For Trista Sutter, a very public proposal followed by a broadcasted fairytale wedding—more than 26 million viewers tuned in to see her tie the knot with firefighter hottie Ryan Sutter on ABC—sure made for a memorable event. And while the lights and camera have stopped rolling, the action certainly has not. Ever since the former star of The Bachelorette left reality TV (aside from a brief stint on Dancing with the Stars), she’s been busy building a family with Ryan and their kids Max, 3, and Blakesley, 18 months. “It’s great; life is busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says.            

Being a mom is “a dream come true” for Trista, but that’s not to say that it’s always easy. With Ryan gone two days at a time—he works 48-hour shifts—she’s alone with the kids for long periods of time. “Every day, I wake up, get the kids up and get things going,” she says. Whether it’s rushing Max over to preschool or bringing Blakesley around for playdates, there’s always something going on throughout the day. “I need to make sure the house is tidy, the laundry and dishes are done, and also handle any business related stuff I have going on,” she notes. Every day is a “juggling act,” which she approaches carefully “hour by hour.”

Not that Ryan doesn’t pitch in help where needed. “Since I’ve been traveling a lot, the days that I’m gone, he’s in the priority parenting role,” she explains. And when it comes to disciplining their tots, both of them—though Ryan is “much more calm”—can be found being the bad cop. That said, Trista’s biggest lesson in motherhood is learning about patience. “It’s funny, since I’m home with them all the time, the kids don’t listen to everything I say, but when daddy says it, they listen,” she says candidly.

As a working mom—or what Trista refers to herself as, a stay-at-home work mom—there’s a lot on her plate besides parenting duties. She’s partnered up with a children’s fashion company, My Vintage Baby—a direct sales company that supports stay-at-home moms—to help them create a new line. “I get to design, be creative and be a productive adult. It’s really awesome to feel like you’re contributing to society,” she says earnestly. The company is also donating proceeds of her collection to fund juvenile diabetes, which is a cause close to Trista’s heart, since she contracted gestational diabetes while she was pregnant. “It’s just great to know that they’re giving back,” she says.    

When it comes to giving back some words of wisdom to new moms, her advice is plain and simple: take help when you can get it. “As women, we don’t want to have to ask for help; we want to be able to do it on our own,” she explains. But one thing she’s figured out is that “it’s better for you and your kids if you take time for yourself to do what you need to do, so you’re not stressed out.” For Trista, this comes in the form of Girls’ Night Out at her place on Mondays, catching up with friends while watching reality TV shows—including, The Bachelorette. Aside from fun and games and the occasional girly gab fests, her group of friends has also become her advisory board. “I look up to my friends and ask them about parenting advice,” she shares. “I reach out to them—especially people who are in my position and people who understand what I’m going through— to help me along the way.”    

That kind of down-to-earth approach may be why the Sutters have settled happily in Eagle County, Colorado. The couple’s televised wedding brought them into instant hot Hollywood couple status, but rather than revel in the glitz and glamour, they’ve decided to go towards a more low-key lifestyle, away from the buzz and chatter of the media spotlight. She notes that they’re completely happy with where they are, sharing, “I can’t imagine Ryan being anywhere else—he grew up skiing, and he just wouldn’t be happy anywhere else.” Sure, she has her shared privileges of reality TV fame—“We get to enjoy the fun things that come up every now and then”—but without being bombarded by the paparazzi. To that, she adds: “I don’t want the life of a Jennifer Aniston or Britney Spears—parts of it are awesome, and they have a fun life, but I don’t know if I’d want that.”    

And if anything, it seems that there’s never a dull moment when spending time with two adorable kids and a charming husband. When Trista’s not busy running around doing errands or working, the self-admitted “picture freak” can be found taking endless photos of her picture-perfect family. Appropriately so, since Trista’s recently partnered up with Kodak as a spokesperson to promote their new Kodak Picture Kiosks (you can find a store locater on Kodak.com). “They have great new features available, including video snapshot – which helps you print a picture from a video, facial retouch and pet eye retouch!” she shares enthusiastically. She’s on a mission to capture those precious memories and share them with friends and family— if not decorate them all over her walls. “You should see my house!” she exclaims.    

As for Trista, who seems to have quite some fond memories to look back on, when asked about her favorite memory within the past few years, there’s no mention of a million dollar wedding. In true “family first” fashion, she hesitates, and then reveals that it’s the days when there’s nothing planned and the four of them go for a walk or go play outside together—rather than one of the many fun family trips they’ve been on. “I love those kind of days, when an average day turns out to be a great day, and you don’t have to worry about anything, whether it’s deadlines or work or whatever, and we’re just together as a family.” Despite it all, it seems like this mom’s living out her own version of a fairytale ending.   

Trista’s three tips for making relationships work:

1.  Humor.  You have to be able to laugh at life and all the crazy things that happen.

2.  Taking time for yourselves, whether it's a date night, traveling to get away from the everyday stuff that piles up, or even just setting an hour in front of the TV to snuggle and remind yourselves of how important you are to each other.

3.  Separate closets and sinks in the bathroom!