HERE'S TO THE NURTURERS

For the mothers out there, it’s been a rough year. Sometimes no help with childcare, covid scares, children ALWAYS at home, figuring out how to occupy them, learning how to balance being a teacher/parent/partner/employee/chef all while trying to put on a strong face for the kids. Like I said, it’s been a rough year. This is why I wanted to celebrate and honor the nurturers. The ones that put themselves last and always tries to balance everything. Don’t forget no matter how much you think you are not doing enough, you are everything they need. Giving unconditional love is all that’s necessary for them to flourish, everything else is secondary. Because when they look back at these moments love is what lights up their heart.

This Mother’s Day I wanted to showcase some wonderful mothers who represent strength, always support and uplift others and navigate life in their own unique way. I asked these inspiring mamas to share their mommy blooper moments because as mothers we all can relate — we all have them and the more we can find the humor in life the better. No mom is perfect, but you are the perfect mom for your child. Here’s to all those moments big and small that make you the special mommy that you are:

Denise Vasi - Mama, Wife, Founder & EIC of Maed

Best part about being a mom? Loving each other unconditionally.

Mommy-blooper moment: One night, I came home from a late dinner with another mom and her little girl and I had NO pull-ups. At 3 years old, a pull-up is definitely still necessary for bedtime. I searched everywhere! Every crevice of the house, every drawer, ALL my purses, the car, her babydolls, there was NADA! Instacart was done for the night. It was already super late for her to be awake, and she had school the next day, so I didn't want us to get back in the car just to go to a 24 hour pharmacy (of course, this happened when my husband was traveling).

I called my girlfriend and she said I should use a maxi-pad and that's when I broke down crying from laughter. I was a tampon (now a cup) gal. I didn't even have a maxi-pad! I ended up folding a super soft T-shirt, for absorption and holding it in place with a pair of very small biker shorts that hadn't fit me in forever. Now, when I buy diapers for my son, I always buy 3 packages at a time.

Britt Maren - Mama (wife, daughter, model, sweets lover, skincare junkie, etc)

Best part about being a mom? Having everything in life take on new meaning and purpose. I want to do and be better for my son, in any way that I can.

Mommy-blooper moment: Less of a blooper, but a reminder to go easy on yourself. After working hard to build up my freezer stash of breast milk, we gave my son his first bottle of defrosted milk and he freaked out & refused to drink it. I was so upset. Ended up learning a lot about the enzyme lipase and what it does to breast milk (look it up if you’re curious!).... lots of drama and stress ensued, and I was worried for a bit that my whole stash was useless. Long story short, we all adapted & everything turned out fine. In the end, it’s important to remember that fed is best!

Julia Vaughn - Entrepreneur Mom, Founder of Julia Vaughn Jewelry

Best part about being a mom? The hugs, the kisses, the unconditional love and watching my mini-me’s grow into their own best versions of themselves.

Mommy-blooper moment: One good thing that came out of being totally stuck at home last year was our commitment to potty-training and getting my little one out of diapers. With that said, my three old (like most other threenagers) is completely sticker-obsessed. I used a reward system whenever she asked to go to the bathroom and had stickers stashed to dish out for being a porcelain super-star. This one time I had forgotten that I had given what was left to my 8 year old daughter for a virtual school project and when the time came to hand over the goods, I came up emptied handed and all hell broke loose. The wrath of a woman is one thing but of a toddler? Terrifying! Thinking fast, I saw a little canister of Hello Kitty band-aids out of the corner of my eye while turning the house inside out, handed them over proclaiming they were SUPER-SPECIAL stickers for only the best. In the end, my toddler was placated but now I get this look from her whenever she gets “regular” stickers and not the super-special ones. Sigh.

Niya Joy Parikh - Mom + Manager of PR & Influencers at bareMinerals

Best part about being a mom? One of the best things about being a mom is seeing my son’s face light up from across the room as soon as he sees me! I love being that familiar safe space for him. And while I know one day he’ll be independent and running around exploring his little world, right now there’s no better feeling than seeing him smile and holding onto me when I wrap my arms around him.

