Monday’s Maven

Monday’s Maven

Full Name: Kristen Rafajko

Location: Lehi, Utah

kids: Elle 4 ½ and Rocky 2

One Word that Describes You: Enterprising

What makes you smile? When my Rocky says “I love you mommy”, and Elle prays before dinner “ we are family, this is food, we should eat, amen” ….. and shopping(when I have money.)

What is one of your dreams you hope to accomplish soon? to give inspiration to women, and to empower them to believe in themselves. Women have been taught that we come last, and that all our tasks and relationships come first, but the reality of it is that if we don’t think  and pamper ourselves first, then we aren’t giving our undivided attention to the tasks and relationships in front of us. You’re not a bad mother if you want to take a bath alone; you’re not a bad wife if you want to skip date night to be with girlfriends, and you’re not a bad person if there are some days you don’t feel like making cookies, and instead go to the store and buy them for the community bake sale. I think Utah has extreme pressures on women on how we should dress, act, socialize, parent, and live our lives, but you should take a breath and do something for yourself first.

One of Your favorite motherhood moments? When my daughter developed a mind of her own. She is such a character; she says and does the funniest things. She is my entertainment every day.

What is your guilty pleasure? Watching TV after the kids go to bed. I usually stay up till midnight watching all my favorite shows I’ve TiVo’d. My poor husband, for the first couple of years we were married, I watched I Love Lucy every night for a couple of hours in bed. He got used to it, but falls asleep immediately if I put it on now.

What do you love most about you? I love that I always say what’s on my mind. Although it has gotten me in trouble before, I have learned to say things at the right time. I also love that I am fearless. When it comes to things that are physically challenging, I tend to be nervous, and scared but I always just do it, and I never regret it. I am also fearless mentally as well. I have been known to do the scary thing people want to do , but never do. Like walk up to a celebrity and start a conversation, talk to a guy (9 months pregnant) because my girlfriend thought he was cute, go up on stage and make a fool of myself… I will typically do most anything.

Favorite Place? One of my favorite things is to just be outside. I don’t care what I am doing, laying on a blanket, doing weeds, or running around with the kids, I just love the fresh air, and the sunshine on me. The only exception is in the winter. I hate being cold, so I would much rather be inside by the fire with a book and hot chocolate.

Who is your hero? This sounds so cliché, but my dad is my hero. I have lived a very extraordinary life because of him and his successes. I have also seen him lose everything and be at rock bottom. The thing he has always shown me is that no matter the situation your faced with, you do the best you can do, stay positive, and never, never give up. I respect him so much for never giving up, and always going for something, even when everyone tells you no; you’re wrong; it’s a bad idea.

Your advice to Moms to keep their personal style alive and look good at any crazy stage of motherhood:

Mothers have to take time to put themselves first. But before you can do that, you have to look at yourself, and ask what you really want, and  you must be realistic. If you are a frazzled mom of four and have 15 minutes to get ready, then the odds are going out of your bathroom looking like Kim Kardashian are slim to none. If your daily attire consists of jeans and a t-shirt, then don’t try and do life in heels and dresses. Wear your jeans and t-shirts with some chunky jewelry to spice it up, or go for a sophisticated button up to look more pulled together. Love yourself, and who you are. Don’t try and change the way you do things, refine them, and look at how you can improve them.

Tags: Monday's Maven, kristen rafajko

Comments are closed.