Hollywood Moms Reach Out!

Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Dern

We all know the stereotype of the Hollywood actress â?? even at charity events, she's the botoxed and bejeweled diva who shows up and demands to know, "What's in it for me?"

That less-than-flattering image was completely laid to rest at the P3 Beauty and Forbes Life Executive Woman's Mom's Day of Beauty, held last week at the sleek and luxurious Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Although many celebrity moms turned up for the event, they did so knowing they were not the queens of the day.

So just who were the stars? The mothers of young patients of the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, a renowned medical center that treats kids from all social, financial and ethnic backgrounds. Thirty-two dedicated moms, many of whom practically live at the hospital with their kids, were invited to indulge in makeovers, hair styling, manicures and much-deserved massages.

High-profile mothers such as Cindy Crawford, Jamie Lee Curtis, Laura Dern, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Lisa Rinna and Ming Na flocked here to support these moms, whose little ones suffer from such life threatening ailments as leukemia, brain tumors or cystic fibrosis.

None of the stars asked for any pampering treatments.

They were solely there to open their hearts and to lend an ear.

"It's so important for these women to take time out for themselves," says Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, the mother of sons Christian, 4, and Ryan, 2. "One of these moms told me, â??Oh, I thought I was going to get a massage â?? I didn't know we got to get our nails and hair done, too.' They work so hard and give so much to their families. They are so excited to finally have a little â??Me Time.'"

Laura Dern, mom of son Ellery, 6, and daughter Jaya, 2, was so moved by the stories she heard that day she ended up in tears. "One of the mothers told me her four-year-old is suffering from cancer," says the one-time Oscar nominee. "I asked her how she was doing and she said, â??Things are going so well. He made it to another birthday.'" Laura paused to catch her breath. "That is their experience of their life with their child right now," she says. "They don't want to leave the hospital. What if they're away and something happens?"

One could only be touched by seeing these mothers smile as they got their long-neglected tresses blown dry or their make up done. For many, this was the first time they had tended to themselves in months.

Read on for what these celebrity moms said when we asked, "How do you make the most of your quality time with your child?"

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"For some moms it almost seems as though life outside the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles is put on pause," says Brenda Quiñonez-García, a social worker in the hospital's leukemia and lymphoma program. "They learn to live day by day. There is no certainty of what tomorrow holds for their child. And yet, for so many of these moms, even with a very sick child, life cannot stop. They still have to juggle home life and work stresses; they have to take care of other children, their spouses, pay the bills, get the homework done. What falls at the end of this spectrum? Self care, of course." Finally, these mothers were indulging in a little of that â?? with some help from their new friends from Hollywood.

"When you put a group of moms with sick children together you are bound to get emotion and sharing," says Jamie Lee Curtis of that special day. These women, along with mothers everywhere, she added, should never forget about taking care of themselves.

"A mother," she says, "is the most important person in a child's life, bar none. That alone should define our priorities."

When tending to sick or injured children, mothers clearly have limited time for their other children. With that in mind, Modern Mom asked the stars at the Mom's Day of Beauty, "How do you make the most of your quality time with your child?"

Here's what they said:

Laura Dern: "There are times when I am working 14 hours a day on a film and I have only 20 minutes to put my child to sleep. I make that time totally count. I turn off my brain and focus on my child. There are times when you are just so irritated by the stresses of the day. You have to learn to detach and focus fully on what they want to tell you about what happened at school. It doesn't matter if that happens at bath time or bedtime. You just have to be there fully."

Cindy Crawford, mother of son Presley, 8, and daughter Kaia, 6: "I spend a lot of time with my kids so I don't put pressure on myself to make every minute meaningful. I think quality time should be organic. Yesterday, my daughter and I sat at Starbucks for 45 minutes and just talked. If you are relaxed with your children and you are in the moment, then that time is meaningful."

Lisa Rinna, mother of daughters Delilah, 9, and Amelia, 6: "I try to be there for my kids physically, and of course emotionally, as much as possible. I drive them to school almost everyday and that's when we talk about everything that is of the moment â?? any situation at school, things that come up with other girls. In the car, I just start talking. It's then that they're my captive audience, after all!"

