Hey moms! Find all sorts of useful tips and parenting hacks from other moms just like you. The Mom Life: Real Moms Interview Series is a place to get support and advice from people who have been there… or are there. Today we’re hearing about Jenny’s Mom Life.
Jenny is a working mom of two with some wonderful advice for parenting and life with little ones.
This is a sponsored post in partnership with UrbanFarmhouseTampa. We also participate in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you don’t have Prime, you can try it 30 days for free here!
I love hearing advice from other moms. Learning tips from moms who are rocking motherhood is so inspiring to me! Moms who have tips for easy weeknight meals, creating family moments, cleaning hacks, money saving, family travel, and just Mom Life in general.
Jenny is a working mom of two girls who still finds time for her gorgeous blog, Love, Jenny. She has wonderful family and lifestyle tips and the most beautiful photos! So, have a seat with me as we read about Jenny’s Mom Life.
Jenny’s Mom Life
Tell us about your family
I’m a full-time working mom of 2 little girls, ages 4.5 and 1.5, and married to a fire fighter. With both Hubby and I having jobs with weird working hours, our life is loud, chaotic, and complicated. But we laugh a lot, love a lot, and play a lot.
As a mom, what is the best part of your day?
The best part of my day is between dinner and bedtime. On days that I work, that’s really the only time I have to kind of relax a bit and spend time with my girls. We play in the bath, watch TV, and cuddle. I love cuddles!
3 Words that describe your parenting style?
Loud, laid-back, and no-nonsense. I yell too much (mostly to be heard over the noise, but plenty of times out of exasperation), and don’t tolerate disrespect or bad behavior. But I also know that kids will be kids and like to give them the space to do just that.
What is a parenting rule you never break?
Bad behavior is NEVER rewarded. Ever. And I follow through on my threats. Even if it means I punish myself (like having to leave an experience I was excited about, stay home instead of going out, whatever). My kids know I mean business and not to mess with me when I’ve had enough.
What is a parenting rule you always break?
Clean your room before bed. I don’t ALWAYS break this rule, but I’m definitely not super strict on it. Because, frankly, sometimes Mama is too tired to deal with it, so it will have to wait until morning.
How do you prioritize family-time and me-time?
Family time is easy for us. We have dinner as a family every night and we do lots of things together. Go to the park, go out to eat, visit the zoo. I enjoy finding things for us all to do together. Me-time is harder. I’m not very good at prioritizing myself. When I do have a few minutes alone, I usually end up cleaning or working on the blog or a DIY project. One of my goals for this year is to carve out more time to myself to just rest and relax, but it’s going to take work.
What is your go-to, easy weeknight meal?
Thankfully, my husband does most of the cooking for our family, so this isn’t something I have to worry about a lot. But if he’s on shift and we’re not eating leftovers, one of the things I make the most is just plain white rice that I top with a couple fried eggs. So simple and my girls LOVE it! Even Little Miss I-Hate-Dinner-And-Won’t-Eat-Anything literally does a happy dance when I make it!
What is your favorite family activity?
We love to go to the park as a family. This girls run and play, and because Hubby and I can divide and conquer, we can relax a bit more and play with our kids instead of one person trying to keep an eye on both.
What advice would you give new moms?
Babywear! Babywearing was such a lifesaver for me when the girls were tiny because life doesn’t stop just because you have an infant. Dishes still need to be washed, laundry still needs to be folded, the house still needs to be cleaned . . . and it can seem impossible to do when you have a baby that wants to be held all the time. Just strap them to your chest and now you’ve got two hands free to go about your business! This was especially helpful for me when I was shopping (which is usually without Hubby’s help) because then I didn’t have to try and navigate the whole car seat/shopping cart situation.
How do you balance work and home life?
I’m fortunate that, at my job, work stays at work. I don’t bring it home and I work set hours, so there’s no getting home late or anything like that. As for balancing working on my blog and home life, that’s trickier. I try to do as much blog work as I can while the girls are napping/doing quiet time. I also, every few weeks, will send them to the sitter’s on one of my day’s off so I can have some time to get things done.
What is your best Mom money-saving tip?
If you can, make your own baby food. I promise, it’s easier than you think and can save you a ton of money!
Do you have any tips for staying on top of household chores?
I’m not the best at cleaning my house top to bottom on a regular basis, but there are a couple things I do to make the house feel like it’s clean. Clean your kitchen every night and stay on top of putting things away. The entire rest of the house can be sparkling, but if my kitchen is dirty, my house feels dirty and I feel anxious. So, by consequence, if my kitchen is clean the house looks and feels not-so-bad, no matter when I last scrubbed the toilets. We also have a robot vacuum that runs every night, so we have to stay on top of keeping things picked up, so it doesn’t get in her way. Those two things together make the house feel clean, even if she is a bit dusty.
Family Travel: What is your favorite spot or family travel memory?
We’ve only just recently taken our first (mostly) family trip to . . . Disneyland! (We left the baby with my parents) Taking our big girl to Disneyland for the first time was AMAZING! We were able to make the whole experience extra special by booking a makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, attending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and doing a character breakfast at Goofy’s Kitchen. We all had a BLAST and made such great memories! We’re going back this fall, with our youngest this time, and I’m super excited to share the magic with her too!
Do you have a can’t-live-without Mom/family products to share?
Butt Paste! The one in the red tube. No joke, the BEST diaper rash ointment EVER. I give a tube at every single baby shower I attend. Accept no substitutes!
To hear more about Jenny’s Mom Life visit her site – https://lovejennyblog.com/ – it’s beautiful and you’ll love it!
I loved reading about Jenny’s Mom Life. Meet more moms and read their advice and experiences every Saturday! You can also find more Mom Life tips on our Mom Life Pinterest Board. If you’d like to join in on the fun, leave a comment below or send an email to exploringdomesticity(at)gmail(dot)com with subject “Mom Life Interview Series.”
If you enjoyed reading about Jenny’s Mom Life, check out last week’s Mom Life Interview.
Only registered users can comment.