Disclosure: “I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator, electric cooktop, Washer/Dryer set, and a Dishwasher to facilitate my review.”

Watch a really fun behind the scenes video from the photo shoot and interview here.

Here are some fantastic tidbits and truths she shares with readers in her interview.

Pregnancy Truths

• “I got pregnant, and I was like, ‘Oh, God, it worked! Oh, no!’ Chris [Ivery, her husband] and I were super happy, then I got terrified! Will I know how to do everything right? Of course, nobody does everything right, but as long as your baby is the priority, that’s the best you can do. My mother passed away when I was 4, and not having a mother makes me appreciate being one so much more.”
• “A lot of people couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t take my maternity leave. [She took four weeks off.] I make a good living, but I won’t always make this kind of money. I felt I needed to work while I had this opportunity. The writers and producers were really gracious and wrote my scenes so I could preshoot them. I didn’t have to miss any episodes.”
• “I went up a pants size during my pregnancy. I was in size 25 jeans and went to 26. I gained 26 pounds. Now, after the baby, I weigh 10 pounds more than I ever have. I love it, because everyone always told me I was too skinny before, and I thought, Oh, God, what if there are 14-year-olds who think I’m not eating, and then they don’t eat? Do I have a responsibility? But really, I don’t care if people think I’m too skinny. This is my body. If they don’t like it, screw it. [My weight] doesn’t matter to me. I have a healthy baby.

• MAKING HEALTHY EATING EA SY

• “Take a few hours and prepare lunch for the week. On Sundays, I premake everything for salads. I boil a dozen eggs and parboil beets. I chop lettuce, cilantro, scallions and parsley and put it all in ziplock bags. During the week, I just grab handfuls, add dressing, dump in a can of beans, some goat cheese, and I’m ready to go.”

LESSONS SHE’LL TEACH HER DAUGHTER

• “I hope Stella has more self-confidence than I did as a child. Because when you believe in yourself and have a strong sense of self-worth, you don’t look for validation from others.”
• “I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong. I think my honesty isn’t that popular in Hollywood, but I don’t believe in putting on airs. I call it like I see it. I am who I am, a [Boston] Southie. I guess you can call me real. I hope that’s what Stella is, too.”

FINDING TIME FOR HAPPINE SS

• “I love to dance with Stella. She’s a big Jay-Z fan. She loves Beyoncé, too. I sing ‘SingleLadies’ to her: ‘Put your hands up!’ Even though it’s probably an involuntary movement on her part, I think she’s really doing it.”
• “It’s easy to get lost in the baby. But you have to make the time for your relationships. You have to make sure you give your husband attention. And I still see my friends all the time, too. It’s important to have a well-rounded life. You learn things from your friends, and they bring you joy, and you bring back all that happiness to your baby.”
• “ Ice cream is my thing. Chocolate, sometimes strawberry. During my pregnancy, Chris had to make a lot of midnight runs.”

CREATING BALANCE

• People ask, ‘Why don’t you do movies?’ and I’m like, ‘Really? I just acted my ass off for 10 months. You want me to take my eight weeks off and act?’ Where is my life? How am I supposed to act if I have no life experience to draw from? One reason I wanted a child is to have my life be about something other than work!”

The sizzle reel below has interviews with celebrities Tina Fey, Audra McDonald, Melissa Joan Hart, and Nigel Barker’s wife, Cristen Chin- all of whom brought their kids.

Here’s a fun pic of Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford and daughter – pictured holding a Snow White doll from Mattel.

Melissa Joan Hart and family – pictured holding a Princess Tiana doll from Mattel, Princess Tiana costume from CDI and Prince Naveen and Louis the Alligator plush from Disney Store.

Nutella, traditionally very popular in Europe,  is now pushing hard to market their product used more widely in the US market.  Truly, it was so interesting to hear all their stats about breakfast and learn more about this delicious product that I was shocked to learn is not actually all chocolate. Really.  In fact, there isn’t even any chocolate in it! Just cocoa powder and a whole bunch of hazlenuts.  (Some 50 hazlenuts or more per jar!)

