Shawn Johnson and Andrew East on Parenting and Tips for Date Night: ‘Prioritize Quality Time’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East and her husband, former NFL player Andrew East, are finally sharing their secret to keeping their kitchen organized while living with three kids: Rubbermaid Brilliance. In this revealing interview, they share why they love the brand, how they find time for each other and their kids, and share some insider information on how they are preparing for spooky season. You’ll have to keep reading for the answers. 

First for Women: What made you want to team up with Rubbermaid Brilliance? Is there one thing in their Tupperware line that you swear by?

Shawn Johnson East: I have toddlers. We cook a lot, and I’m OCD about my kitchen. The Rubbermaid Brilliance collection is absolutely stunning. It’s not only functional, but you don’t have to go searching for lids; they all interchange and work together. They’re beautiful, they don’t smell, they’re leak-proof and shatter-resistant, which is great for our toddlers; and you can throw them in the microwave. They’re literally incredible. 

Andrew East: We had a blast putting it through the test. We made a series of videos where we were, like, “All right, how leakproof is this, and how odor-resistant and stain-proof is this?”  We ran it through the gamut of tests, and I was impressed. We love it, and they do look really nice.

FFW: How has sending your kids back to school been? Do you have any advice for parents who are doing so for the first time?

SJE: Our daughter is in pre-K, and it’s so bittersweet. I think the only advice I would have is to make it exciting for them. Even though it’s bittersweet for you as a parent, you still need to hype it up for them, because it’s so special. You remember that as a kid, the first day of school was awesome.

AE: I think parenting keeps getting better and better, and these milestone moments, like going back to school, give you time to step back and think about everything that’s happened the past year. But then you’re also sad. It’s almost like this constant grief of, “Oh, but that last phase was so good, even though I know this next phase will be great.” 

FFW: How do you find time to be together as a couple and what’s your favorite thing to do when you are?

SJE: We literally work together, so it’s not hard to find time, but quality time, we just try to prioritize it and put it in the schedule. He’s my best friend in life and my teammate when it comes to raising these tiny humans together.

AE:  We have date night every Thursday, and that’s great. Then, every night, after we put the kids down, we kind of have a little debrief and talk about what happened that day. So it’s nothing too glamorous, but I’m really glad that we have been diligent in saying, “Okay, we need to have time together,” because I think it has paid off. 

FFW: On the opposite end, how do you find time to play with your kids and do you have a favorite family activity? 

SJE: It’s the best. It is the same thing, though. We truly go through our schedule, probably weekly, to make sure that we have enough time scheduled for family time and for the kids and to make sure that the scales are tipped in the right direction. And our favorite thing is bike rides. Family bike rides are probably my favorite.

AE: Our kids love to ride bikes, and we actually got them these little electric bikes. It’s more like a motorcycle, but the kids love riding it, so we get them all geared up with their helmets and pads. Then, we go out and just do laps around our neighborhood. 

FFW: Finally, what are you most excited for this upcoming Halloween and holiday season? Is there one family tradition that you want to share with our readers? 

SJE: We live for the holidays. We always go big for Halloween, because we have a birthday party for our daughter. We always go trick-or-treating with them. We go to “Boo at the Zoo,” which is like trick or treating at the zoo as well.  

AE: We also go Pumpkin patching. And I love caramel apples, so I’ll always make a run for that. We love going to apple orchards and picking apples, which is great. Corn mazes. We’re still doing the kid version of the corn maze. We haven’t graduated to the extreme where you’re lost in the middle of a cornfield. We grew up in very corn-focused states, in Iowa and Indiana, so I feel like that’s a good core part of our memories growing up that we still try to implement with our family traditions. 

SJE: We’re also getting the kid’s costumes ready. Our three-year-old son wanted to be a race car driver, so we ordered his suit. My daughter always wanted to be some sort of Princess, and together, they picked out the baby’s costume. They picked out Mike Wazowski and Sully. I hope they stick with it, because it’s adorable.