Not rarely have I found myself lost for hours scrolling down on an Instagram account which was so inspirational and good, I just had to check out each picture and each text, and slowly got to actually feel like I know that person (??)… Even though I had never met them in real life – and probably never will-, I somehow felt like I want to know more about them. Well, it was one of those situations when I came across Krystal‘s page a while back when she was a mom just to Sunny, and was promoting a healthy, fitness-based lifestyle. She seemed to be one authentic Realmomster that had it all, worked her ass off and nailed this whole motherhood thing.
And while stalking, oh sorry, following Krystal, I understood that there’s more to her than the (very) good looks, and that picture-perfect kind of life we see in those little Instagram squares. There was more than just what she likes to wear to the beach, how she works out or tips on what we should eat to stay healthy. Two years ago she decided to share a rather hurtful glimpse into her reality behind the lenses, and let her community in on her drama of miscarriages, which very soon turned into pure bliss, when she welcomed little Nakoda. And what I love most is that along the road, she kept it all real and is aware of the power she has on her community of women and mothers who look up to her and who might sometimes think it’s all pink clouds and dancing elephants, when it’s actually not.
Now a successful motherhood and lifestyle blogger, Instagram influencer, and a qualified personal trainer, Krystal (32) is living her happy, joyful, life alongside her husband and kids Sunny (4) and Nakoda (1) on the Sutherland shore of Sydney and promotes a balanced, healthy approach to motherhood and life in general.
I love her and you might too, after reading this.
I was curious to know more about her, so here we go. A couple of questions and a couple of honest answers and naked truth…
How would you describe your motherhood style in 3 words?
Exhausting, Unconditional Love
How do you start your day? What wakes you up, gets you going, pumps you up?
Normally it’s Nakoda who gets me out bed in the morning, sometimes a lot earlier than I would like to start my day! I have always been a morning person prior to having children, however these days there is a lot more caffeine involved. Thank god for coffee!
What’s the best thing about having two kids? And the hardest? What was it like going from 1 to 2 kdis?
The best thing is watching them together, the love they have had for one another from the very beginning just melts my heart! Sunny is so protective of his little sister and if she is upset he becomes so concerned, its really sweet. It was definitely a big adjustment going from 1- 2 and I think the hardest thing for me was struggling with that dreaded “Mum Guilt” and Sunny no longer being the centre of our universe. It was hard to find that balance between them, especially in the early days when you have a newborn hanging off you almost 24/7 and not being able to just drop everything for your first child. There’s also that exhaustion, unlike with the first baby where you can rest when they sleep , I had Sunny wanting my attention every waking moment of the day.
What was your favourite part about being pregnant with Sunny and Nakoda? What was your least favourite part about being pregnant?
I am one of those weirdos that actually loves being pregnant. It makes me feel supernatural, and so womanly. The feeling of those little baby kicks is a magic like no other. The worst part for me would have to be the fluid retention, my ankles become non-exisitent during pregnancy. I also suffered from sciatica with Sunny but fortunately wasn’t as bad with Nakoda.
What was the biggest challenge for you about having kids and staying sexy, cool and interesting for your husband? How do you keep the “flame burning”? How do you *make* time for your husband apart from the kids?
The juggle between being a good mum and wife isn’t easy. We try and make sure we go on a date night every few weeks, ideally we would love to go on more but its sometimes so much more effort to organize. I’m certainly so blessed that my husband always makes me feel beautiful even when I feel quite the opposite.
What’s something you feel judged for the most as a mom?
Oh my goodness, everything! I think no matter what you do as a mum there is someone who is going to have an opinion but at the end of the day it’s your choice whether you take that on board or not. I think as mother It’s important to realise we are all running our own race and it’s not a competition. I always do what is best for my children and I love them unconditionally so that’s all that matters.
What’s something you swore you’d never do as a parent but now totally do?
Bribery! I feel like I’m constantly making some kind of trade off with Sunny in exchange for a cookie to get me through the day!
What does a normal day in your life look like? How do you divide your time between your job, home life, caring for the kids and making time for yourself? Do you have any help?
No two days are ever the same but I normally try and do some form of physical activity almost every day, whether that be a walk to the park with the kids, a home circuit workout or some days I will drag the kids to the gym creche. I generally will only work while Sunny is in daycare or when the kids are asleep in evenings. Sunny is currently in daycare 3 days a week however I still have Nakoda and she has become a lot more demanding for my attention so I mainly try and get things done while she naps. On the days that Sunny is at home our days are normally filled with play dates with other mum’s and their children, soccer lessons, swimming lessons, and going to the library. I always try and wear them out so we can have a little “quiet time” of an afternoon. I normally cook almost every night, I love knowing what my family is eating is healthy and nutritious and I also love to cook!
Any thoughts on Mom Guilt?
I think it’s always lingering. I try and tell myself that its natural as mum to experience it in some form, its almost like a measure for my love because I know that I am always in the back of my mind thinking of ways to be a better mum and the love I have for them is forever growing.
One thing your fans/ followers don’t know about you and shouldn’t know about you.
Probably that I was once a dental nurse and a terrible one at that!
First thing on your mind when you wake up? Last thing on your mind before you go to sleep?
My children, they are the first things I hear waking me up in the morning and at night I always go into their rooms and give them one last kiss on their heads before I go to sleep.
Best adventure you have been on as a family yet?
A couple of months ago we rented a Camper van and went on a little adventure for a week. It was so much fun just being able to wake up in a different beach side spot almost every morning, getting out in nature with the kids and enjoying sitting around a campfire together in the evenings.
You have recently sharead a picture and some very honest, emotional words on appreciating every second of each stage with children, feeling grateful for having them, and the dark times you have been through due to your misscarriages.Can you tell us more about this? I feel that this is most often a tabu subject, and not too much conversation about it, however you can find great support from your community when sharing something like this.
I have received such great support through sharing my miscarriages with my followers. It’s kind of how I started with this whole Instagram thing around 2 years ago now. I had been struggling with grief and hadn’t reached out to many people about it and I randomly just made the decision to share a post to not feel so alone in what I was going through. I had just had my second miscarriage in 7 months at the time.
The response I got blew my mind, so much kindness but also so many other women in the same boat as me, not only did I feel less alone by sharing this but also other women saying the same thing- that I helped them feel less alone. It really made me see what positive effects social media can have. With miscarriage being as common as it is, it’s certainly is something that we need to bring more attention to.
Think fast…
Cook in or order out? Cook in
Natural or C-section? Natural
Tropical or adventurous family vacation? Cant decide, probably adventurous
Breast or bottle? I did both
Nanny or no nanny? No Nanny
Last thing before I go to sleep…. Brush and floss my teeth
First thing when I wake up…. Coffee
Solo vacay with the husband or with the whole family? Whole family
Thank you so much Krystal for the naked truth interview!
