Lifestyle
Meet Jen (of Jen Terra Travels)
Whether you’re dreaming of travel – or beginning to think about that first (Covid-safe) trip after a long hiatus, Jen is your girl! After a lifetime planning trips for her own family and friends – and a career in the insurance industry – Jen decided to follow her passion and launched Jen Terra Travels, a business where she helps people plan everything from weekend trips to multi-week adventures! Mom of two girls, Jen is thrilled to be back on the East Coast after a short stint in Dallas. Jen loves sourdough bread, her evening cocktail, and one day dreams of doing stand-up comedy, despite having stage fright! If you are still considering planning a spring break or summer trip, and want to do It right, contact Jen and make those dreams a reality!!
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.
Superbowl Recipes from Moms we Love!
Just in time for the big game, we asked some of the moms from around The Local Moms Network for their absolute favorite football recipes. From French Onion Dip to Chicken Chili, here are a few to try!
Superbowl Crafts
Whether your kids are into football or not, having something to keep them occupied during the big game can be clutch. All the adults will then be able to enjoy the action on the field (not to mention the commercials and half time show!). We rounded up 4 of our favorite crafts from around the blogosphere, perfect for game time or any time you need something to do (which, for most of us, is all the time). Pro tip: for toddlers, use plastic cups instead of mason jars, for obvious reasons.
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!
Stepping Stones Museum now offering Virtual Learning Experiences!
Moms looking for better virtual learning experiences will enjoy the playful learning approach offered by the Stepping Stones Studio. Starting in February, families can enjoy the Every Day Fun content they’ve come to love at the museum virtually delivered by passionate STEAM-team educators, plus special guest appearances and community partner videos that help children make connections to the world around them. Click here to learn more.
Secret Letter Activity for Toddlers – A Total Winner!
Need a fun activity to make it through these long days – or even just to nap time? You have to try this secret letters activity – your little learners will love it! It’s a combination literacy and art activity and that’s a whole lot of fun in one simple project. It’s the perfect way to pass the time!
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!!!
This Valentines Day, speak your dog’s love language by giving them what they truly love!
How often are you impressed by one dog walker holding 5-10 leashes and maneuvering through city traffic? Do you ever wish that your dog can be a part of these walks? At Active Dog, they give your dog freedom to be what they truly are- a dog! Their off leash hikes allow your pup to run with their friends (or alone if they choose!), sniff to their heart’s content, swim, and of course, get the most loving and personalized care from our dedicated and experienced hikers. FREE first hike if you mention LOCALMOMS!
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.
5 Minute Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Mug Cake
Looking for a quick sweet treat to get you through the long winter days? Check out this delicious 5 minute Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Mug Cake!! And you likely have ALL the ingredients you need (especially if you have some over-ripe bananas!)
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.
2021 Health & Wellness Guide is HERE!!
The WestportMoms 2021 Health & Wellness guide is here!! Though this year may not be quite what we expected, it is undoubtedly time to think about YOU! Whether you need new ideas for what to cook each night, some CBD to help you sleep, or even someone to help you organize that closet or garage, we have you covered! We all spent 2020 making sure everyone else was feeling ok- now it’s your turn!!!
Meet Ilana
Motivated to eat healthy foods after losing her mom at a young age, Ilana, mom of two girls, started experimenting with recipes for delicious feel-good treats in her kitchen as a new mom! When she somewhat accidentally sold over 250 orders of her famous OatMEAL cups, she decided to take things to the next level. Three years ago, she left her job in the legal world and founded Stylish Spoon, a company that makes “feel-good” treats that are gluten-free, dairy free, soy free and full of plant-based ingredients you can pronounce! Ilana moved to Westport during the pandemic and never looked back, loving beach nights at Compo, driving outside the city, and long outdoor power walks. In another life she might have been a private investigator, but for now she is loving devoting time to growing her business, and being a mom in the suburbs! You will be blown away by how delicious – and filling – these treats are; we are so thrilled to have Ilana in our hood!! Ps. Use code “Westportmoms” for 15% off any online order AND visit The Granola Bar to try Ilana’s OatMEAL cups sold individually starting this month!
What to Consider when Traveling (or planning travel) during the Pandemic
Are you ready to start planning future travel but totally overwhelmed by the new travel landscape? Check out this post by local travel advisor Jennifer Terra Halberg for her advice on what to consider when planning travel within the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Whether you are ready to plan travel – or just dreaming about it, these are tips you won’t want to miss!
Getting Divorced During Covid
If you are thinking about divorce, ready to start, or frustrated that your divorce case is not proceeding in ways you would like, you should know that It is possible to initiate, work through, and finalize a divorce during COVID. And you will not even have to go to Court. Hear from Divorce and Family Lawyer, Carole Orland, how her office – CT Family Law – is handling these cases regularly, and with positive results! You are not in this alone.
Winter Recipes that are easy – and delicious!!
As we all need new recipes to get us through the long winter ahead, we turned to local mom and nutrition expert, Robin Barrie Kaiden for some of her best! See below for two favorites for right now! For more from Robin, visit her website, and follow her on Instagram (@robinbarrie)!
Meet US! (Melissa & Megan)
As we near our 4 year anniversary running WestportMoms, we thought we could share a few fun facts about the two of us! If you are new to this community, WELCOME and we are thrilled to have you! If you have been along for the ride, THANK YOU; your support and ideas have meant so much! To a wonderful 2021 – and a lot more Wine, cake, Diet Coke, and chocolate I guess?=)
Fun “Staycation” ideas to get you through the Winter!
Bummed about being home so much this winter? We hear you. So many of our us are feeling pretty isolated right now, skipping ski weekends, not visiting family and friends, and with limited to no travel planned anytime in the near future. We hope these “stay-cation” ideas give you inspiration for the weekend and weeks ahead, and the rest of the winter.