They want to hear from us today! Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mother to toddler Ramona (3 yrs.) will be on “LIVE! with Regis and Kelly” early tomorrow morning (Friday Feb. 26th) on ABC.
We have the chance to share your feedback and questions for Maggie with her & the show. Isn’t that so cool? I love Maggie and think she seems so down to earth and “classy.”. They’d love to hear our insights and will be monitoring this post prior to going on air – so they just might share your tips with Maggie as they really want real world “mommy” input. My 4 yr old Kenzie has already shared her tips and ideas as well. That lovely girl of mine is clearly going to the future of Classy Mommy!
Maggie has said, “We’ve traveled around a lot with Ramona and, while there are some wonderful things about that, what a young child really wants is stability and routine; she wants a sense of home. We’ve been trying to protect that and it’s one of our biggest challenges.”
Regis & Kelly and Maggie would to love feedback on the following questions and topic. I can’t imagine the struggles a celebrity Mom most have maintaining a routine for their toddlers and preschoolers. My kids thrive on routine, maintaining nap times, bedtime, eating their typical favorite foods for meals, etc. Just 10 days in Florida this month with my 2yr old and 4 yr old was crazy!
What are the fun things you do to keep your families grounded and connected to one another when much of our modern lives are spent communing, traveling and sometimes relocating entirely?
If you could give helpful advice and share modern parenting insights with Maggie, what would you say?
What other questions do you have for Maggie? Would you like to learn about her parenting style? Favorite products for Ramona? Which parenting books she relied on when Ramona was a baby?
My 4 yr old Kenzie just offered up some advice for Maggie to help little Ramona. She said, “Maggie should get a really big hotel room and fill it with lots and lots and lots of toys so it will look just like home. And get a hotel room that has decorations and stuff just like her home so Ramona will hardly know she is away.”
Very cute.
What are the fun things you do to keep your families grounded and connected to one another when much of our modern lives are spent communing, traveling and sometimes relocating entirely?
When we moved, I made sure I decorated my son's room first and filled it with his favorite things. With my daughter, she loved this thing on her crib that played music, so we took it with us every time we traveled. It made bedtime so much easier. My family travels a lot because my husband is a geologist. So I always pack their favorite toys and I try to keep our schedule similar to how it is at home (i.e. eating meals at the same time and taking naps or bedtime at the same time). However, we also try to plan little surprises here and there so the kids keep their excitement.
If you could give helpful advice and share modern parenting insights with Maggie, what would you say?
What I would say is listen to your children and not just verbally. Make sure you are picking up on their nonverbal cues. It helps prevent a lot of meltdowns. If worse comes to worse, stay calm. Breathe, count to ten, and then try to sort it out. Good luck!
I'm looking forward to having my first baby this summer, and have 2 questions. First, there seem to be a million different books out there with tips/methods for getting a baby to sleep through the night. Were there any books you found especially helpful when first experiencing motherhood?
Second, I'm already worried about going back to work. How do you, with such a busy schedule, balance motherhood and a demanding career?
Thanks so much for sharing!
When my little one was going off to a new school and feeling anxious about me not being able to be there to protect him, I got him a penny with a heart cut out and attached it to his cell phone via a lanyard and told him when he is feeling lonely and sad and missing me, just hold it tight and remember how much I love him (He was 5 at the time; he … See Morewill be 10 this year and he still has the penny). Just give her something from you that is special and different and tell her when she is feeling lonely and sad and missing you, just hold it tight and remember how much you love her. Also, have her give you something special, like one of her toys to carry with you when you are on the road (You want her to feel like she is in control of something. As humans, innately, without having control of what happens to us, life can be more stressful than needs be. ). My son gave me a red heart shaped stone that I carry with me always. No matter which handbag I carry, I always have the stone. I wish you much success with your daughter and career.
I'm often curious how a celebrity's child handles themselves in the "spotlight." I mean, to us moms… we can go to the market and to the library and school without people taking photos of us. How does Maggie handle that "difference" with her daughter.
Good luck, Coll!!
I am the mother of a three year old and a one year old. While the girls and I do not have to travel often, my husband is constantly on the move. In an effort to keep our bedtime routines and everything else in check when Daddy is traveling, we have been enjoying the use of SKYPE. This way, the girls get to see Daddy before bedtime and we get to talk to him about our day and "kiss" him goodnight. It's so much better than a phone call because it's almost as if he's sitting at the dinner table with us!!
If you are traveling a lot and going different places, I would highly a small photo album that Ramona can carry to look at to remember special times in special places or if you have time, a scrapbook is fun for everyone.
