Eva Longoria On How To Stay Organized During Our Self-Quarantine Times

Amidst the coronavirus crisis, the environment across the globe has changed from bustling cities punctuated with busy retailers to quiet streets practicing wartime measures. Adjusting to new rituals where the digital experience is now the office boardroom, we’ve come to adopt new daily chores like spraying alcohol, lathering our hands with soap and logging into Zoom for a morning meeting.

But for new mothers like Eva Longoria, this temporary suspension of the day-to-day grind means organizing, managing and sharing her favorite family photos of one-year-old son, Santiago “Santi” Enrique Bastón. Juggling the non-existent idea of work-life balance as an actress, director, producer, mother and godmother, Longoria has triumphed at plotting out her over-booked schedule to have it all. But as soon as Santi was born, it was indisputable—capturing sweet moments of her son dance and smile was priority, while everything else filled in between.

While we’re social distancing and working from home, Longoria is getting candid with Haute Living on how to pass the time by using a smart photo manager from ibi by SanDisk, tackling raising a child with a fast-growing career and her expert tips on photographing kids.

Photo Credit: John Russo

HAUTE LIVING: As a new mother, you’ve experienced what many moms are up against. The over-conducted experiment of having it all. Constantly juggling multiple hats as an actress, producer, director, mother and godmother, how are you able to conquer the work-life balance?

EVA LONGORIA: It’s so funny. People always ask me how I do it. I think when you have a baby, it becomes a little easier because your priorities are so clear. He’s on such a schedule. When I was breastfeeding, he had to breastfeed and eat at certain times. There is a lot of structure to what my day looks like. His life is priority. I get to fill in everything in between with my work. It’s almost easier.

HL: Raised with three sisters, you gave birth to your son, Santi, fully-equipped for motherhood. What was the biggest lesson you learned that most surprised you?

EL: I think how intense my charity work has become. I’ve always been active and involved. That’s nothing really new in my life. But now I have a level of anxiety to leave the world a better place because of him. So, that was surprising because I thought, ‘of course I’m going to still do my charity work.’ But now, it’s gotten more intense.

HL: You recently founded the Eva Longoria Foundation. Tell us more about your philanthropic work.

EL: It focuses on Latinos reaching their full potential through educational and entrepreneurial programs. We have been doing so much work. We’ve effected 2500 Latinos over the years and their families. The foundation really works to better the potential of economic mobility for this community because it’s the fastest growing demographic in the United States and a talent pool for our future work force. We’re making sure that the talent pool is ready for those jobs.

HL: Partnering with ibi by SanDisk, you’re now able to organize, manage and share special moments of Santi with family and friends. How does this smart photo manager make capturing these memories easier?   

EL: I didn’t even know that something like this could exist! Since the baby, I have so many photos and even more before ibi. I thought, ‘where is that photo I posted on Instagram?’ And when I got the call that ibi wanted to partner with me, I thought, ‘this is so great.’ And with all of the hacking scandals, I didn’t want my photos on a cloud. I want my stuff with me. I want to share it with who I want to share it with, when I want to share it. It’s an amazing feature that ibi does. It really helped me with my privacy and made my special moments, especially with my son, be shared with my closest friends and family. It gives me full control.

Photo Credit: Western Digital

HL: With an ever-increasing stack of photos and videos, what’s your favorite memory of Santi since his birth?

EL: Every day is a new memory! He’s been dancing a lot lately. That’s one thing that we’ve been capturing, these funny videos of him doing dance moves that we didn’t even know he knew. And his smile has just gotten so much bigger. Now he has all of his teeth so his smile has changed. Every single moment of Santi’s life, he is just so photogenic.

HL: Outside of ultra-early mornings and a new reality of sweats, motherhood is often connected to family meals. Is there one recipe, passed down, that you’re eager to try?  

EL: Everything! I cook every day for him, every meal, every day. He’s a good eater so far. So, I’ve been really lucky that he’s already tasted a lot of things in my culture, which is Mexican food. He pretty much has a head start on that. As he gets older, we’ll make spicier food.

HL: What’s your go to picture to frame right now?

EL: I’m dying to frame our Christmas family photo. It’s the first time my husband has all of his children together. I’m waiting to put that one in a frame!

HL: Making children ‘freeze and smile’ for a photo is an expert skill. What are your foolproof tips to taking a family photo?

EL: I do all kinds of tricks! I have lights and I play videos. I think it’s an art and you need a whole village.