Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in Houston?
I’m originally from Caracas, Venezuela. I arrived in Houston on December 2016
Child(ren) and Age(s)?
I have one 16 months old boy and I am pregnant of a baby girl; the due date is September 11
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I´m also part Italian, my grandfather was born in Italy so my siblings and I have the Italian nationality; By coincidence, my husband´s father is Italian too.. so when we started dating we were always speaking and dreaming about learning the language. After getting married we decided to move to Rome and take a 4-month Italian language course. Now we can both speak and understand the language a lot. We try to teach our son Spanish and Italian so hopefully he will be able to speak three languages in the future (or at least understand hahah).
Favorite local things to do in Houston?
We love to try different restaurants during the weekend and taste different types of food, we consider Houston has an amazing culinary life. We also love to go to children´s friendly bars and take our son to different parks around the city.
Do you have a favorite family friendly restaurant in the area?
Yes, we love Tinys N5 because the kids can play around while we eat, also we like Axel Rad a lot.. the pizzas are amazing…and Flo Café Paris at Rice University for an informal breakfast because the kids can run and play around the gardens or bike around.
What is your go-to activity for yourself for pampering or for fun?
I usually go every 15 days to get shellac manicure and pedi and I really enjoy it…it makes me feel fresh and renew. I also love to get a haircut and hair conditioning every two months… I usually go to Studio 31 in Midtown. And definitely what I enjoy the most is having some girly time with my friends… going for a prosecco or just a quick lunch.
Funniest shortcut/routine for helping you through parenthood?
During the weekends we give our son an extra bottle of milk in the morning, when he wakes up… that way he falls as sleep again…and we do so…LOL…
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
I just launched a Latin American concept boutique a month ago called the Nomad Shop. I bring monthly handmade and great quality merchandise from different designers of Latin America. it´s basically summer clothes like swimsuits, accessories, jewelry, espadrilles and also everyday clothes. My idea was to bring a different concept to the area and also to the city, not only for Latin people but also US citizen that enjoy that type of clothes and different shopping experience. The store is located in the Heights and we are open always during the week and by appointment on the weekends.
I also have a mom IG account called @mommy2go where I post everyday baby stuff, meals ideas, some tricks and brands that I usually use with our son.
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now? (this means the Houston neighborhood community).
I think the people and community from Houston it´s been very welcoming and friendly with us, even though we are not from here and we just have a year and a half in the city, the people are always willing to help and share their tips with us…we have also made lot of friends from our building, from random places and from our family´s friends… which is very nice … not only because it has been helpful during this parenthood process but also because it has had a good impact in our businesses too.
What is the best advice for juggling mommyhood and running a business (or volunteering, working, etc)?
WOW.. it´s hard to say… but now that I am running my own business with an 8 month and a half pregnancy and a 16 month baby I can say: Never stop your dreams because of your kids or pregnancy…instead of doing that…make your kids be the engine of those dreams… never think that is not a good time.. just do it and enjoy the moment.
What would you tell the old “You” before you had kids?
¨Don´t worry too much about little things.. just enjoy life as it is¨
¨You don´t have idea of what real and pure love is until you have a child so don´t waste too much time after finding the right person to have kids¨.
Follow her here
@thenomadshoptx (boutique)
@mommy2go (mommy lifestyle)
Thank you so much!!!