Mom and Me | Tiffani Thiessen and Daughter Harper

Lucia Tran April 1, 2015

Aside from all the big and little screens that she has graced on, Tiffani Thiessen's most fulfilling roles have been a wife Brady Smith and mother to 4-year-old Harper. If Tiffani's name hasn't yet rung a bell, which would be peculiar for someone who lent her talents to cult-driven programs like Saved by the Bell (as Kelly Kapowski), Beverly Hills, 90210 (as Valerie Malone), and even White Collar (as Elizabeth Burke), then you may recognize her from the Cooking Channel where she leads Dinner at Tiffani's or from her newly launched blog.

She opened up her home to us, where she and daughter Harper took us through their daily activities, which ranged from feeding the 5 chickens they own, and making lemonade using lemons from their tree. It's definitely a different sight to experience when you're just miles away from the bustling noises of Hollywood, which makes us realize their home is very much a euphoric getaway.

And like their home, Tiffani and Harper are just as lovely and welcoming.

Your home seems like an endless abode of fun - there never seems to be a dull moment. What inspired you to create your house the way it is now, with such openness, outdoor activities, and lots of animals?

My husband and I were always on the same page about how we wanted our home to look and feel. We wanted it to be comfortable, colorful, and warm. In addition, it was important to us that we kept the integrity of the house to its roots. It was built in 1923, so it has a lot of history and charm.

Top: Ode to Jeune. Skirt: Mimosa Kids. Shoes: Zuzii.

What are your mornings generally like? What is the family morning routine?

Every morning is pretty much the same during the week: Up early (Harper is an early riser as are Mommy and Daddy). We let the dogs out, the chickens out of their coop. We then feed everyone… humans and critters. Then a little play before school. If it’s the weekend, then it’s not as rushed. We’ll hit the farmers market one of those two days, have lots of play, snuggle time, or we'll go swimming, do some reading, painting and drawing. We will also cook together. Maybe, we'll go hiking or bike riding or just jump on the trampoline!

Well then, Harper is definitely an active girl!

She is a non-stop kind of girl. Always has been. Let’s just say we are never bored.

**Tiffani** - Dress and Cardigan: Ruche. Shoes: Zuzii.

Dress and Jacket: Ode to Jeune. Shoes: Zuzii.

With the hens laying eggs each morning, you not only get delicious meals, but healthy ones too! What is your go-to breakfast meal for the family?

My husband’s favorite is my fried egg sandwich. My daughter loves my yogurt pancakes!

So you're getting ready for a son! How are you planning for the big change? Do you think Harper is ready to have another family member around?

Harper has been so ready. For about a year now she has been asking either… 'Mommy, please have a baby in your belly!' or 'Mommy, is he ready yet?' Like he’s a cake being baked in my belly. It’s so cute.

Tank: Kira Kids. Skirt: Mabo Kids. Shoes: Zuzii.

**Tiffani** - Dress: Sonnet James. Necklace: Simon and Ruby. Shoes: Zuzii.

As Harper gets older, what are some of the biggest lessons you are teaching her whether it's about learning, health, home-life, etc?

I feel like every day as a parent you're teaching as well as learning. Not sure who learns more. Us as parents or her as a kid (laughs). But, we try and teach her the morals that my husband and I were taught. Good manners, self-respect, respect of others, kindness all around, and to love thy neighbor… that includes the love of animals and nature.

When you're not busy working, what can we find you doing? What does an ideal day look like for you?

Getting breakfast ready in morning and taking Harper to school. Then straight to the gym. Meetings usually follow or organizing things at home. Then, it’s back to picking up Harper from school. We'll have playtime before dinner and bath… Then, we'll head to bed around 7 PM (which sometimes includes me falling asleep with her these days... got to love pregnancy!).

What are some of the things you've learned from parenting that you hadn't known before?

The abundance of love and joy I can have from such a tiny little person.

Both you and your husband are so welcoming, patient, humble, and genuinely wonderful people. We aren't surprised at all, but it certainly is refreshing to see in this 'business.'

Well how sweet are you? Thank you. That means the world to us. So thank you for those kind words.

**Tiffani** - Romper: Ruche. **Harper** - Dress: Le Carrousel. Rabbit: Hazel Village.

When life gets a little wild and busy, how do you manage it all? How do you maintain stress as a mom and as a working mom?

Deep breaths, I would say. Deep breaths can really make a difference. I know it sounds cliche but they do work. And laughter when you can find it.

Photography by Megan Welker

Styling by Lucia Tran

Makeup by Nicole Burg

*You can also win Sonnet James' Reese Dress (in Blue Stripes) that Tiffani is wearing here.

