Q: What about your children makes you laugh?
A: When my kids mimic commercials or scenes from funny movies they've watched 100 times, like The Pink Panther. When they imitate me or my husband and ask, "Guess who I am?" When they make goofy faces and tell jokes read out of a book and do the silly things that kids should do.
Q: What is your favorite family ritual?
A: I have a few—reading books together (I always find some reason to use a British accent), making up bedtime stories, and being beach bums in the summertime.
Q: What was your most frazzled mom moment?
A: Boarding an airplane on my own when I was 6 months pregnant, trying to keep track of my 1 1/2-year-old and my 3-year-old, and carrying car seats, luggage, and pushing a stroller. No one offered to help, and the airline was no use. I was crying by the time I sat in my seat.
Q: What parenting issue do you and your partner disagree most about?
A: It's hard to say, as we mostly agree on the way we parent our children.
Q: What is your parenting role: good cop or bad cop?
A: I hope I'm a mixture of both. I love to have fun with my kids, but I don't put up with disobedience (something they've been given clear rules about).
Q: What do you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about?
A: Nothing! I'm a heavy sleeper, which scared me [because I thought] that I wouldn't hear my kids cry at night.
Q: What do you wish you had done before you had children?
A: Nothing. Even though I was married at 20 years old and had my first baby at 22, I feel like I lived a whole lot of life before that. Both my husband and I were ready to have a family right away. I love being a young mom and taking my kids everywhere with me. I'm blessed to say my kids have traveled all over the world, and we've never brought someone along to help with them. It puts my obsession with etiquette books to good use! I also get to see the world through young eyes and do things I might not otherwise because of it.
Q: What is a typical Saturday morning in your house like?
A: Nine a.m. hockey practice for the boys or a 40-minute family workout session—they do everything my husband and I do! Then it's all about the kids—tennis, swimming, lunch, more sports, and dinner. It's basically about how we can tire them out!
Q: What was your mom most right about?
A: Showing an attitude of gratitude throughout your day that is reflected by the little things you do. My mom brought cookies to every taping of every show I did to say thank you for having us. It sometimes felt silly at the time, but now I understand. My mom always taught us to never take anything for granted even if you earned it, and to show your gratitude toward others for it. I'm trying to continue that legacy in my own life and teach my children.
WHAT'S YOUR...
...guiltiest pleasure?
Lots and lots of ice cream.
...ideal getaway?
Napa Valley.
...favorite clothing item?
True Religion blue jeans—I live in them.
...current reading material?
Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham Jr.
What's your preference:
...chocolate or cheese?
Chocolate.
...cook at home or eat takeout?
Cook at home for sure! (Actually, my husband does all the cooking, and he's a fabulous chef! Is that cheating?)
...coddle your tot or let him cry it out?
I let them cry it out—no wavering! But if I had a baby now, in my 30s, I would probably coddle more.