Bridgette Wilson-Sampras: "I've learned to play together outside so we're not near a television and I leave my phone and my Blackberry in my purse. I literally caught myself once with Christian -- I was talking on the phone, checking a text message, and I had a call waiting for me. I remember my son watching me so patiently. He went to sit on a swing by himself. That moment stayed with me for a long time. Life can get so cluttered. It's so important to be in present time. It only took that one day to drive home the message. Just seeing his face â?? that was enough for me. I just said to myself, "â??I can't do this anymore.'" So all that stuff is gone.

"Christian's nursery school is also a co-op, so teachers and parents run the school. Now all his little friends know my name is Bridgette and I am getting to know all of them. That's important to me."

Britney Loses Her KidsPlease tell me it wont get worse than this

Wednesday October 3, 2007

Britney Loses Her Kidsâ??Please tell me it won't get worse than thisâ?¦

It's been a quite harrowing six-month stretch for the formerly awe-inspiring Ms. Spears. Like many, I am still holding out hope that Brit will pull it all back together, but this recent news makes that seem near impossible. A judge ruled Monday that Spears was to relinquish custody of her two sons to ex-husband Kevin Federline starting Wednesday. While no specific reason was given for the decision, I'm guessing Britney's hit-and-run misdemeanor, allegations of her driving while drinking a margarita, and also driving without a valid driver's license could have had something to do with it. Britney dropped off her sons, Jayden and Sean Preston, on Monday with Federline's bodyguard, two days earlier than she was supposed to. In true train-wreck fashion, can you guess what she did?  Brit had a night out on the town! KIIS-FM's Ryan Seacrest reported this morning that Britney went the tanning salon first and then cruised over to Nobu. And, yes, she is still driving without a license.

Update

Good news! Britney has been issued a California driver's license according to People.com and Perez Hilton. Bad newsâ?¦apparently there is a sex tape of her and a random guy she slept with in Hawaii, Star reports. Apparently the guy taped Birt without her knowledge, and is embarrassed by his own performance in the tape. He Is still deciding whether or not to release it. Nooooo!

Mid-Week Report: Arrivals, Reveals, and Whos On the Way

Births:

Anthony Kiedis and girlfriend, model Heather Christe, welcomed their own little Red Hot Chili Pepper on Tuesday October 2. Christie gave birth to a baby boy at a Los Angeles hospital in the morning.

Olympic champions David Pelletier, 32, and Jamie Salé, 30, welcomed their first child, a boy named Jesse, on Sunday at the Sturgeon Community Hospital and Health Centre in St. Albert, Alberta. He weighed in at 7 lbs and measured 19 inches.

Introducingâ?¦

Charlotte Church, her boyfriend Gavin Henson, and their daughter Ruby Megan, appear on the cover of the U.K. edition of OK! magazine this week.

Actress Iyari Limon, 31, announced the birth of daughter, Kimaya Thais. She was born on Friday, August 24^th and weighed 7 lbs and was 19 inches long.

Pregnant:

People magazine reports that Meet the Parents actress Teri Polo and her drummer boyfriend, Jamie Wollam, are expecting a child, according to Teri's rep.

Former Punky Brewster star Soleil Moon Frye and her husband, producer Jason Goldberg, are expecting their second child this spring.

Actor Chi McBride, 46, of the new show Pushing Daisies announced on last night's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, that he and his girlfriend are expecting a child in January.

Toys to Go: Summer Travel Must-Haves

Chances are you'll venture on a family trip this summer. Whether you're traveling by car, plane or train, kids get restless. Thankfully, there are plenty of age appropriate toys and gadgets that can help tame the inevitable "are we there yet?" questions...and meltdowns...that long journeys bring with them.

3 - 5 year olds

Preschoolers can have fun while learning on the Leapster from LeapFrog. We love the "Letter Factory" and "Talking Words Factory" titles that can either play an educational video or offer interactive learning tools. $59.99 at LeapFrog.com

This colorful one-player magnetic farm maze is the ideal size for a travel. All the pieces are enclosed - which means no lost pieces - or spills when maneuvering sharp curves. Perfect to keep little hands busy and enhance eye/hand coordination. $19.95 at FatBrainToys.com

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6 - 9 year olds

VTech's Nitro Notebook looks just like a real laptop - complete with a keyboard and mouse. Pre-loaded with dozens of simple games (plus you can buy additional cartridges for more fun), kids will love the Nitro's "grown-up" look. $59.99 at eToys.com

Sandisk's Sansa Shaker MP3 player is a fun, child-friendly way to let the kids bring their music with them on the road. The device features many ways to enjoy and share songs, including two headphone jacks (no more fighting over who gets to listen!), a built-in speaker for headphone-free play, and the ability to play SDâ?¢ cards loaded with their favorite music.

