Mía Del Pinal Sparks waves her hands to help the nail polish dry, which she painted while feeding the neighbor's daughter, Hollis, breakfast. Mía always knew she wanted to be a mom. When she had her first daughter at the start of the pandemic, she committed to staying home during her children’s early years. Mía grew up in Guatemala. When she was one, her mother left her in the care of her grandmother while taking her two older daughters to the United States. Mía didn’t reunite with them until she was 12.

“I had a great grandmother,” Mía says. “In some ways, I had a better upbringing than my sisters, who were with a single mom working two jobs. But I always had this sense that I wasn’t chosen. I want my kids to feel securely attached to me.”

According to Forbes, if stay-at-home moms were paid for their work, their monthly income could be valued at around $5,200. A figure that adds up to nearly a million dollars over 20 years.

As much as she loves being with her kids, Mía sometimes struggles with feeling that she loses her sense of self into motherhood and burnout. To cope, she weaves mindfulness into her daily life like taking her shoes off to ground herself in the park, doing red light therapy at night, and jumping into cold showers when frustration builds.

Motherhood has also changed how she sees her own mother’s choices.

“This is really the American dream, you come here and you make every generation better. I’m a product of my mother’s sacrifices, and I look at my kids now and they’re going to this extremely privileged school that is so supportive and wonderful and has all these resources. They have a mother who’s at home and I hope I’ve paved the way for a new way of parenting,” Mía said.

Mía works with her two-year-old, Martín "Tiggi" Tigre Romero Del Pinal Sparks to get changed and leave for the morning with the help of her mom, Ana Elis Del Pinal. Mía's mom comes once a week to spend time with her grandchildren.

Mía helps her two-year-old Tiggi jump across stones in the park. Mía is hands-on with her kids all day, from sliding down the slides with them to singing songs on the train to the park, she is always engaged with her kids and putting her full attention towards them.

Mía hugs Tiggi after a small fall in the park. She is always ready to scoop up her kids at a moments notice to comfort them and tell them how much she loves them. She also practices affirmations with her kids daily and emphasizes autonomy and choice.

Mía goes grocery shopping with Tiggi while her mom stays at the park watching the neighbor's daughter, Hollis, who is staying with them for the day while Hollis' parents are at work. Mía runs errands throughout the day to keep the household running. She juggles school meetings, errands, playtime, naps, pickups, dinner, dog walks, cleaning, and more. She often feels she can never get everything done.

Mía reads a story to Tiggi and her four-year-old Rafaela "Raffi" Maripose Shae Del Pinal Sparks while they eat dinner. Mía doesn't eat dinner until she puts the kids down for bed. She said her list of priorities is always the kids, then the dog Noodles, and then herself.

Mía collects vintage jackets and boots, and said since becoming a mother she has had less opportunities to wear them. As she puts her kids needs first, sometimes her own get set to the side. Wearing pieces from her collection helps her maintain her own sense of identity while also being a mother.

Mía pours milk for Tiggi after her husband Andrew came home from work. Andrew works as an architect and is currently the sole income for their home. Once Andrew came home, he put the kids in the tub for a bubble bath while watching Peppa Pig and Mía took the dog for a walk. Once Mía was back home she took over getting the kids in bed.

Mía puts Tiggi and Raffi to bed in a closet they transformed into a sleeping area for the kids. Their apartment only has one bedroom, which the kids often join Mía and Andrew in during the night. Meanwhile, they have extra clothes hanging in the living room.

Mía does red light therapy each night before going to bed. She says the red light meditation is a great way to calm her mind before laying down. She also wears a stimulator for her vagus nerve to help calm her nervous system after a long day of working with the kids. She tires to also weaves mindfulness into her daily life like taking her shoes off to ground herself in the park and jumping into cold showers when frustration builds.