HOW TO GET JESSICA ALBA'S LOOK... AND BOOK!

Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images for The Honest Company

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to sit down and have a full-on girl chat with the lovely actress Jessica Alba at her book launch party for The Honest Life, hosted by TheMOMS (my fave NY girls). In her book, Jessica shares personal and relatable stories, covering topics essential to motherhood: Food (how to eat seasonally and healthfully without feeling like everything needs to be home/organically grown), Cleaning (how to clean and decorate your home with healthy, non-toxic products), Beauty tips (Um, she's gorgeous... so I'm pretty sure she has this category down pat) and Style...

In my opinion, Jessica Alba is one of the best dressed celebrities (and certainly moms) in Hollywood. Her style looks effortless but always put together and on trend. When we met, I asked her what her secret was- what was a number one staple that every woman/mom should invest in: "A perfectly fitted and well-tailored blazer." Jessica believes that investing in timeless basics like a blazer, or well fitted jeans, you can create a lasting foundation for any wardrobe and any size body. "Find a tailor- even your dry cleaner- and make sure your clothes fit properly. If it fits, it will look fab!"

Well, my friend and celebrity stylist Robin Saperstein joined me for a Lifetime Moms video to show how any mom can  recreate a Jessica Alba look that works with our busy lifestyles. Check it out!

@jessicaalba

@honest

#TheHonestLife

YOUTUBE: CELEBRITIES UNPLUGGED

Michael Buble serenading Rachael Ray. Jim Carrey professing his love for a woman far too young for him. Khloe Kardashian talking about how she really felt about meeting Lamar Odom. Pauly D giving the 101 on how to get Jersey Shore hair in a flash. And me... dorking out to meeting Mr. Two and a Half Men Hottie Ashton Kutcher. Check out my YouTube Celebrity Unplugged Playlist that I recently filmed for Momversation.

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!

---

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.

TO CONTINUE READING, CLICK HERE!

INTERVIEW WITH TERESA STRASSER

There's a sudden piercing in my shoulder, like my clavicle is snapping, which convinces

me I'm having some sort of heart attack... The nurse tells me not to worry, that it's just gas. Gas in my shoulder? That is some bad, bad gas." - Teresa Strasser, Exploiting My Baby

Ahh, gas. Bad gas. One of the many things no one warns you about. I mean, we all know the stereotype-- pregnant women, hunched over a carton of ice cream and pickles, simultaneously popping Tums to curb the heartburn they're bringing on... The thing is, NO ONE tells you how bad the heart burn is. No one, tells you it's going to feel like a heart attack. Or that breastfeeding sucks. Yup. I said it.

Anyway, I got a chance to sit down with the hilarious and smart Teresa Strasser, author of Exploiting My Baby, to talk about becoming a mom and all the inane fears we had and challenges we faced during and after pregnancy. Teresa is one cool chick. And her book is very relatable. Oh, and she has fantastic legs. I mean, fan-friggin-tastic.

MARIO LOPEZ'S GIRLFRIEND TALKS BABY WEIGHT

I have yet to see a cover of a gossip magazine that shows how much worse a celebrity looks AFTER they've had a baby. It's seriously ridiculous. Every celebrity looks BETTER post baby-- and like immediately. How do they do it? Serious diet and serious workouts, that's how (Oh, so my hand in a jar of nutella is not going to help?)

What also helps these hot new mommies: a relationship with equally hot men who take care of their figures (and are not likely to gain the "sympathy weight.") Well, I got a chance to talk to Courtney Mazza, girlfriend to hottie Mario Lopez. Courtney gained 30lbs during her pregnancy with daughter Gia and in less than 5 months, was back to her starting weight of 113 lbs. Of course, she didn't do it by sitting around and giving in to pizza and pink berry cravings. (Not that I know anything about that).

1) In Hollywood, it seems a lot of the time women who have perfect figures, "let it go" during their pregnancies? Considering you gained a very average 30 lbs, were you careful about your diet? Did you exercise?

