It’s easy to see Jasmine Hadjis as the amazing and influential small business owner and community influencer she is; you can almost always find her socializing effortlessly throughout Newbo while simultaneously working. Creating magic with clients at Virtue Salon and Spa, providing delicious food and hospitality at her husband’s restaurant, Gianna’s Italian Beef, and volunteering where needed at Veritas Church may take up a portion of her day, but we got to dive a little deeper and learn what really matters to this mama, and just how she manages to balance it all.
Corridor Mom Spotlight: Jasmine Hadjis
Tell us about yourself and your family
My name is Jasmine Hadjis and I work as a hairstylist in the NewBo district and have been doing hair for almost 12 years. I love it so much! I am married to my hottie husband Adam Hadjis, owner of Gianna’s Italian Beef, and we have three pretty amazing girls aged 7, 6 and 1!
How long have you lived in the Corridor? What’s your favorite thing about living here?
I will have lived here for 10 years come 2020! It’s kind of crazy to think about! I’m from Chicago and we came here for a year to ‘save money’ haha. That clearly didn’t work out the way we thought and I couldn’t be happier about the way our life turned out. While Chicago will forever hold a place in my heart as my hometown and where my family lives, Cedar Rapids has been so so kind to us. We have amazing relationships and a humble yet precious home. Our home church Veritas has supported us through children, surgery, opening a business, and fellowship. Our girls love their school and I love the ease of doing anything here. I am still shocked by how many errands I can accomplish in a short amount of time lol!
What’s the biggest joy of motherhood for you?
The biggest joy of motherhood is simply watching them grow. What a gift it is to see them master things that we take for granted, like walking and talking and eating. The early years are so precious! And now with my girls growing up, I get to see the way they process the world in relationships and it’s such a joy to be a part of their journey. As their mom, I get to guide them, shepherd them, pray for them, let them make some mistakes and just be there. I want them to grow up and know while I made mistakes, at least I showed up.
What’s the biggest challenge of motherhood for you?
MOM GUILT. IT’S LIKE A DISEASE. Lol. I constantly have mom guilt over all the things I do or even don’t do. Do I work too much? Should I stay home? How many girls nights/date nights are acceptable? Do I not have my kids in enough extracurricular activities? Do I read to them enough? I mean the questions are basically never-ending!
How do you balance motherhood, work, and life?
Jesus! Walking with Jesus gives me the peace to manage all the things. He’s my constant source of joy! Without Him, I am not certain where my life would be; the balance comes from within through Him. But logistically, I don’t believe there is a ‘true balance’ in motherhood, work or life; at one point or another, one aspect is going to outshine the others. It may vary by season or even down to the week. In an effort to practically try to balance this life, I am starting to wake early before the kids to get some quiet time in reading my bible and if possible, working out a few days a week. After that, I literally measure my week out by the amount of time I get to spend with my family and kids because my home will always be my first priority. If I’m working late too many days that week, that means no social time for me. I will cancel/reschedule things to make sure one of us is putting our kids to sleep 95% of the time. That’s pretty important to us both especially during this time of balancing our 2 small businesses!
Adam and I try to sneak in dates whenever possible; we love breakfast/lunch dates whenever the opportunities arise. It’s such a great way to catch up during the day when we already have childcare lined up! I do a lot of behind the scenes work for my job after the kids are in bed at night. I firmly believe in certain conveniences like grocery pickup or delivery. And, I have to give a huge shoutout to my nanny. She is an actual ANGEL in my home. We are so thankful for the way she cares for our littlest lady and all the extra things she does that I can’t mention because it will take up your whole day. Thank you T!
What’s your must-have beauty product?
Ohh man you can’t ask me this! I’m a hairstylist! Haha! Honestly, I’m a bit of a minimalist at home with products. But if I had to pick just one, it would for sure be mascara. There’s nothing like great lashes.
What’s one thing you never leave home without besides your purse/phone?
MY HYDROFLASK , 100 %.
I may or may not have a purse for it…
What are 5 of your favorite Corridor places to eat/play/hang out?
My ideal girls’ night is at Black Sheep or Caucho!
The ideal date night is at Cobble Hill or Popoli.
The ideal play date is at the downtown library!
ALSO, GO EAT AT GIANNA’S ITALIAN BEEF! The girls and I are there every Wednesday!
I really love the Newbo/downtown area and support it as much as I can! Thanks for reading!
A huge thank you to Jasmine Hadjis for taking the time to answer our questions! Be sure to check out our other Corridor Mom Spotlights here!
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