Photo Credit: Lucy Helena
Christi Lukasiak quickly rose to fame as the witty, protective and hilarious mother on the internationally known hit series, “Dance Moms” for seven seasons. Her relationship dynamic with her daughter, Chloe Lukasiak, won the love from fans worldwide, and while Christi and Chloe have moved on from the show, over 3.4 Million followers still watch Christi’s everyday life off-camera via social media – whether she’s taking care of business, on “mom duty”, ranting about her newly adopted dog-mom troubles or sharing her “favorite items” of the week, her fans can’t seem to get enough.
Additionally, the business guru and “Fierce BossMom” is a member of YourMomCares, an initiative of celebrity and influencer moms banding together to focus on ensuring all children have access to the resources needed to be mentally well. This includes receiving diagnosis, treatment, services and activities which serve their needs. Some co-members include Sharon Feldstein (mother of Jonah Hill) and Patsy Noah (mother of Adam Levine).
Recently, Christi launched solo project “Cake for Breakfast,” an inside look at her life. The lifestyle blog focuses on topics such as her daughters, home, travels, words of wisdom, and fashion and beauty favorites. She plans to migrate this wealth of knowledge to her up-and-coming podcast, which will be debuting in the first half of 2020.
Here, this super mom talks to Haute Living in advance of Mother’s Day about the challenges and joys of motherhood, her favorite Mother’s Day memories and her ultimate mom hacks during the COVID-19 quarantine.
Photo Credit: Lucy Helena
In a few words, what is the biggest challenge in motherhood?
My biggest challenge is knowing when to give my girls space to make their own mistakes and learn from them. I always want to protect them and sometimes it’s better NOT to.
You work with YourMomCares. What has been the most rewarding part of working with that organization?
The most rewarding part of working with Your Mom Cares is the partnership between us and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. We helped to fund a revolutionary new app that connect teens with counselors to learn coping skills for anxiety and depression. The preliminary results have been incredibly successful and we are optimistic about rolling it out to more patients. It’s exciting when an idea comes to fruition!
Tell us about your best Mother’s Day and what made it so special.
My best Mother’s Day was In 2010. Chloe was 8 and Clara was a few months old. We didn’t do anything remarkable that day, but I just remember looking at our little family of four and truly feeling like we were complete. I can remember the feelings and emotions like it was yesterday.
What are a few mom-friendly items you’re shipping right now?
I have been shipping a lot of beauty products right now. I think self-care is incredibly important and I am using the quarantine to focus on myself and reset. Nightly facials and skin care have been my focus, so I am loving my personal steamer by Dr. Dennis Gross, sheet masks and vitamin C serums. Oh! And my secret beauty weapon: liquid collagen. I swear it makes a total difference in my skin.
Photo Credit: Shannon Chavez
Do you have a tried and true mom hack you can share?
When either of my girls talk to me in a sassy way, I make them call me Mrs. Lukasiak because they would never dare to speak to a teacher in that tone and it reminds them that just because I’m “mom”, doesn’t make me any less deserving of respect.
Have you been pitched any TV projects (you or your daughters) that you’re planning on accepting in 2020-2021? What can you tell us about the project(s) if so?
I have been approached to do two different shows: one that includes my family and one that does not. I haven’t 100% decided if either are the right fit, but I would love be involved with a tv project again.
What do you have in the works?
I have a few things in the works that I am super excited to announce in 2020. Stay tuned!
How are you and your daughters getting through the coronavirus crisis?
For us, it is super important to have a schedule and a routine so, even though we don’t have obligations outside of the house, we are still holding ourselves accountable. And lots and lots of games!
Christi Lukasiak’s Parenting Hacks: 10 Innovative Ways to Keep Your Kids busy During Quarantine
1. Diamond Painting
Both of my girls, ages 10 and 18 love this activity. It’s like paint-by-numbers, but with rhinestones. They are super easy, very therapeutic and come in a ton of designs. We order ours from Amazon!
2. Disney Drawing
Clara loves art and she was so excited to see that Disney Parks released a series of tutorials that gives step-by-step instructions how to draw some of Disney’s most beloved characters.
3. Host A Film Festival
So many movie franchises have several installments. Pick one and have kids watch one per day until the series is complete. If you are looking for a way to make it educational, make them write a review of each movie and give their opinion which was the best.
4. Journal
There is no denying that this is a historic event that will be talked about for years. Have kids keep a daily journal so they can share with future generations. There are tons of apps online that give prompts to remind kids to include things like weather. emotions and activities.
5. Lego Master
Instead of having your child follow the instructions from a preconceived Lego kit, give them prompts to bring out their inner creativity. Beach day! Amusement park! Futuristic house! The possibilities are endless.
6. Host A Game Tournament
Set up a designated area and host an ongoing game tournament. My younger daughter lives to play Monopoly and we usually don’t have the time to engage in a full blown game. Guess what? Now we do. We leave it set up and come back to it when we have free time throughout the week.
7. Treasure Hunt
Hide a treasure somewhere in the house and give your kids clues to find it. If you are feeling super ambitious, you can create a map for them to follow.
8. Story From Space
This is so fun! Real astronauts read children stories from space at www.storytimefromspace.com. It also makes you feel a little less guilty for allowing screen time because it’s educational!
9. Rent-The-Chicken
Okay, this one is a little out there, but it is SO fun. This franchise is available in several areas throughout the US. A farmer will drop off everything you need to hatch 3-5 baby chickens, including an incubator, cage, feed and very thorough instructions. Simply plug in and wait for the miracle of birth. After the chicks hatch, you get about 10-14 days with the until the farmer picks them up and returns them to the farm. It is such a fun project and everyone in my family LOVED it.
10. Daily Walks
This may not be the most innovative, but it has been key in keeping our sanity. We schedule a family walk every day at 5:00pm. No excuses. It has quickly become something we all look forward to and marks the end of another day in quarantine.