Day in the Life | Joy Cho

Lucia Tran March 30, 2015

Joy Cho, designer and author (her most recent book is available for pre-order on Amazon), is just one of those moms who we dream about becoming. Her honesty, kindness, and cheerfulness is exactly what makes her appealing. We claimed a Saturday with Joy in order to explore what a day in her life looks like; the word colorful defines much of what we saw.

We loved spending a Saturday with you. Is each day just as eventful? There never appears to be a dull moment.

Life with children is always action-packed as you have to keep them busy even if you’re just at home having a casual Saturday.

You and your husband are wonderfully involved with both Ruby and Coco’s lives. With both parents working, how do you manage to balance work and parenthood? It’s 2 jobs in one.

When we were growing up, both of our parents worked around the clock. While we love them for everything they did to raise and support us, we wanted to make sure that we kept more normal hours for our kids and are involved as much as we can be. I base my work day around feeding Coco in the morning, taking Ruby to school, and then being back in the late afternoon so I can be sure to feed/nurse Coco a couple more times before her bed time. My husband’s schedule is a little less flexible but he still has pretty good hours and we’re both off on the weekends for the most part. My job doesn’t really ever end and I work a lot after the kids go to bed (usually 5 out of the 7 nights a week I work in the evenings too).

Your family’s creativity is so apparent when one walks into the house. Obviously, your design background is the factor behind it all. But where did all this originate from? Let’s go back further than just design school in New York!

I was always into making things as a kid. I didn’t play with dolls or Barbies. Instead, I asked for craft kids and supplies to make things. I didn’t necessarily think that I would have a “creative” job when I grew up (I thought I’d be a geneticist or botanist or something more scientific). But I loved making things and decided to go to art school to foster that love.

Was your family very encouraging of your pursuit of designing and crafting? Of course, stereotypically, Asian American immigrant parents aren’t exactly 100% supportive when you say you’re not pursuing law school or med school.

My dad definitely pushed the traditional “become a doctor or a lawyer” thing, but my mom was always very encouraging of being whatever I wanted. It was really hard to make the decision to go the art school route because the Asian community in general (friends of my parents or even my boyfriend’s parents (who are now my in-law’s) never understood what I was doing or why I would want to go into design. And of course, no one thought it would be seen as a successful career. I think they all feel differently now, but it took a really long time to get them there. And therefore, I am always super supportive and encouraging of what people love and wanting them to love what they do. There’s nothing worse than hating your job and I have way too many friends who picked a major and a job because it was safe and a decent paycheck. Now in their 30’s, they wish they were doing something else.

You are very much supportive of Ruby’s artistry. We love how much art you have in both her room and in her play corner. It’s such mindful creativity.

Ha, thanks! I think that I want to foster whatever she’s into. I’m partially biased and I probably steer her away from princesses and dolls a little too much because I was never into that. But, in general, we just want her to explore and figure things out as she evolves.

We had to take a little cookie break on set! But generally, what are the meals like in the Cho residence? What are your go-to meals?

Honestly, we go out to lunch/dinner a lot. Maybe a few times a week with the kids. Our work days are so packed that sometimes it’s just not possible to come home and make a meal and hang out with the kids before bedtime. So we’d rather cut out the meal making and spend that time with them either out somewhere or with the occasional delivery. When we do cook at home (usually on the weekends because we are not as limited on time), we make a lot of grilled fish and we’ve been trying out those pre-prepped meal service options where all the fresh ingredients come to you with a recipe attached.

Hypothetically, if the kids were to want to skip college and head straight into the artistic entrepreneurship road that you are currently in, would that be something you would be okay with?

I would still want them to go to college and get a degree. That’s the traditional part of me coming through, but I feel that is all else fails, a degree is still necessary for lots of types of jobs. They can open their own business and pursue entrepreneurship after school. Besides just the piece of paper, I also think that college is just a social experience that is good for kids to experience and gives them a stepping stone to living and being without their parents and to transition into the real world.

You seem to involve your family in so much of what you do. Has it always been a priority for you to include your kids and your husband in some/most/all aspects of your business? And why is that?

I mix my family in at times when it seems appropriate. I definitely try not to drag them to things that wouldn’t be fun for them. But luckily, I have some fun parts about my job that they get to see. I’ve taken Ruby to photo shoots for Target before and while she didn’t totally understand it, I just loved showing her how all these creative people come together to create an end result and how magical that can be.

Photography by Megan Welker

Credits: Joy's Dress - Sonnet James. Ruby's Dress - Kira Kids. Shoes - Zuzii.

Cookies: Eat Sweets Pastry

Dressing Simple | Winter Transitions

Lucia Tran March 2, 2015

Becky Kimball and her daughter Sloane help us ring in March by sharing their favorite transitional pieces for spring. While the air is still bitter, we can't help but dig out mom's favorite jumper from Jessica Faulkner, or even florals from Marie Chantal. This pair makes the beginning of March (can you believe it's already a new month?) extra sweet.