Star Moms Share Mother’s Day Plans

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

This post was written by our friends at Celebrity Baby Scoop.

In honor of on May 12, we asked some of our favorite celebrity moms how they’re planning to spend the special day.

From new moms Holly Madison and Giuliana Rancic to mom-of-four Tori Spelling, let’s look at how the stars celebrate all things mom.

Giuliana Rancic:
Reality stars Giuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic welcomed their first child, son Duke, in August 2012. The new mom opened up to Celebrity Baby Scoop about her big plans to celebrate her first Mother’s Day.

“Bill and I are having our moms come to LA for Mother’s Day – to make it special for all of us,” she shared. “We’re planning a fancy bunch with the whole family at a nice hotel in Newport Coast and then a walk on the beach. Really, I just want to relax and enjoy the day together as a whole family.”

She added: “This Mother’s Day is especially meaningful because it’s my first time to celebrate as a mother, of course! After struggling for years to have a baby, it’s a real gift to be able to spend the special day with Bill, Duke and our family.”

Holly Madison:
Before welcoming her first child, daughter Rainbow, on March 5, Playboy model Holly Madison shared her hopes for her first Mother’s Day.

“I hope my boyfriend and I can find something fun to do that someone only a few months old will enjoy,” Holly shared. “Maybe we will take her to the Springs Preserve (a park here in Vegas) and see if she reacts to any of the animals and the nature.”

Tiffani Thiessen:
White Collar star Tiffani Thiessen is mom to 2-year-old daughter Harper. The Saved by the Bell alum talked about celebrating Mother’s Day in New York City with her mom and her daughter.

“Being a mom now myself, it is even more special,” she shared. “What’s great is we will be in New York again this year as I shoot Season 5 of White Collar. I’ll get to celebrate the day with my Mom and my daughter, all of us together.

Niki Taylor:
Supermodel Niki Taylor is proud mom to four children – 18-year-old twin sons Jake and Hunter, 4-year-old daughter Ciel, and son Rex, 17 months. Here’s what the blonde beauty had to say about what Mother’s Day means to her.

“I don’t know what my family has planned for me,” she admitted. ”I just want to be with my babies and I hope I am with my mom and my sister. My mom is still an amazing mom and she’s a wonderful grandmother as well. I thank her and always pray for her. I still always call her for advice. To me, Mother’s Day is about my mom and I want to be with her on that day. It is a day for the family to be together.”

She added: “My favorite Mother’s Day gifts are anything with chocolate or sugar in it [laughs]. Also, I think quality time is always the best gift.”
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Earth Day in Hollywood: Celebrity Families Go Green

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

This post was written by our friends at Celebrity Baby Scoop.

Hollywood is going green! On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day. In celebration, let’s take a look at eco-friendly celebrities like Jessica Alba, Mario Lopez, and Tori Spelling who inspire others to protect Mother Nature.

Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott are proud parents of four kids: sons Liam, 6, and Finn, 6 months, and daughters Stella, 4, and Hattie, 1.

The reality TV mama recently opened up to Celebrity Baby Scoop about going green “every day,” not just one day out of the year.

“Every day is Earth Day in our house,” Spelling said. “We definitely try to teach our kids to take care of the earth. Just the other day, actually, in fact it was in the playroom, Liam came up and said I turned off the lights in the playroom because I don’t want the earth to get sick. It was really cute.”

She added: “We teach all about recycling, we compost. We try our best to teach them how to take care of the earth.”

Jessica Alba
From her chic sense of style, to her hands-on playdates at the park, to her eco-friendly business, we can’t get enough of Jessica Alba. After creating The Honest Company last year, the mom-of-two is now promoting her debut book, The Honest Life.

“It’s a colorful how-to guidebook for people who want to make a healthy and non-toxic home without giving up the fun fashionable things,” Jessica told Celebrity Baby Scoop. “I hope people will be inspired to make the ideas their own and find what works for them.”

She went on to talk about modeling an eco-friendly lifestyle with husband Cash Warren and their two daughter Honor, 4, and Haven, 1.

