GOOD MORNING EVERYBODDDDDY, here we are on a new Saturday, new inspiring mamma to talk to over a cup – or more- of coffee. Meet Roxana Deac, part time superhero, coffee junkie, bookworm, and mama bear to her sweet 2-year old daughter Victoria, as she describes herself in her bio. She loves bright colours (see her living room sofa), photography (see her Insta profile), brick walls (see her house), Sundays with pancakes and coffee, and did I say coffee?
I have met so many inspiring mammas and women through Instagram, and connected with him them in a way I wouldn’t have been able to without it – moms from all over the world, who are just a message away from becoming your inspiration and virtual friend. The same happened with Roxana – I feel in love with her Instagram profile instantly, and realised this when I just couldn’t stop scrolling down through her feed.
I slowly discovered her, what she loves, her beautiful aesthetics, and how real she keeps things. And I loved her. So we sat down and talked all things being a working mom, social media, and feeling again like yourself after giving birth.
Read more in the interview below:
Who is Roxana Deac?
Well, it goes like this. Two crazy kids met & fell in love and decided that they are ready to start their own little family. And boy, it’s been a real rollercoaster since then. Life with a 2 year old toddler is exciting, scary, you never know what the next day will bring you, but full of love & happiness, and wine, we must not forget the wine ;).
Working Mom or Stay at Home Mom?
Stayed at home for 1 year & a half and now I’m back at the job, well jobs, ‘cuz a mother’s job is never done. And honestly I find it much harder to stay at home, I loved it of course but it’s hard, so all you stay-at home moms congrats, you are killing it !
What time do you wake up in the morning (weekdays) and how does a normal day in your life look like?
6:30 everydayyyyyy haha, maybe 7:30 on the weekends but not very often. So we get up first and let Victoria sleep till 7 or so, my husband goes downstairs and prepares the formula for when she wakes up & I start to get ready for work. Shower, a quick makeup ( foundation, blush, rimmel & lipstick ) and that’s all, because I pretty much live in a ponytail during work days. Meanwhile, my husband helps Victoria to get dressed and I prepare her bag for kindergarten and make myself an extra large cup of coffee & one to-go, and yes I drink a lot of coffee, about 3-4 cups a day, but they keep me awake so cheers to that!
I start work at 8 and I plan my day in the morning, meetings, deadlines so I can have time for social media as well.
I spend about 2-3 hours on Instagram daily, that includes editing photos & videos, uploading them and catching up on the latest news on social media. I try to get them all done while I’m at work and spend more time offline while I’m at home.
Now what are weekends like in your family? What would be an ideal Sunday for you?
We don’t have that rush, we do wake up early but we stay in bed and watch cartoons and play, then we make coffee and pancakes, always pancakes on weekends. And honestly I’m living my perfect weekend day alltogether, playing and having breakfast is all I want. On Sundays we always make time to have coffee just the two of us in the city somewhere, then we spend all day with her.
What does night time routine look like? What’s the one thing you can’t wait to do after putting Victoria to bed?
This is a tricky one, every night is different, we try to put her to bed by 9pm, but oh well some nights she just wants to play, haha, so we end up having dinner after she sleeps, like 10 or so, but we do have dinner like normal people at 7 then bath time and Netflix and wine on some days. I like to relax & watch a good movie but 3 out of 5 days I just prefer to go to sleep when she does.
What has been the most rewarding thing about being a mom so far? What about the scariest thing?
The word MAMA, just melts my heart everyday, and the hugs, oh my god the hugs, how can such a tiny human give you such strong hugs? It’s incredible. The scariest thing? Well, every time she feels sick or ill, everytime she is away or cries and I don’t know why, I always think of every possible thing that can go wrong, I’m over protective sometimes but she’s my baby and I must take care of her all my life.
So I’ve met you on Instagram, and your page looks like a Pinterest mood board you just want to scroll through. What does Insta mean to you, how did you ‘create’ your following, what inspires you when you share stuff?
