Last night was an emotional event for the Smarty Team. While sipping on specialty “Smartinis”, we unveiled our new website to our families and friends at GW Fins uptown.
As you probably know, I created this blog with my best friend back in November of 2007 as a creative way to share information on being a mom in the Charlotte community. In February, we tragically lost our beloved Co-Chief Founding Mommy, Jennifer Bunich, to non-smoking lung cancer. The easy thing to do for me would have been to silently go away. But this was a turning point for CSP. As the emails poured in on the evening of February 4th, I quickly realized how many moms we had already touched in such a short period of time. And I knew that Charlotte Smarty Pants had to continue on. For me, for Jen Bunich and for the entire Charlotte community. Jennifer continues to be with us every step of the way and you will forever find her here on our site.
CSP truly is a part of the Charlotte community. Our site has evolved with the help of our readers and we will continue to strengthen and unite moms on our site. We have added all of these fabulous features for you to enjoy. We hope you like them as much as we do! Please continue to visit us every day, post your comments in the blog, give us your feedback on anything you feel inspired to tell us, and spread the word to all of your Smarty friends. Thanks for reading!
38 comments
The nice thing with this blog is, its very awsome when it comes to there topic.
Congratulations on the new site, it looks fabulous! I love keeping up on all the topics, very informative and very fun!
The new site looks awesome! Being a new mom is a challenge… CSP has allowed me to keep my sanity by reading all the wonderful posts!
Congratulations!!! Your new site is muy bonito!
Great party, Jen, and congrats to all on your new site :)- Katie M.
Awesome party, & your site looks fabulous!Thanks for having me :)Melody Norris
Your site seems fine and informative, however much of what is posted seems to be for the more “upscale” mom/family. It usually does not fit with our family – three kids and two working parents – lifestyle and budget.
I absolutely LOVE this site- I cannot say enough good things about CSP!!! THANK YOU!!!!
Thank you so much for including us in the Smartini Party – we had an absolutely fabulous time and are excited about being a part of what is sure to become a Charlotte institution!
Jen- the new site is great!! You all rock!! Sallie 🙂
I’m addicted! Thanks for this site! Would love a “Smartini” meet & greet for all of your loyal readers?!
The site looks great and the party was dreamy! I had a great time. Thanks again for having me. I feel honored.
Great job Jen. Sorry to have missed the party, but heard it was a great success!! Katie
I felt honored to be at the Smarty party. Thanks again. The site looks great!
Thankyou for including Spoiled Silly at your launch! I had a great time getting to know some of the moms and businesses in the area. Looking forward to new things to come! :)Robin
to the person who posted above that thought the site was more for the “upscale mom”, i would have to disagree. the thing i love most about charlotte smarty pants is the variety of perspectives it brings – you have working moms, stay at home moms, big families, smaller families, splurges and bargains. its more about connecting with all different kinds of moms, supporting each other and learning from each other. I love the site – keep up the great work girls!!
Jen, love the site! It looks great! I love having a resource on just about anything at my fingertips. I never realized there were so many “Jennifers and Jens” in Charlotte until SmartyPants!! 🙂 Terri
The updates are wonderful! I was introduced to this site by Jen B. and have been periodically checking in from the beginning… not only do you reach Charlotte moms, I too enjoy reading CSP as I am ALWAYS entertained (and pick up some helpful hints along the way!) Would love the recipe for a “Smartini”!!!
I have been a loyal reader from day one and just love the new site. You guys have done a great job, so keep up the great work.Thank you for inviting me to the Smartini Party. It was just wonderful and much needed for a busy working mom.Ginger
Wow, I loved the “old” site but what a wonderful make over. I was introduced to the site by a freind of a friend and have been hooked since day one. What I love most about the site is the relevance of the content. I can not ever remember logging on and thinking I had wasted my time. I find the site to be both educational and entertaining, hard to accomplish both. I can only imagine the time, effort and commitment that goes into maintaining CSP. The fact that thousands of “strangers” benefit from your work speaks volumes to the character of you and your team. Keep up the great work and I can’t wait to see CPS grow and grow.
Congrats ladies, the new site is fantastic! Keep up the good work!
I love the new site Jen, it looks great!! And to the above the poster, yes there are alot of Jennifers in the area! I have met several new ones this week.Jennifer HoyleMOM to Alexis-7, AJ-5, & Carson and Dylan-2.
While not a mom, I was touched by Jen’s story. I have loved watching the quick progress of this site! Congratulations on all of your success!
The party was fabulous and I look forward to doing business with you!
