‘Fixer Upper’ Host Joanna Gaines Posts Co-Sleeping Instagram Photo with Kids, Delighting Her Fans
Any parent of young or not-so-young children knows that sleeping alone and uninterrupted is a luxury. From small voices demanding cups of water to tiny stowaways sneaking into bed with their parents, kids sure know how to ruin a peaceful night of sleep. Even millionaire HGTV star Joanna Gaines isn’t immune to the nocturnal demands of small humans in her home.
From an outside perspective, the Fixer Upper star lives an idyllic existence filled with fresh flowers, homemade cookies, and sitting in the sunshine on her farm. But a recent Instagram snapshot shows Gaines is oh-so-relatable when it comes to parenting woes.
Joanna Gaines gave up her career for her children — twice
Gaines has talent and work ethic, which helped her build multiple successful businesses alongside her husband, renovation expert Chip Gaines. But no matter how well the Fixer Upper host was doing professionally, she never let it get in the way of family time.
It all started with a retail store called Little Shop on Bosque, per the Magnolia website. Gaines followed her dream and opened a retail store in 2003 and loved everything about the business, from meeting customers to selecting unique merchandise to stock the shelves. But when the demands of the store started affecting her home life, she decided to close the store in 2006 to focus on her kids.
The same happened with Fixer Upper. She and Chip rose to fame thanks to the hit HGTV series, but after five seasons they were burnt out and stretched thin. Once again, the couple quit a successful endeavor to spend more time with their family. A few months after the Fixer Upper finale aired, they welcomed their fifth child, Crew Gaines.
The Gaineses still put the kids first
Even after leaving Fixer Upper, the Gaineses remained busier than ever running their retail emporium Magnolia Market at the Silos plus their other company, Magnolia Realty. Gaines also authored several books, published a quarterly magazine, and ran their other businesses including a restaurant and B&B in Waco. And later they announced they’d be launching a television network with Discovery.
Despite all this work the Gaineses have always promised to put family first. “They’re so young, and we want to give them the chance to have a normal childhood,” Joanna told People (via Little Things). “Family is the most important thing in the world.”
Joanna Gaines is like every mom with kids crowded in her bed
Part of the reason fans love the Gaineses so much is their lives feel relatable, even to people who don’t live on Texas farms. A recent photo Gaines shared to Instagram shows the messy side of parenting and fans absolutely loved to see it.
The image showed Joanna in bed cuddled up with Crew, a stuffed animal, and another of her kids on the other side. The caption said, “Slept pretty good last night…” with a grimacing emoji that proved she was being quite sarcastic.
Fans love seeing Joanna Gaines experiencing motherhood struggles
Fans flooded the comments section with messages of encouragement and commiseration. “I have brand new twins, and I think I might have slept better than you did,” one commenter quipped. “I remember those days,” another said in solidarity.
In the past, Gaines said she’s happy to sacrifice her comfort for her kids. “Motherhood can be difficult. It’s not an instant gratification thing all the time. When your kiddos are just babies and you’re changing diapers or listening to whining constantly, it can feel overwhelming,” Gaines wrote in a Magnolia blog post.
“But I want to encourage you, because one day you’ll be sitting around a table for your birthday breakfast and you’ll realize that their little hearts are thankful for you. And they do notice things like mom’s homemade meals.”
Sounds like Gaines thinks it’s worth it for a few sleepless nights.
