Charlotte is full of talented photographers eager to help capture your family memories. We narrowed this list down to some of the best, most highly recommended photographers that are offering family portrait specials ahead of the holiday season. Nest…
Q: My kid’s stepmom’s birthday is coming up. We’re not BFFs, but we get along really well and she’s been a great SAHM to my kids while I’m at work. We haven’t had much interaction outside of the kids, so…
The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn (2007) Age group: preschool, early elementary It’s time for Chester Raccoon to start school, but he doesn’t want to go without his mom. Mrs. Raccoon soothes his worries with the Kissing Hand—a family secret…
Fly to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, rent a car, and head south to the Florida Keys. Make these stops along the way or set up a home base and take a series of day trips with your family. Miami Book an…
In honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness month, we’re passing the pen to local mom, Clary Hilliard Gray. You might recognize her from Hilliard Studio Method, the popular fitness studio she co-founded with her mom, Liz Hilliard, in 2008. In…
Here’s a guide to fall activities for parents and children—heck, grandparents and grandchildren, too—that comes close to what you might have encountered in 2019, the last time we could bob for apples without the embarrassment of having failed to take…
Q: My daughter and her boyfriend are going out a lot, but they never tell me where! And they come back so late! I don't know what to do... A: Ask her. You’re her mother, not her friend. You control…
As moms, finding and maintaining authentic friendships can be difficult. How nice would it be if the opposite were true? What if moms felt free to be real and unite through the messy experience of motherhood? Instead, we tend to…
Neely Verano’s lifelong passion for the arts led her to serve in various nonprofit leadership roles at the Mint Museum, McColl Center for Art + Innovation, and The Arts Empowerment Project. She’s also a co-founder of LaCa Projects, Charlotte’s contemporary…
If you drive toward the coast, about 4.5 hours east of Charlotte, you’ll find the waterfront town of New Bern, North Carolina. Nestled where the Neuse and Trent rivers converge, this small city is the state’s former colonial capital and…
My husband and I lived in our South Charlotte neighborhood for about a year before we had any meaningful interaction with our neighbors. Then one weekend, I showed up to the pool sporting 38 weeks of pregnancy. Suddenly I was…
Q: What do you say and do when the 2-year-old throws food at the dinner table? A: Ask them to pick it up? Not to be basic, but that’s what I do. My son, Hobie, turns 2 this month. Meals…
Many of us would agree that our childhood affects how we think, feel, and behave as adults. The trauma experienced as a child, no matter where that trauma may lie on the spectrum, unequivocally affects our environments, relationships, and how…
Since relocating from Tennessee in 2016, Drs. Sarah and Gaurav Bharti are relative newcomers to Charlotte, but you might already recognize them from around town. Gaurav, a board certified plastic surgeon, is the ‘B’ in H/K/B Cosmetic Surgery and has…
Because children’s brains are malleable, they can learn and retain new skills, like foreign languages, more rapidly than we can as adults. But bad habits tend to stick, too. In other words, a child who learns to love screens in…
CELEBRATE JULY 4 AT THE BALLPARK Come see the Charlotte Knights take on the Norfolk Tides on July 4 at 7:15 p.m., and stay for a fireworks show at Truist field immediately following the game. Gates open at 5 p.m.…
We often associate summertime with relaxation and fun, but most moms experience the opposite. While we kick off the season with a much-needed relief from the busyness of May, we inevitably succumb to the pressure to create a memorable summer…
GET OUTSIDE Quest 6345 Sample Road, Huntersville, NC 28078 Located at Latta Nature Preserve, Quest’s brand new 13,000-square foot facility offers endless opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. Walk the Carolina Raptor Trail, hike alongside a naturalist, create a nature craft, kayak,…
Q: The school shooting in Uvalde has left my whole family shaken. I know a lot of our friends and neighbors keep guns in the house, which we never have. Is it appropriate to ask another parent if they own…
James Kopecky recently completed his seventh season with Charlotte Ballet. In honor of Father’s Day this month, we caught up with the dancing dad to 3-year-old daughter, Hazel. James shares how he and wife Kate creatively avoid the word “no,”…
Find fun, affordable kid-friendly activities to fill the month of June.
Shannon Carpenter has been a stay-at-home dad for 14 years. "Initially, I was joking when I suggested to my wife that I stay home with our then 15-month-old son,” he says. “But the more we talked about it, the more…
Try to catch a big one at these local fishing spots in the Charlotte area.
Charlotte City Brew Tour Send a group of beer-loving dads on a guided tour of Charlotte’s craft breweries. Choose the Original tour, or an abbreviated 3.5-hour version. In either tour, guests make at least three stops and sample more than…
We all get anxious. For some of us, it feels like a natural nervousness—think first day of school jitters. For others, it feels overwhelming and might be associated with diagnosable anxiety. Anxiety can be genetic and/or due to a significant…
