COURTESY OF ILLANA LEBERSFELD
How did you build your
large social media
following? It didn’t happen
overnight. When I first started
out, it was aslow process. I
kept on posting things that
were relevant to my audience,
things they could relate to.
Little by little my
followers increased. My friend
told me to giveitayear. Iwas
in disbelief that it would take
that long, butitdid. You need
to build up people’s trust and
interest and then it takes off.It’s
pretty amazing.
Favoritethingsto
do in and around
Livingston,
Millburn and
ShortHills? There are so many great things
to choose from. The list would be amile long!
Between volunteering at my children’s
schools to frequenting local restaurants and
services, it’s great that I don’t have to travel
far to find anything Ineed.
What did a typical day in your week look
like before the coronavirus? A typical day
in my week was often abusyone. Ihavethree
daughters, ages16, 12 and11. After getting
them off to school, I would usually have a
meeting or a call for lmshmoms.com, a
meeting at my temple (I am on the board of
trustees and a co-chair of the ways and
means committee), a meeting for Washington
School (I am co-president for the fifth
grade). I also worked at Camp Stuff 4 Less,
conducting camp appointments (my
busy season is March-June).
Between meetings, I would run errands. I
enjoyed meeting my friends for lunch as often
as Icould. Friends are very important to me
and making “me” time is also amust. Then I
might have more meetings, phone calls or
appointments. In between everything, Iwould
try to postcontent on my site and social
mediahandles. When Iwas in the car, Iliked
to talk on the phonewhile going from place
to place, catching up with friends and family.
Before Iknew it, it would be time to pick
up my kids from school. After school, I would
usually be shuttling carpools to sports and
COME TOGETHER As part of the Local Moms
Network, lmshmoms.com provides resources
for parents throughout Livingston, Millburn
and Short Hills.
other activities. I try to make dinner a few
times aweek and have family meals. It was
often hard with everyone’s schedules, but if
we couldget one or two family dinners ina
week, that’s a win. Sometimes at night, I
would have a meeting,since I am also on the
board for the Millburn Soccer Club.
When everyone was settled down and
most of the homework was done, Iliked to
hang out with my familyand puppy. We
would watch Jeopardy and play along or talk
about everyone’s day. I also love reading.
Sometimes I have to wait until after midnight
to read, but it is important to have some
downtime.
How has the coronavirus affected you
and your family? My husband and three
girls have been hanging out at home since the
virus hit. The adjustment to social distancing
and virtual learning has been quite an
interesting one. We all miss our family and
friends. We have been relying on Zoom and
FaceTime to stay in touch with everyone near
and far. It’s greatthat we have these kinds of
resources, but virtual hugs are just not the
same as real ones.The outpouring of love and
generosity from the Livingston,Millburn and
Short Hills communities
has been humbling. The clap
outs, the virtual concerts, the
driveway and window artwork
and donations of all kinds is
incredible and
absolutely amazing. It warms
my heart to know that we live
in such a supportive and giving
community. My girls and I are
making bracelets to give to the
front-line workers and first
responders to thank them for
their courage and selfless jobs.
At lmshmoms.com, we are
reaching out to local
businesses and
restaurants and
helping them get
the word out
about the status
of their businesses —if they are open, their
hours, if they offer curbside pick up. At a time
like this, it is important to support local
businesses.
Being quarantined has made me realize
how much I miss my family, friends and
favorite places in Livingston,Millburn and
Short Hills. I miss lunches with my friends at
Nana’s Deli in Livingston, grabbing a cup of
coffee at Dunkin’ and shopping for my girls
and gifts at Kids atHeart.
I miss things that I usually take for granted
like running into ShopRite,getting my nails
done, cheering for my kids on the sidelines at
their sporting events,driving carpools and
believe it or not ... meetings. I especially miss
working at Camp Stuff 4Less. Ilove my job
there.I work with a wonderful group of people,
and it’s so rewarding getting kids ready to
go to sleep-away camp.
While this unusual experience has its
downsides,we have been finding some good
things that come out of staying at home.We
don’t have a crazy schedule, and the academic
stress is significantly less. We have family
meals every day, and we get to takewalks and
enjoy fresh air. Plus, we don’t have to get out
of our pajamas if we don’t want to. We have
learned to really appreciate the luxuries that
we have and how we won’t take them for
granted anymore. [But] we can’t wait to get
back out into the world and enjoy everyone’s
company and real hugs. ■
MILLBURN &SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE MAY 2020
17