JENNIFER JOUANDOT BY MADISON VOORHIES PHOTO BY DESAINT STUDIOS
mom about town
Husband: Ron Jouandot Children: Grace, 20; Reed, 18; Phoebe, 16; Miles, 13; Journey, 7; Sonny, 5; and Hope, 9 months Occupation: VP of Operations for a family business and self-employed massage therapist Hobbies: Crafting, gardening, concerts, and content creation
Jennifer Jouandot is the epitome of resilience and warmth, serving as a steadfast source of optimism amidst life’s trials. With a big blended family comprising her husband, Ron, and their children Grace, Reed, Phoebe, Miles, Journey, Sonny, and Hope, Jennifer navigates the intricacies of motherhood with grace and determination. She embraces the chaos of daily life with open arms. Despite enduring the heartache of child loss and infertility, Jennifer’s spirit remains unbroken, fueled by her unwavering belief in the power of hope. She continues to share her story each and every day as her journey is truly a testament to the strength found in love, family, and the relentless pursuit of positivity.
WHAT DOES A NORMAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? JENNIFER: It depends on the day of the week. We have two or three lives, depending on how you look at it. On Mondays/ Tuesdays, we have six at home, so we get up, get the little ones ready, and try not to wake up the baby while we get them fed and off to school. Then, we try to work out, I’ll take the baby to get ready with me, and we’re off to work. After work, we rush back across the lake to pick up one from dance, then get the other little kids. Then, it’s dinner, and I feed the baby. It’s chaotic at night– as you can imagine– there’s no shortage of laundry or dishes. On the weekends it’s just Ron, me, and the baby. So that’s why I say we have three lives: it’s different when we have six kids, then two, then the one. Before we had Hope, every other weekend we loved to travel, explore, and go see places. We still do that with her– she’s very very chill, and it’s allowed us to not miss a beat and keep doing what we like to do. With all of the craziness, we almost need that every-other-weekend “us time” to be the best parents we can be. WHAT ARE SOME JOYS AND CHALLENGES OF BEING A MOM? JENNIFER: There are so many things that bring me joy. If you’ve seen anything I’ve posted, Hope is the baby after the storm. I cannot complain about any aspect of being a mom to a baby: the late nights, the fussiness… It’s just been magical. She’s been a joy to me and has healed my heart, but she’s also made us a family. We had all been together for a couple years before her, but now we all have this one mutual person. From the moment I knew I was pregnant, everyone was excited, and when she got there, it bonded us. Everyone has memories of Sonny as a baby, but Journey and I weren’t there, so it’s nice we’re all creating these memories together now. It’s nice to see my stepkids bond and have this love for my child. It’s made me a better stepmom, honestly, and I get a lot of joy seeing them interact. There’s always joy in motherhood if you’re looking for it. Sure, there are a lot of things I could complain about, but if I chose to be negative with seven kids, I’d be a miserable person. The hardest challenges, we’ve gotten over. [Ron and I] have really come together in our parenting.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PARENTING STYLE? JENNIFER: We try to be the parents that they can come to with anything. But there’s a line. Before, [Ron] was just the “friend.” And now, we’re harder on them. They all have certain things they’re expected to do, they put in work, and they get what they want as a result. We do expect a good amount from them, but I think it’s making them stronger people. They respect us more for it, and they come to us with everything. I’m very proud that, even my stepkids, will come to us together to talk about things. It means a lot. HOW DID YOU FOSTER CONNECTIONS WITH YOUR HUSBAND’S CHILDREN AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP? JENNIFER: We kind of just did. In hindsight, we probably went too fast. The truth is, we had plans to get married and move in together later than we did, and then Hurricane Ida hit. I lost power [in New Orleans], went to stay with him, and never really came back. [The kids] have a lot of different personalities, and I was trying to get to know each of them and work with what I had. It was harder with the older ones. I had a four-year-old, and to magically have three teenagers was a lot. We did butt heads in the beginning, but over time, we’ve found things to connect on. Like with Grace now, we both have babies the same age, and we talk all the time. For Reed, it was hard, but we connected over music. Our middle daughter is a dancer, so I try to encourage her. We started running together and we got to bond. So it was just the little things: getting to know each personality and working my way in. I’m at a different place still with each of them, but I’m way further ahead than in the beginning. I had to take the approach of looking through their eyes, and I had to humble myself. WHAT IS SOMETHING YOUR CHILDREN HAVE TAUGHT YOU ABOUT YOURSELF? JENNIFER: Because of them, [Ron and I] have had to become incredible communicators together. This relationship would have fallen apart if we couldn’t communicate. When it comes to parenting and making changes, he is very open to criticism.
14 MAY 2024 | NOLAFAMILY.COM
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