1. When I need advice, my go-to mama guru is my own mom. Even though she has passed away, I always find myself thinking what would my mom do or say in certain situations and I wish so much I could pick up the phone and call her. She was THE most amazing mom. And the biggest reason I can say that is because there was never a minute in my growing up that I didn’t feel extremely loved or secure. I want to give that same feeling to my kids.
2. The person I truly admire is Oprah. Obviously, she is a great role model for any journalist. But she is what you think she is off-camera too. She is such a strong woman, but helps others in her success. And I love that she created a whole TV network around bringing light to people.
3. My favorite 5-minute de-stress method is either a warm bath or a foot rub (my husband gives great ones!).
4. My most embarrassing pregnancy symptom was sneezing and constantly peeing.
5. My weirdest pregnancy craving was baked beans. I don’t even eat them normally. But my craving was so strong, I ran to the grocery store and bought like 15 cans in every variety and brand possible. The craving went away after 1 day and I was stuck with enough cans of baked beans to have a BBQ for 50 people!
6. The thing that surprised me the most about becoming a mom was the crazy, crazy amount of love you feel for your child. Everyone tells you how it’s a love you have never felt before, and now I so understand what they mean. I would do anything for my children.
7. The coolest thing about raising a girl is feeling like I have a little partner/buddy. We like to do all the same girly things together and have the best time doing them.
8. The coolest thing about raising boys is they seem to be a little less particular and emotional about things. My boys are kind of laid back and don’t get their feelings hurt easily. At age 6, my daughter is already so very particular about things, even about what clothes she wants to wear for the day. My boys just get up and simply throw on the t-shirt which is closest to them in proximity!
9 The coolest/craziest thing about raising teenagers is it more of a partnership. They are not as dependent. They are obviously more mature and you can start having adult-like conversations with them.
10. For me, being on the red carpet is not as glamorous as it looks. Ha ha. These are super long days, and I sometimes get only 3-4 hours sleep on an awards night. I trying to juggle all the interviews, while making sure I don’t miss anyone, and I have to get a great sound bite out of only a few minutes with each celebrity. And then… there are the high heels and the Spanx I have to wear all day!
11. The best piece of parenting advice I ever received was when you are in the moment, BE IN the moment. My husband was the one who told me this. Oftentimes, I ask to be off work or I re-arrange my work schedule because I will not miss one of my kids’ event. I want to be at everything they do, as my parents were for me. I was worried once that my boss was mad and my husband told me to get that out of my mind because it was interfering with enjoying the moment. He was right and I always try to remember that.
12. My can’t-live-without beauty product is RUSK W8less hair spray. It gives you great hold without weighing down your hair. And with as much as I have to get my hair styled and want to be able to brush through it without damaging it, it is a miracle product for me.
13. My favorite on-the-go snack is an USANA bar. These are nutritious, but they taste like cookies and they don’t have a ton of calories!
14. My daughter can’t live without her Pediped shoes. I call her my little tomboy princess because she is quite the fashionista, but she is also very athletic. She is very into shoes right now and wants them to look girly, but always wants them comfortable too so she can be active. Pediped are perfect for her.
15. My guilty pleasure is looking through furniture catalogs and magazines. I could spend hours thumbing through them—I am obsessed with house design and architecture. If I weren’t a journalist, that’s what I would want to be…an interior designer. That love for house design is why I produce and host the show, Celebrities at Home, on HGTV.
16. Regaining my body after baby was harder than I thought it was going to be. I was so busy with the new baby that I didn’t have much time for myself. And I must say your belly and your boobs never quite go back to the way they were.
17. My advice to working moms is ALWAYS put your family first.
18. I never leave the house without my Apple products, specifically my iPhone and my MacBook Pro laptop. I am such a big MAC gal. I’m not the best at technology, but these products are easy even for me to use. I keep everything on my laptop, as I have to be so mobile in my job. And I panic if my iPhone battery starts to die. I always want my family to be able to reach me. I even have the stage manager hold my iPhone while we are shooting the show to watch for any calls or texts.
19. I never travel without my UGG boots. I will always be spotted in the airport in UGGS. They are soooooooo comfortable and cozy, yet easy to take off to go through security!
20. The best part of my day is getting that hug from my kids when I walk in the door. It’s like medicine. Any stressful thing that happened in the day all of a sudden seems so miniscule.
21. You know you’re a mom when your kid wipes his/her runny nose on you and it doesn’t bother you one bit.
22. My favorite part of parenthood is EVERYTHING! I LOVE being a mom more than anything in the world and would do it ten times again if I could.
23. The toughest part of parenthood is the worry!
24. Something on my bucket list that I haven’t done yet is learning how to paint. It seems so romantic, relaxing and fun to me. I didn’t get the artistic gene, though. I was always good at Math and Science, but not art. My sister got the art gene and even has a gallery of paintings at KarenAlleyArt.com.
25. My ideal vacation would be anywhere I don’t have to do my hair or makeup!
26. The last thing I read was Southern Living Magazine. I love that magazine…..sooooooo good!
27. The last thing I Googled was what time the Orange Bowl starts. I am a huge college football fan, especially when it comes to my alma mater, Clemson University. We had a great football season this year and we made it to the Orange Bowl. I am the biggest Clemson cheerleader ever! Go Tigers!
28. My desert island album would be Garth Brooks’ Greatest Hits. I grew up in South Carolina, so I am a huge country music fan. Not only is Garth very talented but he is a dear friend of mine. I think I know every word to all his songs.
29. If I could have dinner with anyone (dead or alive) it would be a dinner with my mom and my daughter together. My mom passed away from ALS just a few days before my daughter turned 1 year old. It pains me that my daughter never got to know what a wonderful grandmother she had. It would be the greatest joy for me to be able to see those two together in life.
30. As a mom, guilt strikes when I have a long day at work.
31. The best character trait my daughter has inherited from me is responsibility. She thinks of consequences, which I think is amazing for a 6 year old.
32. We chose Ashby Grace as our daughter’s name because it is a family name. Ashby was my grandfather’s name and he was such a good, good man. At first, we chose it as the name if we were to have a boy. But my husband loved the name so much, I looked it up to see if it was dual gender and it was, so Ashby was the choice for a little girl too. Grace is the name of my husband’s aunt and it is also the name of the church where my parents got married.
33. If my husband had to describe me in one word, it would be … well, he’s sitting beside me right now, so I’ll let him type this answer. Here’s Keith: “The one word I would use to describe my wife is ‘grounded’. When she is home, she’s calming. There’s no pretense. She never flies off the handle and is always rational. Most importantly, she’s very kind and down-to-earth. Thus, she is grounded. She is still the small-town girl from South Carolina. Despite what she does for a living, she never acts ‘Hollywood’.”
34. If my kids had to describe me in one word, it would be overprotective. I always call myself Marlin, the Dad fish in the movie Nemo who is always trying to protect his child.
35. The trait I hope my daughter inherits from me is compassion. It kills me to see other people get hurt. I have people tell me all the time I need to be tougher. But I don’t like people being mean to others. That can’t feel good to anyone.
