Happy last weekend of February! 😲

After a few rainy days to close out the month, we’re looking ahead to a beautiful week as we kick off March! There’s plenty of fun happening around town this week from story times to a special meet-and-greet (with ice cream!) featuring the Stingrays hockey team, plus the annual Touch-A-Truck event next Friday.

We hope you have a fantastic week enjoying it all with your families. If you want to get outside, I spotted some beautiful flowers blooming in Azalea Park and the boys and I enjoyed a stroll through the park to get a closer look yesterday.

ICYMI we’re hosting a Palmetto Parents Family Fun Day on March 14th at Odd Duck Market Summerville to celebrate the two year anniversary of the Palmetto Parents Summerville newsletter and to celebrate you, our readers. We will have coffee, treats, games and axe throwing courtesy of Southern Hatchets, crafts courtesy of Abstract Adventures, and lots of fun for your family! We’d love to have you join us. Please RSVP here.

It might not seem like much, but $5/month from readers like you makes a huge difference. We’re committed to keeping Palmetto Parents free and accessible to all, and your small monthly support helps cover the real time, energy, and tools it takes to make that happen.

If this newsletter feels like a part of your week, would you consider being part of what keeps it going?

If you have littles or homeschooled children, here’s some great story times coming up in March around Summerville! We are so lucky to have so many fun, interactive story times in town.

If you’re weighing buying vs. renting, now may be the time to take a serious look at homeownership. Rents continue to rise, but buying allows you to build equity, create stability, and invest in your future instead of your landlord’s. With interest rates at their lowest levels in over three years and inventory steadily growing, buyers have more options and improved affordability. Plus, there are numerous down payment assistance programs available that can significantly reduce upfront costs for qualified buyers. When you combine increased inventory, favorable rates, and financial assistance opportunities, purchasing a home becomes not just possible — but powerful.

Let’s connect today to explore your options and see what’s possible for you.

As parents of young boys, one of our favorite events is coming up next week and you should mark your calendars! On Friday night, March 6th, Summerville Parks and Rec is hosting its annual Touch-A-Truck event at Gahagan Park from 5:30-7:30pm. At this event you can see and explore fire and polices vehicles, tractors, construction trucks like bulldozers and more! There’s also kid friendly games and activities as well as food trucks. It’s such an amazing free event for our community. When I tell you my heart sank when I realized we won't be able to make it to this year’s event due to a prior commitment, I am not exaggerating! You can check out our video about to see what our experience was like last year.

If you have a peaked interest in hockey after watching the USA bring home gold in both women’s and men's hockey, then this one is for you! Tuesday night is a celebration of hockey with special appearances from our local hockey team, the Stingrays. Head to Bruster’s Ice Cream in Summerville to enjoy some post-dinner ice cream with your family and meet the Stringray’s mascot, Cool Ray! Cool Ray will be on site from 6-7pm. From 7-8pm there will be special guest appearances from Stingrays players. Bruster’s will also be doing discounted deals on ice cream during the duration of the event that night.

Plus, if you spend at least $15 at Bruster’s between now and March 2nd, you can enter to win Stingray tickets!

Written by Daniel Berk.

If you’re looking for a babysitter-required, wear-your-nice-shoes kind of night… book a table at FIG in downtown Charleston.

We celebrated Courtney’s birthday there on Valentine’s Day (yes, we know… bold move), and it was absolute perfection from start to finish. Every bite felt intentional. Every plate looked like art. We shared appetizers, ordered our own entrées, and genuinely could not stop talking about the flavors.

One member of our group has gluten, dairy, and egg allergies — and the staff handled it with such care and respect. Three of us weren’t drinking alcohol, and the mocktail options were just as thoughtful as the wine list.

That kind of hospitality matters and went a long way.

And the ricotta gnocchi… please. 😭 It was the most pillowy, flavorful gnocchi any of us have ever had.

Ever.

This isn’t an everyday dinner spot — and it’s not inexpensive — but for birthdays, anniversaries, or a once-in-a-while date night, it’s worth every second.

We highly, highly recommend going if you get the chance.

At one point in the evening I thought “Oh I need to take a few more pictures of the food!” And alas, it was at this moment I realized every single plate was empty (proof below).

You’ll want to make a reservation before going to FIG, and it’s worth noting that it’s not easy to get a reservation. They open reservation slots 28 days in advance at 12pm noon, and I recommend booking your reservation exactly 28 days before you want to go for the best chance of a getting a seat at the time you want.

Walk-ins are available at the bar on a first-come, first-served basis, but I wouldn’t count on it for your special occasion.

Alright friends, here’s the honest reality of this week: I’m solo parenting while my husband is on a work trip (major shoutout to all the single parents, you are actual SUPERHEROES), and we’ve had zero childcare thanks to illness.

So instead of an inspirational thought, I’m sharing a few parenting memes and videos that gave me a much-needed laugh. The image above felt eerily close to my real life this week — complete with spilled coffee, somersaults off furniture, and plenty of other wild moments.

If you have a favorite piece of parenting humor, hit reply and send it my way. I’m fully accepting all laughs at this point.

Love,

Courtney, Daniel, and the Berk Boys

If you’d like to partner with Palmetto Parents to put your business in front of a highly-engaged audience of 11,000 parents, click here.