Where are you from originally?
I grew up in Spring Lake, Michigan – “Where Nature Smiles for Seven Miles!”
How long have you lived in New Canaan?
We moved to New Canaan in July of 2013 from NYC.
How many kids and their age(s)?
Asher – almost 5
Morgan – 2
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I’m left-handed, the youngest of 5 kids, and enjoy entertaining others with napkin origami tricks.
Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
A HUGE thank you needs to go out to my amazing community of local Mom friends who are always there with a wealth of knowledge, a glass of wine, and an abundance of support, advice and love.
Favorite things to do with your kids? Any special Thanksgiving traditions?
We love taking the kids for walks in Irwin Park, to local beaches for sandcastle building, and enjoying a little friendly competition during Sunday Family Game Night. (Watch out, I play a wicked hand of Uno!). Since moving to the East Coast, we adopted a new Thanksgiving tradition celebrating with a couple other families whose relatives also live out of town. “Friendsgiving” has been such a blessing for us and we look forward to spending the day celebrating the holiday with great local friends over a delicious meal, yummy wine and my husband’s smoked ribs (a bit random, I know, but he loves his smoker and it turns out ribs are a fab Thanksgiving day appetizer!).
What is your local go-to store for children’s clothes? Shoes? Furniture?
I’m a big time online shopper but I try my best to support local stores when I can. For special-occasion kid’s clothes (and hostess/home gifts), I love She La La and I’ve had great luck purchasing kid’s shoes at both Shoes-N-More and The Athletic Factory. When shopping for unique furniture and home décor, United Home Wrecking in Stamford has some fabulous, unique pieces!
What are your favorite events in New Canaan?
One of the great things about New Canaan is that there is no shortage of amazing community events throughout the year. We recently enjoyed the Halloween parade down Elm Street and the kids had a blast trick-or-treating at local shops. During the holidays, we always look forward to the holiday stroll and getting a chance to see Santa in town.
What are your favorite restaurants in New Canaan?
There are SO many great restaurants to choose from but I always look forward to some yummy pizza at Locali, a delicious homemade meal at Baldanza, or essentially anything off the menu at Rosie. Their muffins and coffee are amazing too!
What is your favorite kid-friendly recipe?
Zoodles! My son, Asher, and I love making “zoodles”, or zucchini noodles, together. He thinks it’s a blast to help me crank out the zoodles with our spiralizer after which we throw them in a sauté pan with a turkey Bolognese sauce (homemade or Trader Joe’s sells a yummy one that can be found in the freezer section!). Let the noodles soften over medium heat and voila, a fun, kid-friendly dinner is ready!
Favorite hobbies?
Although I don’t get the chance to do it often, I love water-skiing, boating and swimming. (Can you tell I grew up on a lake? :). Regardless of the time of year, I’m always up for traveling to visit friends/family, snuggling up with a great book, or grabbing a glass of wine & chat with a friend. I also love challenging myself with a new workout or sport! I recently started playing tennis – such a fun game! – and getting my butt kicked on the megaformer at CST50 in Darien.
Anything else you want to add? Business venture, involvement in local organizations, etc.
After a decade in pharmaceutical and biotechnology sales, I left to become a full time stay-at-home Mom. The time I got to spend having and raising my kids has been a blessing beyond measure yet I found myself wanting something of my own, a chance to get back to work on my own terms and time frame. A year and a half ago, that desire led me to become a consultant with the second largest premium skin care company, Rodan + Fields. At the time, I certainly wasn’t a skin care junkie and didn’t know a thing about direct sales, but after experiencing a complete transformation in my skin with their products, I knew this opportunity was something I didn’t want to pass up. Starting my own business by partnering with a group of driven entrepreneurs who bring both a life-changing opportunity and skin care to others has been a tremendous gift. I’m always happy to chat R+F with anyone so if you have questions about the company or products, please feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected].
