Everyday Motherhood
This post is part of our series, Everyday Motherhood!
For this series, we sit down with a fellow mom to have an honest and candid conversation about everyday motherhood.
We cover all things real mom life: from helpful mom hacks, easy dinner recipes, favorite must-have mom products, to any advice or wisdom that has helped them throughout the seasons of motherhood.
You know, a lot of the stuff you text your mom friends about!
Meet Jenna, mom of three
For this installment of Everyday Motherhood, we sat down with Jenna who is a mom to three kids, whose ages range from 12-16. On top of being a busy Mom, Jenna is runs a successful business in Phoenix, Arizona and just authored her first book!
With no shortage of wisdom and a great sense of humor, this interview was truly a delight! Jenna had so much helpful
Grab your favorite beverage and enjoy!
Hi Jenna! Tell us about yourself!
I am a gal, just like you, trying to make it through the day!
More than a mom, I am a wife, a business owner, a friend, a teacher, a house cleaner, an Uber driver, a coach, a chef, this list goes on if you are a mom like me!
To that list you can add a comedian if you follow me through this interview. I am also a cousin, this lovely and amazing blog belonging to my cousin, Dana (she may regret choosing to interview me after this!).
Additionally I am a mother to 3 lovely…teens! I have survived my little years and we are currently navigating new waters.
Lyla (16), Ada (13), and Mason (12) are my 3 wonderful children! You can add my husband, Andy, as the 4th kid and even my needy dog Loma as the 5th, but who’s counting?!
I own and operate a business, Books & Cooks Cooking Classes. Also, I recently wrote a children’s book called, “Mr. Cook’s Books“!
We live on the surface of the sun in Phoenix, Arizona where we spend our winter nights outside in the amazing weather and summer days not in the state because it’s blazing hot.
What’s something you can’t live without?
My husband claims I can’t live without complaining to him, so I guess I can’t live without him!
We are partners, and he is my favorite person to share everything with, both the good and the bad. We both can’t live without sharing a cold beer and visiting about our crazy life we have created together – because there is always something!
On a more practical level, I can’t currently live without Life360 especially with my newly driving daughter Lyla. You can bet I am checking it to make sure she is not traveling at rocket ship speeds and she has not left the state.
I am also checking it to see if my daughter Ada (13), who does not drive, is in fact at her friend’s house. What I have found is she will, in fact, be in a moving in a vehicle. To which is when I think to myself, “who the heck is driving?!” Oh, it’s the Waymo to the mall! And now folks driverless cars are a thing!
My most favorite and frustrating Life360 check in is on my husband and son when “they are on their way” to where they needed to be five minutes ago but haven’t left the location they are currently at.
So I can’t live without checking in on my family if not for safety but entertainment and maybe a little stalking!
What’s your favorite wisdom on motherhood?
The wisdom that I might share is no wisdom at all. I have no idea what I am doing.
Once in awhile I think I have it figured out, but then things change so rapidly I just hang on and hope I don’t get flung into the waters and drown!
What works for some moms just won’t work for others and what works for one kid won’t work on your others.
We as moms have so much information at our finger tips it’s hard to filter through. You can talk to moms, you can research so much online, even read a book, but at the end of the day you’ve got to just roll with it.
Listen to your own intuition and have fun with it because it goes by so quickly.
What’s your current go-to dinner recipe?
When my kids were little, we were really focused on getting a balanced meal on the plate, the little compartments with fruit, veggies, proteins etc.
I never made one of my three children something different, even if they were picky eaters. It was definitely a this is what is for dinner and this is what we are all eating. If you try and don’t like it, eat more of one of the other options on the table.
Now it is feeding time at the zoo! With everyone coming and going with sports, friends, gym, mall, activities all at different times, dinner can be a challenge.
In our home, we always have 3 lbs of beef and chicken in the fridge! Our grab on the go and quick to make is a smash burger and run out the door. My kids love making burger sauce to help in the kitchen.
The other go-to is having a whole roast chicken or bone in chicken thighs. You can boil down or bake and with either of these, and you have so many options! You can bust out a soup, use the stock all week in more detailed recipes, use shredded chicken for tacos, chicken caesar salads, chicken pitas, endless uses and no one chickens out with these meals!
If you could put on any outfit when you feel your best, what would it be?
I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal! Dress it up with a pair of boots, heels or throw on my converse is when I’m feeling my best!
What pregnancy or postpartum items you couldn’t (or can’t) live without?
It feels so long ago when I was pregnant or postpartum! With my first pregnancy, I couldn’t live without a barf bag. I was so sick! I out-puked my college years! But, apparently memories fade! I was so ill I thought I’m never going to do that again…and I did it 2 more times.
Postpartum I can remember the water bottle was my thing, before it being a thing like it is now. The giant 32 oz water bottle the hospital gave me was always by my side. I was thirsty all. the. time. It’s no joke growing a baby and the aftermath of that.
I also couldn’t live without the support of our families once all my babies arrived. I am lucky to have had everyone come, even if they traveled from out of state, to hands-on help.
Your needs are an afterthought when you have a newborn, it is dramatic. For me, having our family around to help with the baby so I could do something as simple as a shower was a total game changer.
Activities, toys, and/or traditions your kids (and you!) love?
Dinner together at the dining table is one of our favorite family traditions.
We truly love it—and I hope my children appreciate it too. We do our best to sit down together as a family at least twice a week, which, with busy schedules, feels like a small miracle.
Gathering around the table to share a meal and hear what’s happening in their worlds is a joy. Phones are set aside (sometimes reluctantly), and suddenly we get updates on school, teachers, friends, and whatever dramatic or silly thing happened that day.
There’s laughter, a little chaos, and it creates a small fun memory of us together. It’s not fancy or quiet, but it’s our time—and those conversations around the table are some of my favorite moments.
What has surprised you most about motherhood?
When my kids were little they needed me all the time. I mean there was a time when you couldn’t even go to the bathroom alone! They rely on you for food, bath, bed, and before you know it they need a ride, money, and advice.
One moment you’re moving through milestones, and suddenly you’re guiding them to be strong, independent, and how to make good choices.
It really does all happen so quick!
One minute they are small and need you 24/7, and now that they’re teens it can kind of feel like we are out here alone sometimes.
I catch myself sometimes wondering if anyone need me anymore? It’s a weird place to be when you set them free, so to say, and you see them thriving and you are so proud of them.
Sure we all make mistakes and life will happen, but they mostly can navigate through it all alone. It’s almost like they become your friends in a way, there is laughing and learning, lots of loving and growing.
Any motherhood tips, tricks, or hacks that make you life easier?
I can’t say any one thing would definitively make life easier for me and the family.
Sure when they were little I had all sorts of travel tips, wagons vs. stroller opinions, getting them to eat trickery…I have a whole arsenal of things that worked for us but that is far behind us now having teens.
I have lived through years of experience, and I can offer very specific advice to problems and possible solutions.
What makes things easy now with my kids is respect and boundaries, honest and true conversations and communication.
If you could tell a new mom one thing, what would it be?
Less is more I will say all the way!
When my 3 were little and even now we try to keep it all simple and basic.
Don’t waste your time, money or energy on the bells and whistles. You don’t need things. Try to be in the moment and spend time together and put all else aside for experiences.
It’s never what we have had that our kids talk the most about. They always say, “remember the time..” and go on to reminisce about an adventure when something memorable happened.
Thank you so much, Jenna! We loved having you for Everyday Motherhood!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may include affiliate links that earn us a small commission from your purchases at no extra cost to you. You can read about it on my disclosure policy. Thank you!
Leave a Reply