EditorandChief2: Hi there! How are you?
Felicity HuffMOM: I'm good. how are you?
EditorandChief2: Good, thanks.
EditorandChief2: Where are you right now?
Felicity HuffMOM: I am in my trailer finishing work
Felicity HuffMOM: and that is my mom calling me. Hold on.
Felicity HuffMOM: There's my husband with the kids. One sec ….
Felicity HuffMOM: Ok, I'm back! The children are alive, my husband's ok. I don't need any more distractions.
EditorandChief2: First off, congratulations on your Emmy, the Oscar nomination and all your recent successes.
Felicity HuffMOM: Thank you.
EditorandChief2: Why do you think women relate so well to you?
Felicity HuffMOM: I don't think it has to do with me, to tell the truth. I think it's the part I play - it must resonate with people, a mother with 4 kids and a husband. That's why I took it. It spoke to me!
EditorandChief2: Tell me what a day in the life of Felicity Huffman generally looks like.
Felicity HuffMOM: I think it's probably like a lot of other woman out there. I get up with the kids. I wish they'd sleep a little longer. I just sorta do the normal thing. Get up make breakfast, kids get up, brush their teeth, they fight, mad dash to school, pick up the kids, go to the park … come home, take a hot shower, go to sleep, start all over again. Unless I'm working ...
EditorandChief2: What's that like?
Felicity HuffMOM: I usually work about 3 days a week, maybe 4.
Felicity HuffMOM: I come to work really early, 5:30 or 6:30, usually in my pjs. Someone does my hair and makeup. I get to act in these fun, one-act plays every week. I gotta say: I think it's one of the best day jobs around.
EditorandChief2: No doubt.
EditorandChief2: Ok. You have many fans who are dying to ask you some questions — you ready?
Felicity HuffMOM: Yup.
EditorandChief2: From Heather from Portland, OR: "I want to have children very badly but have a very demanding career. I am afraid that I will fail at one or the other. When did you gain the courage to be a mother and how did your career change?"
Felicity HuffMOM: What happened was, I just kept getting older (that happens :), so I realized time was running out and I knew I wanted children. As my mother, who had 8 children, always said 'it's never a good time to have kids.'
Felicity HuffMOM: How did my career change? There's a great phrase: 'every baby brings it’s basket.' I wouldn't have gotten this part if I wasn't a mother. So my life changed for the better.
EditorandChief2: Me too. I don't think I would've gotten this job either if I wasn't a mom.
EditorandChief2: Ok. This one from Deanne in Rio Rancho, NM: "How do you take the time for a relaxing shower?"
Felicity HuffMOM: I think that's what appeals to me about Dove Calming Night. It's the only time you're not rushing. Everybody's asleep, I've made lunches, my husband's having a beer and I get to take as long as I want in the shower!
EditorandChief2: But not surprisingly, fitting in that kind of "me time" is difficult for some women. Like, really difficult!
EditorandChief2: Check this one out from Bonnie in Odessa, DE: "The last time I took a shower alone, my daughter called 911 to complain that my son wasn't sharing his toys. How is a mother of a preschooler and a toddler supposed to find 10 minutes for a shower?"
Felicity HuffMOM: That's what those Barney videos are for ;)
Felicity HuffMOM: Seriously, I think that's what was great about having family nearby. They could come over for 20 minutes so you could take a shower. Barney is the mother or the sister you never had.
Felicity HuffMOM: How many kids do you have?
EditorandChief2: Two
Felicity HuffMOM: How old?
EditorandChief2: 9-1/2 and 5-1/2. And you?
Felicity HuffMOM: 4 and 5-1/2 year old.
EditorandChief2: Yikes! That's a hard age difference when they're young.
Felicity HuffMOM: It was 18 mths. That was crazy.
EditorandChief2: Both girls, right?
Felicity HuffMOM: Yeah, both girls.
EditorandChief2: So, with that in mind, Heidi of Laguna Hills, CA wants to know: "How do you turn your mind off when the day’s events keep running over and over?"
Felicity HuffMOM: I'm just trying to learn this myself because in the last 6 mths I haven't been sleeping very well.
EditorandChief2: … And?
Felicity HuffMOM: Sorry, I'm eating! For some reason I'm on a carb only diet since the Oscars and now I'm like, yeah hand me that cheeseburger!
EditorandChief2: On the bun?
Felicity HuffMOM: Oh yeah, and cookies at 10 at night.
Felicity HuffMOM: Ok, so … I think this is the kindergarten level of doing things: I lie there and go thru my body and breath and let it sink into the bed. By the time I get to my stomach I'm usually relaxed.
EditorandChief2: Jessica, from Hollywood, CA is grappling with a big issue and wants your feedback: "Dear Felicity, how do I help my daughter feel better about her weight problem? She is only 10 and already weighs 150 lbs and I feed her right and she plays soccer and we walk 30 minutes a day. Help."
Felicity HuffMOM: God bless you. It's important to hear that mother's voice saying 'you are beautiful,' but it's so hard in a society where people only value women who are a size 6. It's always helpful to find a counselor to talk to for both you and your daughter.
EditorandChief2: Did you have weight issues when you were younger?
Felicity HuffMOM: Like a lot of girls, I started that yo-yo dieting thing. When you're in your teens you don't eat forever and then …
Felicity HuffMOM: I felt like I was dragging my body around ashamed of it.
EditorandChief2: How did you change your attitude?
Felicity HuffMOM: Therapy. Time. Having kids. My sister helped a lot, my mother helped a lot. My husband helped a lot.
EditorandChief2: Many of your fans wrote in praising your appearance in the Dove Webisodes, directed by Penny Marshall, in which you appear in classic sitcom scenes from The Brady Bunch, The Munsters and Leave it To Beaver.
EditorandChief2: Here's a very, ahem, serious question from Ann in Loveland, CO, no doubt on the minds of many: "But you don't really go to bed with your makeup on like you do in the Dove webisodes do you? And do the people at Dove really recommend that? :)"
Felicity HuffMOM: LOL! Ann, I'm from Colorado myself. If you do find yourself going to bed and there's a camera pointed at you, you should definitely wear your makeup :)
EditorandChief2: OK, moving on… here's this one from Sarah in New Berlin, WI: "Being a working mom is very hard sometimes. Where do you squeeze in quality time with the kids and what kind of stuff do you do with them when you're not working?"
Felicity HuffMOM: That's a great mom question. We go to museums, we play pretend in their bedrooms a lot, they like making weird concoctions in the kitchen. We read books. We just started playing hide and go seek. That's kinda what I do. Sometimes I like to play 'beached whale' where I lie on the ground and say "I can't move." That one doesn't go over too well ;)
EditorandChief2: lol :)
EditorandChief2: Regarding your decision to have children a bit later in life, Laura from Wantagh, NY wants to know if "Being a mom in your 40s to young children (like I am), do you feel different than moms in their late 20s or early 30s?"
Felicity HuffMOM: I probably feel more tired. I feel more wrinkly and I feel like their bodies snap back faster than mine did.
EditorandChief2: Any kind of fundamental differences, childrearing-wise?
Felicity HuffMOM: No, I think energy is fundamental. They just have more juice at five o'clock than I do!
EditorandChief2: Here's a very important mom question from Sasha of Okemos, MI: "Hi. I am an 18-year-old college freshman. My mom is always, always putting me and my sister first, making us her first priority and her birthday is coming up soon. How can I show her my appreciation?"
Felicity HuffMOM: Well, I think the best present is when you put your attention on the other person and ask, "What do they really like and what do they really want?" Think about something that might give her a sense of abundance. Maybe you can all get manicures and pedicures. Maybe you can all go to lunch and a movie. If you're 18 years old, I bet your mother is going to want to do something that brings you closer.
EditorandChief2: Jaenne from North Highlands, CA has this to say: "You're a beauty on the red carpet, have a dream husband, wonderful family AND super talented. Does the success make you better able to handle stress, or does it make things harder?"
Felicity HuffMOM: With the success of Desperate Housewives it's a whole different level of stress, different from anything I've experienced in my life. I think what's helped me deal with stress is a deeply embedded sense of gratitude. I think that's because I'm older and I've been around.
EditorandChief2: Well put. Now, in case you're unclear about how much your fans identify with you and enjoy having you in their lives, here's this touching invitation from Tricia of Elk Grove, CA: "You can join our Moms group anytime. You are our group's favorite Mom, because you are so 'real' and honest about as we call it: 'Life in the Trenches.' Women need women. Thanks!"
Felicity HuffMOM: That really thrills me. I'd love to join your mom's group!
EditorandChief2: Well, it's been a real pleasure.
Felicity HuffMOM: Thank you so much!
Felicity HuffMOM: I'm good. how are you?
EditorandChief2: Good, thanks.
EditorandChief2: Where are you right now?
Felicity HuffMOM: I am in my trailer finishing work
Felicity HuffMOM: and that is my mom calling me. Hold on.
Felicity HuffMOM: There's my husband with the kids. One sec ….
Felicity HuffMOM: Ok, I'm back! The children are alive, my husband's ok. I don't need any more distractions.
EditorandChief2: First off, congratulations on your Emmy, the Oscar nomination and all your recent successes.
Felicity HuffMOM: Thank you.
EditorandChief2: Why do you think women relate so well to you?
Felicity HuffMOM: I don't think it has to do with me, to tell the truth. I think it's the part I play - it must resonate with people, a mother with 4 kids and a husband. That's why I took it. It spoke to me!
EditorandChief2: Tell me what a day in the life of Felicity Huffman generally looks like.
Felicity HuffMOM: I think it's probably like a lot of other woman out there. I get up with the kids. I wish they'd sleep a little longer. I just sorta do the normal thing. Get up make breakfast, kids get up, brush their teeth, they fight, mad dash to school, pick up the kids, go to the park … come home, take a hot shower, go to sleep, start all over again. Unless I'm working ...
EditorandChief2: What's that like?
Felicity HuffMOM: I usually work about 3 days a week, maybe 4.
Felicity HuffMOM: I come to work really early, 5:30 or 6:30, usually in my pjs. Someone does my hair and makeup. I get to act in these fun, one-act plays every week. I gotta say: I think it's one of the best day jobs around.
EditorandChief2: No doubt.
EditorandChief2: Ok. You have many fans who are dying to ask you some questions — you ready?
Felicity HuffMOM: Yup.
EditorandChief2: From Heather from Portland, OR: "I want to have children very badly but have a very demanding career. I am afraid that I will fail at one or the other. When did you gain the courage to be a mother and how did your career change?"
Felicity HuffMOM: What happened was, I just kept getting older (that happens :), so I realized time was running out and I knew I wanted children. As my mother, who had 8 children, always said 'it's never a good time to have kids.'
Felicity HuffMOM: How did my career change? There's a great phrase: 'every baby brings it’s basket.' I wouldn't have gotten this part if I wasn't a mother. So my life changed for the better.
EditorandChief2: Me too. I don't think I would've gotten this job either if I wasn't a mom.
EditorandChief2: Ok. This one from Deanne in Rio Rancho, NM: "How do you take the time for a relaxing shower?"
Felicity HuffMOM: I think that's what appeals to me about Dove Calming Night. It's the only time you're not rushing. Everybody's asleep, I've made lunches, my husband's having a beer and I get to take as long as I want in the shower!
EditorandChief2: But not surprisingly, fitting in that kind of "me time" is difficult for some women. Like, really difficult!
EditorandChief2: Check this one out from Bonnie in Odessa, DE: "The last time I took a shower alone, my daughter called 911 to complain that my son wasn't sharing his toys. How is a mother of a preschooler and a toddler supposed to find 10 minutes for a shower?"
Felicity HuffMOM: That's what those Barney videos are for ;)
Felicity HuffMOM: Seriously, I think that's what was great about having family nearby. They could come over for 20 minutes so you could take a shower. Barney is the mother or the sister you never had.
Felicity HuffMOM: How many kids do you have?
EditorandChief2: Two
Felicity HuffMOM: How old?
EditorandChief2: 9-1/2 and 5-1/2. And you?
Felicity HuffMOM: 4 and 5-1/2 year old.
EditorandChief2: Yikes! That's a hard age difference when they're young.
Felicity HuffMOM: It was 18 mths. That was crazy.
EditorandChief2: Both girls, right?
Felicity HuffMOM: Yeah, both girls.
EditorandChief2: So, with that in mind, Heidi of Laguna Hills, CA wants to know: "How do you turn your mind off when the day’s events keep running over and over?"
Felicity HuffMOM: I'm just trying to learn this myself because in the last 6 mths I haven't been sleeping very well.
EditorandChief2: … And?
Felicity HuffMOM: Sorry, I'm eating! For some reason I'm on a carb only diet since the Oscars and now I'm like, yeah hand me that cheeseburger!
EditorandChief2: On the bun?
Felicity HuffMOM: Oh yeah, and cookies at 10 at night.
Felicity HuffMOM: Ok, so … I think this is the kindergarten level of doing things: I lie there and go thru my body and breath and let it sink into the bed. By the time I get to my stomach I'm usually relaxed.
EditorandChief2: Jessica, from Hollywood, CA is grappling with a big issue and wants your feedback: "Dear Felicity, how do I help my daughter feel better about her weight problem? She is only 10 and already weighs 150 lbs and I feed her right and she plays soccer and we walk 30 minutes a day. Help."
Felicity HuffMOM: God bless you. It's important to hear that mother's voice saying 'you are beautiful,' but it's so hard in a society where people only value women who are a size 6. It's always helpful to find a counselor to talk to for both you and your daughter.
EditorandChief2: Did you have weight issues when you were younger?
Felicity HuffMOM: Like a lot of girls, I started that yo-yo dieting thing. When you're in your teens you don't eat forever and then …
Felicity HuffMOM: I felt like I was dragging my body around ashamed of it.
EditorandChief2: How did you change your attitude?
Felicity HuffMOM: Therapy. Time. Having kids. My sister helped a lot, my mother helped a lot. My husband helped a lot.
EditorandChief2: Many of your fans wrote in praising your appearance in the Dove Webisodes, directed by Penny Marshall, in which you appear in classic sitcom scenes from The Brady Bunch, The Munsters and Leave it To Beaver.
EditorandChief2: Here's a very, ahem, serious question from Ann in Loveland, CO, no doubt on the minds of many: "But you don't really go to bed with your makeup on like you do in the Dove webisodes do you? And do the people at Dove really recommend that? :)"
Felicity HuffMOM: LOL! Ann, I'm from Colorado myself. If you do find yourself going to bed and there's a camera pointed at you, you should definitely wear your makeup :)
EditorandChief2: OK, moving on… here's this one from Sarah in New Berlin, WI: "Being a working mom is very hard sometimes. Where do you squeeze in quality time with the kids and what kind of stuff do you do with them when you're not working?"
Felicity HuffMOM: That's a great mom question. We go to museums, we play pretend in their bedrooms a lot, they like making weird concoctions in the kitchen. We read books. We just started playing hide and go seek. That's kinda what I do. Sometimes I like to play 'beached whale' where I lie on the ground and say "I can't move." That one doesn't go over too well ;)
EditorandChief2: lol :)
EditorandChief2: Regarding your decision to have children a bit later in life, Laura from Wantagh, NY wants to know if "Being a mom in your 40s to young children (like I am), do you feel different than moms in their late 20s or early 30s?"
Felicity HuffMOM: I probably feel more tired. I feel more wrinkly and I feel like their bodies snap back faster than mine did.
EditorandChief2: Any kind of fundamental differences, childrearing-wise?
Felicity HuffMOM: No, I think energy is fundamental. They just have more juice at five o'clock than I do!
EditorandChief2: Here's a very important mom question from Sasha of Okemos, MI: "Hi. I am an 18-year-old college freshman. My mom is always, always putting me and my sister first, making us her first priority and her birthday is coming up soon. How can I show her my appreciation?"
Felicity HuffMOM: Well, I think the best present is when you put your attention on the other person and ask, "What do they really like and what do they really want?" Think about something that might give her a sense of abundance. Maybe you can all get manicures and pedicures. Maybe you can all go to lunch and a movie. If you're 18 years old, I bet your mother is going to want to do something that brings you closer.
EditorandChief2: Jaenne from North Highlands, CA has this to say: "You're a beauty on the red carpet, have a dream husband, wonderful family AND super talented. Does the success make you better able to handle stress, or does it make things harder?"
Felicity HuffMOM: With the success of Desperate Housewives it's a whole different level of stress, different from anything I've experienced in my life. I think what's helped me deal with stress is a deeply embedded sense of gratitude. I think that's because I'm older and I've been around.
EditorandChief2: Well put. Now, in case you're unclear about how much your fans identify with you and enjoy having you in their lives, here's this touching invitation from Tricia of Elk Grove, CA: "You can join our Moms group anytime. You are our group's favorite Mom, because you are so 'real' and honest about as we call it: 'Life in the Trenches.' Women need women. Thanks!"
Felicity HuffMOM: That really thrills me. I'd love to join your mom's group!
EditorandChief2: Well, it's been a real pleasure.
Felicity HuffMOM: Thank you so much!