Around Town
Meet Heather!
Mom of four and Westporter for over 20 years, Heather is known by many for her incredible work with – and support – of youth sports. From a young age, Heather was a problem solver, an entrepreneur, and loved to get to work. Childhood lemonade stands taught her the ropes, and she has spent almost 25 years now at a large investment bank. When Heather is not in the city (or on a train), she can be found on the sidelines, helping to grow the PAL Lacrosse and Basketball programs, encouraging hundreds of youths to play, to continue trying new things, and to keep standing up no matter how often you fall. Heather likes a good nap, cheese, time with her family, and prays to never be eaten by a shark. Heather hopes to be an inspiration to young women that you can do whatever you want- work hard, take risks, find good role models, and never give up! Thanks for helping so many of us find our way Heather Talbott; Westport is lucky to have you!
Meet Grace
For all those out there who love beautiful interiors and exteriors, you should know Grace and her amazing design business, Roan. After a brief stint in advertising and PR, Grace went back to her roots and got her Masters in Interior Design, and has never looked back! Mom to Clara – with another on the way this fall – Grace and her family are loving Westport, meeting new people, and the chance to fall in love with gardening, an unexpected surprise! In her spare time, Grace loves to play polo, is always up for some old school karaoke, and dreams of vacations in the summer in Nantucket! Grace loves the projects she’s working on, and is always thinking about the next thing she will create, and we can’t wait to see what comes next!
Our 2023 Ultimate Sleepaway Camp & Program Guide
Spending part of summer living independently from Mom and Dad is one of those amazing experiences that will stay with your child forever. Use our Local Mom’s Network Sleepaway Camp & Program Guide to learn about some of the top sleep-away camp options throughout the US as well as teen tours, educational programs and even community service opportunities. And don’t forget- if you would like some additional support through the process, you can email WestportMoms’ very own, Melissa Post, who helps families with this process at no cost to them at [email protected]
What Happened to Football Star Damar Hamlin?
Were you as scared as we were when you saw what happened to Buffalo Bill’s Damar Hamlin? All parents of aspiring athletes think about their child’s safety—it’s only natural. But when events like what happened to Hamlin take over the headlines, we can’t help but ask questions. Why did this football player’s heart stop on the field at just 24 years old? Was this a true heart attack? How likely is this to happen to my teenager or young adult? What is “commotio cordis,” anyway? We turned to our trusted Connecticut Children’s sports medicine and cardiology experts who helped address these questions and more.
Meet an Artist – Sue De Chiara
A former lawyer, design blogger and mother of three, Sue De Chiara grew up around artists. “It greatly influenced my love for good design,” she says. Transitioning into a new career, she is now an abstract artist and loves the creative expression. Read more about Sue’s process and her path to painting.
Meet Allyson and Becky!
If ever there was a “dynamic duo” ready to take on the world this New Year, It may just be Allyson and Becky! With six kids among them, and backgrounds spanning sales and marketing, politics and non-profit, these two moms can do anything. After meeting as second grade room parents, and then collaborating on the board of Homes with Hope, they decided to join their unique ability to engage people to support the work of organizations to start a consulting business, PLUS2 Strategy, which will provide strategy and communications for growing businesses and nonprofits. Fun Facts: Allyson used to have 8 chickens, would be a lawyer in another life, and hardly sleeps, while Becky craves dark chocolate, will binge any English countryside murder mystery book or TV series, and wishes she could sing! Without question, this powerhouse will be doing amazing things in the months and year ahead, so keep an eye out- they are ones to watch!
Managing the Current Children’s Medicine Shortage – what to do when your kid is sick!
With supply chain issues combining with the RSV/COVID/Flu trifecta sweeping the country, children’s medications like Tylenol & Motrin are in short supply. If you can’t find meds and your child is sick, this can be extremely stressful. Below, we ask Dr. Jen Trachtenberg, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor Pediatrics at Mount Sinai and owner, Carnegie Hill Pediatrics in New York City, to answers our questions about this situation. Remember, always ask your pediatrician for guidance, particularly when it comes to medication.
6 Cookbooks for the New Year!
If one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2023 is to cook more and rely less on takeout, we have you covered. Here, you’ll find six of 2022’s most popular cookbooks, which will have you eating better, creating memories around family meals and saving money on UberEats and DoorDash.
Westport Gift Guide: 10 Last-Minute Presents from Fig Linens and Home
Shopping local in Westport for the holidays is a great way to show support for the community and reduce your carbon footprint. When you shop at small, woman-owned local businesses like Middlemarch, Savvy and Grace, and Fig Linens and Home, you are helping to build a vibrant Westport. Even better, buying local means you don’t have to wait for shipping, so gifts can be bought up until the 24th. Thus, Fig Linens and Home compiled our top picks of in-stock gifts under $200 with last-minute shoppers in mind. All of the gifts listed are available to buy in our boutique at 66 Post Road East, Westport, CT today. Explore towels, throws, sweaters, and candles at Fig Linens and Home to find the best gifts and stocking stuffers for moms, sisters, wives, and colleagues.
