Who is Kate Casey?
A friend, wife and mother of FIVE, comedian, author, and host of her own podcast: “The Reality Life with Kate Casey”, Kate really is a master of it all. Usually she is the one interviewing reality stars and producers from shows such as Vanderpump Rules, The Bachelor, Real Housewives, Shark Tan, and more; But today the tables have turned she shares with us her parenting tips and tricks, the maternal instinct in her and the want for more babies, how to deal with the stressors of parenting multiple children, pregnancy itself as well as her thriving career and compelling stories of her life growing up. I hope you’re ready for what we have in store in todays episode because it’s a good one, I’ll tell you that!
Family Time vs. Me Time
Between the three of us today we have 12 kids, three different parenting styles and three different point of views. However, Kate brings up some simple but valid points that I think as mothers, we could all learn from on things we tend to just see as the norm, such as vacations. “It’s a trip not a vacation” she says, when the the kids are along for the ride. Vacations are meant relaxing and when the kids are along it turns me into a stress case… it can be hectic having it all together for a trip with the 6 of us. And even outside of the traveling world, when I’m home I feel the pressure to leave the house with my adventuring husband every time he wants to do something. I feel bad NOT going because I don’t want to seem like a bad mom, but Kate reassured me (and I’m sure will reassure moms like me who also struggle with this) that it’s ok to not go everywhere with the kids and my husband every single time. You will not be seen as a bad mom for wanting “me time”, so just STAY HOME. That is definitely some advice I will be taking, as simple as it is, that extra time to myself and to other moms out there is more important than most people know. Kate also touched on car time / road trips and how to make it more fun and valuable to the growth and development of our children’s minds, but you’ll have to listen in to that segment of the show to hear more!
Realization
I want to touch on how the seed for a big family was planted in Kate’s head because the three of us seemed to connect on this level in the maternal aspect of it all. On 9/11/2001 she felt scared and alone due to her husband being on deployment as well as not being able to get in touch with her sister for many hours who was in the midst of the traumatic event that day. I’m sure dozens of thoughts were circulating in her head but one that stood out in the chaos of it all was that she didn’t want to experience life without having a family… a big family at that. 5 kids later she has created a beautiful life for herself. It was at the same time that also brought me together with my husband. I lost many friends during this time and that’s when we met each other -while raising money for the victims of 9/11- and I fell in love with him. I knew that I wanted to start a family with him. He was my light and I knew he would make the best dad and I was right. Nikki mentions that she was also pregnant at this time. Who knew that years later we would all be together sharing these stories that ignited the families we have now.
Baby Number 1
Come time for her first child, Kate always had it in her mind that even though she is modest in other aspects of her life she wanted to be open and inviting when it came time to giving birth. I personally wanted no one in the room and she’s over here with her “Pray for my vagina” poster gifted by one of her friends!.. (one of the around 11 friends she has had total in the room to see her give birth, not including family!) Giving birth is an experience like no other. We all agreed that it brings you closer to your husband and makes you fall in love all over again but this time in a completely different way. You’re a team now and you’re bring this life into the world that you made together. There is nothing that can make that bond stronger between two people compared to this. It’s magical really, the whole process of it all. The whole idea of it being a team comes out even more in the parenting process. Raising a child or raising more than one child is a how the team is formed. It’s important how you act and react, because kids work off of your energy. Kate mentions that it is mind over matter and it really is just that. Eventually all of the other puzzle pieces will mold together as time goes on.
With All That Being Said…
Motherhood is a learning experience like no other and I’m constantly growing day by day. It is always nice to get another mom’s perspective on their parenting skills and styles to use in my own life. Kate sheds light on new ideas and ways to make this journey just a bit more smooth and beneficial for us all, and I am so excited and grateful that she joined us today so that she could not only share with Nikki and I but possibly help a few other moms out there dealing with some of the challenges we face daily. To go into more detail and to hear some of her amazing stories and insight, just hit play! You’ll be happy you did!
