Smarty Mom: Amy Tennyson

It is my pleasure to introduce this week’s Smarty Mom, Amy Tennyson. She is married to Todd and has two beautiful children, Zachary, 7 years old and Maddie, 4 years old. Amy and I met through the Beverly Woods Women’s Association. Amy was a northerner but moved to South Carolina as a teenager. She has been in the Charlotte area for some time now. She is a busy working mom and I admire her for always seeming to have it all under control. Whether it’s shuffling back and forth to soccer practices, or helping arrange the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt, she’s always smiling, calm and collected. She also has some great ideas on where to score cute affordable jeans! Thanks, Amy, for sharing your insight and recommendations.

What are some of your time management tips for a busy working mom?
Definitely getting as much as possible ready the night before, ie: backpack ready, lunches made and clothes laid out. This will be a bigger challenge next year when Maddie goes to kindergarten. Zachary will put on just about anything I put in front of him, however Maddie very rarely sticks with what we agree on for her to wear the night before!

What are some of your favorite family activities?
Miniature golf and bowling.

Favorite place to shop for kids clothes?
One of my favorite places is The Children’s Place. However, I have been extremely fortunate to have a clothing exchange with a good friend and have a ton of hand-me-downs for my daughter which is awesome!!!

Favorite park?
The Harris Y – particularly because it is within walking distance to our house.

Favorite place to eat out with kids?
Rotelli and Mama Fu’s. Both of my kids are picky eaters but we have luck at these two restaurants, especially when Rotelli has large cheese pizza’s for $6.99 on Tuesdays and kids eat for 99 cents on Wed and Sat at Mama Fus! I love a good bargain.

What is your perfect date night?
A perfect date night for me includes a free babysitter, dinner out and a movie!

Best kept secret in Charlotte?
The best kept secret in Charlotte is the National Whitewater Center. It is very impressive and is fun to take out-of-town guests. They also have a good restaurant with a nice patio so you can watch all the activity while you eat.

Funniest thing one of your children has said?
A funny thing my daughter just said to me the other day after looking at a picture a friend sent me from her trip to Hawaii where she and her mom were enjoying tropical beverages was – “Look mommy, they have umbrella sippy cups!”

Best birthday party?
The best birthday party I have ever given was at Ben & Jerry’s. The kids had the entire place to themselves, got to tour the store, make ice cream (and eat ice cream cake of course!) and made tie-dyed t-shirts which they took home in lieu of goody bags.

What is your favorite thing to do when you have some precious alone time?
Shop. However I am also an organization freak and love tackling projects at home.

SUV or minivan…
I drive a Honda Odyssey… not because I am a fan but only because it was given to me for free by my mom!

Best thing about raising a family in Charlotte?
All of our wonderful friends and the great schools!

I could not live without…
…my husband, which may sound like a cliche but he truly pulls his weight when it comes to taking care of the kids. Particularly at meal time because I do not like to – and am not good at cooking! If it were up to me, we’d live on cereal and frozen waffles.
I also could not live without my day planner. I’m old school and have not moved up to a PDA – and don’t plan to!

I wish someone had told me sooner about…
…how great Zumba classes are at the Y. A friend introduced me to them as “exercise in disguise.” It has finally gotten me back to the gym.

Thank you, Amy! If you have someone you would like to “mominate”, please email us at info@charlottesmartypants.com.