Jana Kramer has some relationship advice you're unlikely to hear from any marriage counselor.
"Little tip: Maybe get divorced in the summertime," the singer-actress joked to E! News, pointing out the unexpected silver lining of filing to end her marriage to Mike Caussin in April 2021.
Because while she remembers just how daunting those early weeks were as she navigated caring for now-7-year-old daughter Jolie and 4-year-old son Jace without the former NFL tight end by her side, she was able regain her sunny outlook.
"That first month when I got divorced, I was just like, 'How are my kids even getting to school? I can't even function,'" Kramer, 39, recalled in an exclusive chat with E!. "But I think the summer helped me. We were able to be outside and enjoy the sun and the warmth, so that was nice. You just kind of get into a flow. And now I don't even know how it was before. You just make it work."
And though she and the 36-year-old athlete couldn't move past their marital issues (one huge sticking point: Kramer's claim that Caussin cheated on her with more than 13 women), they've managed to channel their inner Tim Gunn when it comes to their children.
"I have an amazing coparenting situation with my ex," the 39-year-old shared, describing a recent call they had to discuss the kids' jam-packed calendar of activities.
"It's like, 'Okay, when Jace has baseball, Jolie's got soccer,'" the One Tree Hill alum explained of working through their joint responsibilities. "I didn't think we'd get to that place and we're there. It's like, 'No, we've got this. We'll figure it out.' I think that piece has been really nice."
It's just one of many parenting wins Kramer has been tallying these days as she enjoys her children that are growing up far too fast.
A December trip to New York City to attend the Jingle Ball and see The Rockettes with daughter Jolie, for instance, had her marveling at how fun it was to check off a bucket list item with her best girl. "They're just cool little humans," Kramer said. "And they're fun to play with and they want to play with me right now, which is something I'm very aware of. There will be a day when they don't want to. So I'm trying to embrace that as much as I can."
Though, as much as parenting can feel like literal fun and games at times (a high point: making her kids' dreams come true by adding a secret room to the design of their new home), it's the mom moments that don't make the Instagram grid that inspired Kramer's latest collaboration with LULUSIMONSTUDIO.
For her third go-round with the female-founded brand, she created a set of relatable AF, mama-friendly sweatshirts, including one proclaiming its wearer "Mom of the Year."
Explained the Nashville-based star, "Sometimes I make silly mistakes as a mom. And then I'm like, 'Well, that just made me mom of the year.' But I'm also like, I am mom of the year. Like, I'm the best mom ever. So it's a little play on that."
Sometimes it's a message she needs reinforced.
"I remember walking out to my bus stop and one of the moms was like, 'You okay?'" she recalled of a recent incident. "And I was like, 'No, I just yelled and I feel terrible. And I made her cry and then I started crying.'" The friend's response, Kramer continued, "She's like, 'I told my kid the other day to F off. We all have those mom moments where we feel like we're failing, but we're not. We're just doing the best that we can.'"
(And, for the record, when Kramer does find herself raising her voice, "I get on their level and apologize and just say, 'It's really frustrating, but Mommy should not have yelled and I'm really sorry.' I think it's just owning it and being real with them.")
Over the years, the singer has built up quite the mom squad. "I have a sister wives night," she joked, "where I'm like, 'Hey, let's all come over. I got stuff in the air fryer.' The kids will eat that and then they'll play."
But it's her newest teammate that has her drafting up a whole new game plan.
Kramer soft-launched her romance with Scottish soccer star Allan Russell in January and the pair recently made the leap to the red carpet, walking arm-in-arm at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
"It's a very respectful relationship," Kramer noted. "And I don't think I've ever experienced something like that, where it's like he respects me so much and I respect him. There's so much love and respect. I'm like, 'Oh my God, what a concept!'"
Months in, she continued, "we're kind of, like, baby-stepping it, but he's not going anywhere. I feel like when you know, you know. And with this one, it's just very different."