Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd Talk Parenting Struggles Amid Coronavirus Quarantine (Exclusive)
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd are getting candid about the parenting struggles they're facing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
ET caught up with the Dancing With the Stars pros, along with their 3-year-old son, Shai, via Zoom chat this week, where they showed fans firsthand what quarantining with a toddler 24/7 is like. Throughout the video (which you can watch in the player above), Shai can be seen running back and forth from the camera, giving his parents balloons, singing, showing us trucks and more.
"We are good. We are taking it day by day and trying to find all the amazing positives out of this experience, but it's hard," Peta confessed to ET's Lauren Zima. "I gotta say. It's been difficult sometimes."
"It's a big change. The big plus is that we have the family time, like all the time now, which is incredible," she continued. "But with the gyms being closed and everything, like, we love to work out. We love to get that exercise every single day to keep our minds active, to get up and wake up feeling good."
Luckily, Maks and Peta have still found a way to stay active while engaging with their fans at the same time. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday they've been hosting virtual workouts via Instagram Live.
"Working out and exercising is our life; it's our profession. We will not come out of this without moving the strides so for us, believe it or not, this was a necessary step," Maks explained. "We're in a small, little more compact place, so we felt like [we need to find] what works for us and would work for others."
"We don't have a lot of space to do full-out dancing, but what we can do in our courtyard and inside our house is enough, so to speak," added Peta. "You don't really need anything else but your body weight. When we do our workout sessions, we don't use any weights, nothing like that, because we know people can't necessarily get a hold of that stuff [right now]."
Maks also spoke about how he and Peta are trying to find one-on-one time without the help of a babysitter.
"Mama-papa time lasts like 30 minutes, because as soon as Shai's in bed, we try to watch some Netflix," he shared. "It's a struggle. We pass out on the couch and wake up at, like, 2:30 a.m. It's been interesting."
"We're trying. We're doing our best, everybody's figuring it out," he continued. "We rely so much on outside help, it's crazy, so this is a good time for people to reconnect as families and figure this out. Be together and know how to spend that time."
Meanwhile, Maks' brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, just celebrated his one-year wedding anniversary with Jenna Johnson. Though the two weren't able to go out and about, they still found a way to make the day feel special while quarantined with Maks and Peta.
"1 year down, eternity to go ? Happy 1st Anniversary my love.. crazy to think that exactly a year ago we were celebrating with all of our closest friends and family!" Jenna gushed on Instagram. "And although this isn't how we were meant to spend our first anniversary, I’m incredibly grateful to spend it snuggled up next to you safe and sound. Thank you for the greatest year of my life. I love you and I LOVE being your wifey."
"I am so grateful that it's you that I get to call my wife, that it's you I get to wake up next to, that it's you I get to love for life, you I get to have and eat my cake too," Val wrote on his own Instagram. "Rhyme aside, I love you dearly, lucky to have you and hold you near me. What a privilege I've been given, you're gods gift that keeps on giving. I love you. More than I love words that rhyme, more than music more than wine, go to the general and save some time."
"I love you more than humor, you inspire me to do more, to be true more, honestly I can’t imagine loving you more," he continued. "But I will, celebrating you daily, you bring something powerful out of me like dairy. I will love you from now till eternity. Happy April 13th, our wedding anniversary. ♥️"
Tune into Entertainment Tonight on Thursday to see the full interview with Maks and Peta.
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