Mommy-blooper moment: We try to only listen to happy pop music around my son. One day he was on the floor playing on his playmat in our bedroom when I really had to pee. To entertain him a bit and knowing I’d be super quick, I put on his favorite Cocomelon song that I had saved to my Spotify playlist. I guess I took longer than I expected because when I came out Wheels on the Bus had finished and my 5 month old was tummy timing to POPSTAR by Drake. Haha! Total #momfail

Latham Thomas

Best part about being a mom? Seeing this little person helped create a journey through life with me. It’s a privilege to help guide Anaïs along her path and I’m so grateful.

Mommy-blooper moment: Well Anaïs is 10 weeks today but at 8 weeks she was extremely fussy one day so when that happens I put her in her baby carrier and walk around the house until she sleeps. I decided to go outside on a sunny 75 degree day and take a short walk. I thought I was safe enough to get fresh air in my neighborhood without a baby bag while she slept — wrong decision. I walked 5 mins and she decided she had to poop, so much so that it absorbed through her clothes and started travelling down her left leg. So now I’m forced to walk back home with a poopy baby that’s still sound asleep. Safe to say I never leave home without the baby bag.

Shani Hillian - New Mom & Holistic Esthetician

Latham Thomas - Mother, Founder of Mama Glow

Best part about being a mom? Being a witness to my son’s development and supporting him along his life’s journey is a great gift. My son is almost an adult, so our relationship is evolving and I get to see how he is becoming more self-actualized. I’m days away from watching him graduate high-school and that’s another milestone I am thankful for.

Mommy-blooper moment: One of the biggest lessons I have learned as a parent is about deep listening. Every human being needs to feel seen, heard and have a sense of belonging. Our children thrive when their needs are met. No one can tell you how to parent your child, you have to learn by listening. When we listen, observe, we learn how to best support our children they in turn, blossom.

Jaspreet Narula Chawla - MOM and CEO of Long Island Design Professionals

Best part about being a mom? Truly the best thing about being a mom is feeling your true self around your babies. You are yourself in its most raw, selfless, unfiltered form just like our picture. Your traits are often carried down into your children and that is a pure joy to see yourself in them.

Mommy-blooper moment: When I was a little girl I never dreamt of my wedding or thought of my kids' names. I always internally knew those things would happen when they were meant to be. When I got pregnant, I was too excited not to find out the gender I was carrying. So I did, to find out it was going to be a beautiful little girl. Culturally, still today we come across people that think having a certain type of gender makes you more or less of a person. All I ever wanted to do was raise good human beings never giving a thought to what gender I would bring into the world. I have faced things that I thought had faded in our generation but are truly still so relevant. I hope our kids can be the generation of true change to show there really isn't a difference in your gender but really just in the force you bring to the universe.

Shadoh Punnapuzha - Mom, Founder & CEO of Taïla Skincare

Best part about being a mom? The list is endless, but I have to say it’s being able to witness their smiles every day. Children smile from their heart with genuine love and happiness. It just makes me forget everything that happened after a crazy day at work and makes me realize how grateful I am to be a mom. The poops, the mess, the tantrums are all forgotten with that one smile.

Mommy-blooper moment: I got tons but I’ll go with my most recent one. Morning time, birds are chirping and my 4-year-old and I have completed our morning marathon to get out the door and skip our way to school through our tree-lined Brooklyn neighborhood. As we approached the block of his school, I noticed I have yet to spot one colorful scooter zipping by me. At the front of the school the door was shut and I try to yank it open with no luck. After checking my calendar I realize with amusement that there is no school today! The hour long roundtrip was not necessary but at least I got a nice walk in with my son. So I take my dressed and fed toddler home wondering how a schedule mishap like this could happen to a high functioning adult!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas out there. We are in this together.

Love + Light,