Hello, Friends!

Daylight savings time has been kicking my family’s ass. Both girls are cranky, the toddler is boycotting her naps for the first time in her life + the baby wants to go to bed at 5pm and that just isn’t going to happen. Struggle ensues, you know the drill. 

DST was first proposed by George Hudson so he had more light for bug hunting. Yep, bugs. So as you sip your extra-large coffee at 4am with your bright-eyed kiddos, just remember: we’re all doing it for George’s bugs.

Today, feast your tired eyes on Riley Bolton’s story, co-owner of The Mom League, and phone-a-friend with Natalie Parmenter of Primary Focus to help with all things elementary parent education. 

Sidenote: I can’t get enough of Dancing With the Stars. Team Alix!

Cheers,
Meg

I did my first real workout postpartum this week. With weights! It was an at-home workout and I’m 4 months postpartum. I just hadn’t felt ready to return to exercise until recently and I’m going to wait on the all-clear from our pal Dr. Rachel before returning to running. 

(Although I did chase my toddler down the driveway and will be strapping down my breastfeeding boobs for any and all future movement. Ouch.)

Cheering section: Dr. Rachel is running a marathon this weekend!! Be thinking of her and her fast feet! 

→ Your turn: submit your “gold star” moment from the week.

When Riley Bolton became a mom during the pandemic, she felt what so many new mothers did: alone. So, she did what any determined mom would do. She built the village herself.

Through The Mom League, she’s created a space for new moms to connect, share, and be real about the postpartum journey — from sleepless nights to small victories.

Now, Riley’s turning that mission into a movement, franchising The Mom League to help moms everywhere find their people. Because while it really does take a village, sometimes you have to build it first.

👉Read Riley’s full story →

Nostalgic for 90’s childhood? Same. Re-enter: the house phone.

The bluetooth landline connects to your cell, but keeps you off it. I’m working on being as present as possible for my children and this would be a huge step in the right direction.

Anxiety edit: If you ever have to call 911 in an emergency you won’t have to go searching for the phone.

Because sometimes the best way to be present… is to go full 1999. ☎️

We recently asked our community for advice for new moms. This note stood out!

“Lower (or get rid of) all expectations! No baby is the same, no birth is the same, and there are so many right ways to do all the things. Trust your mom intuition!” - K, Charlotte mom of 2

Whether you’re sharing about your birth experience or trying to find common ground with a seasoned mother at preschool pickup, you’ll find most mothers doing things slightly differently from one another. 

Former CMS teacher Natalie Parmenter founded Primary Focus to help parents feel confident about their child’s education. Through her workshops and guides, she breaks down everything from school choice to enrollment deadlines — including smart advice for this year’s CMS magnet lottery.

Catch her tips in Charlotte Parent and check out her Kindergarten School Talk Workshop this month for a stress-free path to school selection.

See upcoming workshops + get to know Natalie →

We asked our community on Insta about how their house is handling daylight savings. 

“My baby hasn’t gotten the memo 😭” - L
“I’ve never had a more miserable child🙃also unwell over here” - M

Here’s to hoping things are on the up and up this week. Respectfully, I won’t be doing the “stretch bedtime every day for 10-15 min” method…but I’m sure it works!

 ✨Follow us on Instafor more polls and laughs!

Sometimes you just need an easy, feel-good spot where everyone’s happy — enter The Bowl at Ballantyne. It’s a new go-to for one of my friends and her five- and three-year-olds, and now I get why. There’s plenty of space to roam, live music on weekends, and some of Charlotte’s best local eats all in one place.

It’s chill, walkable, and somehow feels both elevated and kid-proof, a rare combo.

Order: Coffee from Not Just Coffee, lunch at Harriet’s Hamburgers, and a scoop (or two) from Honeysuckle Gelato before you head home.

You might’ve seen this headline a few months ago:

Flo (the period-tracking app) and Google have agreed to pay $56 million in a privacy settlement after it was alleged the app shared users’ health information for advertising purposes. Reuters

What this means:

Keep an eye out: there’s cameras everywhere. Including the ones you’ve installed in/around your home for security. There is a huge wave of non-wifi-connecting baby monitors + it might be worth revisiting how you view home security as well. 

Maybe time for a tech-audit, friends.

With SNAP benefits shrinking and grocery prices climbing, more local families are going hungry. Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and Nourish Up are stepping up — but they need our help.

Even a small donation can stretch further than you think: $25 = up to 175 pounds of food.

Give if you can →
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
Nourish Up

Are you into spooky season?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes, full send
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Eh, I won't dress up but I will watch scary movies
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ No, pulling my blinds SHUT and not answering the door

Forward Half Full to a mom friend — because the only thing better than surviving the week is laughing about it together.

“See” you in your inbox in two weeks!