Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town?
I grew up and lived in Connecticut most of my life. I was born in Guatemala and moved to Stamford, CT with my parents when I was 7. Though I went away to College in Rhode Island and later NYC, I returned to Connecticut and settled down there once I finished school. My husband and I picked a small town in Fairfield County (CT) to start our family.
I have lived in Northwest Houston since last August and have really been loving the Houston Community and everything this city has to offer! Each area of Houston is so different and it is amazing to explore and learn something new each week.
Child(ren) and Age(s)? 3
We have a full house! It’s never a dull moment at home but I wouldn’t trade our energetic crew for anything, they are my whole heart.
Joseph, 6
Noah, 4
Isabella, 1
2 dogs
Baxter, 10
Luc, 10 months and growing – he’s 75 pounds so far!
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I was an extra in a Ryan Gosling movie, All Good Things. I was in my mid-twenties and it was really exciting! I took the day off from work and was hoping to meet him. The scene was a 70’s night club, Studio 54, the hair and make-up people made my hair look like a horrible beehive so I never worked up the courage to say hi to him. Luckily for my husband this helped our happily ever after story ; )
Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
There are so many people I feel extremely grateful for that have helped me in my Motherhood journey. Picking just one would be so hard because it really does take a village!
My husband is very hands on and really my biggest supporter. From our first baby, he has always made me feel like we are in it together. Though raising kids is hard, we really are a joint team with our decisions. I love that he is always quick to make me laugh when times get tough.
I have been very blessed to have some really good friends and older cousins that started their Motherhood journey before me. They really were so instrumental in showing me what healthy parenting looks like, showed me SO many mom tricks – from having our kids sleeping through the night, to potty training, and everything in between. Most importantly, being there when I needed a Moms night or person to talk to.
My Mom stayed with us when my first son was born. She was very hands-on which really helped me with my c-section recovery. She never missed a beat with doing dishes, laundry, and even forced me to take naps!
My mother-in-law has been super instrumental also, my husband and I have been able to take so many trips just the two of us thanks to her willingness to stay with our little crew 😊.
I’m also so grateful for my sister, though she doesn’t have any kids she really loves getting hands-on each time she comes over and my kids have grown to see her as a second Mom. She and my son’s pre-school teacher took turns staying with my 2 sons when my daughter was born. If it hadn’t been for my sister, I would’ve never felt at peace leaving two young kids at home while I recovered from a c-section at the hospital with my husband’s help.
I’ve heard the term “Mom Tribe” a lot lately and it really makes so much sense. I agree that it is so important to help Moms feel like they can go through this really hard but amazing journey!
Favorite things to do with your kids in Houston?
Astros Games!
The Houston Zoo, I love the elephants and my kids loved the dinosaur exhibit this past summer. McGovernn Centenial Gardens is awesome, I love how gorgeous it is and the kids have so much fun running around and going up to the top of the Mount.
Hermann Park is also great, they get so much energy out during our walks there and the Hermann Park Railroad is also a big hit with my family.
We are foodies!!! Our favorite ice cream spot, Sweet Bribery, is in the Heights.
We love Pizza and our favorite Pizza spot in West University area is Pizza Motus, it’s kid friendly and there’s also a playground across the street…my personal favorite is the burrata and that you can bring your own wine with no corkage fee; )
Favorite local things to do in Houston?
We are foodies and really love checking out the food scene in Houston while grabbing drinks during date nights. Our favorite place for date night is Kata Robata. Postino is a recent favorite and a good one when we feel a little more laid back but still want a knock-out meal.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
I’m the founder of Cypress Moms Network which will be launching this fall! For now, I have been running our social media while I work on the production of the website. I can’t wait to connect the Cypress Community with our local resources and events going on in our area. The community has been very supportive so far and I’m very excited for what the future holds!
Before moving to Houston, I was working full-time in a Finance role. My background since graduating Pace University, has been in Finance. I have worked in Finance roles at companies such as Jetblue, The Economist, and most recently a leader in the aviation field. When we moved, I stayed on with my company but changed my role to part-time (work from home) so that I could help my family with the transition. It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made, it’s really helped our family so much. I am really loving spending the extra time with our children and exploring our new city, it’s been an amazing blessing to be able to do that! Houston is so family friendly and there is always so much to do with the kids.
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
My husband and I both come from large families that we have a close relationship with in the Northeast. Being away from family, it really helps to find a good supportive community. We were pretty lucky to be plugged into a very supportive network once we found our parish. The priest at our local church introduced us to really good families that we have connected with and grown close to. The network of Moms from there have really helped me out so much and made my family feel like we were at home here in Texas.
Aside from that, we had our kids start sports right away and have met some really great families there as well. I also joined a Moms Club and have been plugged in to tons of fun play dates/family gatherings and Moms going through similar transitions.
What I have found since moving here, is that there are a lot of transplants willing and ready to share their experiences. The Houston natives are also extremely supportive and welcoming. It’s because of this whole embracing community that we feel like we can really settle down here and that we picked a good spot to move to. We couldn’t be happier to be here in Northwest Houston!!