Momster is FamilyCircle.com’s community site. Every day on our blog, we’re dishing the latest food, parenting, home, style and health news—plus giving away great freebies. In our discussions, moms of teens and tweens can connect to share stories, advice and problems (no matter how big!).
Caren Oppenheim, Assistant Editor
Favorite book read in high school: The Great Gatsby
Early bird or night owl? Night owl
No-fail get-happy song: “Raise Your Glass” by Pink
Biggest guilty pleasure: 90210 (the original!) reruns on SoapNet. Love those ’90s fashions and hair styles!
Sweet or salty? Usually chocolate, but I LOVE chocolate covered pretzels or potato chips. They’re the perfect combination of sweet and salty.
Cassie Kreitner, Editorial Assistant
Favorite ice cream flavor: Welsh Farms Birthday Cake
Favorite book read in high school: The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling or The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
Most memorable vacation: Skipping school during my senior year of college for ten days in Costa Rica
Movie I can’t resist when I stumble across it on cable: Anything with “Wedding” in the title (i.e. The Wedding Date, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Wedding Planner, Wedding Crashers)
No-fail get-happy song: “What a Feeling” by Peter Luts & Dominico
Celia Shatzman, Associate Editor
Favorite ice cream flavor: Birthday cake, because you get cake and sprinkles and ice cream
Favorite book read in high school: A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole—it’s still my favorite book!
3 things I can’t live without: puns, hyperbole, irony
No-fail get-happy song: “Gigantic” by the Pixies
TV show I can’t miss: 30 Rock—Liz Lemon is my alter ego.
Darcy Jacobs, Executive Editor
Favorite book read in high school: Choosing one is impossible—have you seen my office?!
3 things I can’t live without: Now if I don’t say husband and kids what kind of mom/wife would I be—and then do they count as 1 or 3?
Biggest guilty pleasure: Chocolate layer cake. In fact, almost any cake or chocolate item.
Character trait I most value in others: Can-do
No-fail get-happy song: “Burning Down the House” by the Talking Heads
Dori Katz, Beauty Editor
Early bird or night owl? Night owl—early mornings are tough!
Biggest guilty pleasure: Definitely shopping. I confess to being a complete shopaholic, but am pretty good at finding sales/bargains!
Character trait I most value in others: Honesty
TV show I can’t miss: Friday Night Lights and The Good Wife
One thing I’d like to accomplish in the next five years: Run a half marathon at a cool, fun destination.
Heather Eng, Web Editor
Favorite book read in high school: Candide by Voltaire
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: Ballet, several times a week
Most memorable vacation: Nicaragua with my sister, especially our 9-hour climb up and down a muddy volcano in running sneakers. (We invested in hiking boots after that!)
No-fail get-happy song: “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z
One thing I’d like to accomplish in the next five years: Become proficient in Spanish—I’ve already taken a few lessons and picked up a little while traveling in South and Central America.
Jennifer Ash Taylor, Managing Editor
Favorite ice cream flavor: Can’t choose just one. Strawberry, pistachio and cookies and cream are just a few.
Most memorable vacation: Paris in April
Character trait I most value in others: Honesty
The last time I was surprised: My baby shower
The last thing I lost: One gold earring
Jonna Gallo Weppler, Articles Director
Favorite book read in high school: Catcher in the Rye
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: ZUMBA!!!!!
Biggest guilty pleasure: Watching Storage Wars on A+E
No-fail get-happy song: “Modern Love” by David Bowie
Movie I can’t resist when I stumble across it on cable: Dirty Dancing
Judy Prouty, Home Style Director
3 things I can’t live without: A TV in the bedroom, a Swiffer floor duster and Ciao Bello Passion Fruit sorbet.
Sweet or salty? I’m a spoon-in-the-ice-cream-carton-at-midnight kind of person and I’m hooked on Haagen-Dazs coffee.
Character trait I most value in others: I’m not inherently funny so I love anyone who makes me laugh.
Most memorable vacation: Istanbul for the exotic interiors at Topkapi Palace.
Movie I can’t resist when I stumble across it on cable: Rear Window—for the quintessential New York apartment view and glamorous Grace Kelly.
Julie Miltenberger, Senior Food Editor
Favorite book read in high school: Anything by Stephen King
Most memorable vacation: Visiting friends in Australia
Biggest guilty pleasure: Jalapeño poppers
Movie I can’t resist when I stumble across it on cable: Better Off Dead (or anything with John Cusack)
Sweet or salty? Salty
Karmen Lizzul
Favorite book read in high school: Oh boy. Ok I am going to be honest here: Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: I bike to work on my new Brompton folding bike.
Movie I can’t resist when I stumble across it on cable: 13 Going on 30
One thing I’d like to accomplish in the next five years: Publish my novel; Get a major motion picture made out of it; Marry John Hamm (hey stranger things have happened!)
