What Joanna Gaines Is Really Like as a Mom
The 39-year-old star of Fixer Upper just announced she's expecting her fifth child.
With four kids and one on the way, Joanna Gaines has had a lot of practice when it comes to parenting. She is a working mom who juggles flipping houses and starring in HGTV's Fixer Upper (although the show is in its final season), but she always makes time to have fun with her kids.
In April 2016, Joanna wrote a letter to all moms asking them to try and enjoy the little joys of the day-to-day triumphs, despite the challenges, and to remember that "you are enough." From dance parties to making messy meals, one look at Joanna's social media shows that she does just that. Here's a roundup of what she is like as a mom.
1. She plans meaningful surprises for her kids.
Joanna shared the photo, above, of Emmie Kay, 7, staring outside of her bedroom window. The soon-to-be mother of five revealed that she planted a bush that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds as a sweet gesture for her girls. "You sow seeds early on and work hard to be intentional and then over time you move on to new lessons and challenges," Gaines wrote on Facebook. "Then one day you look up and the seeds you planted in your little children's hearts are now in full bloom."
2. She treasures tradition.
Joanna shared that she puts up the same Christmas tree every year, and can't help but feel emotional because of all of the memories attached to it. "This tree is full of firsts for each of us, many meaningful ornaments, and lots of handmade who knows what. It's my favorite and I treasure this time every year," she said.
3. She is silly with her kids.
Here she is busting a move with Emmie Kay to the tunes the La La Land soundtrack. The mother-daughter duo put on quite a show!
4. She is not strict about bedtime (if there's a good reason).
Like most mothers, Joanna keeps her kids on a routine schedule. However, she's willing to bend the rules a bit and let them stay up a few minutes late if it means that brothers Drake, 12, and Duke, 9, have more time to bond.
5. She cuddles with her babies.
Joanna knows there's nothing more comforting for a child than a mother's touch. In the photo above, Joanna holds Emmie Kay tight in her arms.
6. She encourages her kids to explore the outdoors.
Most moms can agree that kids can often spent too much time playing with their iPads indoors and don't get enough fresh air. Here, Joanna shared a photo of her her husband Chip and their daughter about to play hide-and-go-seek in a cornfield. Appreciating the outdoors doesn't seem so hard in their beautiful hometown of Waco, Texas.
7. She's not afraid to get her hands dirty for a good meal.
Motherhood is rarely glamorous, and as Joanna captioned, it can be "messy at times." In the photo above, she made baked goods for her children for Mother's Day.
8. She teaches them the value of hard work.
"I told her she would get a new plant every month if she keeps up with all her little cuties. We are running out of space," Joanna captioned the photo above of Emmie Kay.
9. She likes a good deal ... and online shopping!
Although she's a successful house flipper and reality star, Joanna likes saving money just like any other mom. However, as she shared in the photo above, sometimes there are hiccups like this one time she ordered a mini-foosball table by accident. "I really thought I just got a killer deal on Black Friday. No wonder it was $19.99," she wrote on Instagram.
10. She teaches her children the family business.
Who needs an intern when you have four kids (almost 5), right? In the photo above, Joanna recruits Emmie Kay to teach her the ropes of interior design.
