When The Tot asked me about my adoption process, I felt like sending them a novel. It’s been long. It’s been emotional. It’s also been the greatest story of my life because of the ending. I am the proud mother of four kids – Jackson, Sawyer, Ford and Noah. I worship coffee like a deity, I read books like my life depends on it and think vodka with La Croix is one of the greatest inventions of the last decade.

When it comes to women, there always seems to be a question about how we can balance everything. Girl, I don’t even try! Work life balance is a myth. I don’t think work and personal life can ever be truly in balance but it is possible to be centered even amongst chaos.

However, I am a big believer in waking up at least an hour before your children so you can set your intention for the day. I typically wake up around 5AM and I use the hour and a half before the kids wake up to write or work or plan or meditate or workout or any other thing that tickles my fancy. I get the boys up for school around 6:45 and the baby (Noah) starts hollering at me to get her around 7AM. Then comes breakfast and lunch prep. Usually my husband takes the big boys to school and I hop in the shower to get ready while the baby hangs out with our nanny. Then it’s work, which could be anything from photoshoots to podcast interviews to meetings and conference calls and more writing, etc. I get  home around between 4:30 and 5 and then it’s dinner and hanging out before baths and bedtime. I am passionate about a good night’s sleep so I’m usually knocked out by 9:30PM.

Obviously, life doesn’t always go to plan, which I why I also always have my mom’s voice ringing in my head when I’m parenting – “If you have a crab put it in water.” Meaning, if you have a child (literally any age) who’s frustrated or grouchy put them in the pool, the sprinklers, the hose, let them play with a sponge in the sink or water balloons in the backyard or even take a bubble bath. There’s something about water that almost instantly gets kids into a better place. I swear it works like a charm.

People ask me for advice a lot. One of the greatest things I want to teach my kids is: Don’t live according to other people’s ideals of who you should be. Love people and show up for others and then you will become who God intended you to be. I also want them to be kind always! Befriend the outcasts and the loners and always be good people. The thing I didn’t know about mothering multiple kids is that you have to learn to parent based on what each of my kids needs. They are all so different that it can be difficult to navigate but also so beautiful to see them become their own person. (PS my favorite thing about motherhood is how perfect my kids are in their own individual ways.) It’s important to me to see my kids as individuals, giving them the guardrails to keep them safe, but the freedom to stretch their wings is what parenting is all about.

Parenting is also all about not comparing yourself to other moms and to give yourself some grace if you’re not perfect. As you can tell, I’m all about girl power. One of the things I’m proudest of is creating RISE with Chic Media. This past April we hosted 700+ women at 2-day conference that inspired, encouraged, and motivated them to reach for more and become the best versions of themselves while engaged in community.

I’ve also recently had a new book come out called, Girl, Wash Your Face. Each chapter of Girl, Wash Your Face begins with a specific lie I once believed that left me feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or ready to give up. As a working mother, a former foster parent, and a woman who has dealt with insecurities about her body and relationships, I speak with the insight and kindness of a BFF, helping women unpack the limiting mind-sets that destroy their self-confidence and keep them from moving forward.

From my temporary obsession with marrying Matt Damon to a daydream involving hypnotic iguanas to my son’s request that I buy a necklace to “be like the other moms,” I hold nothing back. Get a copy HERE.

Q&A with Rachel Hollis:

1. Proudest personal accomplishment:

My family and the many children that we have fostered in our home.

2. Biggest mom fail so far?

Yelling at my kids

3. Biggest mom win so far?

When I am not yelling at my kids

4. Three wardrobe staples for busy moms?

Stylish leggings, adorable sneakers and at least one lightweight jacket that makes you feel hip and cool to throw over the top of it all

 

 

Want to know more Rachel?!

Website: TheChicSite.com

Instagram: @msrachelhollis

Facebook: Rachel Hollis