I spent the afternoon in New York last week with long distance friend, mom, and actress Denise Richards.

We chatted over tea and scones, and then I decided to ask her some questions and find out what it's like to be a single, working mom in the spotlight.

Denise was candid, honest and sincere about her life. I give you our interview...

There is something I've been meaning to tell you. And my husband. And my mom. And my friends. So here goes...

Has there ever been a more pressure-filled time than now to be a child growing up in North America? I almost think not.

I was at the gym today, chit-chatting with another mom I hadn't seen in a while. We caught up in our lives, and she asked me what my boys are doing this summer. I proceeded to tell her that my 5 year old son is going back to his day camp and hockey camp at the end of the summer, and that my older 8 year old son was going to sleepaway camp, up until last month, when we cancelled.

When your alarm goes off in the morning, do you hit Snooze, or do you wake immediately? Or perhaps a more appropriate question... HOW MANY TIMES do you hit the snooze button? Truth.

Embracing change is never easy. We as a people, are not by nature, adaptive to change. Why? Change means 'new.' Change involves the unknown. Change means breaking comfortable patterns. Change involves going outside our comfort zone. We can fight change, we can try to avoid it, but change happens. And while change can come as a huge relief if we’ve just moved past a bad chapter in our lives, change can also be very scary. It involves tremendous risk, and puts us outside our comfort zone.

I love Madonna. I have loved Madonna from the moment she burst onto the scene in fishnet stockings, too much hairspray and a bad die job.

If my iPod playlist isn’t enough proof, well frankly, I don’t know what is:

Welcome back to my Modern Mom Blog!! It's a brand new year. And a brand new year, means a brand new start. There is no more perfect time than NOW to make your vision board, and put your plan into action.

Yes, 2012 is about ACTION. This year, we're not just talking - we're walking our talk. And it's gonna be powerful. This year, we're DREAMING BIG.

I promised my readers when I started blogging, that I would always be honest-- show the good, the bad, and the ugly.

And for that reason, I'm sure you Modern Moms won't question why I posted this below. Or maybe you might. Who posts hate mail? (And a pretty bad one, to boot.)