TALKING KIDS WITH TORI SPELLING

Tori Spelling is seriously one cool chick. She's fashionable, funny, and what I consider to be the best multi-tasker on the planet. From television, to books, to her handsome husband, to her most prized possessions, Liam and Stella, it seems like there's nothing she can't do.

I'm excited to share an interview I did with Tori for my friends at Red Tricycle. Check it out!

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As most of us scratch our heads amidst work deadlines, packing lunches, soccer games, and the occasional date night (huh?), wondering where in the world they sell that magical pill called “Balance,” there is one mom who seems to be able to manage it all…and then some. Actress Tori Spelling is a working mom who does it all. From acting, to her acclaimed reality show, to her New York Times best selling books, and children’s clothing line inspired by her two darling tykes Liam, 4, and Stella, 2, Tori is one multi-talented (and multi-tasking) mama. Now, she’s branching out even more. As an avid collector and design lover, she recently opened up invenTORI, an antique store in Sherman Oaks, east of Los Angeles. LA Mom Blogger Jennifer Brandt, of Perfectly Disheveled, caught up with Tori to get the scoop on her new venture, life in LA with kids, mom clothes, and everything else in between.

Red Tricycle: How did you come up with the concept for invenTORI? Did you have most of the merchandise already?
Tori Spelling: I’m an avid collector of antiques. Over the years, my passion grew to the point where I had to put so many beautiful antique pieces in storage. So, I decided to open a store filled with my antique furniture and share with everyone my personal inventory. Then, we decided to stock it with new merchandise for home, kitchen, bath, kids, pets, garden,etc… All the things that we carry are personal favorites of our family—things we always use. I also love to stock items made by fellow mompreneurs!

Though you’re a “90210″ girl, the Valley has really become your home. Tell me about picking a location for the store.
We decided to open our store in the Valley because I think the area is so family-oriented. We spend a lot of time there and I love our power block. My friend Lisa Rinna’s shop, Belle Gray, is on the corner of block before us and my friend Leslie, an amazing caterer, opened her delicious cafe Sweet Butter next door to us. We are three moms making it happen! Love that!

Okay, so Liam and Stella decided it was time to bunk up, huh? First of all, where did you find their darling beds and secondly, how do you think they’ll do sleeping in the same room? Will it be a constant slumber party?
Liam and Stella have become best friends and have to do everything together, and they decided they want to share a room. It was also Stella’s big move into a big girl bed. I decided to go old-school wrought iron antique for their beds. I searched for a while, and then found two amazing ones at the Long Beach Flea Market recently. And, I just got these amazing quilts for their beds. Stella’s is a vintage-y pink/orange floral and Liam’s is a green monkey pattern. Since they are in Stella’s room, next I’ll have to redo her pink walls to make the room gender-neutral. I’m always up for a room makeover! I asked Liam “What will we do with your old room?” He replied, without missing a beat, “Oh, that’s where I will need to put a baby brother!.” Ha ha! They are at that age where they constantly ask for a baby. Liam wants a brother and Stella a sister, of course.

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MORNING ACTIVITIES

Growing up, I was very lucky to have parents that knew about cool places in and around LA to take children. My weekends were spent taking drives to places like Santa's Village or San Juan Capistrano or eating at dive taco stands that everyone in LA would/should know about like Titos tacos.... Anyway, now with a child of my own, I'm equally eager to explore LA and it's surroundings with my little guy in tow.

(Check out my interview with Red Tricycle about some of my favorite things to do).

Of course, I must admit, big elaborate day trips and activities are not always easy to orchestrate week after week. Plus, even if we are going to spend the day at the zoo or at the beach collecting shells, there's still a good 3 plus hours in the morning that requires some creative entertainment until we (Me) can get the show on the road.

And sometimes legos just don't cut it.

So, I've introduced Jonah to baking. It's simple. He sits on the floor. Equipped with a baking pan, a whisk, a measuring cup, I let him concoct a pie. From a handful of cheerios, to a dash of salt, to M&Ms from 3 Halloweens ago, to

packets of chili flakes from a pizza delivery, Jonah spends a good 25 minutes making sure his pie is perfect. When he is done (and/or breakfast is ready , or I'm done folding laundry, or doing dishes, etc), it's time to put the pie in the oven.

"Cook it for real, mommy," he says.

"Of course for real. BEEEP!" I say "pushing" the buttons to "350." "We need to let it cook for about 45 minutes or maybe even all day. This is a big cake."

"It's a biiiiiiiig cake," he echoes.

"Yep."

And that's that. Cheeto Shredded Wheat Garlic Salt Pie. A masterpiece. And truly, an awesome time suck AND fantastic use of stale food.

Of course, a week later, discovering this treasure is slightly horrific. And a sad reminder that I don't use my oven as much as I should.