Food blogger and entrepreneurHaylie Duffwants people to know it takes help to balance work and parenting — and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.
The mom to daughtersLulu Gray, 14 months, andRyan Ava Erhard, 4, with longtime fiancéMatt Rosenbergdoesn’t shy away from admitting that her nanny helps her and Rosenberg keep up with their careers.
“I have an incredible, incredible nanny who makes it possible for me to work,” she tells PEOPLE. “I always think it’s funny when people don’tadmit that they have help.”
“I am so grateful to her — she’s part of our family and her family is part of our family,” continues Duff, 34. “Without her, I wouldn’t be able to do the things I do, so we all just work together and figure it out as we go.”
Haylie Duff/Instagram
Haylie Duff.Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com
“It’s nice because I’m killing two birds with one stone,” she says of adapting the recipe, which Ryan loves. “Every time I open the lunchbox, they’re gone. That’s always the badge of honor when you’re a parent. You’re winning that day.”
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She also gets some help from her older daughter, wholoves being a big sister to Lulu.
“Every single morning, Ryan runs into our room, and the first thing out of her mouth is, ‘Mom, Mom, Mom, is it time to go get Lulu?’ ” Duff says. “From day one, she’s been really excited about having a sibling and being a big sister.”
Even with a nanny to help, Duff acknowledges that parenting can be tough. She remembers last Monday, Aug. 19, when her nanny had to leave earlyto attend a back-to-schoolorientation for her own children.
Duff still had work to do, but now also had to watch Ryan and Lulu, who “tore the living room apart.” She posted a photo on Instagram of her daughterswith their toys strewn acrossthe room, captioning it, “This is real life!”
“My job doesn’t stop, but they’re my kids, they’re my responsibility,” Duff tells PEOPLE. “It was just total chaos, but it was also a great day. It just is what it is, and you do what you’ve got to do, and you deal with it.”
source: people.com