3 adjectives that describe me: Creative, fun, spirited
Linda Moran Evans, Beauty & Fashion Director
Favorite ice cream flavor: Chocolate peanut butter
Favorite book read in high school: Pride and Prejudice
No-fail get-happy song: “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake
Most memorable vacation: Bareboat charter in the British Virgin Islands with my husband and 3 kids. Best ever.
The last thing I lost: Favorite sunglasses
Lisa Kelsey, Art Director
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: Swimming, preferably open water
Most memorable vacation: A two-month tour of the great museums of Europe after I graduated from college.
No-fail get-happy song: “Superfast Jellyfish” by Gorillaz
How I hope people describe me when I’m gone: A good mother, wife and friend
3 adjectives that describe me: Curious, passionate, zaftig
Lisa Mandel, Digital Director
Favorite book read in high school: Jane Eyre
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: Pilates reformer classes changed my life! Love ‘em.
Most memorable vacation: Trip to Israel with extended family to Bar Mitzvah my sons.
No-fail get-happy song: “Hey Jude” by the Beatles
Movie I can’t resist when I stumble across it on cable: Sleepless in Seattle
Megan Bingham, Editorial Assistant
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: I’ve never met an elliptical I didn’t like (can’t say the same for treadmills).
3 things I can’t live without: Family gatherings, homemade pie and any excuse to wear high heels
No-fail get-happy song: “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Ray
Biggest guilty pleasure: Eating French fries with a hearty helping of fry sauce—an indulgence that reminds me of home.
Movie I can’t resist when I stumble across it on cable: Return to Me. It’s a love story set in an Irish Italian restaurant. Who could resist?
Melissa Knific, Assistant Food Editor
Favorite ice cream flavor: Salty Caramel from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio
3 things I can’t live without: Burgers, books and Burt’s Bees lip balm
No-fail get-happy song: “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard
TV show I can’t miss: No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain
One thing I’d like to accomplish in the next five years: Expand my knowledge of bread making
Michael Tyrrell, Associate Food Editor
Favorite ice cream flavor: Cookies and cream
Early bird or night owl? Early bird
Most memorable vacation: Positano, Italy
Movie I can’t resist when I stumble across it on cable: Moonstruck
Sweet or salty? Salty
Nicole Zigmont, Assistant Designer
3 things I can’t live without: Coffee, my computer, art
No-fail get-happy song: “Kids” by MGMT
Character trait I most value in others: Ambition
TV show I can’t miss: Chuck
One thing I’d like to accomplish in the next five years: To grow substantially in my career
Paula Chin, Senior Editor
Early bird or night owl? Both—I love naps!
TV show I can’t miss: Mad Men—love that hunka hunka Don Draper.
Favorite ice cream flavor: Haagen-Dazs Mango Sorbet (does that count?). More mango-y than mango!
One thing I’d like to accomplish in the next five years: Snorkel and swim in the Galapagos with my daughter (she’s now 10).
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: Outside, on earth not pavement, no ear buds!
Regina Ragone, Food Director
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: Yoga
Early bird or night owl? Early bird
3 things I can’t live without: Bread, cheese and wine
Biggest guilty pleasure: Cuddling with my cats
Character trait I most value in others: Authenticity
Robb Riedel
Favorite ice cream flavor: Rum raisin (I know it’s such an old-man flavor, but I love it.)
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: I co-captain an ice hockey team (Go Wizards!) and run in Central Park
No-fail get-happy song: “Our Lips Sealed” by the Go-Go’s
Most memorable vacation: Renting a house on the beach in Vieques, Puerto Rico with eight of my friends
Biggest guilty pleasure: Drinking coffee in bed on weekend mornings
Samantha Bednarek, Associate Art Director
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: Running and Bikram Yoga
3 things I can’t live without: My iMac, the beach and french fries!
No-fail get-happy song: “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey
Movie I can’t resist when I stumble across it on cable: The Notebook—can’t resist an evening with Ryan Gosling!
One thing I’d like to accomplish in the next five years: Travel cross country
Stephanie Emma Pfeffer, Senior Associate Editor
Preferred MO when it comes to exercise: Running to boxing class
Early bird or night owl? I like the nightlife, baby.
One thing I’d like to accomplish in the next five years: Write a book. Or three.
3 adjectives that describe me: Inquisitive, indecisive, insatiable
Sweet or salty? Salty. And cheesey. And crunchy!
Stephen Saint-Onge, Contributing Editor
Favorite ice cream flavor: Ben & Jerry’s Heath Bar Crunch
No-fail get-happy song: “In The Mood” by Glenn Miller
Biggest guilty pleasure: Chocolate chip cookies and milk
Character trait I most value in others: Creativity
One thing I’d like to accomplish in the next five years: Publish the children’s book my son and I wrote and illustrated.
Tina Anderson, Photo Director
Favorite book read in high school: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Biggest guilty pleasure: Real Housewives of [Anywhere] on Bravo
3 things I can’t live without: Chocolate, coffee, wine
3 adjectives that describe me: Decisive, independent, enigmatic
One thing I’d like to accomplish in the next five years: Play classical guitar
