Celebrity Baby Blog /

Jessica Capshaw 'More Aware' Since Becoming a Mom

Jason Merritt/Getty

In a new interview with EcoStiletto, actress and environmentalist Jessica Capshaw says that her already-green lifestyle got even greener with the birth of son Luke, turning 2 next month. “I’m more aware and purposeful in my actions [since becoming a mom],” the 33-year-old Grey’s Anatomy star says. “I’m much more conservative.”

“The fact that I could use something that might harm him just brings the whole thing home. And we’re so aware of the harm, thanks to people who’ve been standing on chairs and yelling to be heard. We’re all now trying to undo a lot of the damage that’s been done.”

The biggest warning signs for Jessica and husband Christopher Gavigan, who is himself CEO of the national non-profit Healthy Child, Healthy World, include products that don’t list their ingredients as well as those which contain parabens. “We’re so blessed that we are living in a world where we can buy food for him that’s organic,” she notes. “That’s a huge gift.” Food choices were viewed in a whole new light after Luke arrived, Jessica says. “I started taking a crash course in nutrition when I started feeding him,” she explains. To that end, the couple only offer foods they consider “optimal,” like eggs and turkey for protein while skipping chicken and red meat.

“I’m going to see how long I can get away with that. As soon as his world opens up and he’s around people who eat all sorts of different foods, I know he’s going to have some questions about who eats what and why.”

In addition to dietary changes the couple are also trying to “keep a lid on consumption,” and that means that Luke’s wardrobe is minimalist — for now! “It’s summertime … and it feels like he’s been naked all summer,” Jessica says.

“As cute as baby clothes are…I try to buy less. And that’s the other thing with the economy and our values and principles in mind, we try to buy less. That doesn’t mean doing less, it sometimes means doing more.”

Her belief in the importance of an eco-friendly lifestyle was cemented by pregnancy. “All of a sudden I did everything better,” she notes. “I ate better. I was better to myself. Everything from eating organic food to eating every three hours rather than waiting out six, to not only cutting out things that were toxic but also things that might be toxic.” The results, she says, exceeded the prototypical pregnancy glow!

“At the end of my pregnancy I felt really good, my energy was good, my clarity of thought was good, everything was good. As the guardian of Luke’s life I made all the natural choices. That gave me a huge nod as to that’s the way to be.”

The sixth season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy airs Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Source: EcoStiletto

– Missy

Brooke Burke on Having the Sex Talk With Your Kids

Todd Williamson/WireImage

Brooke Burke doesn’t “have all the answers” for her children — Neriah, 9, Sierra Sky, 7, Heaven Rain, 2 ½, and Shaya Braven, 17 months — but is “committed to being truthful with them.” That resolve was tested recently when Neriah came to her with a dreaded subject among many moms — sex questions!

Although the former DWtS champ has “always been open and honest” with her daughters — the girls had already seen the National Geographic special In The Womb — Brooke confesses she had been able to “focus on what happens to the sperm and the egg and so on and so on, without ever addressing how they get together…” until Neriah approached with follow-up queries.

When Neriah asked about the specifics of the process, Brooke bounced the question back at her, asking what she thought. When her daughter replied, “From sex,” Brooke says she was left “wondering whom she is talking about sex with and why it is coming up NOW!” Since Neriah was a bit embarrassed by their discussion, Brooke “reassured her that we can talk about anything, and that most importantly I want her to have the correct information.”

The phone rang and Brooke, 37, admits that she was “saved for the night,” but still went ahead and ordered It’s So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families for the next time the topic arises. While she doesn’t know what the book will be like, Brooke promises that she will let everyone know what she thinks, “and even better, I’ll share my daughter’s perspective. We rarely talk about the thoughts of our children … I think there is much to learn from that.”

“When and how to have ‘the talk’ is crucial. I think it’s hard for all of us. How much info is too much? Too much too soon? I think every child is different. Honesty is all I know, but I would like to keep her naïve as long as possible. They’re all growing up too fast.”

Neriah and Sierra are Brooke’s children with ex-husband Dr. Garth Fisher, while Rain and Shaya are her kids with fiancé David Charvet.

Source: Modern Mom

– Angela

When did/do you plan to have “the talk” with your kids? Any recommendations for other parents?

Kimora Lee Simmons Teaches Tolerance – With Lessons From Mom

Thos Robinson/Getty

As a child, model and Baby Phat CEO Kimora Lee Simmons felt the pain of being teased and ridiculed by other kids.

“Outgoing as I am today, I was a loner growing up,” she tells Working Mother. “I was a mixed-race girl with a Korean-Japanese mother and an African-American father, and none of the other kids at my school were like me. I was nearly six feet tall by the time I was 11 years old. Everything about me seemed to be a source of ridicule to other kids: my face, my height, the texture of my hair, my body shape.”

Feeling beaten down by the teasing, Kimora’s mother Joanne Perkins taught her to keep her head up. “My mother wanted me to turn my tears into something else, something positive,” Kimora explains. “She did her best to make me feel comfortable in my own skin. She always reminded me that we’re all different and that’s to be respected. ‘Put on your game face,’ she’d say. ‘Yes, it hurts, but don’t succumb to it. It will pass.’”

And pass it did — Kimora was discovered at 13 and began modeling, yet the lessons that her mother taught stayed with her. Now a mom to three, Kimora is determined to pass on what she learned to her daughters — Ming, 9 ½, and Aoki Lee, 7 — and her 10-week-old son Kenzo.

“As my mom did for me, I’m helping my own girls learn about tolerance — to respect differences in culture, religion and even the way we look. I also try to set boundaries, let them know what’s expected and give them room to develop and grow. I will do the same with my infant son.”

Kimora also makes it a point to “involve my kids in my work, so they can see that even though the balancing act [of motherhood and work] isn’t easy, it’s possible.” Having the kids involved not only gives Kimora more time to spend with them, but has also sparked Ming and Aoki’s creativity — and their mom’s as well.

“Ming and Aoki love to sew and make their own clothes. They have a real fashion sense and inspire me creatively. I listen to their ideas and often consult them, especially for Baby Phat Girlz, one of our children’s fashion lines,” Kimora says. “They love to go into my closet and pick out my clothes. Our kids help us stay youthful.”

Click below for Kimora’s mom must-haves.
Read More