Hi there, {{ first name | Palmetto Parent}}!

We’re happy to share another slate of great opportunities with you for this last week of July!

If you aren’t already following Dorchester County Library on Facebook or Instagram, make sure you do so for the last weeks of summer. The amount of activities they provide for kids of all ages is mind blowing. 🤯

This week is Harry Potter’s birthday (Wednesday, July 31st), and the library has a fun line up to celebrate.

At the Ashley River branch all day long teens can make blackout poetry from recycled Harry Potter books and at 3:30pm kids from ages 6-11 can dissect owl pellets. At the Summerville branch there will be magical story times for younger kids in the morning, owl pellet dissection for kids 8-12 at 1pm, and a magic show by Kenny K at 3:30pm.

Click on this post for more details.

The nonprofit The Friends of Dorchester County Libraries is also hosting a “Gigantic Book Sale” this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Ashley River Branch Library where you can buy used books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, and more. It will run from 10am-5pm Friday and Saturday and 1pm-5pm on Sunday. After 3pm on Sunday, teacher, homeschool, and charity sales are free.

We’re once again giving North Charleston some love in our “to-do” section. At this point in the summer, you’re probably pretty familiar with most of the feasible outdoor options (aka any and every water attraction) and it’s nice to have some indoor options up your sleeve.

Last week we checked out Bizzy Bee for the first time and we’ve definitely been missing out.

Bizzy Bee has a large indoor jungle gym, a smaller area with push toys, slides, and climbing toys for little ones, and fun “pretend” areas like the vet, doctor, police station, etc. It truly would take a very, very long time for my child to get bored (especially considering he spent 30 minutes just laying in the jungle gym trying to figure out how to use binoculars he found). Younger kids love it, and my friend who brought her older girls who are in elementary/middle school said they also had a good time playing with their younger brother.

They also have their own cafe with a good amount of of breakfast and lunch options and most importantly —COFFEE.

Bizzy Bee hosts special events every month. On Fridays they have “STEAM Theme Fun Friday" at 10:30am and on Tuesdays they have Storytime at 11am. Coming up on 7/31 is a caregiver & me yoga event at 10:30am. They also have a dedicated adult night this Saturday 7/27, that’s designed for date night, ladies night, etc. where you can participate in sports activities and games and BYOB.

Check out their full calendar to see what events they have going on each month. They host multiple parent’s night out events on Saturday nights as well, so that is definitely something to look out for.

Bizzy Bee’s hours are:

It is located next to the Northwoods Mall at 7671-A Northwoods Blvd, North Charleston.

Jax Wax Charleston is teaming up with Dorchester Paws to put on it’s first ever “Rides & Rescues” event. This event is to support Dorchester Paws, our local animal shelter, by allowing participants to bring donations, contribute funds, or adopt a pet while having a good time.

This free event will include K-9 demos, cars, vendors, and a DJ. Local food truck Hounds & Grounds will be there selling coffee, and for every cold brew sold $1 will be donated to Dorchester Paws. There will be a raffle with goods donated from Jax Wax Charleston, Hounds & Grounds, Personalized by Ry, and Adoryable Sweets, with all the proceeds going to Dorchester Paws.

This event is a great time to support Dorchester Paws by bringing donations. View the list of items the shelter needs here.

The Rides & Rescues event runs from 9am-12pm on July 27th. Jax Wax is located in the Jedburg area of Summerville at 2885 West Fifth N Street.

There’s lots of reasons to love Eggs Up Grill. Although it’s a chain, it gives a hometown diner feel. There’s a great “pick 3” kids menu that’s exciting for our son and leaves him happy and full for only $5.99. He usually gets a large Mickey pancake, sausage, and fruit. Early morning breakfast options are pretty limited in Summerville if you want a nice diner, so it’s great that Eggs Up opens at 6am for any early risers (basically all kids…)

But what’s even better? A FREE meal.

On Tuesdays kids can choose 3 (Mickey pancake, ½ waffle, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, or grits) and a drink for $0 when you purchase an adult meal and drink. This applies to kids 10 & under and is available for the rest of July and the month of August.

Eggs Up Grill has locations in Cane Bay, Knightsville, and Ladson. If you’re a Summerville resident, there is likely one within 10 minutes of you.

Love free meals? We listed other restaurants with free kids meals here.

Purple Carrot’s new and tasty seasonal dishes will put some sunshine on your plate. Choose from their carefully curated meal kits, 16 different prepared, or an ever-growing selection of plant-based grocery items from their “plantry - all plans are fully customizable, you can pick the combination that works best for you and your family!

Revamp your summer meal plan. Customize your Purple Carrot box today.

If you want over 1,750 Palmetto Parents to see your business, click here.

In our Palmetto Piece we’re often discussing ways we can improve and take action to become better parents. This week is just a reminder to take deep breaths and celebrate your wins as a parent. We’re going to have bad moments every day. We’re always going to have things we want to improve.

But there’s a lot you’re doing right, {{ first name | Palmetto Parent}}.

As a middle school teacher, I’d often end the day emotionally and mentally depleted. When I slumped into my desk chair after the kids left, I would replay moments that I thought could have gone better and where I could have responded differently.

It just added to my exhaustion.

During my third year of teaching, I started a new practice where at the end of the week I started writing post-it notes of victories I had that week. I put them up behind my desk and it was amazing how empowering it was to celebrate what went well vs. agonizing over what went poorly. I had a better attitude, felt more confident, and was excited to see what other wins would come next week. It changed my inner narrative about myself from “I’m not a great teacher” to “I am doing my best and my students are benefitting from my presence.”

I think the same practice can be very beneficial as parents.

Reflect on what you did well regularly. Share your victories with your partner and friends and be sure to tell them what they’re doing well, too.

As you become a more confident, positive thinking version of yourself it will be easier to give your kids the praise that they need (check out last week’s article for more on that).

K.D. Williamson shares great thoughts on this topic on the Generation Mindful blog.

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