Good morning, Summerville!

We hope you stay warm and dry, whatever this weekend’s weather ends up bringing! Thankfully, the forecast is looking a little less daunting than it did earlier in the week. We’ve been soaking up this stretch of cooler days with cozy fires in the mornings and outdoor time once it warms up. Personally, this is my favorite kind of weather all year.

One of the things we love most about this community is getting to support local parents, not just in raising kids, but in the amazing businesses and ideas they’re creating for us! This week, we’re highlighting two awesome Summerville moms behind KayCie Cakes’ kids baking classes and FIT4MOM’s stroller-friendly workouts.

We’ve also got details about a magical evening event at Middleton Place, a local breakfast spot we rediscovered, and a little love note about why we believe date nights are not a luxury. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to respond to our article about making dinnertime more peaceful last week. The comments were very insightful and it inspired me to know we’re all doing our best to make meal times great!

One the Summerville parents doing amazing things is Mary DeCicco, the mom behind KayCie Cakes. Mary is a professionally trained pastry chef whose career began in NYC at the prestigious Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller. After launching KayCie Cakes in Miami and building a thriving custom cake business, she moved to the Charleston area nearly two years ago. Now, she’s bringing that same professional flair to something extra sweet: baking classes for kids!

Her creations truly live up to her slogan—"Almost Too Pretty to Eat." But beyond her stunning cakes and treats, what really sets her business apart is her twice-monthly kids’ baking classes. Designed for children ages 7 and up, these classes are fun, educational, and packed with real pastry techniques.

Classes are held on Mondays from 3-4:30pm at her home in Summers Corner. They last 90 minutes, and include everything your young baker needs. Students learn to:

At just $27 per class, it’s a great value considering the professional instruction, materials included, and the generous size of the baked goods your child will bring home.

Some of the upcoming themes include:

Spots are limited (only 8–10 students per session), and they fill up fast—so be sure to check her Instagram page for upcoming class schedules and updates and reserve your spot here.

Whether your child is dreaming of becoming the next Great British Baker or just wants a fun, hands-on activity, KayCie Cakes’ baking classes are a sweet way to spend a Monday afternoon. We love supporting Mary’s business and can’t wait to see how her classes grow in 2026!

One of the best new things I’ve found this year that just launched in our community is FIT4MOM Summerville, a fitness community designed specifically for moms.

No matter where you are in your motherhood and fitness journey, FIT4MOM offers workouts that meet you where you are. Their current Stroller Strides classes (held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 9am at Wassamassaw Park) are a total body workout with your kids right alongside you in the stroller, with no childcare stress! If your kids are beyond stroller age, you’re still welcome to join and it’s still a great workout with other moms.

It’s been so empowering to take care of my health with my younger son alongside me. Plus, it’s more than a workout. Between stations, there’s time to connect and chat—I've already run into moms from class around town, and it’s been an easy way to make new mom friends that are in the same stage of motherhood.

Coming soon are even more class formats like Stroller Barre and Strides 360 (a cardio and agility class), plus regular mom meet-ups.

Next Friday, 1/30, there’s a hang out at Odd Duck Coffee right after class at 10:15am! Even if you don’t do the workout and you’re not a member, you’re still welcome to join the playdate to spend time with other moms in the community.

Don’t let cold mornings stop you! It’s been refreshing to move in the cooler weather, and my son has been just fine bundled in his coat. And we know warmer weather is right around the corner.

Try it now with the promotional price of $59/month unlimited classes (locked in for life!). For first timers, you can try your first class for free. Follow @fit4mom_summerville and register for a membership or classes on the site.

If you’re looking for a magical event to enjoy with your family or friends this winter, Garden Lights at Middleton Place is an experience you won’t want to miss. From January 29 through February 16, the gardens will be transformed into illuminating scenes, offering a chance to explore the gardens at your own pace after dark.

This event features colorful, artistic light installations throughout Middleton’s historic paths, just in time for the peak of camellia season. You’ll walk along the ~1.5 mile route which has beautifully lit walkways, including Camellia Allée and Sundial Garden, all while taking in the night sky and the Ashley River. Just check out the post above of some of the beautiful scenes you can look forward to! There’s also a schedule of food trucks that will be on site so your family can enjoy dinner at the gardens.

