As an author, designer and entrepreneur, Kristin Cavallari has come a long way since “Laguna Beach” — but her life truly changed when she became a mom.
“I really feel like I’m finally in a place where this is what I’m supposed to be doing, this is what I’m meant for,” Cavallari, who has three children with husband Jay Cutler, told TODAY. “This is where I’m the happiest. I felt like I really came into my own when I became a mom. My entire world changed.”
In fact, motherhood has made Cavallari, 29, see former insecurities in a new light.
“I’ve always had a little pooch. I just always have — that’s just my body type,” she said. “No matter how skinny I’ve been, it’s always there. And now that I’ve had kids, I sort of don’t mind as much because, you know what? What my stomach and my body went through is truly a miracle. And so it’s pretty marvelous that our bodies are able to do that. And Jay doesn’t care, which makes me more comfortable about it. So, find a guy who loves your flaws rather than nitpicks about them.”
The reality TV alum, who welcomed daughter Saylor last November, advises other new moms not to be too hard on themselves when it comes to losing the baby weight.
“I always give myself a three-month period where I would just hibernate and wouldn’t even think about the baby weight,” she said. “I would just be with my baby in my own little world. And then once I started getting more energy and wasn’t so tired then I would hit the gym. Cause I breast-fed all my kids, so you can’t be too hard on yourself, because you need all of that food to produce all that milk.”
She added, “I noticed with Saylor, it was the most difficult for me. I think age is a huge factor. I was 25 when I had Camden, so that was my easiest one, obviously. But I think you just have to know that it takes time. Everyone’s different. I think if you just eat healthy, you’re active and you don’t beat yourself up, you’re setting yourself up to win rather than setting yourself up for failure.”
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Cavallari wishes that people were “a little bit more real” when it comes to the hard parts of parenting.
“I feel like it gets very competitive instead of just being like ‘Listen, this is what I went through and this sucks.’ It’s hard, and we’re all just doing the best job that we can, and so I wish people were just more open and honest about the struggles we all face as moms.”
And as the mom of three little ones, Cavallari has her share of messy moments at home — which is why Bounty tapped her to host a "1st birthday"-themed event in New York City Thursday.
“Saylor eats by herself in her high chair, but she makes a huge mess and she just discovered that she can feed the dogs,” Cavallari said. “So she’ll throw food on the floor, and we tell her no, and she just laughs and think it’s so funny, and she keeps feeding them. I have to wipe her down basically from head to toe, ‘cause she’s just covered in food.”
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Fortunately, Camden, 4, and Jaxon, 2, have embraced their roles as Saylor’s big brothers.
“Camden is really cute with Saylor all around. He’s really sweet with her — even when she was a baby and couldn’t move, he’d bring toys over to her, he’d always give her kisses,” she said. “Jaxon and Camden have had really cute moments where they’ll just naturally hold each other’s hands crossing the street. I think I’ve sort of ingrained that in them and so now they just do it. And occasionally we’ll see them giving each other hugs, which is really, really cute to see.”
Cavallari is “constantly looking for the secret” to balancing life as a busy mom.
“I’ve become a pro at managing my time. I think that’s the most important thing,” she said. “And now because my family is my priority, I only say yes to things I absolutely love and want to be part of, and that I have time for. I’ve talked about doing a clothing line and to be honest I don’t have time for it, and so I’ve passed on it. Maybe when my kids are a little bit older, but right now between the shoe line and the jewelry line, and then I’m working on a cookbook, I’ve maxed out. And I love all three of those things, and they truly are all passion projects for me, but that’s it.”
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She continued, “I’ve learned how to manage my time working on all three while still being a hands-on mom, picking the kids up at school, packing their lunches, I do swim classes with the boys. I want to be that mom. I don’t want a nanny picking my kids up. I want to be there. So that’s the most important thing to me.”
Another celebrity mom Cavallari admires? Victoria Beckham.
“From the outside she seems to sort of have it all. I’m sure it’s probably not that picture-perfect, but her boys seems to be extremely well mannered. Her husband is gorgeous. She is always so put together and looks effortless doing it. And then they have the cutest little girl. What’s not to love about that? She seems to be doing a great job balancing her incredible fashion career with also being a mom and a wife.”