Progressive Diagnostics Westport Closes this Week – Thank you for your service!
The Progressive Diagnostics’ COVID-19 testing location at Greens Farms train station closed on December 15th to accommodate normalized station operations and concessions. Westporters seeking same-day COVID-19, Flu A+B, and RSV tests from Progressive Diagnostics will be able to schedule online or walk-in to the Wilton and Norwalk locations only minutes away from Westport. A huge thanks to them for all of the support during this very uncertain time.
Tree Farms for Cutting and Buying Christmas Trees this Holiday Season!
If you are looking to get the Holiday Season started, check out some of these local tree farms with pre-cut and cut your own options!
The Coastal Orthopedics Team Has Grown and Is Always Here to Keep You Moving!
We have some exciting news to share here at Coastal Orthopedics – we have another accomplished specialist joining our team – Dr. Paulina Piekarska, DPM. Meet Dr. Piekarska, a foot & ankle specialist, surgeon, and podiatrist with expertise in both operative and non-operative treatments. She specializes in the treatment of a variety of lower extremity conditions commonly experienced by children including sports injuries, heel pain, and severs disease!
Growing Resilient: What Your Child Needs to Get Through Tough Times
Resilience is the ability to overcome serious stress or difficulty, and bounce back stronger than ever. With increasing pressures academically, athletically and socially on kids these days, being resilient is critical. In this series, Connecticut Children’s pediatric experts share keys to resilience, and how to help your child be resilient.
Hanukkah Latkes – YUMMMM!
If you are looking for a delicious homemade LATKE recipe this season, look no further! But do get ready for your house to smell for days=) Happy cooking!
Melissa Joan Hart – Lifetime as Queen of Christmas
Anyone else all about made-for-TV holiday movies that are all over Lifetime and Hallmark channels this time of year? Us too! Then you know that Melissa Joan Hart is one of the veritable Queens of Lifetime’s festive films. This season, as part of a new multi-film, two-year deal with the network, the Sabrina the Teenage Witch star directs her fourth Lifetime film, Santa’s Bootcamp. Her youngest son Tucker (10) is also part of the cast (in addition she is Mom to Mason, 16 and Braydon, 14 with husband, Mark). We spoke to Melissa about her favorite holiday traditions, why she thinks these films are more addictive than frosted Christmas cookies, and that time Jason Priestley showed up to her ugly sweater party.
3 Healthy Holiday Season Eating Tips to Try!
In a season where we are making magic, hosting, decorating and organizing, we can’t forget to take care of ourselves, moms. That means feeding ourselves as well as we do our families. Food, after all, is fuel for this busy holiday season. We asked The Local Moms Network contributor Stefani Sassos, Registered Dietician and Deputy Nutrition Director for the Good Housekeeping Institute for her favorite healthy eating hacks during celebration season.
Westportmoms Toy Drive!
If you are looking for something nice to do this holiday season, have your kids help pick out some toys on our Toy Drive Wishlist for kids at The Caesar Battala School in Bridgeport!
5 Ways to Give Back this Holiday Season!
There’s an old adage that children may not do as we say, but they’ll do as we do. And never is that more true than when we’re giving back. Whether you’re donating time or money, your kids’ involvement is the key to showing them the power of helping others. To that end, we’ve rounded up five ways to give to others, that lend themselves to including kids. Let them choose a cause that interests them as well as you, and you’ll be halfway there to instilling this core value.
Meet Kim!
In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, and this time of year, we wanted to highlight Kimberly Greenberg, mom of three girls, who is the epitome of what determination, passion, and a mom’s ability to do hard things looks like. A financial advisor for over 15 years, Kim and her husbands’ lives changed forever when their first daughter, Parker, was born with an incredibly rare genetic syndrome – HIST1H1E. Discovered by geneticists only after Parker was born in 2016, Kim has dedicated her life’s work to helping other families who have children with special needs navigate the financial challenges with which they are faced. Kim has also dedicated her life toward raising money to support research on this rare syndrome, and her friends, family and the Westport community have raised over $200K so far toward “Parker’s Cure.” Some fun facts about Kim – she was a Division 1 college squash player, goes out in Westport more than she did in the city, and is a menace at the net in tennis; watch out! She loves the beach, dreams of a trip to Paris, and enjoyed nothing more than seeing Parker’s face light up on the roller coasters at Disney world this year! Thank you Kim for the amazing work you are doing for all the kids and families out there; Westport is lucky to have you!
6 Smart Apps to Streamline your Week and Life
Two things most of us have in common as Moms? We’re busy and we’re on our phones a lot—as much as if not more than our computers. If you’re not using any apps to make your life easier, you’re missing out on some great mom hacks. Click here to see some of our favorites!
