What a great honor! Thank you, Big City Moms; it’s so nice to be recognized. It’s not often that someone tells us moms we’re doing a good job — and that’s too bad since it’s such an important one! I share this honor with all the other hard-working moms out there. Keep up the good work, ladies
http://bigcitymoms.com/supermom.php (week of March 18th, 2012)

My interview at Big City Moms:

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

Sharon – It changed in every way. It heightened all my senses and emotions. Everything seemed more vibrant because I was seeing it through the eyes of my children. But everything also scared me more because I had a lot more responsibility (and no instruction manual!!) I love everything about being a mom.

BCM – What has been your most memorable moment (s) as a mom?
Sharon – Two years ago, my own mother passed away. My kids were all in elementary school and I was pregnant with Shiri. It was the first time my kids saw me so vulnerable. It was amazing to see them act so mature and grown up as they helped me during that difficult time. It taught all of us that Mom doesn’t always have all the answers and that sometimes I need their help as much as they need mine.

BCM – What has been the biggest challenge for you in motherhood. Any advice for new moms?
Sharon -The biggest challenge is that as moms, we’re often our own worst critics. My advice for new moms is to give yourself room to learn and make mistakes along the way. The world will not end if you don’t finish folding the laundry tonight or if you didn’t get a chance to make anything but leftovers for dinner.

BCM – Congratulations on your company L’ovedbaby What was the inspiration behind starting your company?

Sharon -One month before I became pregnant with my first child, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was only 45 at the time. It really opened my eyes to this terrible disease, and my research on it led me to make a vow to myself that I would nurse my future child(ren) until they were 1 year old. Finding it hard to do so discreetly in public settings led me to design a nursing cover for myself ( there were none out there at the time). With repeated encouragement from friends and family, I finally decided to start selling the cover, which we call the 4-in-1 Nursing Shawl because of the many additional uses for it that we discovered along the way. It was met with great success and became the impetus for a full line of baby/mom products. In memory of my mom, each year, we donate 100% of our May and October profits from the sale if our Think Pink nursing shawl to help fund breast cancer research; May because of Mother’s Day and October because it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

BCM – How do you manage your work/life balance?
Sharon -We’re lucky today because our phones act as portable offices. I can be at the park with the kids and still respond to a quick email if it’s urgent. I’m also lucky that I can make my own hours. But when you have your own business, sometimes that can turn into 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So, I really try to prioritize and always remember that I’m a mom first. That applies to how I divide my time between work and home, and also to how I make everyday business decisions. When it comes to product safety, quality and design, I always have my own children in mind. That’s why we safety test all our products, use only water-based dyes for our prints, and do minimal processing to our cotton. But the work/family balance is always a juggling act

BCM – What types of activities do you like to do w/ your children?

Sharon -Because our weekdays are usually so hectic and full of activities (homework, gymnastics, basketball, etc.), we love to just relax at home and with family and friends. We’re also big movie buffs, so movie night is a favorite at our house. All 6 of us curl up on the couch and eat scrambled eggs, toast and salad in front of the TV (yes, for dinner!)

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FUN FACTS:

I’m totally obsessed with…

Sharon -My hot glue gun. I could have built a house with it if I were stranded on Gilligan’s Island!

My biggest influence is…

Sharon -My mom, still.

My favorite drugstore buy is…

Sharon – lip gloss. But with 3 daughters, I can never find it the next day!

Products I can’t live without….

Sharon – my hair dryer and my phone.

My guilty pleasure is…

Sharon – chocolate with a cup of hot tea.

Favorite NYC restaurant…

Sharon -Pastis.