Blog Feature: Sophia Hassanali
Summer break is over and school is back in session, so who better to chat with than a mother who is a full-time working teacher?
Meet Sophia Hassanali (@onesweetpiece) – a teacher, mother of two, and lifestyle blogger. How does she do it all?! We have no idea. 🤯
We sat down with Sophia to talk about work-life balance, motherhood, and advice for our #SMASHTESSFAM.
FYI! To show our hardworking educators how much they mean to us, we are offering a special 20% teacher discount! Head to this page to join and learn more.
We have a feeling that you’ll be as inspired by Sophia as we are — let’s dive in.
You've been a part of our #smashtessfam for quite some time now, Sophia. For those who don't follow you yet, can you share a little about who you are and what you do?
I am a 42 yr old mom of 2 beautiful children aged 11 and 8. I have been married to my amazing husband #moreamyeen (iykyk) for 14 yrs and am an elementary school teacher by day. A few years ago, on a whim, I started an IG page called @onesweetpiece. I would share my love of baking cakes and cupcakes.
My page slowly evolved and became a source for women looking for everyday inspo. Content creation, supporting local brands and sharing daily fashion inspo has become my passion and way of expression and I am so happy to have found it a little later in life.
You are a full-time Kindergarten teacher. What is the most rewarding part of teaching?
Currently, I am taking over a medical leave. Once it is complete I will go back to my position as a Teacher on Call. I have been teaching since 2006 and love every minute of it. I find it most rewarding when students grasp a concept they never imagined they could do and thank me for guiding them. Seeing their smiling faces each morning brings me so much joy.
What are you most looking forward to this school year?
This school year will be different than the past couple we have faced. There have been so many challenges we have had to overcome but things are looking a lot more normal. Assembly’s are back on, field trips, teacher socials…I could go on and on. I am so so excited about every little bit of this year!
How do you unwind after a challenging workday?
After teaching K and racing to pick my own kids up from school and running around chauffeuring my own kids to their activities (they both play ice hockey and Ava dances), I love to indulge in reality TV or true crime docs when they are fast asleep.
Our community is filled with amazing women who juggle motherhood, work, and friendships. What advice do you have for anyone who is struggling to balance it all?
How to balance it all is definitely a question I get asked a lot. Trust me, it isn’t easy! I always make time for some self-care and make date nights with my husband and girls' trips with my besties and SIL a priority. My mental health thanks me for that and learning how to just say No sometimes helps. I am also very lucky, I have my parents and in-laws always willing to help take the kids to school as well as sleepovers.
What is your go-to Smash + Tess item? Or What is your favourite Smash + Tess style to take from the classroom to happy hour drinks with the girls?
You know I have been a #smashtessgirls since day one. My all-time fave romper is the Friday Romper. This was my first one ever and I still wear it at least once a week. It is the perfect teacher OOTD which I can also elevate and take to happy hour. It’s also a go-to for my airport/travel OOTD's! Lately, I have been obsessed with my Elevate Everyday short sleeve romper. I love how it looks like a 2 piece set!
On a typical weekend, what are you and the family up to?
Weekends are usually filled with activities & birthday parties LOL. Both kids have ice hockey practices or games as well as religious education classes. We always make time to attend mosque on Friday nights and have family dinners out on Saturday nights.
We hope you loved getting to know Sophia as much as we did — find her @onesweetpiece on Instagram.
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