Jocelyne Hernandez and her sons, Sean, Joshua and Lucas
JOCELYNE HERNANDEZ
Flight Attendant & Purser
I’m a Montreal-born, Filipino-Canadian now living in Vancouver; on the cusp of my 40th birthday (so officially, I’m only 39 ½ years old!); happily married to my childhood sweetheart; working full-time as a flight attendant and purser for a major airline.
I have three fun-loving boys who inspire me & keep me busy:
Sean, 9 years old—in the 4th grade, is mature & contemplative; loves to play the guitar; is a strong & confident swimmer; enjoys creating stop-motion videos & building “Minecraft” worlds on our computer; works hard in karate & is determined to earn his black belt before entering high school.
I also have 7-year-old fraternal twins, Joshua & Lucas, in the 2nd grade. They are inseparable and the best of friends (well, most of the time!). They are naturally athletic and love running, swimming, karate, basketball & soccer. They are also musical and enjoy hiphop music and dance. They have dreams of forming a band one day and recently started taking violin & piano lessons.
Secrets of a WOWMOM
Moms are indeed supermoms because they need extraordinary powers to get the job done right
Here are some of my own super powers and what it means for me:
I’m “faster than a speeding bullet”= I can safely shuttle my kids about town, from home to school and back again, and to all their extra-curricular activities too, in good time.
I’m “able to leap tall buildings in a single bound”= I can prepare healthy meals for my family, while simultaneously helping the kids with their homework and sorting out the laundry; I’m a multi-tasking queen!
“Super-hearing, x-ray vision, and extra-sensory powers” = I can catch my kids in a lie so there’s no sense in them trying to hide something from me; I also seem to know where everything is in the house, so everyone comes running to me when things are lost or missing!
“Invincibility”: I’m a pro at faking a smile and confident attitude on the outside, even though I’m freaking out and screaming on the inside.
What inspires me
Nature, Simplicity, Flow, Faith, Goodness.
My sanity saviour (tips & time savers)
Keep an organized home, limit social media, ask for help instead of trying to do it all alone.
My best WOWMOM advice
Shower, sleep, eat well & exercise. The best thing you can do for your kids is to take care of yourself. It’s so much easier to be a loving and nurturing mom when these things are in place.
My WOW moment
The day I managed to get my three boys to two different soccer games on the opposite sides of town (of course!), followed by two separate birthday parties in two different cities (yikes!).
My not-so WOW moment
In order to make my “supermom” moment above a reality, the boys and I had dined on drive-thru food between events and quick-changed in and out of different outfits in the back seat of our truck—it was neither healthy nor glamourous!
Keeping it WOW (how not to lose yourself)
Read books, watch movies, or keep a journal to escape from the craziness of life; remind yourself of the wonder and joy that’s in it.
Favourite MOMent of the day
I love to hear my boys say their prayers at night, especially when they unexpectedly give thanks or pray for someone else in need—their innocence, faith and goodness encourages me to do better. Tucking them into bed also helps me to put my own negative energies to rest.
Does balance exist?
Well, it’s been a constant “balancing act” trying to organize our family’s work-, school-, home- & extra-curricular activities! My husband and I prefer working opposite each other so we can cover all of our childcare needs ourselves, so we rely heavily on calendars, notes and text messages to keep our routines in sync. When expectations are clear and everyone steps up to fulfill their roles, then balance does exist!
As the boys have gotten older and have become less dependent upon us for their basic care needs, they’ve also learned to take on more chores and responsibilities in our home, so it’s helped immensely to create a more balanced & harmonious feeling in our household.
Of course, balance is also fleeting. Events are always taking place outside of our control that can easily knock us off our track—like the flood we had in our home last month while we were hosting guests from out of town!
My guardian angel
Has to be my husband, Dave, who is also my best friend. Our personalities are clearly different, but we complement each other well. He knows when I’m feeling overwhelmed and will take the boys away for the day so I can relax. He tells me often how amazing and sexy I am and that always seems to boost my spirits. His jokes are often cheesy but he makes me laugh too.
Words Of Wisdom (Mom’s message to My Kids)
My kids are truly a blessing. They bring purpose and joyful meaning to my life. Their innocence, goodness and faith inspire me to be a better mom and human being. Of course I want the best for them and their future, but more importantly, I wish for them to know how much of a positive influence and impact they can make in this world; I’ve felt the influence of their presence upon me and I continue to watch them in wonder as they grow up before my very eyes. I believe that they have what it takes to accomplish great things in their lifetime. I hope that whatever roads they choose, they will follow their hearts and will remain true to themselves; from there, success will surely follow.
MY WOWMOM MUST-HAVES
Fave things, places and sanity savers for WOWMOMS!
1. iPhone & iPad—these gadgets have made my life so much easier, I don’t know how I ever lived without them! I’ll never miss another event with my trusty Calendar app reminders and Clock app alarms ; meanwhile, the Maps app has helped me to navigate my way around the city in a seamless and timely fashion; I use the “Epicurious” and “All Recipes” apps to help me pull together dinner menus both quickly and deliciously; the “Spelling Free” app helps my kids prepare for their weekly spelling tests, and of course, I can’t live without text messaging and FaceTime, especially when I’m away for work.
2. Snapware 3-tier cupcake caddies—I picked up a bunch of these while they were on sale and have used them to organize and store a plethora of things around the house. There’s one housing my kids’ Skylander toy collection, another one being used to store all of our arts & craft supplies, and yet another one that I’ve recently transformed into a multi-tiered sewing kit. The possibilities are endless!
3. Large wall calendar—We hang it up prominently in the kitchen, alongside a mini file sorter, some markers, pens and scissors. All of our work schedules, school events, extra-curricular activities, holidays, appointments and due dates are colour-coded and written in for easy referral and review each night. In the file sorter, we have class lists, team contacts, party invitations, bills due and original schedules all within arms reach and ready for action.
4. MEC coffee press insulated mug—I never leave home without it! It keeps my coffee hot and the swivel cover prevents spills while driving. There’s a bottom compartment that screws out and houses another dose of coffee and sugar in case I’m out and about for an extended period of time. All I need to do is get some hot water from the nearest coffee joint and voila, it’s brilliant!