So yes, I was surprised to learn  that Nutella only has 4 ingredients- hazlenuts, skim milk, sugar, and a hint of cocoa.

Did you know that 50% of American families skip breakfast on a regular basis?

Something this tasty is really a perfect serving option to get those tired kids to eat in the morning before they rush out the door with little to no breakfast. (Sadly at my house where we all rise before 6 AM begging to eat we never face the skip breakfast problem. It would be refreshing to actually skip breakfast once a year!)

They advised pairing Nutella with a whole grain version of bread or waffles etc so kids look forward to breakfast. Variety is also key & making breakfast a family affair (like it at my house with the roosters at 545 am!) really helps.

It’s always fun to see my blogging girls in real life.  Here’s a cute photo with my friends Victoria @VeepVeep from Savvy Mommy and Vera @INOMommy from I’m Not Obsessed. And for the first time I got to meet @JenRab and @ComplicatedMama in person.

Disclosure: I guess I better confess to the small delicious swag bag Nutella provided so the FTC doesn’t arrest me. My swag included of course 2 free jars of Nutella and bread so I could treat the kids to this yummy pleasure at home plus a super cookbook to help teach kids about nutrition.

Sigh. I wish I could get my kids to eat their veggies. Truly, it is torture in our house.  (And yes, I’ve tried the dip it in salad dressing trick – and it doesn’t work yet at our house. I think I might resort to allowing the kids to dip them in Ketchup or even honey if that would work!)  Really, the only veggies I can get my 4 yr old daughter to consume are canned green beans. Texture of fresh veggies seems to be a deal breaker in our house.

Jennie Garth, who we all remember as Kelly Taylor from 90210, is now a mom of 3 lovely daughters married to actor Peter Facinelli, of Twilight fame – which I only just realized after seeing some recent Paparazzi pics. Jennie Garth is currently starring in the iVillage.com Webisode series “Garden Party” sponsored by Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings.

How do you convince your kids to eat their veggies? Do you have any secret recipes that work?

(Note: A fake mustache will age you 30 years regardless of your gender. Kenzie’s entire demeanor and posture altered while wearing this sticky piece of fur. )

To the left, Television personality Brooke Burke poses for photographers as hostess of the “Barbie in A Mermaid Tale” DVD launch party, Saturday March 13, 2010, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo Credit/Mattel/Rene Macura)

Television host Brooke Burke, center, gives her daughter Rain, left, a mermaid makeover at the “Barbie in A Mermaid Tale” DVD launch party, Saturday March 13, 2010, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo Credit/Mattel/Rene Macura)

Television host Brooke Burke, far left, sits poolside with a real life mermaid at the “Barbie in A Mermaid Tale” DVD launch party, Saturday March 13, 2010, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo Credit/Mattel/Rene Macura)

So what’s all this  Triple Paste buzz about? I first heard about Triple Paste years ago from a Mommy friend when 4 yr old Mackenzie was a baby and began getting that icky diaper rash that just won’t go away. The culprit was all the time she was spending in her swim diaper at the beach – and my friend promised me Triple Paste would cure it right away. And she was right! Ever since then, I’ve always kept it on her for my babies so when they get a persistent or terrible diaper rash that doesn’t go away on it’s own or with other creams, I know I can count on it. Seriously, I can usually get the rash to go away within 1-2 days of just a few applications – if not even just 1 application before bedtime. So the tube also lasts forever as you won’t be applying it often which is great from a cost savings perspective too.

Disclosure:  We received a free sample of both Triple Paste and Triple Cream to facilitate this review. But I’ve been using it as my go to diaper cream whenever we get the worst case scenario hard core diaper rashes for years. Especially during those wet sandy summer days at the beach!

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