Available in Pink or Blue - $39.99 at Amazon.com

Staying Connected During the Summer Rush

With summer quickly approaching, friends and family will have plenty to celebrate! Graduations will kick off the festivities in May and continue through June; weddings will begin hogging calendars on back-to-back weekends; and summertime birthday parties are a dime a dozen! And let's not forget vacations, baby's first step or the 8 year-olds first trial on a bike without training wheels. No matter what the activity is, there will be plenty of memories to capture and treasure. Today, parents can go beyond just picture-taking by upgrading to video and interactive media tools. With tons of low cost (or even free) services offering ways to show off homemade videos or establish an online photo album, the Internet is helping loved ones connect and share key moments with each other 24-hours a day.

With the resources available, even the most tech-challenged parent can easily learn how to digitize images, create videos, develop a Web site and share all of it with loved ones. Sometimes certain events aren't open to everyone, like a graduation where five tickets just isn't enough to bring along Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe. A wireless connection will be the "golden ticket" for broadcasting the event live for the rest of your friends and family.

As a Geek Squad agent and father of two, I'm already preparing myself and my computer for the upcoming summer events. From the kids' graduations to the summer parties my wife will be dragging me to, my computer and software need to be ready for the massive amount of uploads and time I'm about to spend online. With proper set up and networking, I'll be able to broadcast and share all of this summer's memorable moments.

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Geek Squad offers the following tips on how to use technology to capture your action-packed summer: Get connected. Be wireless. Get personal.

1. Establish your network: If you don't have an Internet connection yet, or are looking to go wireless at home, you'll need a high-speed modem (i.e. DSL, Cable) and a router for starters. To go wireless, you'll need a wireless router and either a desktop with a wireless Network Interface Card (NIC), or a wireless-enabled laptop.
   
• A wireless network means you can access the Internet without the restrictions of wires, turning a laptop into an on-the-go movie studio or the world's largest photo album.
• You can "unwire" whatever you need, from a single laptop to a multi-computer home office so that capturing memories can happen whether you're playing catch in the front yard or doing cannonballs in the pool.
  
2. Get the tools you need: If you're going the digital family tree route, you'll need to pick up a Webcam or digital camcorder to make your family album.
   
• If video or photo editing on your computer is sluggish, adding more memory could help.
• Run a virus scan and spyware check to make sure your computer is clean and all its resources are going where they should.
• Install a digital music or digital video applications to bring your family memories to life.
  
  
  
3. Share those special moments with family and friends. So you've successfully completed your album or video of little Mikey's graduation - now what? If you're ready to share the album or video with out-of-town Aunt Nelly, check out the following sites and upload for free:
   
   Pickle: www.pickle.com
   DropShots: www.dropshots.com
   Famster: www.famster.com
   MyPhotoAlbum: www.myphotoalbum.com
   MotionBox: www.motionbox.com
   
   When done properly, you can share videos and photos with every family member who has a computer and internet connection and keep out the unwanted public eye at the same time.
   
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4. Back up EVERYTHING: You don't want to spend weeks editing your video or resizing photos only to have everything vanish from a computer crash. Back up everything frequently, and in multiple places.
   
• You can manually save items to CDs/DVDs and store those in a safe location. If you label them when you're done you'll save a lot of time in the future.
• External hard drives can be set up to automatically back up the data on a regular basis, meaning less work and more security
• Online backup services are available should your office or home computer get damaged.

The time we spend with family and friends continues to decrease as we work more and more, so finding ways to conveniently capture the moments forever is important. Technology allows us to not only seize the day, but more importantly it helps us share the memories with family and friends near or far. Whether it's an experience you've lived, or one that you are sharing virtually, no one needs to miss out. Take advantage of the tools and technology at your fingertips and the resources available to help you make the most of capturing memories for a lifetime.

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Trent Kannenberg is a Deputy of Special Operations with Geek Squad, a 24-Hour Computer Support Task Force. He is based in Minneapolis, MN.

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