If you (or your child) loves camp, Sara Deren is someone you should know. When she married into the world of camp (her husband Jon is a camp lifer – and director), she fell hard for the experience it gave to children. While camps have existed for decades, Sara recognized the need for camp for grieving children (to experience camp and to support each other), and founded Experience Camp, which currently provides a FREE week of sleep-away camp to 1500+ kids nationwide who have lost a parent or sibling. In Westport, the annual Day of Champions Event (a local color war for families to support Experience Camps) is highly revered, and this year’s event will be on Sunday, 5/19! Mom of three kids (and two chickens), Sara loves traveling with her family, wishes she were better at karaoke, and has showed so many in our community – and far beyond our borders – that heroes truly live among us.

This week’s Meet a Mom interview is with rising country star and former American Idol standout Sarahbeth Taite! With the support of her parents, Sarahbeth signed her first record deal at just 14, and drove herself to Nashville at age 17. But it wasn’t until five years later, in 2020, when she put an old single, Long Way, onto TikTok—and garnered 9 million streams of the video and a #1 spot on iTunes, that she started to receive national attention. Since then, she’s performed in front of Katy Perry and other celebrity judges on American Idol, signed with DA Music, and welcomed her first child with her husband , a daughter named Isla (1).

Have leftover jelly beans from Easter? Make these adorable jelly bean bracelets from South Orange County Moms! The children can line up their jelly bean designs and then crafty parents can handle the needle and thread. Enjoy!

As far as matzah-based desserts go, variations on matzah toffee are one of the most popular. This version, shared by Shannon Sarna, author of Modern Jewish Baking: Challah, Babka, Bagels & More, is made effortlessly festive by the addition of rainbow sprinkles. “My kids love matzah toffee because it’s sweet, crunchy and we have fun adding lots of toppings,” says Shannon. During Passover she also loves turning matzah into “layered” cakes, like matzah tiramisu, or a matzah funfetti cake, layered with whipped cream and sprinkles.

To help honor Earth Day, Rosemary D’Urso, aka Library Mom, chose nine fantastic books perfect for the occasion. Says Rosemary: “From its sparkling waters to its majestic mountains and curious creatures, there is much to love about this beautiful planet we call home. With Earth Day around the corner, I’ve put together a list of my favorite books that capture the splendor of Earth as well as stories that inspire children to help protect it.” Read her list below.

As the desire to infuse indoor spaces with the beauty of nature grows, interior green walls are emerging as popular trends. Imagine stepping into your home or workplace and being greeted by the serenity of a living wall; a vibrant oasis adorned with succulents, grasses, and colorful perennials. This is the promise of interior green walls and tropicals—an opportunity to integrate nature seamlessly into our built environments. The experts at Laurel Rock Landscaping share the key factors to consider when making this kind of design decision!

Mom of two and entrepreneur Shazi Visram first turned the baby industry upside down with the Happy Baby food brand, and now, is doing the same with her HealthyBaby product line.
All of the products are EWG Verified Safe. Their diapers and diaper cream, prenatal vitamins, deodorant, baby balm and cream, lundry detergent, shampoo and even  home cleaning products each bear this official stamp of safety that will save busy moms hours researching the best products for their families.

Given many of us dog owners have been experiencing – or hearing about – dogs with a new mysterious respiratory illness, we turned to our friends at Active Dog, for their thoughts and additional information about what is going on with dogs right now and how to keep your dog safe!

If you are a lover of BAGELS, business, entrepreneurship, and learning about badass local moms who have done badass things, look no further! Elyse Oleksak – mom of three kiddos here in Westport, founded Bantam Bagels (mini bagels pre-stuffed with cream cheese), which you may have seen on Shark Tank, in Starbucks, or in supermarkets a few years back! THIS WEEK, Elyse has launched her memoir, A SHARK ate my bagel, sharing the journey she and her husband Nick took founding, growing, and ultimately selling Bantam Bagels. What started as a little side project in their NYC apartment grew into a massive success, but not without its bumps along the way. With authenticity, humility, humor, and a whole lot of love, Elyse shares her story, and we promise It is one you won’t want to miss!