Happy Mom Monday to all my beautiful friends! I am so excited to be back with a new interview this week from another one of my long- time friends, Jaclyn! She is one of the most amazing friends to have in your corner! I know that I can always count on her when I need real advice and even though we live states apart, we always manage to keep in touch and meet up when she is in town. She helps support all my ideas that no one else understands and she has such a talented, creative mind and is the most beautiful singer. We have known each other for so long now and have been with each other through so many different parts of life. Most recently, we have walked with each other through getting married to becoming moms— and this is my favorite stage we have been through as friends! She is one of the most amazing mothers to her beautiful daughter Summer and I am so thankful that she is sharing with us some info on her journey through motherhood.
Jaclyn is super passionate about being a mother and you can tell what an amazing mother she is through her love she has for her daughter. For this interview, Jaclyn will be sharing all about taking time to truly embrace the moments you have with your children and truly immersing yourself in every moment. I could truly go on and on about my friends because I really am lucky to have the best, but I will get to the good stuff and that is Jaclyn’s interview where I will share all her direct responses.
Photo Credit: Kara Kachalko
I first wanted Jaclyn to share a little bit about her family for those of you that do not know her personally:
So, my little family of 3 live here in the big Apple! We moved over a year and a half ago to pursue dreams and on the 4th day found out we were preggers with Ms. Summer Rose. What was a big surprise ended up being the biggest blessing of 2020.
Any parent knows that life can truly get busy with all our daily duties we must balance. Jaclyn is such a great mother to Summer and when we were talking about this interview she mentioned that she truly loves to take her time with her daughter. I wanted her to share some tips for new mothers who may feel like they are not getting to spend a lot of time with their children due to other life duties and/or feel like they are just rushing through things instead of savoring them due to stress and other factors?
I am very blessed and don’t have a full time job but let me tell you full time of work or not, being a mom and dad is a lifetime job! I definitely find it challenging living in a small apartment with auditions and noise machines and city loudness. I try to take each day as it comes and really enjoy the little things…making her laugh, cooking for her, giving her a bath, telling her a million times a day that I love her and kissing her nonstop 😉 To the moms out there who are killing it working and then coming home and working some more, just breathe. Who cares about stains and messy floors and not wearing makeup. I say embrace and accept the chaos and sleepless nights because from what everyone tells you, time flies and you do not get it back!
I know that creating certain rituals or routines with children can be very special for them because they find comfort in those daily routines that they know they can look forward to every single day. Jaclyn shares with us the specific activities/ rituals that her and Summer participate in throughout their daily routine to ensure that they are spending optimal time together and making the most of the time they get to spend together:
I am still a nursing mom, so when she wakes, I nurse for a minute and before her two naps I nurse. She is going to be 1 at the end of the month, so I will officially be done! But for now, even though it is a couple minutes it is a time to laugh, cuddle and just play with each other. We have song and music time every morning where I’ll bust out some new melodies and she tries to sing =) Just try to make things fun in everything!
I know that it is so hard to raise children in this crazy world. As parents I feel that we are always trying to make sure our children are being raised with the tools they need to take on this world as they grow. Being a mom is one of Jaclyn’s biggest passions and I asked her to share in that being a mother of a daughter, what are some of the most important things she hopes to instill in her from a young age that will help her navigate through life as she gets older?
Well, we are a believing household. I hope that we instill unconditional love in her like Christ has instilled in us. I hope that she really loves herself and others around her. We pray she works hard and pursues whatever dream she may have.
Touching base on how busy life can be, in specific as a mother, we balance taking care of our children, household duties, working, and making sure to seek out our own passions as well. As a mom, we want to make sure that we are giving our best to our children and supporting and providing their every need, but we do not want to feel like we forget our own dreams. I asked Jaclyn how she manages to balance these tasks:
Girl, I wish I had 10 of me lol. They say it takes a village to raise a child and it’s no joke! I think in our case, a solid partner is key. I don’t know what I would do without my hubs. We both have goals and dreams and support the crap out of one another. Whenever I’m cleaning, he is taking care of Summer, whenever he is cooking, I am taking care of Summer. We work together during the day and find time for our personal goals and relationship when she is sleeping! I do have to say, the real MVP are those working single moms. You all are killing it and are my inspiration.
No matter what topic we discuss on Mom Mondays, I want all of my friends to share one piece of advice with first time expecting moms:
You will sleep again! It’s tough. There are many sleepless nights and cranky days. Having a baby is hard work and a lot of sacrifice. You will get a date night, eventually, too (and then talk about the kids all night). Hang in there. Those first giggles, the first smile, the first hug, those first steps and words are all WORTH IT!
In finishing up her interview, I asked Jaclyn if there is any other advice/information that she would like to share about taking your time with your children/the importance of taking your time with them or any other parenting advice she would like to share with the beautiful mothers of the world?
I just say, don’t rush the process or think of tomorrow. Be in the now and just don’t forget to verbally and physically show your babies unconditional love. How you start raising them now will affect them in the future. You’re doing a great job. I just love the community of moms. Women supporting women in this crazy journey from being pregnant to delivering. Our bodies are so powerful and strong. God knew what he was doing, we are the real CEO’s!!!! #motherboss
I hope you all enjoyed reading about Jaclyn! She is such an inspirational, strong mother and I am so happy to call her my friend. I think that all of us moms can learn from her about taking time to make the most of the time we have with our children!
You can follow Jaclyn and her daughter Summer on Instagram to keep up with their amazing NYC adventures! They have a lot of exciting things coming up and if you do not know Jaclyn is one of the most talented singers ever! I am listing their Instagram’s below and hope you guys keep up with their life journeys!
Jaclyn’s Instagram @jaclynhodos
Summer’s Instagram @summer_rose_nyc
Photo credit @karakachalko
xoxo, Bri
Her children rise up and call her blessed Proverbs 31:28
If you or someone you know would like to participate in a Mom Monday interview, please reach out to me @briannaesantoro@gmail.com
Brianna Santoro 