How old are your kids and how long have you lived in Westport? My daughters are 19 and 17. I have lived in Westport since 2005 but spent many summers here as a kid. In fact, when I was little, my favorite restaurants were The Clam Box and the salad bar at The Peppermill.
What has been the most difficult age with your children to date? What helped you overcome the challenges at that time? Raising kids who are the first generation of tweens to have cell phones and then personal computers for school has been a challenge. In the future there will be more apps to give parents control and limit screen time so hopefully it will get better but it has been challenging having my kids be the guinea pig generation.
What is your favorite family activity to do in Westport or the surrounding towns? We love the beach, hiking on one of the trails at the Aspetuck land Trust, kayaking, going to The Levitt during the summer, enjoying the various activities at The Westport Historical Society and most of all eating take out Indian food.
What was your most memorable family vacation and why? We all agree that Costa Rica was a really fun vacation because we love seeing wild monkeys, eating coconuts right from a tree, surfing and doing yoga on the beach.
What is the best white lie you have told your kids? When my kids were little I told them that broccoli were trees from a miniature fairyland and that is why broccoli is so delicious.
What is your proudest mommy moment? It’s great when someone comes up, unsolicited, and tells me that my child did a great job on something or was thoughtful or kind.
What’s your favorite app right now- for you- and for your kids? I am a very visual person and I love pictures so instagram is fun, though I have a hard time finding the time to do it.
What’s your can’t live without beauty product? I have a computer tan, meaning no color at all in my face from long hours working. Therefore, blush makes me look almost human.
What’s your favorite restaurant for a family dinner? A night out with friends? We love Spanish food so it has to be Barcelona! Probably The Whelk for a night out with friends.
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? When I was a kid I grew up in a NYC apartment. I once had 2 cats and 13 kittens. I also had four pet ducks, a rabbit, 3 fish, a dog, and a lizard that got away. Not all at once though.
What are you most excited about in life right now? I really love writing and illustrating Pinkalicious books and working as co-executive director on the TV show Pinkalicious and Peterrific on PBS Kids. The goal of the series is to empower kids, to bring out their creativity and to teach kids that anything is possible. This is a message that makes me feel good and motivates me every day.
If you weren’t doing what you are today, what do you think your career path might have been? I would be a happy gardener.
If you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted – what would you do? I would like to be with the people that I love. We would go on a run or a hike, garden, or do something creative, and of course eat something delicious, then watch an old movie. A perfect day would include a sweet little morsel of chocolate between each activity.
What is your most marked characteristic? Probably my very silly sense of humor.
What is your greatest regret? I try to forgive myself and not have regrets but sometimes I’m still haunted by the original set of Cherner chairs in perfect condition that I passed up at an estate sale a decade ago.
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other moms? Everything is so much better in life when you get to sleep for at least 6 hours in a row. Seriously, joyful living is all about the Zzzzzzz’s!
How did you end up where you are now in terms of your job, or whatever passion project it is you might be doing? When I gave birth to my daughters I became inspired to write and illustrate stories that could entertain them and connect with what they were going through in their lives. I wrote Pinkalicious as an April Fools’ joke and sent it to my friends and family telling everyone that my daughter had turned pink after eating too many pink cupcakes. Some folks who knew just how much my daughter loved the color pink and pink cupcakes were very, very concerned. I turned the April Fools joke into a picture book, which turned into a book series consisting of more than 60 titles, which became an off Broadway Musical which is now a TV series. Cleary when it comes to pink, I am passionate!
Victoria Kann is the new works times number one bestselling author and illustrator of the picture book series featuring the whimsical and effervescent character, Pinkalicious. She is also the co-executive producer of the TV show, Pinkalicious & Peterrific, on PBS Kids. Victoria co-authored and illustrated the first two books, Pinkalicious, Purplicious as well as the play, Pinkalicious The Musical. She wrote and illustrated Goldilicious, Silverlicious, Emeraldalicious, Aqualicious, Peterrific, and is working on several more books about the adventures and antics of Pinkalicious. You can find out more on the website http://www.thinkpinkalicious.com/ and follow Victoria on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pinkalicious/.