“First and foremost, we try to model and practice eco-friendly habits for the girls,” Alba said. “Otherwise, we talk to them about being mindful and explain that things can be turned into something else one day. This can be as simple as teaching them about recyclables and showing how to sort bottles and cans from trash.”

She added: “We also do a lot of DIY crafts like using cardboard boxes to make airplanes and dollhouses—our creative playtime together similarly shows the girls about repurposing old items.”

The Sin City star says involving kids in the process is not only fun, but educational.

“Involving children in gardening and cooking is another great way to inspire eco-friendly living,” Alba shared. “Caring for the plants in our herb wall garden helps Honor understand the steps to growing food (including patience!), how it ultimately lands on her plate, and about being a good steward of the planet.”

The proud mom added: “Honor is also a great sous chef when we’re in the kitchen, so being a part of the dinner process encourages her to eat the foods she grows and develops her taste for fresh ingredients. Hopefully, this lays the foundation for children to prioritize their health and that of the planet.”

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Valentine’s Day: Stars Talk Romance

Friday, February 15th, 2013

This post was written by our friends at Celebrity Baby Scoop. 

Love is in the air!

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Celebrity Baby Scoop asked some of our favorite celebrity moms how they keep the romance alive in their relationships. From Brooke Burke-Charvet’s scheduled date nights, to Soleil Moon Frye’s gadget-free time, to Eden Riegel’s Valentine’s Day plans, read about how the stars keep the flame burning.

Sheila Kelley
Author and actress Sheila Kelley is bringing sexy back with a new campaign entitled, Redefining Sexy: Believe In Your Beauty, which aims to redefine the terms “sexy” and “beauty” through a provocative video featuring true stories of real women.

Mom to Ruby, 12, and Gus, 18, with husband, actor Richard Schiff, Sheila opened up about keeping things sexy in her marriage as well.

“My hub-man Richard Schiff and I are madly in love because he lets me be a woman, and I let him be a man,” she said.

“We balance each other and we have this love affair that’s like a dance of masculine and feminine energy,” Sheila added. “It’s divine. We both travel a lot for work and are sometimes apart for months at a time. He’s in New York right now for a role in Glengarry Glen Ross with Al Pacino. So I fly in to see him and we have these very intense romantic weekends at our favorite spots in Manhattan.”

Kearran Giovanni
Actress and mom Kearran Giovanni stars in the new hit TNT drama Major Crimes, the spin-off of the critically acclaimed series The Closer.

The actress — mom to daughters, Jordan, 4, and Peyton, 2, with husband Philip Ambrosino — chatted about keeping the flame burning in their relationship.

“We switch off roles constantly,” she shared. “And we have a set Thursday night date night.”

Rosie Pope
Pregnant in Heels star Rosie Pope and husband Daron Pope are parents to three kids: sons J.R., 4, Wells, 2, and 9-month-old daughter Vivienne.

The maternity concierge dished about keeping the romance alive in their busy household.

“This is going to sound corny but we are still so in love and we love being a family more than anything so even if we are at home, once the kids are in bed, we always make time to sit down together over a glass of wine,” Rosie said. “I think whether it’s a date night or a glass of wine on the couch it’s just about finding that time together.”

Melissa Joan Hart
Sabrina The Teenage Witch alum Melissa Joan Hart and her husband, musician Mark Wilkerson, are parents to three sons: Mason, 7, Brady, 4, and Tucker, 5 months.

The Melissa & Joey star shared how her and her hubby are keeping the romance alive in their busy household.
“We are so in love with our children and family,” MJH said. “It helps our bond grow even stronger!”

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10 Celebrities To Watch On Instagram

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

This post was written by our friends at Celebrity Baby Scoop.

Instagram is a social sharing network that was recently snapped up by Facebook for a cool $1 billion.

So what is it? Instagram allows you to share your pictures via Facebook and Twitter, while applying cool vintage-style filters to images. With over 30 million users, we’ve put together a list of our top 10 favorite celebrity parents who use the app. From Snooki, to P. Diddy, to Hilary Duff, here are our must-follow Instagram accounts.

