We spent Earth Day doing something I honestly wasn't sure Jamie was ready for: planting peas and radishes in pots on the back patio.
He was skeptical at first about the getting-his-hands-dirty part, which, fair. But then something clicked. He leaned in, planted the seeds, covered them in dirt, and grabbed his watering can to water them. Full commitment. I'm a little obsessed with how proud he looked.
One small thing that became a whole thing: at one point I told him his watering can was empty. Now he calls all watering cans "empty." So that's where we're at.
We've been on the receiving end of so many good Little Free Library finds lately, so this weekend we're going around to restock a few with kids books. Giving back, but make it a toddler field trip. If there's one near you that we should add to our route, hit reply!
Now lets get into it.
🌱 What We’re Doing
Your week in Charlotte, planned.
Earth Day was yesterday and apparently nobody got the memo that it was over. There are two Earth Day festivals on Saturday, a free tree giveaway at a brewery Saturday afternoon, and we planted peas and radishes in pots on the back patio. The garden era is upon us whether we planned for it or not.
Separately, there is a lot going on this weekend that has nothing to do with dirt. Jamie will be happy. Tuck Fest runs Friday through Sunday at the Whitewater Center, ImaginOn's Día celebration is Saturday morning and always delivers, and if you have never taken your kid to an outdoor movie at Seoul Food in Mill District on a Friday night, this week's showing of The Sound of Music is a good reason to finally do it.
✨ A few standouts:
Two (!!) Earth Day festivals Saturday morning plus free tree seedlings at TreeFest at Noda Brewing in the afternoon. Full environmental day if you want it.
It Takes a Village at Avondale Presbyterian Saturday morning: free, over $5,000 in giveaways including strollers and Pack-n-Plays, and actually worth showing up for if you are pregnant or in the newborn phase.
Star Party at Discovery Place Friday night: telescope moon gazing from the roof of the parking deck plus stomp rockets. Late for toddlers but genuinely cool.
Ladybug Weekend at Pike's Nursery — This weekend only, get a free packet of ladybugs with any purchase. They are convergent ladybugs, native to the U.S., and they eat aphids. If you just planted anything this week, go get your ladybugs.
Independent Bookstore Day at Park Road Books — Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day and Park Road Books is hiding a golden ticket somewhere in the store. Find it and win free audiobooks. There is also a 10:30 AM storytime with author JL Kirby. Good excuse to go browse.
Pete with the Big Feet heads up — Trail access to visit Pete at the River District is disrupted Monday through Thursday over the next few weeks while they work on the trails. You can still visit, just stay alert when you get there.
Charlotte Moms Network 2026 New Moms Guide — Goes live Monday April 27. If you have a friend who just had a baby or is about to, send it their way the second it drops.
Splash pad list coming soon — We have a full Charlotte area splash pad roundup almost ready to go. Start mentally planning.
My favorite TV remote trick — Flip one battery backwards in an old remote so it cannot function, then let your baby play with it. Real remote, zero consequences. You are welcome.
🌳 Where We're Playing
One place we loved this week.
We've been to both Waverly and Blakeney a dozen times, but something about having more time in the evening made us actually slow down and enjoy them. Here's what you need to know.
Waverly is the more low-key of the two. We went for Desano's pizza (Neapolitan style, the Bianca is excellent, Jamie ate all the ricotta off each slice before eating the rest) and ended up lingering way longer than planned. No real playground, but there's a fountain and turf area across from Desano's that always has families hanging around it. Also: Van Leeuwen has the limited edition Guinness flavor which is only available at Whole Foods locations. Just saying.
Blakeney has a full playground near the Greco Fresh and Shake Shack area. Play structure, seesaw, rocking horse, no mulch. We ate outside, Jamie stacked pita triangles four at a time at Greco Fresh, found a stick, and rode the rocking horse while holding it like a tiny jousting knight. Then melting ice cream at the picnic tables behind Jeni's while he ran circles around all of us.
I hate admitting this, but Jamie has been a 7-to-7 sleeper since he was 8 weeks old . Please don't come for me - I take zero credit for this. I truly believe he just loves sleep as much as I do, and that's that.
So when he started fighting bedtime and waking up at 5 AM, I knew something was off.
Turns out, toddlers around 18 to 20 months need about 5 to 5.5 hours of wake window after their nap. Jamie naps from roughly 12:30 to 3 at daycare, which means a 7 PM bedtime wasn't giving him that window. He was lying in his crib until 8:30 not sleeping, then popping up at 5 AM overtired and out of sorts.
So we pushed bedtime to 8. We're one week in.
He now falls asleep in 10 to 15 minutes instead of an hour and a half. He wakes up around 6:30 in a great mood, happy to hang out in his crib talking to his stuffed animals until we get him. The 5 AM wake-up is gone.
The pros are real. Evenings feel more relaxed. We've been able to stay out longer on outings without watching the clock, which I didn't realize how much I'd love until we actually did it. We've also started eating family dinners at the dining room table, which I've wanted to prioritize forever and never quite got there. Monday night I made chicken tacos and we all sat together and it was just really nice.
The cons are truly just selfish ones.
We have less wind-down time, just David and me. We used to put Jamie to bed by 7, cook our own dinner, and eat it in front of the TV. I am fully aware this is a controversial admission. I do not care. I loved it. And now that window is gone.
We've compromised: dessert in front of the TV after Jamie goes to bed. This is my consolation prize and I am at peace with it.
Look, I went into this dreading the change. But a kid who falls asleep in 10 minutes and wakes up talking to his stuffed animals instead of screaming at 5 AM is a different household. We'll figure out the TV dinners.
Here's to later sunsets, toddlers who surprise you, and consolation prizes in front of the TV.
Have a great week!
💚 Emily
Founder, The Charlotte Sprout
P.S. Jamie is now going to announce to every stranger at every garden center that their watering can is empty. We are just going to have to live with that.
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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