Charlotte

School Supply Checklist for the New School Year

In addition to backpacks, notebooks, and markers, kids will likely need a few extra supplies as they return to in-person learning this fall. We’ve got a roundup of classroom essentials to help with your back-to-school shopping.   MASKS Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools…

Editor's Note (August 2021): Re-Entry Anxiety

I’ve spent most of my adult life pretending to be an extrovert in public, but at my core I’m a solitude-craving, journal-keeping, book-loving introvert. As a writer I spend so much time inside my head and behind my computer. Yet…

ROOM WE LOVE: A Durable Dining Nook

Brooke Adler had a very specific timeline when she redesigned the breakfast nook in her client’s Myers Park home. The homeowner was expecting her third baby so she needed furniture that was in stock or had a reasonable backorder date,…

ADVICE: ADHD or Sensory Processing Issues?

Constantly on the go. Difficulty focusing. Touches everything. Impulsive. Difficulty following directions. Most of us know a child (or have a child) with some of these tendencies.   These children are often believed to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or…

In Step With… Cara DeFelice

Meet Cara DeFelice, owner of The White Bounce House of Charlotte, a luxury inflatable that can be customized for birthday parties, baby and bridal showers, wedding receptions, bat mitzvas, and more. We caught up with this busy wife and mom…

LILY BAKES: Marshmallow Pound Cake

Lily Barnes is our 10-year-old resident kid baker. Each month she shares an original recipe that kids can make at home with their parents, plus a few behind-the-scenes tips and tricks to make your treat extra special. Here is Lily’s…

FAMILY TO KNOW: The DeBoers

Meet Matt, Tammy, Olivia, and Chandler DeBoer. If they look familiar, you might have seen one of their faces on “Black-ish,” “Shameless,” “You,” or “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” In 2019, this Charlotte-based family moved to Burbank, CA to chase their children’s…

The Pint-Sized Foodie: Orto

Each month, our 8-year-old resident foodie visits a different Charlotte-area restaurant that’s kid-friendly—but not a kid-topia. He orders something he’s never tried before and reports back with his recommendations for kids and their parents. Here is his review of Orto,…

How to Be an Ally Parent

June is LGBTQ Awareness Month, and across the country, picnics, parades, and workshops celebrate gay pride. They also provide an opportunity to support members of the LGBTQ community and educate your children on different family structures and backgrounds. If you…

Ask A Mom: To spank or not to spank?

  Q: Hi, Molly. I am strongly against spanking and my husband is not. He says he got spanked growing up and he turned out fine (ha). I think violence begets violence, and even just a “swat on the tush”…

Lily Bakes: Confetti Surprise Cookies

Meet Lily Barnes, our 10-year-old resident kid baker. The rising 5th grader comes by her love of baking naturally—she’s grown up watching her father Jamie, chef and co-owner of What the Fries, flex his creative muscles in the kitchen. Lily…

PARENTS TO KNOW: Drs. Joya and Drew Lyons

Drs. Joya and Drew Lyons are spouses and owners of Smile Savvy and Cosmetic Dentistry, the state’s only cosmetic dentistry practice owned by a Black couple. The Lyonses are also parents to 7-year-old Brielle and 2-year-old Trace, who was born…

RECIPE: Chef Drew Ward's Pasta Carbonara

As executive chef at Brewers at 4001 Yancey and corporate executive chef of Artisinal Brewing Ventures, Drew Ward writes menus for nine taprooms including Southern Tier, Victory, and Bold Rock. At home, his sons Jared, 12, and Ryan, 10, request…

ROOM WE LOVE: A Laundry Factory

As founder and principal of Greentree Homes, Emily Bramwell oversees the design and construction of custom homes across Charlotte. As a mom of three young children, she does laundry around the clock. When she and her husband bought a 1929…