Health & Beauty
An Autism Spotlight…from Gena Mann
April is World Autism Awareness Month, a time to listen and share and learn to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism, particularly within our own communities. We had the incredible opportunity to connect with Gena Mann, a local mom of four and co-founder of Wolf and Friends, a community for special needs parents to find connection, inspiration and expert recommendations. Gena has two children with Autism (a 17 and 18 year old boy – Jasper and Felix), and in addition to being a rockstar mom, human, and educator, she is helping people every day better understand the world around us and providing a lens into a world we all will be kinder and more inclusive for having known. Thank you Gena; we are eternally grateful.
Meet Chloe
A lifelong venture capital investor turned a recent love for working with her hands into a cookie baking company, selling her gluten-free cookie dough on Instagram (@cookiesandsteak). Having left NYC officially when the pandemic hit, Chloe (mom to eight month old Beau!) has never looked back, believing Westport to be a little slice of heaven she feels so fortunate to have found. In her free time (while not baking!), Chloe loves a good beach run, a glass of red wine, and laughing with family and friends. She was a lacrosse player in college, and now spends her days having coffee with some of the top tech entrepreneurs in the world, and her nights with her family and the cookie Dough! Nothing could be better! Welcome to Westport Chloe; we’re so thrilled to have you – and your cookie dough!
Carrot Spice Cake…you’re welcome!
Fall may have Pumpkin Spice, but this Spring, we’re all about this Carrot Spice Snacking Cake. Thank you to our contributor, CatwithaK Cooks, for sharing this gluten, butter and oil-free healthy treat!
Save the Date: Join Terrain Health on April 6th at 7pm to learn about The Gut-Brain Connection!
Join Terrain Health on Tuesday, April 6th at 7 pm EST for our Gut-Brain Connection Webinar! You don’t want to miss this fascinating discussion with Q&A on the gut-brain connection and its impact on emotions, mood, and even how we perform (on the field, in the office, or classroom)!
Meet Fabalish, a plant-based line of falafels and sauce, and their amazing founder!
Deciding what to make every night for dinner is one of the never-ending tasks of parenthood. Then, finding the time to cook whatever we decide to cook can also be a struggle. Finally, getting our kids to eat what we’ve made is hit or miss…That’s why we love Fabalish, a plant-based line of falafels and sauces! They’re premade and ready to heat, making them an instant meal-starter and time saver. They’re also super kid-friendly! We spoke to Jessica Gebel, founder of Fabalish, about her growing brand.
Gardening with Kids – Fun for All Ages!
Spring is finally here, and we couldn’t be happier to be shaking off the winter doldrums and getting outside again. Since we’re planning on still spending more time at home this spring and summer, gardening is at the top of our list. We found a fantastic new book, Gardening for Kids: Learn, Grown and Get Messy with Fun STEAM Projects, which has a ton of ways to get your kids into the dirt this season. We spoke with Washington-based author (and mom) Brandy Stone, about her book, background and her favorite tips for turning your kids into green thumbs!
Meet Melissa!
Westport Mom of six and co-founder of the world famous Melissa & Doug Toys, Melissa (and her husband Doug) followed their dreams in their early twenties to build something that made them want to get out of bed each morning. Decades later, this superstar mom has founded a different, yet equally life-changing company, Lifelines, to help those facing anxiety and depression have a community to be part of. After coming to terms with her own existential depression in recent years, she has dedicated her life to supporting others in need. Melissa loves time with her family, in another life may have been an R&B singer, and is terrified of cocktail parties, although she can speak in front of thousands without flinching! While Melissa has changed the world of children for the better for years, she is invigorated by now helping grown adults find their way. Thank you Melissa; your bravery knows no bounds.
Meet Jess!!
While the last year has made some people want to run away from the kitchen, Jess Larit – mom to three girls here in Westport – has found the kitchen, cooking, and sharing her beloved recipes – a safe haven during this time. Whether It was cooking an easy dinner her family looked forward to, a sweet treat, or a yummy cocktail, Jess loved creating in the kitchen, and finally launched A Sprinkle of Sweet as a way to share her recipes with her friends, community, and whoever might be interested! Some fun facts – Jess was born in Holland, was a D1 tennis player in college, reads two books a week, and has her masters in school counseling. She can’t live without pizza, and is currently spending a lot of time creating other can’t live without recipes you may want to try! Check It out – we promise you will not be disappointed!
A Return To Sports After The Pandemic
As we all anxiously await the end of this dreadful pandemic, we look forward to what 2021 will bring us. Hear from Dr. Joshua Frank at OrthoConnecticut what he has learned over the many years in sports medicine about a sudden change in activity in terms of increasing the risk of injury!
Meet Wynter
If this last year has taught us anything, it’s that spending excess time with family can be HARD (while simultaneously wonderful), and also that we owe It to ourselves to pursue work that fulfills us. A lifelong actress and mom of two, Wynter’s newest movie, G-D Committee (featuring Julia Stiles and Kelsey Grammar) comes out soon, and most recently, she has also decided to pursue a long-time interest to become a family and marriage therapist and will start school this fall! Wynter left LA 12 years ago to join her husband in CT, and hasn’t looked back. She has loved the lazy mornings of this past year and enjoying her husband’s cooking, though longs for the days of travel and time with girlfriends! Thank you Wynter for reminding us all to take care of us; while it’s not always easy, it’s more important than ever!
