Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in Houston?
I moved all over the world growing up, and I was determined to put down roots somewhere with my family. I finished law school in Dallas, and moved to Houston the next week to get married at St. Luke’s . . . that was almost 20 years ago!
Child(ren) and Age(s)?
We have 2 kids – 10 and 12.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I have a special needs child. The special needs community in Houston is amazing. We have so many resources here and so many incredible programs.
Favorite local activities to do in Houston?
I spend a lot of time with my kids at the zoo and at the many museums here in Houston. We love to picnic and make a day of it. We also love the McGovern Gardens – it’s a great picnic spot in the center of it all.
Do you have a favorite family-friendly restaurant in the area?
We love Pizzitolas’ Bar-B-Cue on Shepherd. It’s the best barbecue, and it’s family owned and operated. The staff is amazing, and some of them have been there for over 30 years. My kids always finish with banana pudding!
What local places do you go to for pampering and/or mom’s night out?
I love the events at Hanh Gallery. Hanh has painting classes, floral design classes, and a tablescape design class held at her gallery space. She instructs a hands-on activity and has lots of food and wine . . . it’s such a beautiful space, and doing an activity with friends (and wine) always ends up with so much laughing. I love grabbing a friend I haven’t seen in a while to go and reconnect over an evening of fun.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
I own and operate Clean Moving Crates with my husband. We rent plastic, stackable rolling moving crates as an alternative to traditional cardboard moving boxes. Clean Moving Crates provides clean, sturdy, environmentally friendly reusable plastic stackable moving crates so that our customers save money and time for a hassle-free move. As an owner operated business, we promise exceptional service, quick response times and timely deliveries with a smile. For a hassle-free move, simply pack, stack and roll our crates to the moving truck. We can also deliver packing supplies with your crate rental. You can order online at cleanmovingcrates.com, where we have suggested package sized for any size of home or office. You may also order packing supplies to be delivered with your crate rental package. Our crates are great not just for moves, but also for remodels and reorganization projects. We’d love to extend a 10% off discount for all West University Mom followers – use code WESTU10 when booking through our website Clean Moving Crates or feel free to call us at 832-388-4262.
How has the Houston community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
Houston is an amazing place to start a business. The people are so friendly, and Houstonians are so ready to help each other. I love the naturally encouraging and supportive nature of this town. I’ve lived here for almost 20 years, and have raised my children here, and it’s all those people I’ve met along the way that have pushed me along in our business.
What is the best advice for juggling mommyhood and running a business (or volunteering, working, etc)?
We often hear about how great moms are at multi-tasking, but I think sometimes that puts too much pressure on us to be a perfectly perfect walking three-ring circus. I try my hardest not to multi-task kids with work. Sometimes it’s inevitable, but I’ve found that trying to mix kids and work at the same time just produces poor work product and grumpy moods for everyone. I try to block time just for work or just for kids, and that way I can give both 100%. It’s like that saying “you can have it all, just not all at the same time.” And ask for help! Call on your mom friends to help because they get how hard it is to juggle it all!
What would you tell the old “You” before you had kids?
Jump into things, and make lots of mistakes . . . it’s the only way you’ll learn. Before I had kids, everything had to be perfect all the time. I was afraid to step outside of my comfort zone. My kids have shown me that the only way to learn is to be fearless and to try new things. Learn from your mistakes, laugh it off, and move on!
Funniest shortcut/routine for helping you through parenthood?
I get my kids to wash their hands by telling them they’ll get worms. It’s horrible, I know. . . but they don’t really care about germs so we’ve used the “you’ll get worms” to get them to wash their hands. It’s also great for those times when they let the dog lick them obsessively, or when they want to “share” food with the dog, or pet stray dogs . . . gotta watch those worms!