From Hollywood & The White House to Daddyhood – Parenting Tips from Celebrity Dads

Hi everyone, how have you all been? I know it’s been slightly over a month since our last post but I’ve been busy with work and other commitments and Liv is enjoying her new baby. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder so we hope that you’ve missed us badly and are glad that one of us is back!*winks*

If you can recall, my previous post was about parenting advice from Celebrity Mums. But don’t forget, Daddies too have their share of wisdom to impart on fatherhood and what it means to be a father. So to be fair to the VIP in a kid’s life (we all know who the VVIP is, don't we?), this one’s all about the Dads. Enjoy!

Michael J. Fox
"Always be available to your kids. Because if you say, 'Give me 5 minutes, give me 10 minutes', it'll be 15, it'll be 20. And then when you get there, the shine will have worn off whatever it is they wanted to share with you. I've never gotten up to see something one of my kids wanted to show me and not been rewarded."

Chris Pratt

“I’ve done all kinds of cool things as an actor – I’ve jumped out of helicopters and done some daring stunts and played baseball in a professional stadium, but none of it means anything compared to being somebody’s daddy.”

President Obama

 “As fathers, we need to be involved in our children’s lives not just when it’s convenient or easy, and not just when they’re doing well – but when it’s difficult and thankless, and they’re struggling. That is when they need us most.”

Denzel Washington
"I try to teach my children there are going to be obstacles. Someone may not like you just because they don't like themselves. But, don't you get bogged down."

Mario Lopez

“No matter what drama I deal with at work, when I get home and hear them scream, “Daddy!” I forget whatever it was I was stressed about.”

Bruce Willis

"Your kids need your love and attention, and being able to devote myself to them is very fulfilling. As I get older, spending time with my daughters makes things much easier. You learn to put your ego aside."

Ewan McGregor

"Pay attention: I recognize it can be boring to play with young children – to tell a story over and over again, let’s say – but the secret is being there. If you’ve made a decision to play with your children, then play with them. Don’t be looking through papers on your desk or sneaking off to the computer. Turn off your BlackBerry. Lose yourself in their world. Even if you do it for a short time, it will mean a lot to you and to them."

Will Smith

“With our kids, Jada and I believe that it’s their lives and we are helping them with their lives. And they’re not our property. They are people that are deservant of our respect and consideration in the same way that any other human being should be.”

David Beckham

“I was selfish before, everyone is. But when you have kids they become your main priority…making sure they are OK, making sure they are healthy, happy.”

Jamie Foxx

“I think the best thing to try to do is allow your daughter or your son to know that they can come to you for anything. If you can break down that wall so they don’t feel embarrassed by telling you things, that’s half the battle.”

Tom Cruise

“I love it. I love being a father. I always wanted to. As a kid, I couldn’t wait to grow up. I remember being four years old – I always wanted to work and grow up. I always wanted to be a father.”

Ashton Kutcher
“It’s the greatest thing on Earth. As soon as this child was born, I immediately wanted to call my parents and just apologize because I never knew how much they loved me.”

Channing Tatum

"I've never protected the president [in real life], but I have been a new dad, and I can tell you that being a new dad is pretty terrifying. I'm pretty sure that something about the president makes the stakes a little higher, but to me as a new father, nothing is more important or scary than protecting a daughter."

Mark Wahlberg

“I want to give my kids the world, but I also want them to appreciate everything, to succeed, to be good people, to enjoy life. This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything.”

Patrick Dempsey

"There's something comforting in a house full of kids. It surprises me, because I usually like being alone, but I'm really loving it. Kids take you outside your comfort level because you ask yourself, How do I answer that question for them? You think back to your childhood, and it's like: I don't want to give them that, I want to give them this. My life is my children."

Brad Pitt

"Fatherhood is the best thing I ever did. It changes your perspective. You can write a book, you can make a movie, you can paint a painting, but having kids is really the most extraordinary thing I have taken on."

'Till next time, Happy Daddying!

Lotsa Luv

From Hollywood to Mommyhood – Parenting Tips from Celebrity Moms

Great news, everyone! Heartiest congratulations to Liv who has just welcomed a beautiful baby early this month! Boy or girl? Well, you’ll just have to wait for Liv to tell you herself. My lips are sealed.*grins*

So what do you give someone who has just become a mom for the first time in her life? Tips on how to be a good parent of course! And wouldn’t it be fun if those words of support and encouragement came from mothers who are super famous? 

Mind you, these moms may have it easy with their personal entourage of nannies, chefs, assistants and what-nots, but when you think about it, it doesn’t matter how much money or the amount of hired help you have at your disposal. It all comes down to each mom just trying to do what's best for her kids. So this one’s for you Liv, and all the other new mommies out there – parenting advice from celebrity moms! Enjoy!

Reese Witherspoon

"No one feels 100 percent confident as a parent. We are all just trying our best. As long as you are always trying to be better at it - reading parenting blogs in the bath, swapping stories with other moms during a yoga class, googling how to talk about puberty with your preteen - you are doing a good job."

Jennifer Garner
“If you look at the pictures taken every day of my life, you’ll see that I do not make it work most of the time. I am in jeans that are on the floor from last night and one of the five T-shirts that I rotate. I do know moms who pull it together every day – I am not one of them. But when I do, I try to really pull it together so it makes some kind of impact. Sometimes, for yourself, you just need to take a shower, put on something clean, put on a little blush and go out the door.”

Julia Roberts

"I try to call my mother, Betty, with more regularity because I think, 'What if Hazel didn’t call me for two weeks?' I’m able to see her mothering now from a different vantage point.”

