Hip, hip, hooray, Friday is here and episode seven of The Model Mama show is now live. This week’s FEATURE FRIDAY Mama is truly incredible and oh-so inspiring. Carly Kenihan is the most graceful and fashionable mama on the block. She wears many hats as a Social Media/PR Consultant and founder of her successful blog called, Bun Bun Book. Carly is also one of the “LA Ambassadors” for the incredible Mom Network, Hey Mama. It’s hard not to instantly fall in love with her, as she oozes positivity and is so open and honest about her emotional journey to becoming a mama.
This beautiful mama of twins has proudly become a Fertility Warrior. She bravely shared her IVF journey on her popular blog in 2016 and was blown away by the outpouring of support she received and all the women who were so grateful for her openness. The truth is that 1 in 3 women struggle with infertility and Carly proudly has become their cheerleader. And as destiny would have it, Carly’s beautiful babies were born in April, which also happens to be National Fertility Awareness Month. Carly agrees this is no coincidence, but a calling for her to continue to speak out about her journey through infertility, IVF and celebrating the arrival of her beautiful twins, Slater and Zoe.
This busy twin mama gets into all the real (and sometimes stinky) moments of Motherhood with a whole lot of surrender and laughter along the way. I’ll give you a hint – her funniest “mom moment” involves baby poop and an airplane! I’m still laughing about that relatable story and truly energized by all her insight about how she’s tackled Mommyhood with twins.
With the first year under her belt, Carly has fallen in love with her new routine, learned the power of surrender, playing a peppy tune, how to brush off the messy moments you can’t always control, and how to dress chic as a mama on-the-go.
I had an absolute BLAST chatting with Carly… tune in below for all her fabulous and practical insights!
WATCH OUR FULL INTERVIEW HERE. Pull up a chair, kick up your feet, grab a glass of wine (or perhaps some bubbly kombucha?) and join our real conversation about the raw and beautiful truths of mommyhood, including setting realistic expectations and how to enjoy the journey.
Some of my FAVORITE takeaways from Carly:
+ How to navigate infertility:
“Be open as much as your heart can possibly be. The best thing I ever did was to talk. The emotional part of infertility is so hard when you’re doing it alone. I decided this can’t be harder with people supporting me. It can only get harder if I keep it to myself. The emails, messages and calls that came in after sharing were so encouraging and uplifting. Honestly at that point, I knew if I never got pregnant, I was supposed to share because I could see that not only was I getting support in my journey, but I was helping other women going through similar struggles.”
+ Be flexible:
““It’s a constant shift and adjustment, just like motherhood. You can never predict. You have to be flexible and look at each week as a whole. No week is the same as the last.””
+ Style advice from one chic Mama:
“I’m always in athleisure... there’s so many cute options and I feel like I can wear it, look somewhat put together but also be practical. In the summer I’m all about jumpsuits, jean shorts, shirts…”
+ Conquering “mom guilt”:
“I try to meet each of their needs, because they’re different people. There’s no right or wrong way...I still struggle with mom guilt all the time. Now that they’re older and can respond to me with a smile or a laugh, it’s easier to figure out who needs what and feel like I’m giving them enough.”
+ Start the morning right:
“I try to wake up before my kids do, and not go on social media or look at my phone. When they’re up, I’ll put on some happy, chipper music to get us all in the right mood. I think starting your morning off right is so important because it can really make or break your day.”
+ How to stay positive on the tough days:
“Motherhood is a privilege and I try to keep that in mind at all times. I try to keep things in perspective and always remember that being able to adjust is so important. Their routines and their bodies are always changing so I try to remain open and be willing to adjust... I give myself permission to feel and laugh and cry or whatever it is I need in that moment. It’s ok to lean into the chaos sometimes and let go a bit.”
