BCM - How did your life change when you became a mom?

Nicole - Prior to becoming a mom, I worked as a fashion executive for Polo Ralph Lauren. In addition to incredibly challenging and interesting work, I wore 3” heels every day, had a swank office on Madison Avenue, traveled and had the most drool-worthy wardrobe ever.

Well, I still love fashion and cling to my style, but the 3” heels? They are only brought out on date nights. My life is still incredibly full. Now my fashion inspiration comes from the playgrounds as much as the runways—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

BCM - What has been your most memorable moment (s) as a mom?

Nicole - Any time I can travel with the girls. One trip that stands out was a trip to South Africa. Being able to show my children stunning natural beauty and expose them to amazing foreign cultures make me deliriously happy. Off the coast of South Africa we went out on a whale-watching cruise. When I saw my daughter view a breaching whale, well, it doesn’t get much better than that.

BCM - If you could give another mom or expectant mom one piece of advice, what would it be?

Nicole - Do it your own way. There is no such thing as a perfect mom. If you are shooting for perfection you are going to be sorely disappointed. I’ve picked a handful of things that I choose to be “good enough” at –crafts, baking, sewing—not for me. Instead, I play to my strengths, travel, outings, fashion (naturally) and sports. And never compare yourself to other moms. Sure, ask for tips and help, but know that you are on your own path.

BCM -  Momtrends is an amazing website with Trends and Tips that all moms can benefit from  -  What was the inspiration behind the site? 

Nicole - In 2004, when I was pregnant the first time, I waved bye-bye to the heels and Ralph Lauren office and made the jump to full-time mom and part time freelance writer. At this time blogs were just starting to explode. I started “mom blogging” for Babble.com covering baby gear and mom style news. While Babble is amazing in it’s own way, I wanted to do something different and I wanted it to be in my voice.

Momtrends was always meant to be an extension of my aesthetic. It’s a place for me to house all the brands, experiences and people that inspire me and make me want to be a more fun mom. It could be an easy and delicious recipe, a pair of shoes (yes, it always comes back to shoes with me!) that looks amazing and can withstand a mile-long walk to preschool drop off.

As the site has grown, Momtrends.com has morphed from a mom blog to a style-centric e-zine and that’s where I think it belongs.  We don’t chase celebrities, though we do make mention of them occasionally, instead we like to be ahead of even the celebrities when spotting trends.

BCM - What has been your favorite find? 

Nicole - Wow, that’s like trying to pick a favorite child. I’ll share a few recent passions—first, I’m addicted to make my own seltzer with the sodastream. It’s green, practical and cool looking—awesome. When it comes to baby gear, I’ve witnessed an explosion in stylish and practical gear. How a breastfeeding mom could live without a Bravado tank is beyond me! Design-wise I’m infatuated with my Berg bunk beds and with just about everything Appaman makes for kids.

BCM - How do you manage your work/life balance? Any advice for moms?

Nicole - Commuting is a huge waste of time that I avoid at all costs. I work from home and carry my laptop everywhere. Having a satellite office would be pricey and eat up time. Work from home if you can!

Yes, working from home has it’s distractions, but I’m very good about focusing on a task at hand when I only have a few precious hours to check off items from my to-do list. I thrive on my flexible and ever-changing schedule. That being said, something has to give. I average about 6 hours of sleep a night—not ideal. In order to keep my energy up, I maintain a healthy diet and am committed to fitness.

Mr. Momtrends and I have a standing date night—it’s essential to keep the romance going. I’m pretty rotten about Girls’ Nights. I’m trying to get better about fitting in my friendships. So as you can see, I’m still working on the balance thing.

BCM - What types of activities do you like to do with your kids ?

Nicole - We love taking advantage of the cultural offerings in NYC. I’m a huge fan of the off-Broadway kids performances. In fact, we’re off to see Dear Edwina next week. And we also love dance (just took the girls to Alvin Ailey) and music (we’ll also be going to see the Magic Flute at the MET). But we also love to escape the city. Travel is a major passion in our family; we are recharged by heading outdoors—and that means getting out of the city. In the summer we visit lakes and head to the beach whenever we can, in the winter we hike and ski.

BCM- What has been your favorite Big City Moms event to date? 

Nicole - Well, I have to say the latest Baby Shower at Met pavilion was great.. Those banners from Sam Simon—gorgeous! And you always have the best brands on hand. As a style sleuth, I really appreciate having all the coolest brands under one roof.

FUN FACTS
I'm totally obsessed with...

Nicole - The new macbook air 11” I think it’s going to be my Christmas gift
My biggest influence is....
Nicole - -the NYC streets. Want to see style? Just look out your window.
My favorite drugstore buy..
Nicole - Revlon brow tamer.
Product I can't live without ......
Nicole - Running shoes. My therapy.
My guilty pleasure is...
Nicole - -Downloading episodes of glee.
Favorite meal....
Nicole - A rare steak, sautéed kale and a big red wine.