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 Jillian’s Mom Life.

Jillian is a travel-loving, busy mom of twins. She also finds time to write at 219momma.com. Read on to hear all about Jillian’s Mom Life and some great tips for parenting, mom hacks, and weeknight meals.

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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.

Today we’re hearing all about Jillian’s Mom Life!

Jillian is a mom of 5-year-old twins. She has so much on her plate – I don’t know how she does it all! She is an ordained minister, realtor, and financial advisor. Even with all that, she finds time to write at 219Momma.com and be an awesome Momma! Jillian’s Mom Life is so interesting, so let’s hear from her!

Jillian’s Mom Life

Tell us about your family:  

My partner Jeff and I have 5 year old twins Henry & Claire.  They turned five in February and time has gone by too quickly. 🙂  We live in a little city in Northwest Indiana just 45 minutes outside of Chicago.  We both were traders in Chicago and decided to move back to the area to be around family after the twins were born.  I have multiple sclerosis so we were worried about my health after the babies arrived…but I was so BLESSED to have a wonderful pregnancy and afterwards no flare-ups and I still feel super strong and healthy today :)! Today I am a realtor and a financial advisor and Jeff is also a realtor focusing on investment properties. I’m also an ordained minister 🙂

My family and I LOVE to travel. My twins have already been to more locations in the U.S. before age of 5 than I did before 27. [In] May we take them out of the country for the first time to Ireland and we are so pumped to see this beautiful country.

Rant over!  I love my little family, my life, and travel/exploring 🙂

As a mom, what is the best part of your day?  

First thing in the morning when I get my kids up.  They are always so sleepy and cute and usually not crabby 🙂

3 Words that describe your parenting style? 

Silly, a little sarcastic, & lovey.

What is a parenting rule you never break? 

I don’t want to say never because when my kids are sick I break this rule, but from day one the twins did not sleep in our bed. It was overwhelming to have to little babies in our bed so we chose to keep them in their rooms.  And we were right next door so I went in there A LOT IN THE BEGINNING and I still check on them a ton 🙂  It really saved us because they love their beds and their rooms and have been sleeping 10+ hours since 5 months old.

What is a parenting rule you always break? 

Weekend bed time.  I feel like they work so hard and play so hard during the week that 8 o’clock bedtime isn’t necessary when they get to sleep in the next day.  I usually let them stay up if we are doing a movie night or they are playing nicely with one another 🙂

How do you prioritize family-time and me-time? 

I make sure that I do yoga at least once out of the house during the week. I also make time to spend with my girlfriends…..They make my heart happy and I love hearing about their lives and helping them if they are struggling with a decision or something else.

What is your go-to, easy weeknight meal? 

Chicken tacos made with tomato sauce and diced tomatoes with green chilis, a quiche with anything I have in my fridge (super easy to make and I alway have frozen pie crusts in my freezer) or BREAKFAST FOR DINNER!

What is your favorite family activity? 

TRAVEL or just hiking somewhere in the area.

What advice would you give new moms? 

I actually just heard this on a podcast the other day….. Even though we are all exhausted every night at the end of the day, try to realize that even though this nightly routine can feel like a task or a job (dinner, clean up, school stuff, bath time, teeth brushing, changing in pjs, etc) this is your life and you are living it now.  Try to put a smile on so your kids remember it fondly and not mom being crabby and tired and yelling at everyone.  Try to make it your favorite part of the day.

*****I want to just side note that with I’m exhausted every single day usually – I think my MS gives me more exhaustion than I like to give it credit for and I get crabby because I feel like I do everything in the home and it’s never done.  I’m not giving this advice like I’m the calmest serene mom out there – quite the contrary.  I lose it sometimes but I am working hard every night to try to find different ways to calm myself so my kids can see me happy 🙂 even with all the tasks/jobs moms have to do.

Do you have a “Mom Hack” you can’t live without? 

Grocery pick up – We started this a few months ago and I LOVE not having to go to the store each week.  We order groceries every Sunday night for pick up Monday morning…..You may have to plan a little bit to have dinners etc but It saves me so much time.

What is your best Mom money-saving tip?  

I use Ibotta app.  Gives you money back on purchases from all your favorite stores!

Do you have any tips for staying on top of household chores? 

Man I’m struggling with this as of late.  I try to put away something as soon as I’m done with it and now that my kids are getting older they are starting to really listen to me by putting their clothes in the hamper right side out which is HUGE!

Do you make a point to stay healthy and fit? If so, how do you fit it into your busy lifestyle? 

I try to run a mile or row a mile at least 3 times a week and yoga once outside the house.  I stretch all the time because it helps my back.  I got my kids a yoga kids book so it teaches them yoga poses and that gets me moving 🙂

Family Travel: What is your favorite spot or family travel memory?  

I have so many but I would say Estes Park Colorado. We DROVE to Colorado from Indiana with the twins, stayed in a tiny-ish home for 3 days in Fort Collins, then camped in Glacier Basin National Park one night then stayed with our best friends from AZ and their 4 kids in a cabin in the Rockies YMCA……SOOOO hectic but so amazing.

Do you have a can’t-live-without Mom/family products to share? 

We try to use more organic products when it makes sense and try not to use medicine for everything.  We swear by Maty’s organic child mucus cough syrup during the cold/flu season.  It has all natural stuff in it and it really works with giving the twins medicine all the time.  

We love Maty’s cough syrup and chest rub too!

A huge thank you to Jillian for sharing her mom life! What an adorable little family! I personally am looking forward to trying out some of these easy weeknight dinner ideas!

If you enjoyed reading about Jillian’s Mom Life, check out last week’s Mom Life Interview.

I loved reading about Jillian’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.”