Happy Birthday, Charlotte Smarty Pants!

Happy Birthday to us, Happy Birthday to us, Happy Birthday Charlotte Smarty Pants, Happy Birthday to us! In case you didn’t get that, today is our first birthday – wahoo! I remember one year ago as if it was just yesterday. Jen B. & I were holed up in a hotel room on Hilton Head Island where she held me hostage until I wrote my first 5 posts! Boy, would she be proud of where we are just one year later!

To honor 365 days of living Smarty, we thought it would be fun to celebrate our Top 10 Posts since we launched. What makes them the best? Two very important things: the number of comments and constructive verbal feedback. Here goes:

1) Charlotte Smarty Pants Legacy: Jennifer Lisman Bunich
92 Comments. It’s only fitting that Jen got the most comments of the year on her last post. We miss her dearly but we do find comfort in the fact that she is here with us every single day on this incredible website.

2) Smarty Pick – Suarez Bakery
44 Comments. OK, who would have thought all of you Smarties were so incredibly opinionated about your sweets?! This was one of my first highly controversial posts that completely blind-sided me! So in a nutshell – you guys do not dig Suarez. However, I think you should at least give them another chance at their sugar cookies. They are so yummy and only 50 cents a piece. Forget about their cakes – I surrender!

3) You Need to Have a Primary Care Physician, Finding a Pediatrician in Charlotte, How do you Find the Right OB/GYN or midwife & When Do You Take Your Child to the Dentist?
Average of 35 comments on these four very informative posts. These comprehensive lists are ongoing so we can add to them any time. Think of it as a great referral list from 35 of your closest friends:-)

4) Missing my Double Maclaren
27 Comments. This article gives you some interesting features to consider when shopping for your new strollers. We’ve all been there. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. I’ve spent a zillion dollars on strollers alone in my 7 1/2 years of mommyhood and thought it would be fun to throw out some features that were important to me. There is no right or wrong here – it’s a matter of personal preference. But in case you’re wondering, I LOVE my simple Maclaren. An oldie, but goodie simple design.

5) Start Thinking About Preschool Enrollment
25 Comments. This is another one that stirred up some serious controversy about the role of a stay-at-home mom. Definitely was not my intent when writing this. But we’re all entitled to our own opinions. So enjoy again the second time around. We’ll remind you when preschool enrollment rolls around again in January 2009.

6) The “How We Do It” Series
24 Comments. This was a really cool series by Jenny & Tracy for all Smarty Working Moms. This series definitely provided tons of great ideas for working moms. Fabulous constructive feedback!

7) Favorite Pizza Places
23 Comments. This is a great Smarty list of pizza recommendations all around Charlotte. Boy am I craving some carb-filled pizza at the moment:-)

8) Pampers or Bust & What do You Pack for Lunch?
Tied at #8 are two very important posts – both had 19 comments. First, Pampers or Bust. This post asks our Smarty readers about recommendations for cheaper diaper options. Second, What do you Pack for Lunch has some creative suggestions for kids’ lunches.

9) Smarty Tips to Save $ & Natural Childbirth
Also tied at #9 are two more incredible posts each with 17 comments. Smarty Tips to Save $ is obviously very important so us Charlotte moms and we all talk about our efforts during this struggling economy. I’m happy to report that we’re still saving $100/week on groceries now that I am pretty much out of Harris Teeter (hubby does it). Natural Childbirth was beautifully written by a guest blogger and she really touched a lot of moms on their natural experience.

10) Smarty Daddy Gift Ideas
16 Comments. This is a fun post with a super-Smarty Christmas gift idea for daddies that costs basically nothing!

YOU put the Smarty in CSP and we value your input so much. Help us make the next 365 days even more Smarty than ever! Give us your input on what you love most, ideas for topics you’d like to see us consider in the year to come and any other Smarty ideas you’ve been waiting for the chance to dish about! Again, thank you for making us Charlotte’s Best Blog and for your unwavering support over this past year…we could not have anticipated how well-received we’d be here in our beloved mommy community! We are committed now more than ever to forging into 2009 with the same class, sass and Smarty appeal that makes us Charlotte’s premier website for moms, dads & parents-to-be on this crazy little thing we call Charlotte Smarty Pants.