Jen!I wore my CSP t-shirt to and from Vacation Bible School at Weddington Church on Thursday and got a lot of attention for it! Lots of ladies in the Union County area are readers! That’s awesome! Thanks for a great night out, and a much needed one too, on Wed. You did a great job! xo! Jes
Just wanted to note that I love the site and I visit it often. Sadly I encounter Jen P. a lot and have said hello before, but every time I try to make eye contact or say hello she seems to flat out ignore me. I have noticed this with a lot of Charlotte transplants and find Charlotte losing its southern sweet charm and becoming a stuck up place. Ladies lets be smiling and friendly to all and not so worried about the material things and how we come across towards others. Do you really want to be viewed as a stuck up snob that is drowning in debt to keep up appearances, because that is how you come off. After all, is this what you want to teach your children.
Wow! Those words sting. I’m so sorry you feel that way. Stuck-up is so incredibly far from what I am and I have to say, I’ve never had anyone describe me that way. Most often times I’m in a hurry juggling four kids’ busy schedules, so I may look unapproachable! Next time you see me, stop me and introduce yourself. Or email me at jen@charlottemartypants.com. I would love to hear from you. -Jen P.
To “anonymous” who personally attacked Jen…OUT OF LINE. It’s one thing to disagree with a point-of-view on this site, it’s another altogether to make presumptions about someone’s character (someone you obviously do not know at all)and get personal about it. Jen is NOT a snob, FAR from it. There are plenty of other Charlotte websites that cultivate mommy snarkiness, this is not one of them. Being a mom is hard enough, so is being a great wife, friend and running a fantastic website (out of your OWN pocket) without being so harshly judged.
Let me start out by saying hello to the above poster. I am sorry your view of Charlotte is becoming jaded. I will be happy to introduce you to the Charlotte that I am blessed to be surrounded by. Jen P. was a stranger to me 6 years ago when I became part of a supper club that had already been established. She welcomed me that night and since then she has personally introduced me to a diverse group of girls. One of the things that I love about her is the variety of people she surrounds herself with. No one works harder to bring us this site everyday. She also respects where she comes from, how hard her husband works and she always tries to do the right thing for her children. A stuck up person does not share yucky cat stories, sick kids and her personal journey of mommyhood. I am a proud minivan driving mom, who is most often in shorts and a t-shirt, sometimes I may actually get the makeup on, I still wave to people as I drive by and I am proud to call Jen P. a friend!
To the “anonymous” attacker above, why do you even visit this site if you have such deep-rooted anger? CharlotteSmartyPants has a community of several hundred readers who don’t need to be bogged down with your lame comments.
As a MALE (yep, guys get on this site, too) Charlotte Native with both sets of parents originally from Charlotte I find the personal attack from “anonymous” on Jen P. offensive and embarrassing. Doesn’t matter if you are from Charlotte or Timbuktu – classy people simply don’t do things like this. Most human beings I know with class and social skills have the ability to approach someone when they have a problem.
Anonymous, you have a very interesting “southern charm”. Bless your heart. Judy.
To the anonymous post attacking Jen…you must be talking about a different person. As someone who knows her personally as sees her often, I find her to be one of the most down to earth people I know. Are you just looking for something to complain about?? I have found people to be friendly and engaging when I am the same to them. Try it out!
Thank you for getting me out of the house for the Smartini party. All of you did a wonderful job, as you do nearly every day with the site/blog. Bubba, so glad to be back in touch with my high school buddy and fellow new mommy. Jen P., you gave a great presentation & you have found your calling, as a mom and business owner. Your site has been invaluable to me. Thank you for carrying on.LBMother of 18-month old Evie & one on the way
Thank you for getting me out of the house for the Smartini party. All of you did a wonderful job, as you do nearly every day with the site/blog. Bubba, so glad to be back in touch with my high school buddy and fellow new mommy. Jen P., you gave a great presentation & you have found your calling, as a mom and business owner. Your site has been invaluable to me. Thank you for carrying on.LBMother of 18-month old Evie & one on the way
To the anonymous blogger that seems disgruntled…Jen P. is the first person I met in Charlotte. She took me under her wing and introduced me to many incredible people and things to do in Charlotte. I feel she is the definition of “welcoming” and is the first person to introduce herself with a smile. My children have learned the value of a terrific friend and the definition of outstanding mom by example of Jen. If you bring your issue to her personally then I can practically promise you that she will not only put your accusations to rest, but you will gain an incredible friend. I really disagree with the fact that Charlotte is losing its southern charm…quite the opposite. I often refer new Charlotteans to this site because it offers a community of people who care about our families and our town. The website is filled with fun things to do, awesome people, terrific and researched information, and ways to keep up with our changing world. Jen and her team are always open to suggestions about ways to improve the site. It might be more appropriate to voice what you would like to see happen as opposed to making judgements on a person’s character.
What a class act by Jen P. with her response.. Let’s step above anonymous and be sweet and kind and let them know we want them to have a better experience here in Charlotte. Jen P. you Rock!!!
Jen Love the new site! Even out here in Denver! Val