Mommies Behind the Blog: Dina, Honey & Fitz
I'm so excited about this new series, Mommies Behind the Blog. I started this series to feature inspiring women that do it all, a family, a business, and a blog. A forum where these amazing super Moms share with you and I just how they manage all of their responsibilities, and hopefully to learn something from these very wise women that we can apply to our lives. My first guest is Dina from Honey & Fitz.
or click read more below
WHO?
Dina Holland, Blogger & Interior Designer at Honey & Fitz
WHAT'S YOUR MORNING ROUTINE?
Both boys generally wake up around the same time – 7-7:30 so mornings are busy. I spend the first hour running between their rooms, changing diapers, getting them dressed and settled with their milk cups/bottles. On days when Knox has preschool, breakfast usually happens next and is something quick like scrambled eggs and a piece of fruit. We head out the door for a 9 am drop off and then I hurry back to get Reed settled for his morning nap. While he naps I jump on my laptop to answer any emails, respond to blog comments, publish a blog post, work on a client design or a home project. It’s a mad dash to fit as much as I can in in that 1-1.5 hours. On days when he doesn’t have preschool and the weather is ok we’ll usually have a more leisurely breakfast and then head out for a morning walk around our neighborhood. You might notice that absent from this morning routine is a shower! I’ve given up on morning showers and have switched almost entirely to evening showers after both boys are in bed for the night.
YOUR MOMMY UNIFORM?
Leggings, a tunic or cowl neck sweater, ballet flats, Uggs or riding boots depending on the season.
BEAUTY AND/OR EXCERCISE ROUTINE?
My beauty routine is fast and furious these days. I wash my face, brush my teeth, put on my favorite BB cream, under eye concelear, curl my lashes and dab on some blush. Depending on whether one of the boys is screaming or not, I will either pull my hair up into a bun or attempt to style it a bit with my favorite dry shampoo. The YMCA in our town has a great drop off day care center that I try to take advantage of it once a week for my favorite barre class. I’ll admit this can be super hard to coordinate between the boys different naps schedules though but I’ve recently been using this app called 7 Minute Workout on my phone and it’s perfect for busy moms with unpredictable schedules. It will send you push notifications that say “got 7 minutes to work out?” Well when you put it like that, how can I say no?
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR 22-YEAR OLD SELF?
Stop talking yourself out of doing the stuff you love because “everyone can do it”. I spent my 20s talking myself out of every creative and/or entrepreneurial idea I had because I just assumed they weren’t special enough. “Who’s going to pay me to design their wedding invitations? Anyone can learn Photoshop and do that!” “No one is interested in hearing about why I think your wedding registry should just have 1 kind of glass and not 7 different types of specialty glassware.” Etc. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that there is something to be said for just doing what you like. If you like it, there is a great chance that you are not alone. And with the internet, you are pretty much guaranteed to find others who like what you like. Make the things you like, blog about the things you like and forget about everything else.
HAVE YOU HAD TO HIRE OUTSIDE HELP {BABYSITTER OR CLEANING SERVICE} TO HELP FULFILL ALL OF YOUR DUTIES?
Should I, yes. Have I, no. I’ve been really lucky so far to be able to work my business responsibilities around my family responsibilities. But as I’m getting busier, as nap schedules are becoming less predictable and as my business is growing I’m just accepting that I can’t do it all and I’m not great at either being a designer or a mom when I have to do both by myself. It’s taken me a while to come to that realization and accept that hiring help doesn’t make me a bad mom.
ROLE MODEL?
Martha Stewart. Say what you will about the woman but she's created an empire by giving us a peak into this aspirational life that we all want. And she went to jail (TO JAIL!!), came out and didn't miss a beat with her books and licensed products, etc etc. I mean...it's amazing.
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS WITH YOUR KIDS?
They are still really young but this year was the first year I could involve Knox in some simple crafts (this year we colored ornaments for his Christmas tree). I am also so conscious of just how much we have and the spirit of the season but it's hard to get little kids to understand the idea of "giving away their toys" so instead for the last few years we've paid off a family's lay away at Walmart. It's easy, you can request a lay away that has toys or kid's stuff on it and you walk away from the store feeling great knowing you've made someone's holiday. I hope as the boys get older we can do this together!
YOUR SECRET TO HAVING A SUCCESSFUL BLOG/BUSINESS AND FAMILY BALANCE?
I don't want to be Debbie Downer here but I really think the whole idea of "balance" is mythical. Some days I'm super mom. We're at the park, we're crafting, we're practicing our shapes and colors, etc etc. And y'know what...those ARE NOT the days I'm doing stellar design work. For me, the secret is to just be present in whatever role I'm in at that moment. Multi-tasking for me means I'm not doing anything at 100% and that's not good. I just try to do the best I can on any given day and at the end of the day, realize I get another shot tomorrow.
HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR HOME KID-FRIENDLY?
Most of my clients are just like me - busy families with young kids, pets, etc that want to live in a beautiful space space that is organized but isn't completely devoid of the fact that they have kids either. So I've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't. Indoor/outdoor rugs, microfiber, Sunbrella fabrics and Quake Hold(seriously, best stuff ever) are some of my go-tos (see more of them here.)
THREE THINGS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT {BESIDES YOUR FAMILY OF COURSE}?
The ocean, my double stroller
and the cheese case at Whole Foods.
and the cheese case at Whole Foods.
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Thank you Dina for being here today! I'm definitely downloading that app on my phone and your tips on making a house kid-friendly will definitely help all of us mommies or mommies-to-be.
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