1. Snooki

Nicole “Snooki“ Polizzi might be the queen of Instagram!

The Jersey Shore star loves sharing sweet snapshots of her beautiful baby boy Lorenzo, 2 months, via Instagram. ”My stud muffin,” the new mom, 24, wrote of her firstborn son with Jionni LaValle.

She added another closeup of her precious bambino, writing, “I’m not just saying this cause he’s my son, but he is the PERFECT little man. I’m a lucky mommy.”

2. Jamie Lynn Spears

Proud mama Jamie Lynn Spears, 21, shared a photo of her daughter Maddie via Instagram in October. In the shot, the 4-year-old recreated the look her aunt, Britney Spears, made famous in the groundbreaking 1998 video ...Baby One More Time.

Dressed up like a Catholic school girl just like Brit, Jamie Lynn captioned the pic, “Guess who Maddie [went] to for Celebrity Day at school.”

3. Usher

Father-of-two Usher recently posted some sweet snaps of his sons Usher V, 4, and Naviyd, 3, via Instagram.

“End of year vacation comin up….I can’t wait,” the R&B superstar wrote. In another photo, Usher captioned, “Future rider…he’s 4 in this photo! Your welcome  ”

Last month, the father-of-two shared some Halloween shots of his festive boys.

4. P. Diddy

Sean P. Diddy Combs turned 43 on November 4 and celebrated with his children.

“The best birthday gift I could ever have. #6 thank u GOD,” Puffy posted via Instagram, captioning a shot with all six of his children: Quincy, 21, Justin, 18, Christian, 14, Chance, 5, and 5-year-old twins D’Lila Star and Jessie James.

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Melissa Joan Hart and Merck for Mothers Raise Awareness About Maternal Mortality

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

In September, actress Melissa Joan Hart gave birth to her third child, Tucker. After giving birth, Hart teamed up with Merck for Mothers’ “Once Upon a Birth” campaign to raise awareness about maternal mortality worldwide and to find solutions for safe and healthy pregnancies. Recently, Parents.com had a few moments to chat with Hart about the partnership, her recent pregnancy and birth, and what it’s like to raise three boys.

Tell me about your partnership with the “Once Upon a Birth” campaign.

I partnered with Merck for Once Upon a Birth. Eight hundred women die every day as a result of pregnancy and childbirth, mainly because of hemorrhaging and preeclampsia, and 90 percent [of those deaths] are preventable with the right prenatal care and knowledge. For every story shared on the Merck for Mothers Facebook page, Merck will make a donation to Join My Village, one of the many programs that will help reduce the risk of maternal mortality. The UN wants to reduce the rate of maternal mortality by 75 percent by the year 2015, so Merck has made a pledge to commit 10 years and $500 million to this cause. They’re going to train women, husbands, and midwives in villages around the world so they can be more educated. Children won’t have to grow up motherless, and mothers won’t miss watching their child grow.

What’s the birth story you shared with Merck for Mothers?

I was trying to be really well prepared [about giving birth to newborn son, Tucker] for weeks beforehand. Every Sunday, I’d go get my nails done, and I’d put on mascara. I don’t wear makeup when I’m not working but I thought, “I’ll put on mascara, a little concealer, in case I go to the hospital and the baby comes out real quick, so I can take a cute picture.” My doctor wanted me to go walk on the beach to move my labor along and on that day, September 18, there was a big storm, with 40 miles per hour winds. My water broke [when I was] on the beach, so I ended up in the hospital with windblown hair that I never brushed, and my feet were muddy when I put them up on the stirrups. So it didn’t turn out the way I thought. But what was amazing was that my husband delivered the baby. The doctor handed him scrubs, said “Get ready, come on down here,” and then [my husband] pulled the baby out—head, shoulders, body—and placed him on me.

Was that his first time?

The first time [when I gave birth to Mason], he swore he wouldn’t cut the cord. He was, like, “I don’t want to be involved. I can’t, I’ll pass out.” But he did end up cutting the cord. The second time [when I gave birth to Braydon], he grabbed the baby’s shoulders and pulled him out. With Tucker, my husband advanced in the medical arena.

