From Mom to Mompreneur: Being Kai's Mom and Starting Ka'Ana Co.

Before I had Kai, I was working in the music industry for the last ten years, and the events industry for the last six years. My life was constantly on the go, and I was hardly home. I'd work all day, and then schmooze after work, almost daily. I was single, and was so distracted by my lifestyle that I hardly even thought about being in a relationship, or even having a kid at the time. Although I always wanted to get married and have children, the type of job that I had fulfilled me. I enjoyed my life as a recording artist, philanthropist, blogger, being an Artist Development consultant and I loved planning and producing events across Canada, the USA and even Mexico.

When I became a mom and wife, my whole world changed, including my entire value system and thought process. The pace of my life had slowed down in the fun factory, and sped up when my new role as a mom and wife came into play. I admit, I did lose a bit of myself when my son came into this world, because my priority was to take care of him, and love him with all my heart and soul. I also gave parts of myself away when I met my husband. Compromise, sacrifice, and understanding that you have to meet half way in order to make your relationship work was a transition for me too. I was so used to working all the time, and having my own free time. When Kai was born, I was on maternity leave and had to stay home with him. I was sleep-deprived and quite bored of the same routine every day. I missed my old life so much, that motherhood was pretty tough to enjoy at times... I'll admit it.

My purpose used to be my work. I loved what I did, and I loved what I created. When I was on maternity for a year and a half, my purpose was being a mom. When Kai turned a year old, something shifted in me. I realized how fast he was growing. My little baby who depended on me so much, and who literally sucked all the energy out of me, was starting to show his own independence. He started to walk and talk, and have his own personality. My duty as a 24/7 care giver and mom was changing. As time goes on now, I see how much I miss him being a baby. I realized how much I loved taking care of him and spending time with him. I told myself, "you need to cherish these moments, because in a blink of an eye, he will be a teenager, and then a grown man". Just the other night, when I was reading him books, I just lived in that moment, kissing him on the head and hugging him so tight and I told him "can you just stay like this forever?"... I teared up as I just wrote that.

Kai Maddox Mazur - 18 months old

Kai started daycare at about 14 months old. What I thought was going to be a great thing for me (allowing myself free time, and time to work), turned out to be something I was resistant to. I was afraid to let someone else take care of him, especially since he has allergies. I told my husband that I'd rather stay home with him, especially when I saw how often he was getting sick, and him having three allergic reactions at daycare already. I just felt like Kai needed me. He needed extra attention and care, and I wouldn't feel right if I wasn't there for him. I still kept him in daycare, but I decided to cook all of his meals instead of them giving him food with a chance of cross-contamination.

It was kind of a blessing in disguise that Kai stayed in daycare. I had gotten injured, and for three months I couldn't walk. I wasn't allowed to carry Kai, or lift anything heavy. I had to sleep by myself because I was in so much pain, and I'd have to get up every few hours for pain relief. Turned out, I had been suffering from Sacroiliitis, ever since Kai's first birthday. I almost didn't make it to our wedding in Hawaii. Thankfully with the help of my osteopath and chiropractor, change of diet, and exercising more, I've been doing better every day. Kai being in daycare was actually necessary. I needed to recover and I needed to rest.

I went through a transition period from stay-at-home mom, to "hey, your day is free now!", and not knowing what to do with my day. For those who really know me, I actually hate staying home and doing nothing. My purpose and priority for the last year he was home with me was entirely, Kai... so what was I going to do now? I still had to take care of the house, take care of myself... but I missed working and doing something I loved.

Because of my condition, my son's needs and the needs of our home environment, my husband and I decided that working a nine to five job, sitting in an office, was not the right path for me and my family. First, it would make my condition worse. Secondly, we wouldn't have a work-life-family balance, and that is not something we wanted for us or Kai. I contemplated going back to my old job, but realized I should start taking credit for everything I built over there. Instead of working for someone else, and whose leadership I didn't agree with, I decided to become my own boss. So, I turned to what I do best... plan events.

I started Ka'Ana Co. in December of 2018, and partnered up with Cecilia, my friend. Even though we have just started, having the power to run my own life, and be flexible for my family has made me so content, and fulfils me. It will take time to build our network, our clientele, and our business, but I'd rather this. I want to be more present in my son's life, especially at the age he is at right now. I know a lot of people don't have the choice to do what I'm doing, and I am so grateful to my husband for having faith in me and letting me take this on. It forces us into a lifestyle we've always wanted to live... that of minimalism. Being happy with having less, appreciating what we already have.

I am still a stay-at-home mom, I guess you can say... but I'm not just sitting there doing nothing. I have a business to attend to, a son, a home, and a husband to take care of too.

Some people think stay-at-home moms don't do anything, when in fact, our job is never ending. I wake up early everyday to get my son ready for daycare, feed him breakfast, drop him off at daycare, go to my chiropractic appointments, do chores around the house, cook Kai's food for daycare (because of his allergies), do my exercises, and to add to that, I work on my business, setting up meetings, booking gigs, running events and researching more opportunities and people to work with. At the end of the day I pick up my son from daycare, play with him, and prepare dinner before I either have to pick up my husband from the train station, or he commutes home. Some days I'll have free time to myself, but most of the time I'm always on the go. Sometimes, my only free time is when I take a shower. It's hard to keep your sanity, and yes I crave my own time, but it all comes with the territory. You just have to be a super-mom sometimes, and us moms don't get enough credit for all that we do. It could be overwhelming, but the most important thing is to make sure you are loving yourself and taking care of yourself first... Because if you don't, how would you be able to love or take care of anyone else?

Ho'oponopono ke ala, i ka pono mea. Everything that is happening is happening for a reason, it is all in its perfection.... Embrace it, accept it, and conquer it. Aloha, and mahalo for reading!

For information on our events, please visit: www.ka-ana.co

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Destination Wedding in Hawaii, video by Aloha Films Hawaii: