Celebrity Mom

It's hard not to fall instantly in love with Tina Fey. She's wicked smart, obviously funny, and a mom of two — Alice, 7, and Penelope, 1 — dealing with bake sales and working motherhood, just like us. From her time as the first female head writer (and series regular) on Saturday Night Live to her multiple roles as the creator and star of 30 Rock, she's kept us laughing our way through political cycles and television studio politics. Now, she's taking a romantic comedy turn in Admission (in theaters March 22) as a Princeton University admissions officer who must face an applicant who could be the son she gave up for adoption 18 years ago. Lest you think the story becomes sappy, keep in mind that Tina stars alongside Paul Rudd in the flick, so the wisecracks fly nonstop.

I spent some time with the film's stars at a roundtable and asked them about their own experiences with parenting, where they turn for advice, and how realistic it is that our kids could actually attend Princeton. First up, Tina's thoughts.

There was a spot-on scene in the last 30 Rock where — as a new mom — you join an online chat group for moms and get into a catfight. Do you go to mommy blogs in real life?
That was definitely built on experience with things I have seen. I have never . . . I don't know how to post on any of those. So I promise you I have never posted. I have seen people pretending to be me post on Urban Baby. I had a friend call me and say, "Are you on Urban Baby?" I said no. I didn't know what that was. I do think some of them — Urban Baby specifically — have some of the worst human behavior I've ever seen in my life. Terrible. There is no one running [those sites] or they would fix it.

At one point in the film, Portia says where your kid gets into college is a reflection of your parenting. Do you think that's true?
I do think the line is very true. People think it is a referendum on their parenting, it's about how well they did. It's a dangerous trap that we all fall into. Like, I will go too far, like, "we're going to make the nicest cookies for the cookie thing." And then later they are on the ground and it doesn't matter. I think avoiding those kind of traps and just trying to be present for your children is best. It’s a lifelong lesson that I keep trying to learn.

What do you know now that you didn't before you had kids?
I think when your kids are really little, you just think, OK, I am going to look at What to Expect the First Year. But I got into a rut. I would still be treating the 11-month-old with the routine I had set up at 6 months. You kinda learn the longer you do it that their needs keep changing what they need and what they're capable of.

Your daughter Alice is in grade school. Do you think it's harder to get into Princeton or an NYC kindergarten?
A New York City kindergarten, for sure! There's so many kids on this little island. Plus, how can you possibly evaluate a 5-year-old? What if you take them that day and have to poop? If they have to poop, it’s over.

Keep reading for more of our interview with Tina Fey, including what interested her most about her new role.

Though she's a mother of three, Jennifer Garner is familiar with playing fertility-challenged characters. In The Odd Life of Timothy Green, the whimsical Disney tearjerker that hits theaters on Aug. 15, Garner revisits the issue, starring as Cindy Green; she also played an infertile character in Juno). When Cindy and her husband, Jim, played by the serious but endearing Joel Edgerton, learn they've exhausted their options for conceiving a child on their own, they give themselves one last night — and a bottle of wine — to dream of the child they can only desire. They write their dream child's characteristics on pieces of paper and bury them in the garden. When a child exhibiting all of those characteristics miraculously arrives on their doorstep, they must quickly adapt to parenthood while hiding their new child's secret.

A year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to visit the movie's suburban Atlanta set with two other reporters to chat with stars Garner and Edgerton and director Peter Hedges (Dan in Real Life, What's Eating Gilbert Grape). While we thoroughly discussed Garner's decision to take on such an emotionally charged role, we couldn't help but ask about motherhood and the possibility of adding a third child to her famous Hollywood family. In addition to interviewing the actors and director, we also watched, and served as extras, in a scene as it was filmed.

Read on for some of the best quotes from the set visit (and stay tuned for more in the coming days) after the jump.

Kate Gosselin's abs are looking especially toned, and some speculate that it's from drawn-in ab muscle definition with a spray tan. While a sunless glow can provide extra definition, that's not the reason her abs look so darn chiseled. And neither is the tummy tuck she had after her last pregnancy — that merely removed excess skin that was overstretched from being preggers with six. On top of her favorite pastime of running, NYC-based Crunch personal trainer Jenn Burke tells Us Magazine:

"She has to be doing a lot of deep core training: planks, really working on activating her glutes. When you have children, it causes an anterior pelvic tilt, which causes the stomach to look more puffy than it is. You have to align it and activate those muscles again."

Burke believes this mom of eight must be working hard to maintain the body she achieved on DWTS. In order to stay that buff, this momma must make time to exercise an hour five or six days a week and incorporate "circuit training moves full of high reps to keep the body constantly moving and shedding fat and defining the look."

Sweating it out is only part of her regimen. To find out what Kate's diet looks like, read more

Sporting referee stripes, Brazilian model Gisele hit the runway last weekend in a sheer shirt/bra ensemble. It's not a big deal for a model to show some skin, but it's the first time she's hit the runway since giving birth to her son Benjamin last October. It didn't take Gisele very long to shed her baby weight — just six months after giving birth, she modeled a bikini in the pages of Vogue.

One of the reasons she bounced back so quickly is that she stayed active while pregnant. Gisele told a Brazilian newspaper, "I did kung fu up until two weeks before Benjamin was born, and yoga three days a week." She was also "mindful" of what she ate, which meant not overindulging or eating for two.

It's important for women, whether they're models or not, to remain active during pregnancy. As with Gisele, it can make it easier to drop the baby weight once your little one arrives, but there are also numerous benefits during the pregnancy. Many women swear that it helps them maintain a healthy weight while pregnant. It can also alleviate uncomfortable symptoms including back pain, leg cramps, fatigue, and sleep issues, and can lift your mood when hormones get the best of you. Not to mention, it'll keep your body strong and prepare you for childbirth.

It's recommended to do 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, including running (if you were doing it pre-pregnancy), walking, swimming, yoga, and strength training. Be sure to check in with your doctor about appropriate forms of exercise for you. Above all else, listen to your body, don't overdo it, and if certain types of exercise cause pain, don't do them. And once that little bundle of joy is born, talk with your doctor about when it's appropriate for you to get back to a workout routine.

New momma Bethenny Frankel has always taken care of her body through diet and exercise, so it's no surprise that she's already lost 29 of the 35 pounds she gained while pregnant. Just three weeks after an early C-section delivery of her baby girl Bryn on May 8, she's sporting a size 4 bathing suit.

Bethenny tells Us Weekly, "I don't believe in diets," and has naturally lost the weight by walking 30 minutes a day. While most doctors recommend waiting six to eight weeks before returning to moderate exercise, gentle walking encourages healing and helps prevent complications such as blood clots. Eating a low-fat diet was also key in dropping the baby weight. A typical day of eating for Bethenny includes: muffin and fruit for breakfast, a veggie sandwich and soup at lunch, and BBQ chicken and half a sweet potato for dinner.

The 39-year-old Housewife of NYC stayed active throughout her entire pregnancy, alternating between yoga and 45-minute walks three times a week. Portion control also played a huge role and her healthy vegetarian diet. Although the private chef and author of Naturally Thin and The Skinnygirl Dish has said goodbye to most of her baby weight, she says, "I'm still wearing maternity clothes because they're comfortable."

New momma Kourtney Kardashian gave birth to her son on Dec. 14, and she's already on the cover of OK! magazine looking like she's back to her prebaby body. Before you get all jealous or outraged, you should know that the photo is a lie, and Kourtney is not pleased. She told Women's Wear Daily, "They doctored and photoshopped my body to make it look like I have already lost all the weight, which I have not."

Kourtney also twittered, "One of those weeklies got it wrong again . . . they didn’t have an exclusive with me. And I gained 40 pounds while pregs, not 26 . . . But thanks!" Kourtney never even spoke to OK! for the cover story.

It's great to hear a celeb come forward and tell the truth about being photoshopped, and although I have my opinions about the Kardashians, this definitely makes me respect Kourtney a little more.