Today we have the ultra fashionable and adventurous writer and digital creator Janet Bloom on The Mag. Read all about Janet’s website, Curious G and Me, which is an insider’s guide to navigating NYC with kids, learn her best parenting advice, her recipe for naan pizza and so much more!

Tell us your story! We’d love to hear a little bit about yourself and your personal brand.

I am the Communications Director for a private school in Manhattan, and I am also a Digital Creator who started Curious G and Me two years ago because I was always that mom that everyone came to for the latest scoop on where to go and what to do. So, I created this insider's guide to cool and fun city adventures with kids, which has also evolved into a style guide as well. In fact, since we are currently experiencing a "new normal" we have also added homeschooling adventures into the mix! G, my five-year-old, and I are natural wanderers and we love to explore. Our home base, NYC, offers (offered) so much to explore, and also we love traveling outside the city to explore and report back on what we love. G is fiercely independent and kind of a boss—but she is also developing her love for music, books, fashion, flowers, and art just like me! So, pre-pandemic, we were always gallery hopping, trying new restaurants (and frequenting our faves), romping through gardens, and discovering new venues to satisfy our curiosities. She’s my partner in crime when it comes to music and style too, so now that we are sheltering in place, dress-up and dance parties are in heavy rotation. She’s even digging into my archives and styling my old clothes and accessories into her own little ensembles. She’s very creative, which inspires my blog posts and Instagram content for Curious G and Me. We are all about expressing yourself, exploring the world, staying authentic to yourself, and embracing as much color as possible.

How many kids do you have, what ages?

I have a five-year-old daughter.

What are three tips you can share for parents with creative jobs like yourself?

Be kind to yourself. Listen to your body. Your health and mental well-being should be non-negotiables when it comes to your list of priorities. Allot time for exercise that you enjoy. Allot time to indulge in something you enjoy. These time investments will pay off greatly towards any professional endeavor.

When you become run down and overworked, that is when the creative rut sets in.

Change up your scenery if you can. It will help to change your perspective and provide new inspiration.

Do something that intimidates you regularly. Our biggest roadblocks are often our own fear and anxiety, and this helps to chip away- or even break down- the barriers towards your goals.

How do you network as a parent and a business person ?

Pre-pandemic, events were such a fulfilling way to network. I love connecting in person and building relationships that way. I find that organic relationships have more of an impact personally AND professionally. I’ve met so many amazing women through these events that are both supportive and uplifting. We stay connected online these days. I have to adapt to socially-distanced networking!

What is on your to-do list for today?

Today, throughout the morning, I will be shooting an Instagram takeover for Joie, and shooting content for an educational toy that I just started working with. I love working on projects that blend seamlessly into our everyday lives—even during quarantine! For Joie, I’ll be shooting outside with my daughter so we will be incorporating our social distance exercise for the day. I’m currently a huge fan of scooting with my daughter. Who knew it was so fun!?

On a “normal” quarantine day, I start homeschool first thing in the morning, but we will start a little later today. We start with writing the date and going over the schedule for the day. Word post-its, Ten frame games, step by step drawing instruction, dance parties, a lot of reading, and fun science experiments are usually on our roster, but I like to discover new ways to teach my daughter. I don’t have a background in early education but I’m having fun creating my own curriculum since my daughter’s PreK Center doesn’t have a very vigorous one. I will definitely write a blog post about all the fun ways we have "home schooled" over the past two months. Disclaimer: there is yelling and crying involved on a regular basis. While it’s fun, it’s also a very trying process. I do not claim to be a teacher! It’s also hard to hopscotch from teaching to working throughout the day, which is usually the scene here from 8:30 am- 5 pm.

I’ll make a quick lunch- maybe naan pizza (which I discovered an abridged short cut recipe for that’s delicious--it's literally just 2 cups of flour, 1.5 cups of whole milk greek yogurt, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder mixed together, kneaded, and rolled out then fried). While I make lunch I always listen to my friend’s @hestaprynnmusic 's livestream DJ set on IG. It’s called Indoor Recess and it ALWAYS puts me in a great mood.

After lunch, I’ll tag my husband into the childcare ring so that I can lock myself into our bedroom and work on my projects for the school that I work for. Since we switched over to a Distance Learning program in March due to the pandemic, I’ve been busier with keeping the parents connected with the latest news and updates.

I’ll usually come out of the bedroom/office to make a quick dinner- coconut curry is my go-to- and facetime with family and friends. After G goes to bed I will read the news and/or catch up with friends. I’ve been reading voraciously, and sometimes stay up way too late reading. The Heart's Invisible Furies was very good.

Life is different now that NYC (and life as we knew it) is “on pause”. It’s actually been busier! We used to be on the go constantly—exploring our home base and traveling, but now I am homeschooling and working at the same time, and trying to stay connected with friends and family online. It’s non-stop in a different way.

Describe motherhood in one sentence.

Motherhood is frightening because I could never have imagined feeling such overwhelming and intense love and unconditional devotion in my life, and it is also the most gratifying learning experience ever.

Anything else you want to add?

Motherhood has been so inspiring and seeing the world through my daughter’s eyes has broadened my view of the world.

ALSO, we are currently in “on pause” mode due to the pandemic, and this interview would probably sound very different during “normal” times. We are extremely grateful to be healthy and together and to have the ability to shelter in place! But just putting it out there that we are not fully ourselves currently lol.

And finally, where can we find you?

o Website: curiousgandme.com
o Instagram: @curiousg_andme