Siri Daly is a busy working mama!
Siri is a mom to three kids with husband Carson Daly: daughters London Rose, 4, and Etta Jones, 6, plus son Jackson James, 9. She was a television writer and producer before becoming a stay-at-home parent.
The decision to write about food on her blog Siriously Delicious was a no-brainer; aside from parenting, food has always been Siri’s passion. In her debut cookbook, also titled Siriously Delicious (available now), she shares a collection of triumphs and mistakes, plus simple, delicious recipes for people who love food.
Siri, 37, regularly appears on the Today show alongside her husband, oftentimes for a segment called “Dining with the Dalys.”
You can find more of Siri’s recipes and adventures in motherhood on Instagram at @siriouslydelicious and @realmomsweargrey, respectively.
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More from Siri’s PEOPLE.com blog series:
- Siri Daly’s Blog: Finding Me Time As a Busy Mom of Three
- Siri Daly’s Blog: Stripping Away the Filters of Perfect Parenting on Social Media
- Siri Daly’s Blog: Making a Case for Why Minivans Do Not Suck When You’re a Mom of Three
Before Elsa and Anna, there was Oksana. You don’t remember her, do you? Nor should you. Oksana was a nurse at the hospital where I gave birth to my first child — a strong woman whom I adored and feared all at once.
A part of me wanted her to come home and live with us forever and the other part wanted to run, fast, in the opposite direction. She knew her stuff and had firm opinions on parenthood and as I sat there in my adult diaper, frantically trying to store her instructions in my brain, I thought to myself: I’m definitely going to mess this up.
Alas, we were homeward bound with our tiny bundle, and I was determined to do my best.
Oksana said that routine was key.
Oksana said to sleep when the baby sleeps.
Oksana said I had a juicy child (which has nothing to do with anything other than Jackson liked to emit a lot of bodily fluids).
“Oksana said,” “Oksana said,” “Oksana said” … these words were frequently uttered. In fact, I may have had her phone number posted on the wall.
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In those early days, I tried so hard to follow her advice but I could barely remember my own name let alone which nipple I had last fed from. That fear of failure kept resurfacing, which led me to grasp more tightly at W.W.O.D.? (What Would Oksana Do?, obviously.) But holding on to anything that tightly can start to hurt. If Jackson so much as missed a nap, in my mind, the day was ruined.
As he got older, we slowly fell into a routine of sorts, and it was then that I realized it wasn’t the one Oksana had designed for us. Jack didn’t have a bath every night, our bedtime schedule varied and we (meaning Carson) taught him all about hip-hop before the alphabet.
Basically, our philosophy became this: He came to live with us. Sure, our world would never be the same, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t resemble what it was before. It took a while to get to this point but I discovered life wouldn’t crash down on us if I decided to “let go” of the advice somewhat.
Instead, it made Jackson more adaptable, and it made us happier! The movie Frozen hadn’t come out yet, but I began to understand if I released some control, if I let it go, I was a better parent for it.
RELATED: Siri Daly Is “Bad Cop” in Parenting Her Three Kids with Carson Daly: “He Gets to Be Fun Dad”
Fast-forward nine years, add a couple of kids, throw in a move across the country and this little thing called life and I still find myself thinking about Oksana and her wisdom from time to time.
However, we’re definitely marching to the beat of our own drum now. That’s not to say I let my kids roam around, designing their own lives with no semblance of order. In fact, I’m in that phase of parenting where it seems all I do is organize activities, carpools and meals. And my husband would probably tell you that letting go of control does not come easy to me.
That said, deep down I know it’s okay if my kids stay up late, wear Pull-Ups when their friends are all in underwear or eat pizza for lunch four days in a row. The ice castle won’t crumble. Life is about balance, and I try to embrace both chaos and control. I think Elsa and Oksana would both approve.
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