MOMspiration: Krista Ranillo-Lim

Confession: I have a very high regard for stay-at-home-moms or better known as SAHMs because in my humble opinion, they bring the word motherhood to a different level... something beyond my reach as a full time working mom. I stalk a lot of SAHMs on Instagram and I always give them my virtual salute whenever I read about the sacrifices they do for their children. In short, they inspire me to be a good mother.

One of the SAHMs I stalk on Instagram is the very unpretentious ex-celebrity Cristalle Ranillo-Lim, more popularly known as Krista Ranillo.

Krista with her husband Nino and three adorable children

What I love about Krista is her realness when it comes to sharing about being a mom. On her Instagram, you don't only get to see glamorous part of parenting (hello, cutest and well-styled fashionable kids!). She also shares about the challenges she encounters from time to time, including putting her 3 kids to sleep as late as 1 am and still  need an energy to cut their nails one by one thereafter.

To know Krista deeper as a mom, I sent her an interview questionnaire which she gladly and quickly answered as soon as she read my email. Here it is for your reading pleasure:

Cherry: Hi Krista! May I know how old were you when you became a mom? Were you well prepared physically and emotionally?

Krista: My eldest Nate, was born in the same month i was turning 29. Physically, I have always been active all throughout my pregnancies, I have done pilates and yoga to keep me active and prepare for childbirth. As for preparing myself emotionally, I tried reading books and even joined forums just to find out what to expect when it comes to being a mom, but I honestly think that one can never prepare fully for motherhood, I believe it's a learning process and you can't really find in books how to be a mom and how to prepare yourself for motherhood.

Cherry:  Did you always dream of becoming a mom? You now have 3 adorable kids and i can see from your IG posts that you are a very hands on and dedicated mom. How do you cope up with taking care of 3 kids all at the same time?

Krista: Back when i graduated kindergarten, my parents were surprised when i said that, "When i grow up, I want to be a housewife." I think almost all little girls dream about becoming a mother. I try to be very hands on because i know they'll grow up so fast, I wish to cherish the moments where i can look back and remember how it was when they were still young, and the joys and hardships that we overcame together.

My kids are close in age and it really feels like i have triplets! My eldest is 4, my second son Nolan is turning 3 next month and my daughter Natalie is 14 months. There are days when I cry in the closet or i feel like pulling out my hair because of frustration, and i share those with my followers on social media. I feel like there's no need to paint a picture that motherhood is perfect, there are a lot of good days and some bad days too. I'm blessed because my parents live so close to me and they are hands on grandparents and i have two nannies with me at home to do the housework.

Gretchen Rubin once wrote, "the days are long but the years are short." Most days I can't wait for the kids to fall asleep. It's already past 1am and I still have one child wide awake (thanks daylight savings time) and when he finally does I'll make my rounds to all three and cut their nails while they dream away. The days really feel long, getting a haircut means me blowing bubbles for 20 minutes just to distract my second born. But as tired as I am, I look back and realize that they grow up so fast and even if it only seems like yesterday I was holding my newborn in my arms and taking that first ever look at each of them, my heart full of love, they will never be this little again. These are the days, the long days that are the best days and the days that I will always remember. One day I will miss these days. Good night from mommy ❤️

A photo posted by Krista Ranillo-Lim (@kristaranillo) on Mar 10, 2015 at 1:31am PDT

Cherry: I read in one of your IG post how your long day didn't end way past 1 am and still found time to cut the kids' nails when they all finally dozed off. Hats off to you! How tough and how rewarding is it to be a SAHM? 

Krista: Being a SAHM is a 24/7 job, I co-sleep with two of my kids and our bed is getting smaller as they are growing older. LOL. There are days when I wish that i had  some other outlet other than spending all the time with the kids, and as hard as it is, I try my best to find the time to work out, or eat in a restaurant by myself, just to get a little break. But whenever i come home and the kids run to me and kiss me as if I've been gone for months, it feels so rewarding.

I also feel that being a SAHM, you feel there's no prize, it's not like a project where you work and you get an end result right away. But i remind myself that even when my days feel so redundant, that there is a goal, and it is to raise my children to be good citizens, to be kind, generous and God fearing. That in the end, if i get to fulfill that, it will be my prize for all the hardwork.

Cherry: What personal dreams and aspirations are you willing to give up and/or you have given up to be a SAHM? How do you feel about it? 

Krista: I still want to do something for myself when the kids are a little older, I took a baking course for months when my second was born and i enjoyed it. We are in the food industry (supermarket and restaurant business) and I would love to get involved in the future. For now, my priority is raising the children and I know someday i can still fulfill my dream of working.

Cherry: What piece of advice can you give to your fellow stay-at-home-moms based on your own experience? 

Krista: As much as we love our children, we have to remember to love ourselves too. I try to be very hands on with my kids but I feel like being around them and having my life revolve around them all day and night can also drive me crazy! So don't feel guilty if you have to take a break, to eat, to shop, to get a haircut, to watch a movie, something you enjoy so when you come home, you can be a better mom. There are times when i scream at my kids and it serves as my wake up call to take a break.

Cherry: Who are your MOMspirations and why?

Krista with her friends and MOMspirations

Krista: My MOMspirations are my friends of over twenty years, Lala, Ginny, Diane, and Nikki. We all have kids and we always tell each other that we keep each other sane. We talk daily and share our experiences, when the kids are sick, when the kids do well, we keep each other in check. I don't think i could survive motherhood without them. 

Thank you so much Krista for your willingness to share your words of wisdom about motherhood. You are without a doubt a MOMspiration!

Krista's raddest kids

Krista Ranillo is happily married to Nino Lim, a businessman who owns the Island Pacific grocery chain in the US. They were blessed with three adorable children; Nate Jacob, Nolan Jayden and Natalie Lourdes.