Meet Heather! - Westport Moms

How old are your kids and how long have you lived in Westport? My daughter is 9, my twin boys are 7 and we moved to Westport from NYC in 2011. We love it here!
What has been the most difficult age with your children to date? What helped you overcome the challenges at that time? I think every stage has its own set of challenges. With 3 kids so close in age and also the same sex twins I sort of blacked out the first 2 years. Everything was crazy and chaotic all the time. BUT the amazing part of the younger stage was my kids were very scheduled and napped a lot so in terms of trying to multi-task I had some more down time then I do now on weekends. Now, my kids are a bit older. The challenge is they all talk at the same time! While we don’t have diapers or as many middle of the night wake ups, all three needing our help on homework or just the attention they all require is very challenging. I always heard bigger kids, bigger problems and I now understand that. When your kids are tiny you worry about milestones like one of our twins walked at 8 months and the other at 18 months. But now it’s one making travel soccer or one not being invited to a birthday or kids being mean at school. The issues and struggles just change. We always try to stay calm and we try to have at least 3 family home dinners a week where we can talk without any distractions (no phones allowed), and it helps to keep our family centered.
What is your favorite family activity to do in Westport or the surrounding towns? In the summer, we love hiking, being on the beach, our boat, or at our country club. In the winter we are a huge skiing family and we love Sundown and Mohawk for local quick ski trips, and Vail and Telluride when we go West.
What was your most memorable family vacation and why? We take our kids on a hardcore sailing trip every year. My husband is our captain and our kids learn how to fend for themselves – big weather and all! Our favorite destinations are Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Cuttyhunk.
What is the best white lie you have told your kids? When my daughter was two we always used to put her to bed and then slip out for dinner, leaving her with a sitter. Until one night she woke up sick and saw we were gone so that was the last time that worked!
What is your proudest mommy moment? My proudest mommy moment was watching my daughter nail her first floor routine in competitive gymnastics. She is so brave and works so hard and watching her on the podium getting her medal, I was BEAMING with pride for her.
What’s your favorite app right now- for you- and for your kids? My favorite app? I would say is the health app on apple. I love to see how many steps I take (especially since I run with my phone). It is fun to see how you wrack up the steps doing nothing- food shopping, errands etc.
What’s your can’t live without beauty product? Jenn Falik is my beauty-product-guide. This is NOT a plug. She just knows everything and everything she recommends is gooooood. My latest obsession is lashboost by R+F. I have also used the Sultra Wand curling iron for a few years and- it is the best way to get your hair to look like you have had a blow out without actually paying for it.
What’s your favorite restaurant in town for a family dinner? A night out with friends? Little barn for family dinner. Whelk for party time or date night 🙂
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? I am a competitive long distance runner. I have competed in races since I was 13, I have run 10 marathons and countless half’s. I placed 2nd place overall female in last years Sono half marathon and ran the Boston Marathon last April.
If you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted – what would you do? I would run 10 miles, take a yoga class, get a foot massage, get a pedicure, and THEN I would lay on the couch the rest of the day and binge out on movies with my kids, husband, dog and order in sushi. That would be the PERFECT day!
What is your most marked characteristic? Driven.
What do you most value in your friends? It’s simple. Real, supportive & low maintenance.
What is your greatest regret? Not taking a longer maternity leave. I went right back to work three weeks after all my kids were born and I wish I had more time with them when they were babies.
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other moms? Make sure to take care of you. Whatever it is that makes you feel good. Whether it is eating well, going for a quick walk, foot rub or a mani. Even if you have a baby without help you can put them in the stroller and get out and move. Once you take care of yourself you are a better mom and wife, and you manage your stress way easier.
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’ve always loved food and finding healthy, balanced foods that actually taste good. I turned my passion into a career by becoming a nutritionist. In my early twenties, I started a nutrition and weight loss center in NYC and since then I’ve literally taught thousands of people how to lose weight and keep it off for good. I have found this to be a very rewarding job as most of the people that I see arrive frustrated but are soon relieved when I walk them through my simple and sensible system. I now offer my program, which is called The Food Fix, online. The Food Fix comes in 3 flavors: 1) Do-it-yourself, for those that need a plan but don’t need support 2) Group, for those that want a plan + professional guidance and support and 3) Private, for those that want the ultimate in personalized diet and attention. Plans start at $39 and you can learn more at foodfix.me. Westport Moms get 20% off my DIY or group plans. Use the code COMPO18 at checkout.

Join The Westport Moms Community

Stay up-to-date with what is happening in-and-around The Westport, CT community with local events, community highlights, and exclusive deals.