I am so excited to be kicking off my Q&A series with one of the most awesome women in my life, my beautiful cousin, Sarah. Outside of my own siblings, she was my first friend and while we are cousins, our relationship is more sisterly. She is creative, vibrant, engaging and has a great sense of humor. If you meet her you instantly feel her spark.

Bits + Pieces

Where do you live and with whom?

I live in West Bridgewater, MA with my husband, my 13 year old stepson and our 3 and 2 year olds.

If you didn’t have to work for money what would you do?

I would either renovate homes or buy and renovate a cool big space to hold weddings/events, and then manage those events.

What did you have for dinner last night?

Too much. We went to a wedding and I had delicious appetizers, a great chicken dinner and then more than one dessert.

Choose five words to describe you.

Hmm, funny, outgoing, sassy, sarcastic, hardworking.

What keeps you up at night?

The zombie apocalypse (no kidding, I don’t even watch The Walking Dead, I just listen from the other room frightened) and my stepson’s iPhone overuse and pending teen years, and everything related to Donald Trump.

What inspires you?

So many things…music, the ocean, but mostly creative people around me.

What do you do for “me time”?

Drink wine with friends, go to the beach. 

Some of Your Favorites

What book are you reading right now?

“Oh Crap Potty Training”, really riveting stuff.

What song or album are you playing on repeat right now?

Typhoon “A New Kind of House”. It’s really good. But also, it’s the only CD in my car. So yea, if I don’t want the radio and my husband isn’t streaming something then it’s the only thing I hear when I’m driving. For like 2 years. Yikes. I just joined Spotify (yes yes, I’m a late adopter) and I made a playlist with The Weeknd, Radiohead, Marion Hill and Sylvan Esso, I care for it a great deal.

What is the one beauty product you are obsessed with and would recommend to all your friends?

Tarte Amazonian Clay Concealer. I’ve tried many a concealer, this one is the best. Also, girl – a top coat. I don’t get a mani/pedi that much these days. But whenever I do my own, people always compliment my work and it’s because of a decent top coat.

What is your favorite item in your closet?

I just got a great dress that I can wear sans bra. It’s a great green leaf pattern, very 60s. I’m into it.

Go to adult beverage?

Wine (Sauvignon Blanc) or gin and tonics.

Mom Questions

Give me three words to describe your life as a mother.

Crazy-town. Love. Work.

What do you currently do really well as a parent?

My kids go to bed. Every. Single. Night. They like sleeping, it’s safe and enjoyable for them, so they don’t fight and dread it. 8pm at my house is adult time and that is a beautiful thing.

What is something you wish you were currently better at as a parent?

Pretty much everything else. I wish I was better at getting out of the house. I swear it takes me an hour to put kids in the car.

Name a few things you miss the most about life before kids?

I miss being able to really engage in something and let it take over my life, like painting a room or going on a road trip. And doing that thing without worrying about dinners, and brushing teeth and balance. I guess that’s the thing I miss the most, before you have kids you can let your life sort of swing out of balance sometimes in a really fun way (sit on a stoop talking till 4am, remember that?) And it makes you feel tired and rich and educated in a way. With kids, you have a schedule that they really need. You can have fun and do adventures, but you still need to worry about meals, and bed, and brushing etc. Things that bring you into reality and quick.  

Can you tell me about something that you have experienced as a parent that you didn’t see coming before you had kids?

I guess I thought my kids would sort of be 40% me and 40% my husband and then 20% unique. And really I would say they are like 80% unique. I see things in my kids that are so weird and strong and brilliant and have nothing to do with us. And that makes parenting so exciting. This little human has so much to reveal to us and the world. You really become a believer of possibilities when you have a child. And what’s better than possibilities? Well, maybe sleeping in, but that’s it.

If you can name three traits you want your kids to have when they leave the nest what would they be?

The three things we work on every day (I remind them of before school drop off etc) are - KIND, COOPERATIVE and AWESOME. We gave this a lot of thought before implementing it with our kids, but really those are three real important traits. Be kind to everyone; not just people you feel are deserving of your kindness. Be cooperative in life; listen to the people that are teaching you, share with the people you spend time with, join in on things. And awesome; all the cool stuff that makes them them they should do a lot of that stuff. Stuff that makes them smile is awesome. So yeah, those are the three big things for me, for us. (Side note – I developed these three things because I hated hearing myself say to June “be good” or worse, “be a good girl”. Because truth be told – I don’t want her to be a “good girl”. I do however want her to be kind, cooperative and awesome.)

Give me one piece of advice that you would give a new mom.

If sleep is important to you, sleep train your kids. It is the gift that keeps giving every single night of your life. Honestly, I’m a pretty mediocre parent fully rested. I imagine I’d already be in prison if I did it sleep deprived for the last 4 years. Also, if you think your kids are ok, they probably are. If you think something is wrong, there may be. Listen to your instincts. Unless you’re crazy (like sleep deprived) and then maybe just ask your partner.