What Has Lydia McLaughlin Been Up to Since the Real Housewives of Orange County?

Lydia McLaughlin was known for her dedication to her family and faith when she appeared on Season 8 of The Real Housewives of Orange County, and her devotion to both is as strong as ever these days. In fact, Lydia said she has connected with Tamra Judge even more since leaving RHOC because of her castmate's decision to practice Christianity last season. 

"I think she understands me a little bit better. She’s always super sweet to me, and we never had any problems with each other and I love her," Lydia told The Daily Dish of how her relationship with Tamra has gotten stronger recently. "She has a faith also that’s grounding her and she’s become a grandmother, so a lot has happened in her life, and I feel like we’ll remain friends for a long time." 

But Tamra isn't the only castmate that Lydia has stayed in contact with since leaving RHOC. She said she is still friendly with Gretchen Rossi and her fiancé Slade Smiley, Heather Dubrow, and Alexis Bellino, who attended Lydia's vow renewal ceremony last month. "I’m pretty friendly with everyone," she said. "I guess I just haven’t talked to Vicki [Gunvalson]. It’s not like we have bad blood; I just feel like we don’t really have anything common. She’s a grandmother, and I just had a baby." 

That baby Lydia is referring to is her son Roman, who she gave birth to in November 2014. In addition to growing her family, Lydia has been busy since we last saw her on RHOC. She regularly updates her fashion and lifestyle blog OC Lydia with photos of her cute Cali style and her thoughts on everything from social media to traveling with kids to her favorite sushi dishes. "My blog has become this great success, and it’s been a wonderful place for me to still have contact with fans that are interested in me and interested in my space and my boys and motherhood," Lydia said. 

She'll also be coming to a newsstand near you later this year. Lydia is in the process of launching a new men's magazine with her husband Doug McLaughlin called Noble Man, which is slated to debut in September. "It’s kind of the art of being a gentleman," she said. "I’m really proud of what we’ve done so far with it, and I think it’s going to be a big success."

Lydia said she hasn't kept up with everything that's gone down on RHOC since leaving the show, but she wouldn't rule out a return to TV in the future. For now, Lydia said she doesn't want to miss a second of her children (Stirling, 7, Maverick, 5, and Roman, 1 1/2) growing up. "My kids are only young once, and I don’t want to miss a baseball game. My son hit a home run this weekend, so we were celebrating our marriage, but we also took him out. That was the big thing in our family," she gushed. "I feel like we all kind of have our stride and are in a good pace of life right now."

See more of Lydia's life before RHOC, below.