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Eva Amurri might be the epitome of the modern mom: she’s balancing multiple careers as an actress, entrepreneur, fashion designer, and lifestyle blogger; she’s successfully co-parenting the three children she shares with her ex-husband, and she isn’t afraid to be completely candid about the fact that she doesn’t always balance of all those roles perfectly.
In fact, talking about the tough stuff — anxiety, miscarriage, depression, divorce, co-parenting — is part of what makes Happily Eva After, the blog she started in 2015, such a refreshing read. It’s not all sunshine and staged family fun.
“It’s important for me to say, ‘You do not manage it all,’” Amurri tells SheKnows over Zoom. “People do not have it all. If it looks like you do, something is falling through the cracks.” To that end, she readily admits that she’s had to scale back some of her creative endeavors of late. Having taken an eight-year break from acting after her first child, Marlowe, was born, she’s back on the small screen, joining her mom, Susan Sarandon, in Monarch. But by adding that back into her life, something else had to give — and for Amurri, it was her Happily Eva After Collection.
“I’ve been scaling back a lot in what I put my energy toward,” she says. “This is the last collection drop because I realized I was too burnt out from doing everything.”
That’s been a hard-fought realization for the self-described Type-A personality. “It’s been a huge education for me — just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” she says. “And sometimes the bravest thing is walking away, not because you have to but because it’s the better choice.”
With the current season of Monarch on the air and designing clothing off her plate, the single mom to Marlowe, 8, Major, 6, and Mateo, 2 1/2, is now focused on creating content for her blog and parenting duties like school drop-off and potty training — and she shared the parenting essentials that make it all easier for her.
Eva's Parenting Essentials
Brain Quest Workbook
$7.79
Buy now
Sunmaid Yogurt Covered Raisins 18-Pack
$17.27
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Tubby Todd The Essentials Gift Set
$65.00
Buy now
Lovevery The Babbler Play Kit
$120
Buy now
The podcast I’m listening to right now
“I’m obsessed with Esther Perel. Her podcast Where Should We Begin? is such a fascinating look at relationships and intimacy. I think it’s a must for any person who is coupled!”
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The books my kids are currently obsessed with
“Marlowe loves reading the Dragon Girls series; Major is currently reading Frog and Toad on his own, which is super cute because I read it as a kid, too! Mateo loves all the Busy Town books because they have so much going on.”
What I’m currently reading myself
“I just started reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I love novels, they’re my escape.”
The snacks I always keep on hand for my kids
“We love Skinny Pop popcorn, Sunmaid Yogurt Covered Raisins, Z Bars, and all of the Annie’s packaged snacks.”
The beauty product I never leave the house without
“As somebody who used to have acne, I’m really serious about my skincare routine! I have many blog posts about this (including a pregnancy-safe beauty routine I followed when expecting!) But I would say that the products that are MUSTS each day are iS Clinical Cleansing Complex, Shani Darden Retinol Reform, Supergoop Daily Dose sunscreen, and Elemis Collagen Cleansing Balm to take the day off at night before cleansing. I also live for Laneige Sleeping Mask lip balm!”
The apps that make my life as a parent easier
“I love the PBS kids app! It has the best shows. We also really love ABC Mouse for learning.”
The parenting accounts I love to follow
“I don’t really follow parenting accounts…is that bad? LOL. I get parenting inspiration from the people I follow who are also parents and juggling it all.”
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The non-screen toys that keep my kids occupied
“My kids LOVE doing Brain Quest workbooks! We also have an “Art Cart,” which is a tiered, rolling caddy with all kinds of art supplies in all the compartments. They’ll wheel it into the dining room and all make art in there together.”
The TV shows and movies I actually enjoy watching with my kids
“We love Bluey SO much! We also really love watching Disney/Pixar movies all together on the weekends. I have to give a shoutout to my toddler’s favorite show Steve & Maggie on Prime Video. It’s a little intense for me personally, but Mateo LOVES it.”
The kid-friendly music I don’t hate listening to
“We’re big into soundtracks in our house! Recently Newsies, The Music Man, and Wicked have been playing nonstop around here.”
My favorite subscriptions for my kids
“I’ve been getting the Lovevery subscription boxes for my toddler since he was a newborn! They’re so great for providing educational toys that aren’t an eyesore.”
My favorite bath & skincare products for kids
“Tubby Todd is our fave!”
The children’s brands that I love
“I’ve loved Worthy Threads! It’s a mom-owned brand that has the best tie dye for the whole fam, and cute Mommy & Me sets. We also love Little Navy for personalized pajamas and bathing suits!”
The clothing brand that helps me ‘mom’ in style
“Besides my own Happily Eva After Collection (small biz alert! LOL), I really like Brownlee Bathing Corp for comfy athleisure, and Bardo Collective for dressy pieces like their Fiori Dress or Maxi Slip Dress when I’m off of Mom Duty.”
To get even more parenting recommendations, read about the other stylish moms featured in our Momsessed series.
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