Meet Gena! - Westport Moms

How old are your kids and how long have you lived in Westport? My kids are 14, 13, 9, and 2 1/2. We have lived in Weston for 11 years after leaving NYC.
What has been the most difficult age with your children to date? What helped you overcome the challenges at that time? The most difficult age was probably when we first moved here with just my 2 boys. They are only 15 months apart, were 3 and almost 2 at the time, my oldest has autism, was all over the place, and they suddenly had so much more space and freedom than when we were in an apartment in the city….it was hard to keep track of them in a house:) When we moved, my oldest started school at the Early Learning Center (Weston’s integrated special ed preschool) and we met an amazing group of parents in similar situations to ours and began to build a community of families we felt comfortable being around with our kids..
What is your favorite family activity to do in Westport or the surrounding towns? Our favorite activity by far is going to the beach! Compo is truly one of the biggest reasons we moved here. We all love it there; my kids love the calm water, and the french fries at Joey’s are addictive.
What is your proudest mommy moment? My proudest mommy moments are any in which I get four kids out of the house to go anywhere and everyone is dressed somewhat appropriately and not complaining. The bar is set very low:)
What’s your can’t live without beauty product?  Glossier haloscope….i searched forever for something to make me look dewey and fresh on very little sleep and i’ve found it!
What’s your favorite restaurant in town for a family dinner? A night out with friends? With the kids, it is only Sakura…at 5:00…at Table 2. My son with autism will only sit at that table and if i tell them in advance, they will always accommodate us….all of my kids love the food and my husband and i do too. With adults we love The Cottage (if we can get in) and if we are last minute and haven’t made a reservation somewhere, we love Pontos Taverna in Norwalk-the most delicious and healthy-ish Greek food
What is your most marked characteristic? From the moment it dips below 50 degrees until about April, you will find me in a hat-beanie, pom pom, anything to avoid brushing my hair in the morning
What do you most value in your friends? My friends really have to “get” my kids….we have a unique crew….it is hard for us to go to other people’s houses and do a lot of the social things that families do with young kids….the people i am closest to understand this, accept us, and usually hang at our house!
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other moms? As much as I love Instagram, it is frequently not real life….don’t compare your life or your family to the perfection you see in those little squares, give yourself a break:)
How did you end up where you are now in terms of your job, or whatever passion project it is you might be doing? I spent 10 years working as a Photo Editor in New York City for Elle, O, The Oprah Magazine, and CosmoGIRL! I left magazines shortly after my second son was born and my oldest son was diagnosed with autism at 2-years-old.   My partner, Carissa Tozzi, (who lived in the same town as me when we were kids and worked with me at CosmoGIRL! ) approached me about a year ago with a project she had started working on, a design-inspired lifestyle and shopping platform for children with all kinds of special needs. Even though I had just had my fourth child and wasn’t really ready to take on launching a company, I felt like what she was doing felt thoughtful and “cool” and shopping and sourcing these things online is something I was spending a lot of time doing anyway! So we partnered and have been working on growing wolf + friends and building our community ever since!

For Wolf+Friends’ most recent post on furniture to keep kids with Autism and/or ADHD safe, click here.

For more information on Wolf + Friends, visit them at:  www.wolfandfriends.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wolfandfriends.shop
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wolfandfriends.shop/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wolfandfriends/

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