Skype is definitely a great idea when you are separated! Love the video options. As for mom advice, incorporate her into whatever you are doing as much as you can when you can but let her know you need mommy time sometimes too.
I would be interested in knowing where a celebrity mom goes for post-baby fashion advice when you want to spruce up a little or look extra special? A specific store or magazine or special friend with a great fashion sense? Do you have a favorite piece you always enjoy wearing?
We do a couple things here re: traveling. First, my husband is a consultant and is on the road a lot. We try and have a bedtime call each night so they know that even though he's not here physically, he's thinking of them. It often helps with the long periods of times that he's gone – they know to expect his call and it's a part of the bedtime routine. I really think it comforts them – not just to hear his voice but to have that regularity of the call each night.
Also, both of my children have "loveys." Even my 6 year old still sleeps with his. We had to actually work to get my 3 yo attached to something. But we did it b/c I think it's important for them to have a "comfort" item. We take each of their items whenever we travel and it's a little piece of home that calms and soothes them.
Re: questions – I always love hearing how working & busy Moms such as celebrities find they are able to balance it all? Any specific tips on how she maintains a healthy balance b/t motherhood and a demanding career?
I would say that it's really important to create rituals that are about you and your family, and not about where you are. These may be things you say or things you do, but it involves you and your family. For instance, we give "noggins" (head bumps), which we started doing when our daughter was young and loved the turtles in "Finding Nemo."
Now everyone needs a noggin before bedtime, and it helps things feel normal even when we're away from home.
When my husband or I travel, we do some of the same stuff mentioned above and some other fun things…. If it's going to be extended travel, we plan a skype chat for one or two nights. We also make sure that we have nightly calls so that everyone can say goodnight and I love you to each other before bedtime. We are also big fans of taking pics and emailing them to each other. That way the parent traveling can see the great things the family at home is doing, and the family at home can see what the traveling parent is seeing/doing while traveling. We have lots of fun with that! When we have travel that is planned long in advance, we actually also tuck love notes into my husband's suitcase from us and he will sometimes hide little love notes to the kids around the house and give them clues during the time he is away!
I would also love to know more about how Maggie can balance everything from having a great career, living as a celeb in the spotlight, and being a wonderful mother. What are her key time management techniques that she couldn't live without? Also, I'd love to know what fun new toddler products that she is using that she loves! And, what are her favorite things to do when she spends time with Ramona?
I am the mom of a 4 year old boy who is a very sleep driven child. If he does not get enough sleep, watch out! We don't travel a lot on a regular basis, but we do spend our summer at the Jersey Shore. I always pack his sheets from home, his favorite books, and a soothing sound machine. This way his room at the Shore is always as close to his room at home. Right down to the comfort of his sheets and the sounds in his sleep! Keeping his environment as close to the same and as routine as possible keeps him happy, which in turn keeps all of us happy!
So many great insights and comments!
One thing my children loved was to have a recording of Mom or Dad's voice reading a favorite bedtime story, and Maggie has such a soothing voice I'm sure that would be a hit with her daughter.
I'm also curious how they balance living in the spotlight with a young child. I'm sure there have been times where their daughter has been confused or scared by the lights or attention, how do they talk to her about it?
I'd also love to know what she doesn't do-because we all know moms can't do it all, and as a mom who is busy I'm sure her priority when she is home is to spend time with her family. I'd probably give up cleaning first!
Kelly -I am no celeb, but I think cleaning was my first thing to totally go after having a baby. Somethings gotta give. And with toddlers, I feel like my effort is more than ever before, but the results are futile! I think I'd hire household help (cooking, cleaning daily, etc.) to balance all those tasks we'd love to do without 🙂
When my daughter was 3 years old we traveled quite a bit so to give her an opportunity to document our trips I bought her her a Kid Tough camera. She took lots and lots and lots of pictures everywhere we went. At the end of the trip I uploaded her photos to an online photo service and had her photos made into a small toddler friendly photo album. My daughter was always very proud to share the photos she took herself and it was really fun to hear her share her memories of the trip with friends and family as she looked through her very own photo album.
As a working mom, it is always hard to balance work and home responsibilities. However, at the end of the day, it's not the quantity of time that you have spent with your children that important…it's the quality of that time that they will remember the most!
i can only imagine how hectic life must be for you. i truly believe children are very adaptable and can adjust once used to constant cameras. so you go girl!!!
Such a difficult thing to do: balance work, home, children and the ever present spotlight of the media. It is a real challenge. I can only suggest that when you have time with your children give them your undivided attention. Make that time special and fun. Kids will thrive and love you for it.
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