I did not deprive myself when it came to eating...I just ate the right portions and exercised!

2) Would you say you had an easy pregnancy? How about labor and delivery?

My pregnancy was a breeze besides having placenta previa. The labor was not bad..I have a high tolerance for pain. I ended up having a c-section and Gia was born within 20 minutes!

3) How long after your daughter was born did you give yourself before you decided it was time to work on shedding the weight you had gained?

I slowly started working out six weeks after I gave birth to Gia and when I was finished breast feeding at eight weeks, I started Healthe Trim!

4) What were some of the motivating factors for you during your "hard core" training sessions?

Ha! Hardcore training session is correct! I love to do kettle bells, kick boxing...

5) You lost a significant amount of weight in a short time, do you think it would have taken you twice as long had you not been taking the supplements?

You never know how your body is going to react. They say it takes as long to lose the weight as it took to gain it and I did not want that to be the case!

6) As busy mom, what's your trick for avoiding pitfalls like being too tired to exercise or eating snacks or, my favorite, the kid's leftover macaroni and cheese?

I was really worried about not having the energy to workout but Healthe Trim takes care of that! If I want mac and cheese, I eat it! Taking Healthe Trim, I feel fuller faster so I'll only eat a couple of bites and feel satisfied....and I never feel guilty afterwards!

7) Do you incorporate your daughter in to any of your exercise routines?

Picking up Gia helps keep my arms in shape! She's getting heavier!

8) You said you cheat on food during the weekend. I envision you and Mario ordering pizza in bed or eating foot long subs and watching the game. Am I right? (Please tell me that your cheating is like my cheating and not "oh, I maybe have a bite or two of a carb." )

I am a carb junkie!!!!!!!!!! I usually cheat with pasta! My moms sauce is addicting!

9) Finally, the world wants to know: Growing up, were you a Zack or A.C. Slater fan? Be honest!

Ha! Zack all the way baby! Mario knows it too!

12 DAYS OF MOMMY: THE LAKE SHOW

Day 4

Back to Staples Center... this time sans child and characters skating (and falling) on ice. It was an adult night... A night to see Kobe, Lamar, D-Fish and crew take on the Milwaukee something or other.... Apparently it was a terrible game. An atrocity (the Bucks won by like 20 something points), and Kobe even got thrown out for two technicals. BUT I had a blast as a) our seats were incredible and I was in good company, b) I made Charlie O'Connell (the drunken/Bachelor/brother to hot Jerry O'Connell) laugh while in line for a French dip sandwich and c) like any good Laker game, having nothing to do with how they play, there were some good celebrity sightings. No Jack Nicholson, but I'll take "Jack Dawson" over him any day anyway....

*Sports fanatics and great wives/girlfriends who claim to "like" watching Sports Center (Nooooo, you do. You really really do!): Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the Lakers for more than their pretty faces and wives with addicting reality shows, I do. BUT, the cheerleader (that never was) and truck driver swearing/ true sports fan thing doesn't really kick in until May/playoffs. That is... if they make it to the playoffs or finals. If they don't, well... then....ehh. Sorry NBA... I'll be "Keeping Up" with a different kind of season finale...

Spoken like a true LA native... ;-)

ME... AND EVERYONE ELSE PART 2

Okay, so I'm back(ish). While the details are still being ironed out, I am happy to announce that I am once again EMPLOYED. (I would say that I'm "gainfully employed" but as you know, I sometimes use words incorrectly, so I'll just stick to the basics just in case that's not actually what I am).

I am now writing for a fantastic website called ParentsAsk.com. With so many people in and out for the holidays, it's an awkward time to be starting a job. But on the plus side, it means more caramel popcorn out of a giant tin for me. (BTW, ever try caramel corn and cheese corn in the same bite? It's a salty sweet little orgasm in your mouth I tell ya). Speaking of of salty/sweet, on Monday I wrote a post about what I think is a tacky trend: tweeting about death. Check out MY POST.... Do you agree?

