Meet Cortney Zieky
I’m so excited to be here! I’m an Arizona born, fitness fanatic, foodie, loving life in Austin, TX! I’m married to my soul mate, Max, who I was lucky enough to meet in Las Vegas over Halloween weekend in 2005. We had instant chemistry at a chance encounter at The Paris Hotel and vowed to keep in touch. The only problem was geographical, I lived in Arizona and he was based in NYC for work. We ended up chatting on the phone {multiple times a day!} and frankly fell in love the old fashion way. {A prehistoric time before text messaging and DM’s. ha!}
We officially said I Love You on our first date in NYC, took a chance on each other and moved to Austin in 2006. We were engaged and married soon after, and the rest is history! Sometimes you have no idea where life will take you and I think that is so amazing! Before kids, Max and I spent most of our time traveling the world, attending weddings {almost weekly} and sipping margaritas by the pool.
Now that we are a family of four, we cheer on our kids at soccer games and dance recitals, head out on family adventures, and skip away for Sunday morning dates at Soul Cycle and June’s All Day.We are blessed with two energetic, high-octane kids, Zander (6) & Zia (4). Zander is our angel straight from Heaven! My pregnancy with him was extremely difficult. I was on and off bed rest, and had a 2 week stay in the Antepartum unit before our 4 lb preemie was delivered via C-section at 34 weeks. We spent our first ten days as a family of three in the NICU, navigating wires in the incubator, teeny tiny diapers and noisy beeping monitors. Looking back, it’s all a bit blurry, {And not at all what I planned!! What happened to my natural birth?!} but I’m so grateful our story has a happy ending! Zander is an old soul who naturally understands the true meaning of life. He’s kind, friendly and so generous. He’s a lover of people and man, he’s an athlete!!
Zia came along in 2014! She is the daughter I’ve always dreamed of! She’s artistic and musical and always after an audience. Together we are usually baking, getting mani/pedi’s, making smoothies or shopping! {We adore grocery shopping & farmers markets!}
During my “me-time” I love a good cardio session! You name the type of movement and I’ve tried it! I try to mix things up, but am most often found at cycle class, running in the sunshine or at Barre3. When I’m not working out, I’m listening to the GOOP podcast, reading cookbooks and trying new recipes on my {guinea pigs} family!
Health and fitness have always been important to me, but after motherhood I kicked it up a notch! As babies, Zander & Zia loved fruits and veggies and were excited about trying new textures. It all seemed so easy, until it wasn’t…Fast forward to the toddler/preschool years, full of weekly birthday parties and play-dates and suddenly they craved only processed foods with little nutritional value. I gave into the cheddar bunnies, fruit snacks, and chicken nuggets to keep the peace {and avoid the constant tantrums}, but then I had a realization…. I would never eat these foods on a daily or weekly basis, so why am I buying them and serving them so regularly to my kids?! I am the parent, and I have control of what comes in our home, or what is ordered at a restaurant. It is my job to teach my children how to nourish their bodies from within. How to pause and give thanks for a meal, at the table, over real life conversation!
With this realization @happydinneratx was born and my mission to do better {80% of the time!} began. Through Happy Dinner, I’m seeking to inspire health, a love for wellness among families, and honor the importance of family meal time. I believe Mothers are better together! Let’s share what works, the good and the bad, lift each other up and pull the magic out of each other!
I can’t wait to connect with you through the Austin Mom’s Blog!