What are some of the most difficult things you experienced during your pregnancies?

Nothing life-threatening. With the first birth, I had complications with the epidural, and the Pitocin, because I wanted to induce, and Mason was just a big baby, so it was just hard to get him out. I would not allow a C-section unless it was an emergency. With my second son, I did a natural birth, and that was a really, really exciting experience. But it was extremely painful and I had a little hemorrhaging. With Tucker, there was a moment where his heart rate dropped during a really severe contraction, and that scared me. [The staff] put oxygen in me and flipped me over, so it was a little scary for a moment. I’m really lucky — I’ve had very healthy pregnancies, very healthy deliveries.

Do you have tips for women for a less stressful pregnancy?

I did study hypnobirthing to learn about a more natural approach to childbirth. It educates you a lot on what is and isn’t necessary during a delivery. It teaches you great relaxation techniques and meditation, and you get soundtracks to help you relax. It really helps with labor. I would play music for the baby while doing my relaxation techniques. One of the things I recommend for expecting moms and dads is to go see movies because that’s something they won’t do again. Going to the movies is something I miss a lot. My husband and I would go on date nights to the movies, but now with Tucker, it’s going to be a while until we see anything but a kid’s movie again. And before you get pregnant or at the very beginning of pregnancy, travel because you really won’t get to go anywhere, like Italy, for a while.

What’s the best or worst parenting advice you’ve ever received?

The best was from my mom, when I had my first child. I would get a lot of advice from different people, including strangers, and I was second-guessing things that I was doing. She said, “You have great instincts, you’re a wonderful mother, do what you feel is right.” And that was the best advice. The worst advice is putting rice cereal into milk to try to make kids sleep longer. It doesn’t work when they’re not ready, not when they’re under 4 months old. They keep you up all night screaming and yelling because their stomachs are not ready for it and it upsets them more.

Has there been anything challenging or surprising about raising three boys?

Not yet; it’s just the energy level. I grew up with all girls. I don’t have to worry about doing the boys’ hair, and they’re easily entertained in a mud puddle; they don’t sit and color like girls. They want to run and jump and splash and throw things, so you have a lot of Band-Aids around and a lot of ice packs, because they’re always getting banged and bruised.

What are some of the best things you’ve learned from motherhood? What are some things you think will be easier with Tucker, because you’ve already had two boys?

Something that I’ve learned is, you can never be completely prepared for any situation, and it’s amazing how far your instincts will take you. Just being able to handle a situation when it arises is pretty incredible, as a mother. I’ve learned that you never know what to expect. Every little thing changes so quickly, but at the same time, each milestone is so amazing.

Image: Melissa Joan Hart with newborn son Tucker, courtesy of Merck for Mothers, Once Upon a Birth

10 Celebrity Parents Who Do (and Don’t) Want Their Kids In Showbiz

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

This post was written by our friends at Celebrity Baby Scoop.

If you were in show business, would you want your children to follow in your footsteps? Or would you discourage your children from the limelight of Hollywood with every ounce of your being?

Celebrity Baby Scoop checks out which celeb parents have encouraged their children to enter the wild world of fame and fortune, those that forbid it with all their might, and the ones that sit on the fence.

1. John Travolta

John Travolta has kept us entertained since the 70s in the huge hits Saturday Night Fever and Grease. And not to mention his triumphant career comeback in the 90s cult classic, Pulp Fiction. Prior to the tragic death of his son Jett, John appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and announced his daughter Ella’s debut in the big screen comedy, Old Dogs.

“Jett was young when he saw Look Who’s Talking, but he didn’t like it when I was kissing Kirstie Alley. But Ella took right to it right away. That’s why last year she said, ‘When am I going to do a movie with you?’ Little did she know, dad had a trick up his sleeve. She’s a natural performer,” John said. “She’s just like I was. I didn’t push it at all, because I knew that worked. My mother didn’t push me, either. We were just given our space to be whatever we wanted to be, and I decided that works better than any kind of pressure.” John added, “Unless they’re afraid they’re going to be rejected and they want to protect them. And I can imagine parents would fear that, but you can be rejected in any profession.”

