Do you ever wonder other moms secrets? Like actual real beautiful day to day hard working moms? So often I see a darling one at the park and think wow, she looks so great! I wonder what she is doing so well. With that in mind I thought I’d begin a new series on ALFS – Everyday Moms. These are moms I know, moms that have been recommended to me, moms that inspire and are beautiful inside and out. Let’s peak into their lives just a bit, shall we?
Meet Kristin!
Location: Schaumburg, IL
Job: Stay at home mama
Kid(s): Luke (7), Zach (5), and Eliza (almost 3)
You’re in your closet – what do you reach for first? Either a pair of jeans and a t-shirt or a comfy pair of leggings and a long-sleeve shirt. I recently embraced the athleisure phenomenon (I know I’m so late to the game) and absolutely love my Zella high waisted leggings.
Hands down the one beauty product you can’t live without. Only one! Bliss Spa Lemon + Sage body butter. It goes on thick and soaks right in. And I just love the way this stuff smells. I don’t wear perfume, but the scent is so light and fresh.
Your daily moisturizer. Are you happy with it? I recently started using Rodan + Fields and the Redefine 3 step process and really like it. The am face cream has a built in SPF, so that makes me feel responsible. I also use Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer on my neck and upper chest.
Your nightly moisturizer. Are you happy with it? Again, I use the R+F Redefine 3 step process with the nightly moisturizer. I unfortunately don’t use it every night as sometimes my bed calls me before I have time to do my nightly routine, but when I do use it, I love it.
Something in your shopping cart online right now that you want to buy – budget is no limit. I have a lot of wishful things in my Amazon cart right now, but I would love a Kitchen Aid mixer. I’m not a huge baker, but my friends make these amazing cookies that I really want to try and word has it that you need a standing mixer to make them.
How do you feel your beauty routine changed when you became a mom? I’ve never spent a whole lot of time on my beauty routine, so I don’t think it’s changed that much, but I have had to use more under-eye concealer than I used to. I also recently started letting my hair air dry almost every day. I used to blow dry and straighten my hair every day (I know, a big no-no). It’s taken a bit of time for me to get used to my natural waves, but I also love being able to basically wash and go.
Biggest indulgence you allow yourself. Starting in January we put our littlest kiddo in preschool 3x a week for 2.5 hours. Having those 2.5 hours to myself a couple of times a week has been life changing. I typically fill those couple hours up with errands, house cleaning, doctor appointments (not glamorous stuff) but being able to do those things without having a child in tow has been such a break. It’s also given me a little headspace where I don’t have to be “on” all the time.
Tell us about your kid(s). We have 3 children. Luke (7), Zach (5) and Eliza (almost 3). Luke is my sweet, oldest boy who is such a rule follower. He is a voracious reader and loves the Cubs and all things baseball and basketball. Zach is my independent little rascal. He keeps me on my toes every day. He loves to have fun and has a gift of remembering faces and names. He is a social butterfly and wants to be friends with everyone. And Eliza (our little Nugget). Oh, she brings such a sweetness to our family. She is a girly girl who loves bows, babies, shoes, purses and her momma. But she can also hang and get in on a sibling wrestling session any day of the week.
What is your biggest struggle as a mom day to day. My biggest struggle is wanting to feel like I have it all together but being hit smack in the face with the reality that I can’t do it all perfectly and that I can’t control everything my kids do. I tend to get frustrated with myself and have days where I feel overwhelmed and unqualified for this job.
What is your biggest happiness as a mom day to day. While I don’t always feel qualified, I do feel so grateful for the opportunity and ability to be a stay-at-home mom. Being able to be involved in my kid’s lives every moment of every day is such a gift. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely a moment (or two) of every day that I also wish that I were somewhere else and could flee the scene (by bedtime I want to check-out and hide!), but being there for them brings me such joy.
Snap your fingers – you could have a magic fairy help you with one thing around the home every day. What is it? I would love a magic fairy that does everything that goes into getting meals on the table (planning, shopping, prepping, cooking). I enjoy cooking, but I just have a hard time doing it every week, every day, multiple times a day. My husband takes an active roll in the weekly dinner planning and grocery shopping, and I do the prepping and cooking (typically with Eliza on my hip or at my legs and hungry boys begging for unhealthy snacks while I’m cooking) and I just don’t enjoy the stress of it. I would love a magic meal fairy because then I could spend more time with the kiddos while our fairy made healthy meals for the family. Now, if the fairy could get the kids to eat the meal she made, then that wouldn’t be magic it would be a miracle!
Because you are oh so pretty, tell us about your favorite feature! My eyes. I get my eyes from my mom and when I was a young girl I always thought she smiled with her eyes. And now all three of our kiddos now have her eyes too.
Thank you so much Kristin for sharing your time and your darling family for us. I am so happy to have been able to meet you through our mutual friend, another Everyday Mom, Mary Beth! I can see why she speaks so highly of you and I look forward to getting to know you better. Now, make sure you get that kitchen aid mixer ASAP!
If you liked this post, check these out!
Courtney
Latest posts by Courtney (see all)
- Roasted Bruschetta Salmon - August 30, 2018
- Four hour Bolognese - August 28, 2018
- Summer sandwiches - July 25, 2018
So crazy….while I was reading I kept thinking…”is she sure she didn’t mix up Mary Beth’s words with this gals?!” but the last paragraph makes total sense! Such a super mom!!
Tia @ Good Genes recently posted…All Things Pineapple