It started just for fun and mostly it still is, I love taking photos and making videos, I like having memories I can look back in time at, not just remembering them. I used to love having a clean feed, colour-coordinated, but it got harder to keep and life isn’t like this, it’s messy and beautiful and my feed is my playground, on some days I use filters, on some I just post them as they are, clean.
How would you describe the aesthetics of your home?
Hmmm, my style really depends on my state on mind, our house is a mix between Scandinavian and industrial. I love both bright colours (I have one large yellow sofa in the living room ) and plain, due to the fact that my house is one giant grey square 😊
What do you do every day in a couple of words?
Work, clean, cook, wash, play, run, sing, laugh, love. Simple, right? 😊
What kind of mom would you say you are – strict, relaxed, routine-oriented, go with the flow?
I must say…go with the flow on most days, but I wish I could be more relaxed.
What things do you deliberately not make public on social media?
I choose very carefully my photos of Victoria that I post on social media, I try to keep 40% of our lives just for us. Not giving to0 much information about where we live, where she goes to kindergarten or where we work.
What impact do you think it has on you? Do you make money from Instagram?
There are so many profiles with this “picture perfect “life, you know it’s not real, but deep down it still has an impact on you from time to time. A while ago I cleaned my following list and only kept the profiles I loved to watch, have something to learn from and also the ones that give me that nice vibe, you know the ones you can’t stop scrolling down on.
I do make money out of my Instagram, not much, but it does make me feel nice about myself that my work is appreciated. For now, it’s just a hobby and I can’t say it would be more. Maybe someday, who knows.
What would you like to see more of on social media?
Real people, real happiness, real love; there is so much FAKE around us that we start to believe it.
What was/is the biggest challenge in staying sexy, fun and interesting as a wife and a woman? How do you “keep the flame burning”?
It took me almost 1 year to feel better about myself, to accept my new mom-body and to feel as a woman again, and not just somebody’s mom. It was hard and I was hard on myself, gym, dieting, always tired, always moody, but thankfully I had my husband to support me. We all need somebody we can rely on. And also, social media is a no no on this topic, women feel bad when they see others with a perfect body just days after birth.
We do have our alone time; we enjoy watching a movie together or a good wine and always have a “date night”. It’s just the thing to do for parents.
Do you ever feel like you loose your sh&t?
Everyday!! Haha, no but really, I have my moments from time to time. At work I take a coffee break to clean my mind and at home I try not to get angry or sad. Of course, it’s hard when she throws all of her toys or her food or mommy’s phone on the ground ☹ but hey, she’s just a kid, she’ll grow up, she’ll listen but till then we’re letting her be a kid, a happy one.
What does self-care mean to you and how do you make time for it?
At least twice a week I apply a face mask or a hair mask, I always make time for me, I make time for everybody else so I deserve that 30 minute mask or that bubble bath at the end of the day, right?
Did you have any help with Victoria?
It was just me and her all day long, ’til hubby came home. Oh god it was hard in the beginning but those memories last a lifetime. I was there when she first smiled, for her 1st word, 1st step…I wouldn’t change it for anything.
We have help on the weekends from our parents, she’s lucky to have young grandparents to look after her.
How did you relationship with your husband change after becoming parents? What challenges did you face in trying to make time for the two of you? What mistake do you think women often make after becoming moms in regards to their love life?
They forget how to be a woman and a wife. And that is the main reason for fighting after having a baby, you must learn how to be a wife and a mother, you own it to you and your husband and even your child. They deserve a happy wife and mother.
Can’t say our relationship has changed, we’re more tired 😊 but that’s all, we try to keep time for us, for our time together with Victoria and some alone time also.
What does motherhood mean to you?
“Being a mother means learning, listening, leading, laughing, loving, and living in the moment . . . “
Continue the sentence…
I love to smell like….a summer day
On Sunday mornings…coffee & pancakes
Never missing from my fridge….milk
Best part of the day…. mornings
Biggest nightmare… loosing my family
My dream date is… pizza & Netflix
My go to sexy look is…. White t-shirt & jeans
Before going to bed….cuddle with Victoria
I love sleeping in…. hubby’s t-shirt
At home you’ll find me wearing… pyjamas