December 8, 2014 10:07 am Meet Bridie Loverro! Mother of 3, Writer, Co-Founder of QuadJobs.com
What do you love to do with your children? How old are they? And what is your greatest wish for them?
Our children are 6, 4, and 2. Favorite activities include dancing, building and cooking with them. Reading books to them at bedtime is one of the highlights of my day. I love the coziness of snuggling into a chair or bed together, enjoying a good story, and it doesn’t hurt that they are freshly bathed and in pajamas. My greatest wish for the kids is that they feel good about who they are.
When and where are you the happiest?
After I’ve exercised and/or meditated and am just chilling at home with family and friends. Sitting in front of a great plate of food. Walking around Riverside with John. Watching my kids play.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I’d love to drive cross-country.
Who has had the biggest influence upon you? And what quality do you most admire in a mother?
My parents. My mom and dad are full of integrity and kindness. Growing up, our household was relaxed and very loving. My dad is a deeply compassionate person, and talking with him always puts me in a good mindset. He and I share the “entrepreneurial bug” and feel passion about starting things from scratch, so that’s been fun for us. My mom truly has her priorities in order. She is good to the core. I love that she can enjoy herself no matter what is on her plate. I admire mothers who maintain a sense of humor. Putting a perfect meal on the table is less important than creating an environment in which everyone wants to be at the table.
What do you like to do for fun?
I love to read, cook, spend time with family and friends, run, go to the theater, and do yoga. Last year, I took a Transcendental Meditation course in Norwalk and it’s had a good impact on my outlook and stress level. When the weather’s nice, I am a fresh air junkie and force my family to take it all outside. We love taking the kids to Tod’s Point.
Besides motherhood, what other careers/ opportunities have you enjoyed?
The most exciting opportunity has been working with Betsy O’Reilly and Andra Newman to launch QuadJobs.com last month. We’ve got nearly 2000 college students in Fairfield County and Westchester County signed up already and they’re so thrilled with the local jobs coming through the site. Local small businesses are hiring our students for the part-time or seasonal help they need, or even just for a project or two. Families are able to quickly and easily reach a great network for babysitting, tutoring, organizing, cooking (culinary students), coaching (kids love spending an hour or two learning skills from a varsity athlete), or moving furniture. Like Uber, QuadJobs tracks every job a student takes and gathers performance reviews from employers. So when you hire a QuadJobs student, you see a full track record of the work they’ve done in your community. It also helps students when they graduate—every job they take really counts.
What is one of your favorite books? Movies?
My favorite authors include Nabokov, Dawn Powell (if you liked Rules of Civility, read Powell’s books!), and Wally Lamb. My friend gave me the book Einstein’s Dreams, which I LOVED (thank you Hillary!) I recently read Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and The Sense of An Ending by Julian Barnes, both really rich and memorable novels. We don’t get to watch movies these days, but we love to whip through great TV series like Downton Abbey, Mad Men, Friday Night Lights, and House of Cards.
What do you feel is one of your strongest qualities?
I am a heartfelt cheerleader and feel so proud of the people in my life.
What is your favorite type of food and what do you love to cook?
I naturally lean toward a vegetarian diet. Right now we’re eating more red meat and spinach-y type stuff because I’m anemic. This time of year, I like to make soups, stews, warming stuff to counter the new chill in the air. I enjoy making a full breakfast for the kids before school. I like making simple stuff—long recipes scare me. I got a recipe for granola from The Sentimentalist (www.lindleypless.com) and it has become a breakfast staple, with blueberries and little yogurt. So good!
What is your favorite time of the day and why?
Going to bed early is the new sleeping in. There is no chance of sleeping in with our two year-old, so it’s a good feeling when I can call it an early night and read in bed.
Where is your favorite place to Party with Moms and what’s your favorite drink?
I like J House. It’s right around the corner, and during the warmer months, I love the outdoor area for drinks. But my favorite place to gather with friends is on one of our couches. The conversation gets much more interesting when you’re at home. This summer, my drink of choice was a Dark and Stormy. Now I’ve moved on to red wine and sometimes John convinces me to have a scotch.
Bridie Clark Loverro is a Co-Founder and Partner at QuadJobs.com, an online marketplace based in Fairfield and Westchester Counties that connects college students to local jobs (from babysitting to office work). She has worked as a book and magazine editor and written for the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and New York magazine. Her novels Because She Can and The Overnight Socialite have been published in 19 countries. In 2006, she co-founded Blue State Coffee. Bridie graduated from Harvard College.