New for 2026: In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, this year’s display will include a striking red, white, and blue light installation, paying tribute to Arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and namesake of this National Historic Landmark.

Details to know:

Important to Note: While this event is family-friendly, the paths are not all stroller or wheelchair friendly so you will be limited in what paths you can explore if you have either of those!

I (Daniel) stopped by Charleston Bakery & Delicatessen this week for a morning Bible study with two friends, and it was a great experience (I literally texted Courtney “the vibe right now is precisely what I want.”

The three of us grabbed one of the high-top tables and were hit with the smell of fresh-baked pastries the moment we walked in. The massive cinnamon roll and cheese danish both looked amazing, as did all of the bagels, cheese cake, and literally everything else they offered, but I went with the cinnamon roll on the strong recommendation of the friendly woman at the counter, and it did not disappoint. I’ve been thinking of it every day.

The cinnamon roll and I because closer than brothers, and I’ll never forget all the good it contributed to my life during its short time here on earth.

I also had their signature Charleston Bakery coffee blend, and one of my friends got a cappuccino and the eggs Benedict, which they loved (and I almost stole from in front of him).

The space itself is unique and fun. Each table has a little lava lamp, and the walls are covered in huge, striking photos. One of a surfer on a record-breaking wave, a diver surrounded by hundreds of tuna, and a climber scaling a massive mountain. It feels like a cozy corner filled with reminders of how incredible people can be and all the feats of humanity you can achieve when you set your mind to it.

There’s also some real history here. The bakery has deep Jewish roots, drawing on New York-style deli traditions and serving up classic staples like bagels, challah, and pastrami. It’s a small but meaningful piece of Jewish culinary history right here in Summerville, and I highly recommend going for a morning pastry and a coffee.

One of our big goals for 2025 was simple on paper but felt ambitious in practice: have a date every single week.

At the time, our youngest son wasn’t sleeping well. Nights were unpredictable, mornings were chaotic, and we couldn’t count on any consistent windows of time to connect without interruptions. We realized if we didn’t carve out intentional space for each other, it just wasn’t going to happen.

So we committed: one date every week.

Not necessarily going out every week—because let’s be real, there are limits: budget, sick kids, exhaustion. But we committed to setting aside protected time to connect, even if it was just on the couch with takeout.

We started by asking a trusted neighbor with older boys for babysitter recommendations, and she came through with gold. From there, we kept asking around—friends, church, school parents—until we had a small but reliable rotation. That way, if one sitter was busy, we had backups. Babysitter availability wasn’t going to be our excuse.

And yes, going out does cost money, but we made a point to rework our budget and prioritize date night funds. That meant cutting in other areas to make room for babysitters and an occasional meal out. One of our couple friends got creative by trading car repair help with a babysitter in exchange for a few nights out. Genius.

Two things surprised us most about this weekly rhythm:

1. It gave us space to talk—without tension.
The goal of date night wasn’t to tackle hard conversations or work through conflict, but… that often happened naturally. In the calm and quiet, without kids interrupting or a task list looming, things came up that needed to be said, and they came out with more kindness and less defensiveness.
What might have sparked tension on a stressful Tuesday at home turned into a thoughtful conversation over tacos. It was like we remembered we were on the same team.

2. It reminded us we’re best friends first.
Being honest, Daniel and I are opposites. Communication takes work. Parenting together is beautiful, but also draining. It’s easy to fall into co-parenting or roommate mode, where you're coordinating logistics but not connecting.
Date nights pulled us out of survival mode and reminded us: this whole family started with the two of us. It’s worth investing in us.
Even on nights when we didn’t really feel like going—we were tired, grumpy, or just not in sync—we showed up. And every single time, we left feeling glad we did.

Whether your marriage is thriving or needs some repair work, weekly date nights are one of the most life-giving tools we can recommend. They’ve been a game-changer for us, not because every date is magical, but because the habit of connection is powerful.

Next week, I’ll be sharing some of our favorite at home and out on the town date ideas. But for now, I’ll leave you with this: Date nights aren’t a luxury. They’re a lifeline. And you deserve that connection!

Have a creative way you’ve made date nights work? Reply to this email and tell us! We’d love to hear your ideas and maybe even share a few in the next issue.

Love,

The Berks 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

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