Do you think having kids has or will change your relationship with your partner?

On many levels my relationship with my husband has changed. Good and bad. We had a rough go at it the first few years. Less communications, troubled relationship, but at the end of the day we learned a lot. It changed "us" but in hind sight I feel the changes were definitely for the better. But it did take time to get to the good part. We had to learn how to be friends and partners in a different way. We both always wanted kids, that was never a question. We just got used to "our way" of life for over 9 years and then we had to reconcile a 3rd person in the relationship and then the 4th person. We found our new rhythm and it was all worth the growing pains. We learned more about each other than I think we would have of in this timeframe if we didn't have kids. I actually think we learned to appreciate each other more. We have our bad days, but we also know that they are just bad days and the good days overshadow them. One thing is for sure, our kids gave us the gift of being stronger people for each other.

What do you think about Obama's comment about Special Olympics?

Big deal or not a big deal? Some of you may have seen President Obama on the Leno show the other night comparing his bowling skills to special olympics. It hit the the media in a big way. Grant it, I think his sense of judgement for a split second was impaired, I also think even the President is human. Right or wrong, he made a mistake, I am sure every other President has made some kind of mistake and many worse than this slip of the tongue.

Are you turning into your mother?

I ask the question with a proud smile on my face...Jacqui asked me last weekend where I came from and we got into a long discussion about Viet Nam and my parents' journey here. The conversation made me really proud of my parents, especially my mom who left her entire life and family behind to create a new life for our family in the United States - at the age of 20 nonetheless. A difficult and relentless journey, which paved the road for me to be who I am today. If I become even half the person that my mom is, I would be happy with that. She is amazing with a touch of crazy...I can imagine Jacqui calling me the crazy part in later years.

How do you think being a mother will or has changed you?

I am:

• Less OCD
• More flexible
• A better problem solver
• Comfortable of letting the little things go

Along with all the good, it also made me frumpy! It's a funny thing, I wear baggy clothes trying to hide the baby weight, spend less time getting ready, no longer going after the latest hip/trendy outfits. All of which would be fine if it didn't bother me, because that was the "old me". So Norm and I started dissecting this and it came down me feeling that I just never got back to my old self. I forced myself into thinking that being a mother, I had to act and look like one...whatever that means. In the past few months, I have been taking baby steps to be "me" again...and it feels great! But what I realized was that it wasn't parenthood that made me change, it was me just not thinking about myself enough because I was always thinking about everyone else. I love taking care of everyone, but it doesn't mean that taking time out for myself can't be part of the equation as well.

Name something you know today that you wish you knew 10 years ago?

For me I really wish I understood the meaning 'don't sweat the small stuff'. I don't have regrets in life (or at least very few) but I do wish I would have spent less time worrying about certain things that now seem to be menial to me. So much more content with myself and my life now that I have learned to let go a bit more. Still have OCD tendencies but just not as bad...

What does feminism mean to you?

My sister asked me last week if I thought I was a feminist and my answer to her was no. I believe in equality. I used to think in my younger days that I was a feminist but at the end of the day all I really wanted was to accomplish my goals that I set out to do regardless of my gender. Not sure what that makes me, but I do give credit to the women in history that have paved the road for us to be able to do the things we do today.

What do you think?