2. Tom Cruise

Fellow Scientologist, Tom Cruise, agrees that show business is a great place for kids. Tom’s son Connor entered the family business (mom is Tom’s ex, Nicole Kidman) when he was 14 years old in Will Smith’s flick Seven Pounds. Perhaps one day Tom and Katie Holmes’ 6-year-old daughter Suri will follow in her big brother – and her divorced parents’ – footsteps.

When asked if he’d like Suri to enter showbiz, Tom said:

“I’d love it. Acting is work I love. I love to create life and give energy, create characters, and create stories.”

3. Will Smith

Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith are all-for their kids entering the family business. Both of their children – son Jaden, 14, and daughter Willow, 11 – have graced the big screen. Jaden costarred with his father in The Pursuit of Happyness, appeared alongside Keanu Reeves in The Day the Earth Stood Still, and in the remake of the Karate Kid. Willow made her acting debut alongside her papa in I Am Legend and later lit up the big screen in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl.

So what does Will think of his kids entering the family business?

“She has a drive. She has an energy and she just connects to human emotion,” Will said of daughter Willow. “I think a big part was probably [seeing] Jaden after The Pursuit of Happyness. She saw what Jaden did, and she was like, ‘I want that,’” Will added. “Jaden is [like] Johnny Depp. He just wants to do good work . . . He loves acting, he just wants to make good movies,” Will said and joked, “and Willow is Paris Hilton. Willow wants to be on TV.”

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Melissa Joan Hart Talks Bi-Coastal Parenting

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Melissa Joan Hart, star of the ABC Family comedy Melissa and Joey, has teamed up with Kellogg’s to help share one million school breakfasts with the Share Your Breakfast Challenge. Simply upload or text (the word SHARE to 21534) a photo of your breakfast to the challenge from now until July and Kelloggs will donate a breakfast to a kid in need.

Hart and her husband, musician Mark Wilkerson, live in Westport, CT, with their sons Mason, 5, and Brady, 3.

 Parents: You work on the West Coast, but live in Connecticut. How do you balance work and parenting from across the country?

Melissa Joan Hart: First and foremost, I’m blessed to have a loving husband. Since the day (my sons) were born he’s taken a chunk of the workload.  It has been hard on me to be so far away from my children for so much time. They left yesterday, and I won’t see them for two weeks, which is the longest I’ve been away from them. It’s a struggle inside of me.

My husband and I made the move to Connecticut two years ago and we thought a lot about it before we did it. We have a great home in a wonderful community. It’s great that they wake up in their own beds and can be around friends and family. The hard part wrap my head around is that I have kids I won’t be around. Here in California I work and get the hard stuff out of the way so when I get home it’s off time. Most parents have their day at work and home – I get that in weeks: One week is work, and one week is off. It’s not normal, but it’s becoming normal to us.

Why did you move to Westport, CT?

We decided when we had Brady that when Mason went to kindergarten we would move somewhere. I’m from Long Island and he’s from Alabama—we had community and wanted them to have that. We looked in a few cities…and fell in love with Connecticut. We went back the next year because it was a bad time in the housing market.

Do your boys watch your shows?

No, they know that mommy goes to work and I do a show. We watch a lot of the Disney Channel.

Why’d you partner with Kellogg’s?

I think it’s a great campaign they’ve got going on. Kellogg’s is teaming up with Action for Healthy Kids to give one million breakfasts to kids who otherwise wouldn’t have it. One in four kids in the United States is going to school hungry. As a mom that’s just unacceptable. You can’t tell when someone’s hungry necessarily, and how can children grow and learn when they’re hungry? We know this happens in other countries but it’s happening in the US too. It’s a simple thing we can do every morning.

 What would we see if you took photos of your family’s breakfast?

My husband is from the South and likes to cook a big breakfast. There’s always eggs. Ricotta pancakes are a favorite thing to make. We usually have sausage and grits, and every once in a while we mix it up with oatmeal and cereal. A lot of the time my sons do cereal for themselves. It’s like we have our own buffet!