The 2021 WestportMoms Day Camp Guide is HERE!!!
At long last, the 2021 Summer Day Camp Guide is HERE! To make things easier for you, we have broken the guide down into three sections: 1) FEATURED CAMPS, 2) ALL AROUND CAMPS, and 3) SPECIALTY CAMPS! HAPPY CAMPING! **If you run a camp program and would like It to be included, please email us anytime at info@westportmoms.com!
Important Event on How Divorce Impacts Children THIS Wednesday!
40% of children who live in the United States will experience parental divorce before they reach the age of 18. This is a sad and staggering statistic. For those of you who may be going through a divorce or thinking about one, please join Ferro & Battey LLC & Hayvn Coworking on Wednesday, February 24th, 2021 at 730pm for an interesting panel discussion via zoom on How Divorce Impacts Children. Hear from a lawyer, marriage therapist and someone who can share what she learned from her own divorce and what mistakes NOT to make. Register HERE!
Ready for gorgeous hair? Madison Reed Hair Color Bar is now open in Westport!
Say goodbye to harsh ingredients, and hello to beautiful hair color. Madison Reed Hair Color Bar is now open in the heart of downtown Westport! The Hair Color Bar concept is designed to deliver stunning salon-quality hair color, that is both affordable and convenient for time-pressed individuals, with ingredients they can feel good about. Get 20% off when you book with code “WESTPORTMOMS!” Check them out today!
Let’s Light up Westport Together!
We LOVE Westport, and that’s why we are thrilled to launch our first ever “Light Up Westport!” We partnered with Ali Dorfman of Purpose 2 Purchase (@purpose2purchase) to create “The Light Up Westport Appreciation Project,” a fundraising initiative where members of our community can send luminaries and personalized notes of gratitude and friendship to friends, local businesses and first responders. We have all been through so much in the past year and even small gestures of appreciation can have a huge impact on community pride. On February 4th at 7PM, all participants will be asked to place the luminary in front of their homes, stores or headquarters so we can light up this incredible town TOGETHER. 100% of proceeds will go to Filling in the Blanks, a local non-profit that helps fight childhood hunger by providing weekend meal bags to local children in need.
Feel Instantly Happier
January and February aren’t the easiest months under normal circumstances. In most parts of the country, it’s cold, the days are shorter, and by the end of January the luster of New Year’s resolutions has worn off. Of course, these aren’t normal circumstances at all. We’ve emerged from 2020 into a new year that doesn’t look all that different from the last one. But we’re committed to staying as positive as we can, and are looking towards the future when things are finally closer to normal. In the meantime, we scoured the research and picked 9 easy ways to feel better—today.
Introducing Our FIRST Westport Whisperer!
In the spirit of finding bright light during this dark time, we would like to introduce “Westport Whisperers,” a NEW initiative focused on featuring amazing humans in our community who are doing something special for our community or the world around them behind the scenes. We would love YOU as our community to help NOMINATE these people simply by emailing us anytime at info@westportmoms to let us know who you think is a Westport Whisperer, and why they should be featured! This month we are featuring Annette Norton of Saavy + Grace Westport, owner of the cool, funky place with unique gift items at all prices points tucked under the old Tavern on Main on Main St. Thank you Annette for all you do for Westport!
Superbowl Recipes – TOUCHDOWN!!!
Calling all CHEFS! With Super Bowl 2021 coming up next weekend, we all are looking for some fun new recipes given those Superbowl Parties are likely not happening in the traditional way this year! Thanks to Robin Barrie (@robinbarrie) for some new, healthy takes on the traditional GUACAMOLE and CHILI!
25 Tips and Activities to make Being Home (or Quarantine) Fun For Kids!
As winter is truly here with subzero temperatures, we are all looking for fun indoor activities to keep our kids busy! Huge thanks to Big Life Journal for some great ideas to get us through these long weekends and days! You can do this!!!
Meet Lauren Barnett
For any parent out there who has ever tried to find the right therapist, specialist, or plan for meeting one of their children’s needs, you can likely attest it can be overwhelming, scary and incredibly expensive. Enter Lauren Barnett, Westport mom of two girls who spent her career as a school counselor and Camp Director, fiercely dedicated to helping tweens and adolescents find self-confidence in this challenging world we live in. Most recently, she launched Family Consultants of Westport, an elevated mental health support service, to help expedite and streamline emotional and behavioral health care access by generating a roadmap of treatment options and viable providers for each family’s unique needs. Essentially, Lauren is there to help hold a parent’s hand through the process of figuring out what their child needs – and how to access It. Some fun facts about Lauren – she has written a novel in the voice of a 12 year old girl that remains unpublished on her bookshelf, she loves pizza and Schitt’s Creek deeply, and she has never even considered a different life path than the one she’s on – it’s always been her calling. Now more than ever, we could all use a little extra help navigating the world our children are living in, and knowing Lauren is there is a true gift to us all.
January Mocktails!
If you’ve committed to Dry January, you might be in the market for a good mocktail right about now. Sure, a sparkling water with dinner or an herbal tea post-bedtime can do the trick, but these 12 options will help mix things up. We’ve rounded up options for whatever you’re in the mood for—sweet, spicy, refreshing or warming.
