Dr (Monday through Friday 11 to 7, weekends 9 to 5), and there's a satellite location at 2700 Toomey Ave open daily 9 to 5.
• Olivelli Deli is handing out free soft serve today from 3 to 4pm, one per person, while supplies last. Vanilla, chocolate, or swirl, at 3120 N. Davidson Street. They're also teasing a grand opening "very soon," so consider this a preview of a spot you'll probably end up at again.
• 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

Review: Fiestaland Soft Play Rental

We rented this soft play setup for our Baby-Q sprinkle and it was worth every cent. $509.44 for five hours (Colorful Craze package plus the bounce house add on), and Alana and her husband handled setup start to finish with zero hand holding required. Every kid at the party ran over the second they saw it. Jamie held back at first because that's his whole personality lately, then could not be pulled away once everyone left. We're already eyeing it again for the Fourth of July. They've also got other color palettes if Color Craze isn't your thing, and a decor add-on if you want the whole setup matched to your party.  Book at fiestalandclt.com. 

Read my full review here

(Disclosure: they comped a balloon garland as a thank you for this review.)

What's In My Prime Day Cart

I don't do Prime Day halfheartedly, especially not this year. I stacked my baby registry completion code on top of the sales, which felt like cheating in the best possible way. Here's what actually made it past checkout and earned its keep in this house.

• The Yourigami Play Gym is the toy equivalent of a forever home for Jamie's energy. We already had the couch version, but the gym adds stairs and a slide, and that combination has become the main event. Jamie and his friends send themselves down it, then start sending every toy and book in the house down it too. The stairs have also become his preferred route onto our actual couch, which I have mixed feelings about but mostly let happen.

• I've wanted the Coop Home Goods Adjustable Pillow forever and finally caved for Prime Day. Used it one night and I'm already sold. You can add or remove the fill yourself, so I stuffed in extra and it's exactly right now. I skipped the cooling version because I run hot, especially pregnant, and worried I'd regret it. I don't.

• When the box fan feels like too much (it works, mosquitos genuinely cannot fly through that wind, but it's loud and a lot to haul out), we switch to Thermacell. It actually keeps the bugs off. I got the actual machine at Costco but the refills are just expensive enough that I wait for a sale to stock up, which is exactly what Prime Day was for.

• The Rael postpartum underwear and Cora pads bundle got me through last time and I'm not trying anything else this round. Already restocking ahead of August.

• Our pediatrician recommended Dove Antibacterial Hand Wash after Jamie had hand, foot, and mouth last year, and it never left our soap rotation. Gentle on his skin, actually antibacterial, does what it says.

• Little Planet's organic cotton clothes are the rare toddler brand that holds up to how hard Jamie actually lives in his clothes. Soft, survives the wash cycle chaos of a two year old, and the boy prints and colors are actually cute instead of blinding.

• We're on our third size of the MK Matt Keely toddler sneakers and I will keep buying them until Jamie stops growing. Flexible sole, wide toe box, and critically, not $50 for something he'll outgrow in a month. This is the shoe I recommend every time someone asks what Jamie wears.

• David's surprise Prime Day pick: the myQ Smart Garage Door Video Keypad. Our landscaper mentioned it offhand while he was here for the patio work, something about being able to see who's actually coming and going, and David disappeared down a research hole that ended with this in our cart by that evening. Now our garage door has a camera, customizable PIN codes, and an opinion about who's allowed in, which is more than I can say for the door itself.

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. 🌱