Bianca Gonzalez-Intal Keeps Motherhood Real—She Shares Five Tips For Enjoying The Lifelong Job!

Let's face it—parenting is hard. More specifically, being a mom is hard. 

Contrary to what Instagram posts of happy children dressed in the cutest outfits you ever did see will tell you, motherhood is full of its less Insta-worthy moments including, but not limited to, not having enough time for yourself, battling "mom guilt" for actually making time for yourself, comparing yourself with moms who appear to have aced the work-life balance game, and striving to keep up with everything while still looking fresh and put together. 

It's a universal struggle that not even celeb mom and influencer Bianca Gonzalez-Intal is free from, but just like every other mom working their hearts out to be the best for themselves and their families, she's figured out a few tips here and there for how to address the challenges of motherhood—and still with a smile on her face!

Here are some of the mommy-centric tips this mom of two shares:

1) It's okay to ask for help. It doesn't make you a bad mom if you need an extra pair of hands to care for the kids when you're out and about fulfilling other responsibilities. 

Remember, Bianca is a mom to two little girls, Carmen and Lucia. And while she loves them and can never get enough of their hugs and kisses, there are days that require her (and sometimes her husband, JC, too) to be away from them for extended periods. A trusted nanny is essential in times like this (and there will be many times) and enlisting them to help you out is in no way indicative of how attentive and hands-on you are with your kids. Moms have to work, too, and doing so is one way to show how much they love their family. 

"Its all for the kids and the home. I would not survive this without my support system, our angels at home who take care of the kids while my husband and I are at work. But every time I am home (which is all the time if not for work, really) it's all time with the kids," she shares. 

2) There are times when work will take precedence over time with family. This is simply the reality of  things, but there's one thing that moms can do to make up for it when it does happen.

Mom or not, every single person in the workforce has heard the saying "family first." And while that's ideal, there will be unavoidable instances when professional commitments have to come first and for moms, that might be one of the hardest things to come to terms with. Understand, though, that it does happen and there is no need to wallow in guilt when you have to trade work for time with the kids. 

According to Bianca, the trick is to honestly just be your best self when you're with your family. Focus on the kids, which means be there for them physically and mentally, when you're with them; there should be zero distractions and a complete detachment from everything else the same way that you'd like to concentrate while at work and be at your A-game. 

"We all are just trying our best. A 'perfect work-life balance' really does not exist. At least that is what I believe. I just try to do my best to be there for my family always, and to be 100% at work when I am at work or required to deliver an output. It's hard work for sure, but when you love your family, love your work, and know what is at stake sa trabaho, you do your best lang talaga," Bianca shares. 

3) If you're not already a pro at it, sharpen your multi-tasking ability. It's a game-changing skill that all moms must master. 

Trust Bianca. As a mom of two, wife, business owner, host, model, endorser, and digital content director of She Talks Asia, she knows the value of the multi-tasking like no other. 

She describes herself as always having been proactive (i.e: a go-getter who's always been comfortable with a weekly, or even daily, schedule packed with different activities) and that helped train her brain at compartmentalizing. 

The not-so-secret secret to succeeding at it is to take a busy day one task at a time. It can be overwhelming to evaluate everything you need to accomplish if you look at it as one huge pile to sort through, but breaking them down into chunks, like individual items on a checklist, can be incredibly useful. 

It does wonders for your mental well-being; being able to mark items in a to-do list with little check marks indicating that they've been accomplished is a simple but helpful technique to learning how to manage yourself more efficiently.

4) For the independent moms out there who have only themselves to rely on to get themselves and their kids to places, safety comes first!

"I learned a lot at my first Ford’s Driving Skills For Life session, but one of the best reminders is how it’s not worth it to answer a text or call while you’re driving. This struck me because I am guilty of having to check my phone whenever Waze is on. I know a lot of drivers can relate to this and it’s really important for us to realize that anything can happen in a split second of just taking your eyes off the road, and its better to be safe," she shares. 

Remember what we said about multi-tasking—it doesn't apply when you're on the road! Focus on the wheel and be 101 percent alert of what's going on around you. Bianca and JC are used to traveling as a family on their own, sans a driver most of the time, so they insist on sharing this practical lesson with parents who do the same with their kids. 

As a bonus, Bianca shares one of her favorite car features that she's come to love for its convenience and safety benefits: "I really, really appreciate the Ford’s SYNC 3 feature because it allows me to take calls, to navigate, and control music, and all hands-free!" she describes. 

5) Last but not least, there's the lesson in making your physical environment kid-friendly and safe.

Like Bianca mentioned, before there were kids in the picture, she had free reign over her life. Now that she has two young daughters, everything has to be done with them in consideration, their comfort and safety sometimes surpassing her own.

It forces moms to change their perspective, but it's all for the better in the end; it gives you and husband peace of mind and saves you from worry or anxiety if your little one gets into an accident, big or small. 

Bianca cites the construction of their second home as an example: "It is our second home that we are building, the first being the home my husband built before we got married. So definitely, this new one will be more kid-friendly versus the bachelor feel of the first one," she reveals. 

Photos from @iamsuperbianca @jcintal7