Meet our Moms: Vicki & Joy | Hudson County Moms

How many children do you have and what are their age(s)?
Vicki: I have 3 children with my amazing husband Craig, they are all adults now. We have2 sons, Austin 24 and Collin 19 and 1 daughter Viktoria 23. All three are active duty Air Force. Our son Austin has also blessed us with our first grandbaby Adelinna Grace who is almost 5 months.
Joy: I have 1 child with my wonderful husband Luis, she is 7 years old, her name is Sahanali or Nana as we call her. She is sassy and full of energy and has a huge kind heart!

How long have you lived in Hudson County? What made you decide to live here?
Vicki: Well currently I live in Jackson NJ, we moved there from Staten Island NY. We chose to move there because my mom and dad moved in with us and we needed a little bit more room. We have been there 9 months and like it very much.
Joy: I have lived in Bayonne for 10 years now. My husband and I chose Bayonne for our family because of the friendly, safe communities it offered. We love being able to walk to our favorite places. We loved it so much we convinced my parents and sister to move here too!!

What’s your favorite family activity in Hudson County?
We can answer this one together, we enjoy spending our time in the many parks that Hudson County has to offer. Our favorite is 1st St Park, Nana loves the Sprinklers in the Summer.

Where’s your favorite place to eat and/or shop in your town?
Vicki: I am a real foody, Some of my favs spots are Teddy’s Place, Double Batch Bakery, Squeezed and Mona Lisa’s. I enjoy shopping at The Little Boho Bookshop, and getting my hair done at Bombshell Studios.
Joy: I enjoy eating at Cibao Invita, Mona Lisa’s and Teddy’s Place. Hudacko’s and The Little Boho Bookshop are some of my favorite stores.

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Vicki: That I was a dancer and gymnast for 16 years!
Joy: That I am a very picky eater, people find it strange that I do not like avocado!

Something many people wouldn’t know about our Business is that Collin, Vicki’s youngest son came up with Our Business name and designed our Logo.

What are you doing to stay sane during Covid for yourself?
Vicki: I am very lucky to have amazing support from my family, they keep me grounded, lift my spirits when my day doesn’t go so great and make me laugh when I need it the most. I have made it a point to exercise more and take time to read more books. Joy and I worked harder to grow our business, which isn’t really work when you are in business with your best friend!
Joy: I spent time doing lots of crafts with my little mama, Nana. I picked up a new hobby of doing my own nails, and for our business, Vicki and I did lots of Live Sales and got to know our customers better and really created some great relationships with them, for that we are grateful!! They got our business through our shutdown and have been a huge support to us!

Any tips or recommendations for parents to entertain/educate their children during this time?
Oh, yes!! Keep them busy…doing crafts together, read together, bake some cookies. It is all about spending time together and giving them as much support that they need. Do virtual play dates with their school friends and video chats with relatives they might not be seeing. It is a whole new world for all of us these days so keeping it as “normal” as we can is important for us all.

Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
Vicki: 100% my parents and my husband’s parents. My husband is a retired Marine. He was gone a lot when our children were young, our parents helped me through all his deployments and training exercises.
Joy: My husband, parents and sister have always been my rock, I am grateful to have them all. We are also blessed to have Vicki and Craig as my daughter’s Godparents, they are a huge support to us and her.

Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world?
We own together Vicki’s Joyful Creations & Party Planners, located at 273 Ave C in Bayonne. It is a children’s and women’s boutique offering clothing, accessories, and custom items. We got started when we created a light up Tutu for a trip to Disney, then we started receiving requests to make them, then t-shirts and it just continued to grow.

How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
It is very simple, without them we are nothing. Our customers really are family, we know them, we know their children, they let us be a part of their special family moments. We are truly amazed how far we have come in only 2 years, and it is 100% because of our community, they accepted us from day 1 and continue to support us each and every day.

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