Anyone who follows Ali Fedotowsky knows her Instagram feed is bright and filled with a slew of family moments, but the reality star later realized she needed to take a step back from the app for her mental health.
"It was a very conscious decision. I found that I kept seeing people on Instagram do things like take Sunday off or not posting on weekends. While I didn't want to be as regimented as that, I wanted to make sure I was taking some to be more present because I was noticing I wasn't present enough in my life. I wanted to be more present with my family and kids," the 39-year-old, who is is partnering with Mrs. T’s Pierogies to invite parents to take the Go-Fun-Me Challenge — a commitment to make a simple dinner one night a week and create a memorable family experience in or out of the home with the time saved, exclusively tells Morning Honey.
"It's funny because I wanted to connect more with everybody, but the more I go into my DMs and try to do that, the more negative stuff you see," she continues. "People don't post the negative stuff on the post as much as they do in the DMs! I was also letting that negativity get to me, and I was like, 'I need to breathe.' I've also been doing a lot more self-care lately. My kids are a little bit older, and they go to school all day while I work from home. I'm such a people pleaser, and I want people to like and love me. Because of that, I get so in my head and I'm like, 'Oh, I can't post that. I don't want to offend anybody.' I start to seclude myself and stop opening up, so now my goal is to take breaks and drown out the bad and just post what makes me happy!"
Ultimately, the Bachelorette alum doesn't let the haters get to her. "I have to remind myself this person doesn't know my life. My kids are happy, they are healthy, they have two parents that love them and take care of them. I have to remember that," she insists. "The more I can remember that, the less I let the mom guilt get to me. As long as your kids are happy and fed and have a roof over their head, things are good."
In the meantime, the blonde babe, who is married to Kevin Manno, wants to keep spending as much time as she can with her kiddos, Molly, 7, and Riley, 5. "It's hard! My daughter said to me recently, 'I didn't see you yesterday because you were so busy.' It broke my heart. I was like, 'I am going to make tomorrow after school extra special.' So if I mess up or not mess up, if I'm not as present one day, I try to be a little bit more present the next day. You're not going to be there every single day; it's just not possible for everyone," she confesses. "You try your best and don't beat yourself up!"
One of the ways the mom-of-two bonds with her children is making sure they all have dinner together, which is why it was perfect for her to partner with Mrs. T’s Pierogies to invite parents to take the Go-Fun-Me Challenge.
"They are so good! I'm obsessed with them. My son, who is the pickiest eater, even loves them. We're doing this Go-Fun-Me Challenge, and the idea is we want to encourage parents and families to cook quick dinners. I make this burrito bowl with mine, and because you made them a quick dinner, you can use that extra time to spend time with your family," she shares. "We want people to go to their website to opt into the challenge. By opting in, you're entered to win $1K per month for a year. It's a no-brainer!"
"My kids are getting older, and they're not always going to want to be with me after school. Right now is that precious time with family and that's why I'm making quick dinners! Even Riley loves to help me. I'll give them a butter knife and let them cut an avocado. I think getting your kids involved in cooking is a fun thing to do as a family," she continues. "We love to paint, too. We just did this thing where my daughter painted my son, my son painted my daughter. We love being with each other or inviting friends over."
