🌴 Third Thursday in Summerville!

It’s the third Thursday in Flowertown! 🌴 

Palmetto Parents has grown from 0 - 250 people in a few short weeks, and we’re just getting started.

We’re honored to share our life with you and grow our community, because it really does take a village.

Speaking of village, here is how some of you responded to our survey. We have a diverse group of parents here with kids of all ages! Didn’t fill out the survey yet? You can now by clicking here.

And don’t forget that Third Thursday is happening tonight from 5:30-8:30 in Hutchinson Square!

If you haven’t been to Third Thursday before, it’s a mini festival on the third Thursday of the month (hence the name) with food trucks, vendors, and music. The businesses in historic downtown Summerville stay open late and it’s a great time to check out local shops and meet new people in the community. The theme this month is “Flower the Town” and you can find vendors like Soil and Soul Nursery and Exotic Plant Shop, Summerville Flower Shop, and Red, White and Bloom to get all your plant and flower needs met.

The Carolina Dream Team booth will have a planting station set up for the kids, too.

By the way, a great addition to the Palmetto Parents newsletter is the FamilyMade newsletter, which is packed with resources about how to talk to your kids about certain topics, make adult friends, date ideas, and so much more. Subscribe below for a weekly boost of love and support from FamilyMade.

To Do: Legos and Lagers

The Bolts & Brews Beer Garden is a somewhat new addition to the Summerville area that’s known to be dog/kid friendly. It’s uniquely located at the Wood’s Ave Hardware and Mercantile off of Trolley Road. Every Sunday between 1pm-5pm they host a lego building time for kids while the parents can enjoy a pint, or one of their weekly featured beer flights. Check out their page for other fun opportunities like live music, yoga classes, mini photo sessions in the greenhouse, and other special events.

An Event: Glow in the Dark Mini Golf

What’s even better than mini golf? Glow in the dark mini golf! Head over to the Rollins Edwards Community Center for a night of fun with the family this Saturday, April 20th. Players can register here for a 30-minute arrival window between 6:00-8:30pm and play through two nine hole courses. The cost is $10/person and you can purchase concessions on site.

Restaurant: Simple Treasures

We know, we know, popcorn covered ice cream doesn’t exactly qualify a place as a restaurant, but it is certainly an eating experience every Summerville resident (especially ones with kids) should know about. Simple Treasures is a delightful sweets shop featuring handmade candies, homemade ice cream, and most interestingly, a large wall of the most unique popcorn flavors you’ll ever find! You can snag some of the classic popcorn flavors like movie theater butter, cheddar, or kettle corn but if you’re more adventurous you can find flavors like crab legs, BBQ bacon, cherry pie, or blueberry muffin. The popcorn and ice cream flavors rotate so there is always something new to try.

Daniel is a huge fan of their milkshakes and I always purchase a dark chocolate cashew turtle from their chocolates section. My first experience at Sweet Treasures was when I was newly pregnant with our first. I was craving a lemonade and I’ll never forget the joy I felt when after ordering the woman behind the counter took out a cutting board with lemons and started the whole process of making me the most freshly squeezed lemonade I’ve ever had. My pregnancy dreams came true.

And it’s an exciting time for Simple Treasures! Simple Treasures isn’t a new shop to Summerville, but they did just relocate to a new location. In a genius business move, Simple Treasures is now sharing space with the Nailed It DIY Studio (which by the way is an AWESOME friends night out/date night activity) located right off of Hutchinson Square at 116 S Main Street. Be sure to stop in and check out their new space soon and snag your sweet/savory treat.

Check out this reel to get a virtual preview of the space!

Palmetto Piece: How to Actually Be A Helpful Friend

The last few weeks our family has dealt with a series of sicknesses. Being 38 weeks pregnant, in full nesting mode, and being sick myself while caring for a sick toddler is overwhelming. Here’s a couple takeaways from this season for myself and our family.

1) The most helpful thing you can do for friends and family going through a hard time or transition is to offer specific help. Instead of saying “Do you need anything?” or “How can I help?” give your friend some specifics of how you can help and let them choose. For example, “I would love to deliver a meal to you this week, when is the best time to do that?” If you aren’t sure exactly what they need you can list options. “I can drop off groceries, take your kid for a couple hours so you can have some time to yourself, or run an errand for you. Which would be most helpful?” If your friend is already overwhelmed, this helps them think through what they need and lets them know what exactly you’re prepared to do so they don’t feel like they’re asking too much of you.

2) Be okay with asking for and receiving help. Sometimes as parents we want to do it all ourselves, but when asked if you need help… say YES! Over the past weeks I’ve had friends and family bringing meals and medicine to us, sanitizing all the baby gear I’ll need ready soon, helping us move furniture, etc. It can feel a little humbling to need help, but it was so relieving to receive help and allows others to feel trusted and appreciated by you. Life always has seasons so you may be the one accepting help this week but soon you’ll be able to give it.

Until next time!

Love,

The Berks 👨‍👩‍👦 

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