Hi Friend,

I'm writing this from San Diego this week (work trip, not vacation, but I'm not mad about it). David is flying solo at home with Jamie, and if you're reading this, that means they both survived. Kidding. Mostly.

Before I left, we had one of those weekends that just felt really good. We checked out James Boyce Park for the first time (more on that below), our neighbor friends came over to play, and Jamie had his first real bubble experience. As in, he finally understood what was happening and was INTO it. The problem? He refused to let either of us blow the bubbles. He wanted to do it himself. He could not, in fact, do it himself. So we found ourselves at an impasse. A toddler standing in the backyard holding a bubble wand, furious at the wind for not cooperating. It was very on-brand for him. The kind of weekend you don't realize you needed until it's happening.

Anyway. Big newsletter this week. I'm trying something new with a section called For the Grownups, and I'm excited for you to see it. Let's get into it.

🌱 What We’re Doing

Your roundup of family-friendly events and activities happening this week.

Saturday is doing a lot of heavy lifting this week. You've got the Schiele Fossil Fair in Gastonia (one ticket gets you gemstone mining, a planetarium show, AND real paleontologists), Charlotte Mini-Con at a brand new venue where kids get in free, and the African American Heritage Festival at the Charlotte Museum of History with food trucks, live painting, workshops, and a craft zone. All on the same day. You're going to have to make some choices.

Outside of Saturday: a free Community Literacy Fair on Thursday in Pleasant Grove centering diverse kids' books, Ed's Dinosaurs Live at ImaginOn on Tuesday (free, hands-on, possible dinosaur hatching), and it's Purim this week. If Nobody Wants This taught you anything besides that Adam Brody can do no wrong, it's this holiday: costumes, noisemakers, triangle cookies. Levine JCC on Sunday, Chabad on Monday, all are welcome.

✨ A few standouts:

• Fossil Fair (Saturday, Gastonia): Under $10 gets you basically everything. If your kid is in a rock or dinosaur phase, clear the whole day.
• Ed's Dinosaurs Live (Tuesday, ImaginOn): Free, interactive, and the kind of thing toddlers will talk about for weeks. Get there early.
• African American Heritage Festival (Saturday, Charlotte Museum of History): Free all day with a really thoughtful lineup of panels, workshops, and kid-friendly activities for America's 250th.

👉 Plan your week in 2 minutes

🌳 Where We’re Playing

Your featured park, playground, or indoor play spot.

🚨On Our Radar

Charlotte stuff you'll want to know about

🍔Where We're Eating

Your featured restaurant, reviewed with a toddler in tow

Jamie walked into Stagioni on Friday waving at every single person like he was the mayor arriving at a fundraiser. He tried mussels for the first time (spit them out), demolished a squash risotto, and spent a solid ten minutes staring at the wood-burning oven like it was a campfire. We've taken him twice now and have it down to a science. The full breakdown is on the blog, including the reservation trick that will save you a headache.

Read the full review →

🍷For the Grownups (its debut!)

• The Sitter: We haven't used Twinkle Toes Nanny Agency yet (so far we've been lucky enough to lean on family), but they've been on our radar for when we need a sitter and that's not an option. And I know not everyone has family nearby, so I wanted to share. They cover North and South Charlotte, all nannies are CPR certified, background checked, and have 3+ years of experience. No placement fee, no membership, no app. Date night sitters start at $25/hour and you only pay for the time you use. They also do last-minute backup care, which, if you've ever had a sitter cancel on you a few hours before dinner, you know is worth its weight in gold. 

   

• The Plan: So you'll read in this week's Stagioni review that we love taking Jamie to nice restaurants. What I didn't mention is that more than once it's ended with David and me taking turns walking him outside while the other one sits alone at the table eating pasta. It's fine. It's fun. It's also not exactly the relaxing dinner we had in mind. All of that to say: some restaurants are better enjoyed without kids, and Foxcroft Food & Wine is one of them. Their Waverly location is hosting a Tour of Italy wine dinner on Tuesday, March 3rd. $130/person, five courses, Italian wines, zero high chairs. These sell out, so don't sit on it. 

   

• The Race: The Whitewater Center's Frigid Trail Race & Polar Plunge is this Saturday, February 28th. Choose a 5K or 10K trail run and then jump into the Deep Water Solo pool, which, in late February, is exactly as cold as it sounds. David and I ran this a few years ago and it's really fun. David came in 3rd overall, but he was the first one to do the plunge, so really he came in 1st. For non-runners like me, it's a chance to take a picture with one of those official-looking foil blankets. 

   

   

• The Real Talk: The New Mom School in Ballantyne is offering a free Postpartum Adjustment Support Group on Friday, February 27th, 12-1pm. Led by a perinatal mental health therapist, it's for moms with babies 0-4 months and it's a space to be honest about the gap between what you expected and what early postpartum actually feels like. No toddlers in the studio, so plan accordingly. Spots are limited; registration required. If you're in those early months (or know someone who is), pass this along.

   

💚 Emily
Founder, The Charlotte Sprout

P.S. If you see David out in the wild this week with Jamie, give him a nod of solidarity. He's doing great. Probably.

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. 🌱