Heidi Klum

“Roll with the flow. Our house is full of life, laughter, and mayhem. Every dinnertime, something spills. Or they are wearing uniforms for school, and when we have breakfast in the morning, food gets all over their hands. You can tell them a thousand times, ‘Do not wipe it on your pants,’ and sure enough, they wipe it on their pants. But that’s when you roll with it. My house is not like a museum - you can't sit here and you can't touch this and everything has to be put in its place. You can see that children live there. It’s their house as much as mine. You come into our house and a giant elephant and lion are welcoming you. We have toys and things everywhere."

Nicole Richie

"My kids operate best when I let them have a voice and I really explain things to them. Because, really, kids want to be told the truth. They just want you to be truthful. They know you more than you know yourself."

Kate Winslet

“To me, parenting is about consistency, among other things, and routine. Children love routine. They like to know when they’re going to have lunch, and in what order things will happen during their day.”

Victoria Beckham

"I really enjoy being a mom, I love my children and I’d do anything for them. But I also love what I do. I think anyone who says it’s easy is lying."

Tina Fey

“I think every working mom probably feels the same thing: You go through big chunks of time where you’re just thinking, ‘This is impossible – oh, this is impossible.’

And then you just keep going and keep going, and you sort of do the impossible.”

Nicole Kidman

"My instinct is to protect my children from pain. But adversity is often the thing that gives us character and backbone. It's always been a struggle for me to back off and let my children go through difficult experiences."

Uma Thurman

"You know how parents rattle on to you about, 'Oh, you won't believe your life will never be the same,' and you think, Why can't these people just get over it? All they're doing is yakking about their kids. It's such a bore. And then you have kids and you just want to do the same thing."

Madonna
"Humor is essential for teaching children. Children have to understand that being a good person doesn't mean you can't have fun."

Elizabeth Banks

"Be open to any help. Many moms today feel they have to be super moms, while historically we’ve always had a village to pitch in. I think it’s really important to know when to ask for help."

Faith Hill

"Before, my career came first. All I had to think about was myself. Now my children prevail. It doesn't mean my career is less important; I just have to position things differently."

Christina Aguilera

"I'm definitely an understanding mom ... but discipline is a big thing for me too. I'm not raising no brat!"

Britney Spears

"Parenting is all about history. What we as mothers are doing is creating history with our kids that we can look back on." 

Cate Blanchett

"I don’t know what a normal childhood is. I think childhood is a deeply abnormal thing. I think all children have a fantasy life, and we live a kind of circus existence, but like all working parents you try and work that out by keeping things stable."

Angelina Jolie

"I would never be the kind of parent to force somebody to be something they are not – I think that is just bad parenting. Children should be allowed to express themselves in whatever way they wish without anybody judging them because it is an important part of their growth."

'Till next time, Happy Mommying!
Lotsa Luv

Why Victoria Beckham Hardly Smiles

If you have no idea who Victoria Beckham is, you must be living in a cave (but with Internet access for some reason since you are reading this).*grins*

From her days as Posh Spice in the Spice Girls during the late 1990s, Victoria Beckham has carved a name for herself as an international style icon and successful fashion designer. Her most recent achievement: the Victoria Beckham label was named Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards 2014. She is married to the hottest footballer in the world, David Beckham and they have 4 children. Also known for her signature pout, she rarely smiles when posing for photographs.

Earlier last month, as part of Vogue magazine’s “73 questions” video series, Victoria was put through a round of rapid-fire questioning at her newly opened retail store in London where viewers got to see the quick-witted personality her fans know and love.

Here are some of the questions she answered including the one she absolutely hates: why she hardly smiles.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

I check on my kids.

Do you have any pets?

That will be Coco Chanel, the bull dog who lives in LA.

What’s one word your kids consistently ignore?

Don’t play football in the house.

What’s the greatest thing you’ve learned from your kids?

How to play football in the house and how to love unconditionally.

What is your favorite color?

Sunset orange.

What’s your favorite spice?

Posh!

What’s your secret talent?

I used to be able to juggle.

Heels or flats?

Both.

Harry or William?

You can’t make me choose!

What’s the best fashion secret you ever learned?

Less is more.

If you ran the world, what’s one law you would enact?

If? Do you mean when? When I run the world, I’m gonna make it the law that everybody has to do a little something philanthropic.

If you had to wear one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Knickers.

What’s one question you hate being asked?

Why don’t you smile?

Why don’t you smile?

I’m smiling on the inside. I feel that I have a responsibility to the fashion community.

What’s one piece of clothing in your wardrobe that David hates?

He loves everything in my wardrobe.

What’s your favorite food?

Japanese.

What is your idea of a perfect date?

A night in with my husband.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Absolutely.

At first sight what made you fall in love with David?

Duh!

At what age were you the happiest?

I’m really happy right now.

If you could have any super power in the world, what would it be?

I would be able to work out and sleep at the same time.

If you could bring back one look from your 20s, what would it be?

None, have you seen those Spice Girls films?

What’s the one word that you use too much?

Grey area and I know that’s two words.

If you could star in one movie, what would it be?

I starred in Spice Girls the Movie, and I’m still waiting for my Outstanding Achievement Award.

What phrase would define how you lived your life?

Positive energy and creative visualization.

What’s your biggest goal for 2015?

To really learn more and figure out what I can do to really help and make a difference.

If you could choose anyone in the world to live next door to you, who would it be?

Mr. Valentino lives next door to me and it doesn’t get much better than that.

If you could do something else with your life, what would it be?

I wouldn’t do anything else with my life.

To find out more of Victoria’s secrets, watch the video below.

Lotsa Luv