In the meantime, guess who's looking Perfectly Disheveled in this picture?

Nope. Not Jessica. She's flawless. Um, that blurry little purple blob in the background...? Yep. You got it! Yours truly. Ahh, just another day out and about in sunny LA... To read more about why this made me jealous of Jessica Alba (and not just because she just waltzed right in to Nate N Als and got a table without having to wait), click HERE.

P.S. One day 'til Xmas. Have you been naughty or nice?

MOMS.... THEY'RE JUST LIKE CELEBS!

This weekend, I went to a charity event where there were quite a few celeb moms and their kids in attendance (I have told you how cool I am, haven't I?) Anyway, maybe its something about being a celebrity that automatically makes everything they do look so effortless, but I couldn't help but feel totally disheveled in their presence -- As they were enjoying the festivities, smiling for photo opps, and whisking around their children from station to station looking totally flawless, I was praying that my bangs didn't frizz and  making sure I didn't slip and fall on the ice (brought in just for the event),  and that no one saw me let Baby-Ko eat the cookie that he dropped on the hay. 

But then it occurred to me... all those "Stars... They're Just Like Us" photos we see in US Weekly, could easily be US! After all, WE go to Starbucks. WE get parking tickets. WE walk. 

Well, recently, I found these photos that I thought looked straight out of the gossip mags....

Moms... They play with their kids outside....

Dads... They push their babies in a stroller...

And who says being a parent can't be glam?

Do you have a "Mamarazzi" photo like these? Click HERE to enter the Mom Logic Community "Moms, They're Just Like Us!" Contest for a chance to win!

MEN LOVE WOMEN... I'M LOST

Yesterday, I stumbled upon askmen.com, a website I can only assume is geared towards, duh, men. Apparently, every year they compile a list of the Top 99 women from the year. Last year, Katherine Heigl was named the No.1 Most Desirable Woman. This year, men must have been as annoyed with the dead-Denny-Duquette-sex like me, because she came in at No.81. Ouch. 

Every year, voters from all over the world are asked to look beyond sex appeal and beauty to pick women who have the characteristics they value most in a potential companion, like "intelligence, humor, charisma and ambition." Based on those attributes, you'd think Tina Fey would come in at least top 10 right?  Nope. Tina ranked No. 97 Most Desirable Woman of 2009.  Apparently, men do like funny women. But witty sort of pales in comparison when put up next to Jessica Alba's slammin' post baby bod, who came in at No.15.  

Go figure. 

Some stats:  Anne Hathaway was ranked #5, while the curvaceous and gorgeous Beyonce Knowles was ranked #50. (Apparently men do not appreciate being told they've gotta put a ring on it).  I didn't even see the sexy Salma Hayak  on the list and was also shocked to see Angelina Jolie coming in at #42.  New mom Halle Berry came in at #13.  Britney Spears, No. 90,  finally made it back on the list after being off since 2005 (Apparently men do not like crazy.)   I was most disappointed to see my girl crush Kate Winslet coming in dead last at #99, when someone like Anna Paquin (Seriously?!) ranked #71.

According to men, the top ten Most Desirable Women of 2009 are:

10.  Kate Beckinsale (Totally)

9.  Kristen Bell (ehh...)

8.  Rihanna  (Sure, why not...)

7.  Scarlett Johansson (Hot)

6.  Alessandra Ambrosio (Pretty)

5. Anne Hathaway (You know my thoughts on this...)

4.  Keeley Hazell (Who??)

3.  Marisa Miller (Sexy)

2. Megan Fox (Gorg.)

And the No.1 Most Desirable Woman, according to all things men is......

EVA MENDES.  

When I asked my husband what he thought of Eva Mendes as the Most Desirable Woman of 2009, he quickly said: "WHO?!"

Thus, it is official: I will never understand men.