Jami Kloet with daughters Dylan, Mylie and Valley
JAMI KLOET
Full-time mom, long-time freelance writer, part-time marketing coordinator
I am a mom to three beautiful daughters: Valley, 4, Dylan, 3, and Mylie, 18 months. We always wanted our children close in age, but never imagined we would have three kids under three. Our oldest daughter turned three six weeks AFTER our youngest daughter was born. I have been a work-at-home freelance writer for the past five years. I currently write two weekly Home columns for Sun Media that focus on trends in home decor. One is called Hot Stuff, and features a weekly roundup of fabulous home fashions. The other one is called The Listing, and is a weekly roundup of various tips for homeowners. From time to time, I also write travel, fashion and lifestyle pieces. I recently returned to the workforce, doing part-time marketing and communications work for Lambton College where I oversee communications materials such a press releases, and marketing content, as well as managing their social media channels. I didn’t realize how much I would love working with a team after working from home for so long.
Secrets of a WOWMOM
As a mother, there isn’t anything you cannot do. Never underestimate your ability to take on the world, even if some mornings just getting the kids out the door literally feels like taking on the world.
What inspires me
My children inspire me. I know it’s cliche, but I want to be able to give them the best life that I can. I want them to have the best memories of their childhood and I want them to be proud of their mom and the work I do and the time I spent with them.
My sanity saviour (tips & time savers)
Get everybody dressed as soon as they get out of bed. Have your kids get dressed before they leave their bedroom in the morning. Having everybody ready to start the day will save you so much time in the morning.
My best WOWMOM advice
Sometimes, somebody has to cry. Even if it’s mom.
My WOW moment
How easy the transition into motherhood was for me. I had prepared myself for something much harder and I was pleasantly surprised how well I adapted to the new normal. Also, I never realized how different children’s personalities can be. When I had my second, the hardest part was adjusting to her different personality. I knew I was getting a different child, but I didn’t prepare myself to parent a different baby.
My not-so WOW moment
Still waiting.
Keeping it WOW (how not to lose yourself)
Equal parenting. I expect nothing less than equal parenting from my husband, even down to night time feeds when the girls were babies. Raising three tiny children and working and running a household is a lot of work, and the responsibility needs to be evenly split. Also, make friends with like-minded moms. Online, at playgroup, etc. I am part of a few mommy Facebook groups, I attend a weekly drop-in playgroup and am part of a monthly Mom’s Night Out group that is now up to 14 moms. And regularly scheduled salon appointments. I religiously book my next hair appointment when I’m leaving my last appointment. I often joke that even if we fell on hard times, I would never cut my hair appointments from the budget.
Favourite MOMent of the day
Bed time. And wakeup. I love how happy kids are when they wake up.
Does balance exist?
I truly believe that women can have it all. I do think the definition of having it all is different for everybody – but why shouldn’t we be able to strike a balance? It’s 2013. We can have, be and do whatever we want as women.
My guardian angel
My mom and my mother-in-law. My children and I are so blessed to have such wonderful, strong women in our lives.
The last time I laughed out loud
Every day. What is life is you can’t laugh about it at the end of the day?
Words Of Wisdom (Mom’s message to My Kids)
Learn to love yourself first. You are strong, independent and beautiful, inside and out. Recognize, love and nurture all the amazing things about yourself and other people will see it, too. The right people, the ones who are meant to see what I see in you. I promise. And something my mother always told me: “If you can’t be good, be good at being bad.”
MY WOWMOM MUST-HAVES
Fave things, places and sanity savers for WOWMOMS!
1. Goody spin pins. I keep them in my purse and they are perfect for those days that you don’t have time to properly do your hair.
2. Crocs A-Leigh Wedges. They look fabulous and are so comfortable, you can run a marathon in them, I swear. I can wear them all day long and my feet never hurt.
3. An e-reader. It’s how I unwind. I never have time to watch TV but there is something so great about falling into bed at the end of the day with a good book.
4. Hudson jeans. They are so soft, I don’t even feel like I’m wearing jeans.
5. Lands’ End bathing suits. My bikini days are long gone, but I feel so confident in these bathing suits. They keep everything in place and don’t make me feel like an old lady.
6. Marimekko. There is not a single product by the Finnish design company that I don’t love. The Unikko pattern is my ultimate fave.
7. BabyLegs. I had a slight obsession when my first was a baby. I would coordinate onesies to match every pattern of BabyLegs, which I would buy in lots of 10 pairs at a time. Now that the girls are older, they still wear them under dresses and skirts. So adorable!
8. Our swimming pool. We had an in ground pool installed two years ago and I am so glad took the plunge. Having three small children, it’s not always easy for us to get out, so we wanted our house to be a place that people enjoyed visiting and hanging out at. We have created so many amazing memories hanging out around the pool with friends and family.
