Good morning, Summerville!

We’ve had a very full couple of weeks with crossing a few fun items off our summer bucket list, celebrating over the holiday weekend, and then diving into potty training with our two-year-old this week. I also had the chance to write the Palmetto Parents Charleston newsletter this week, so if you're looking for a few Charleston-area recommendations (including a super fun water park/splash pad and a great barbecue spot), you can check it out here!

This is an exciting weekend in Summerville, with the grand opening celebration of the new dessert shop, Cakes & Cones, and a fun Kids Club program at the Summerville Museum all about Revolutionary War spies.

We also finally had the chance to visit Seene House this week for coffee, and we'll be sharing a full review soon. In the meantime, we wanted to let all the moms of little ones know about an adorable Tiny Tales Book Swap happening there this Wednesday from 9–11am. Families can swap books, enjoy complimentary glitter hair strands (plus glitter tattoos and face glitter!), and mention Mommy & Mini to receive $5 off a signature latte.

We hope you all have a great summer week and manage to stay cool in the heat!

This month's Kids Club program at the Summerville Museum & Research Center celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by exploring the fascinating world of Revolutionary War spies. Kids will learn how spies secretly communicated using ciphers and invisible ink, discover the role South Carolina spies played during the war, and even get a hands-on demonstration of secret messages. Each child will create and take home their own 3D-printed cipher wheel to keep the spy fun going after the program. Snacks will be provided afterward, too!

The program takes place this Saturday from 10:30-11am, and registration is $5 per person, payable at the door. This program is designed for kids ages 6 & up and you can lock in your spot by emailing [email protected].

FIT4MOM Summerville is so much more than a workout class. It's a genuine community of local moms, and summer has made that more obvious than ever. Bigger kids are joining in over break, Wednesdays have been packed with extra fun for the kids with things like water guns, cupcakes, and a real firetruck visit. And the fun extends well beyond class time with playdates, book clubs, and moms' nights out.

Camp FIT4MOM continues all July with themed weeks your kids will love: Animal Kingdom (July 13–19) with wild adventure-themed playgroup, and Sports Spectacular (July 20–26) with friendly competition and teamwork fun for moms and kiddos alike.

Now is the perfect time to try out some classes! 2 Weeks of classes for $25 is available through July 31 and it’s a great way to experience the workouts, meet other local moms, and see what this village is all about.

There are not many times in this house where we let the boys have ice cream and cake before dinner, but yesterday was one of those rare exceptions! Cakes & Cones is a brand new local dessert shop opening this weekend in the Carnes Crossroads area of Summerville, and we got to stop in for their community preview day yesterday. From the moment we walked in, the whole place screams celebration — bright, sweet, the kind of spot that immediately puts everyone in a good mood and they even have a wall mural that says “Make Everyday A Birthday” right when you walk in. They sell both cake slices and ice cream, and you can absolutely get both, which we did, and which we recommend. All the cakes and ice creams are made with no artificial dyes, no synthetic flavors, just real ingredients baked fresh every day.

The owner is Morgan (pictured above), a local who lives right nearby her shop, who started baking at the age of eight and has had the dream of opening a shop like this ever since then. You can tell every detail in the store and all the cakes and ice cream flavors are a product of a lot of love and care that she’s put into it.

The boys went straight for the birthday cake ice cream and were completely enamored with it. Daniel got a slice of chocolate cake paired with strawberry ice cream, and the general consensus around the table was that everything was delicious. One pro tip before you go: a single scoop is $6 and a double is $6.75. That small price difference makes the decision pretty easy. Get the double and share it if you must.

Beyond the cake and ice cream, Cakes & Cones has a really sweet birthday wall. If you come in on your birthday, you get a Polaroid photo and write a note to put up on the wall, which is exactly the kind of touch that makes a place feel special and personal. They also carry an adorable selection of celebratory plates, candles, and party supplies, so you could honestly walk out with dessert and everything you need for someone's big day.

This Saturday and Sunday is the Grand Opening, open both days from 2–8pm. On Saturday there will be a face painter from 3–5pm, and Sunday features a build-your-own bouquet bar.

Cakes & Cones is located at 2007 2nd Ave Suite C, Summerville. Beyond the grand opening hours this weekend, it will be open 11am-9pm Tuesday-Sunday.

This week, we've been potty training our two-year-old as one of the many ways we're preparing our family to welcome baby number three this fall.

I'll be honest—the first day was much rougher than I remembered.

Within the first couple of hours, we were both in tears. There were accidents everywhere (I stopped counting after about 20), and I found myself wondering what we had gotten ourselves into. But almost overnight, something clicked. The accidents slowed way down, he started recognizing when he needed to go, and I remembered something that parenting has taught me over and over again:

Things can change so quickly.

It's funny how easily I forget that. Just this week, my four-year-old sat down at dinner, looked at his plate, and immediately declared he wasn't going to eat any of it, even though it was full of foods he normally likes. Then he noticed I was putting hot sauce on my dinner. Both boys insisted they wanted some too. Daniel and I tried to convince them they wouldn't like it, but they wouldn't back down. So we let them try it.

To our surprise, they loved it. My four-year-old piled more onto his plate and then enthusiastically announced, "I love this dinner so, so much!" Five minutes earlier, he wasn't going to eat a bite.

Moments like that happen all the time with little kids. A terrible morning turns into a great afternoon. A food they swore they'd never eat becomes their new favorite. Something that feels impossible one day suddenly becomes second nature the next.

I'm reminding myself not to take every difficult moment so seriously. Sometimes the best thing we can do is stay calm, stay positive, and stay the course. Young kids are changing constantly, and what feels overwhelming today may be completely different tomorrow.

Love,

Courtney, Daniel, and the Berk Boys

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