Local celebrities featured in past Little Rock Family issues share their favorite parenting advice along with a quick update on where they are now!

Even now as a married adult with four children, my dad still parents me and sometimes it’s on my parenting—my time management and priorities specifically. I’ll move mountains to make sure the kids get to their sporting events early on Saturday mornings, but come Sunday...I’m not as consistent with getting them to church. When my dad pointed out to me the importance that I’d placed on sports rather than on God, I quickly realized the example I was showing was not one I wanted them to follow. Thanks to my dad for the eye opener.

My life has changed so much since being on the cover of Little Rock Family in October of 2010! We have added a girl to this mix of craziness known by our friends as “Brown Town.” Our three precious boys have a little princess to protect. They love her so much and she can pretty much get away with anything for now. When she starts dating in a hundred years, she may finally get a dose of true brotherly love.

“Slow down and embrace motherhood. You will blink and they’ll be grown.” I think I have heard this at least a hundred times over the past few years but this advice has probably resonated the most with me. Our twins are five and our baby is now three. I know it sounds cliché, but where has the time gone?

I always thought that I could do it all. Motherhood, and baby number three, proved me wrong! Like many moms, I have had to make some extremely difficult decisions regarding work. Two years ago, I took a step back from anchoring and moved into the role of Community Service Awards producer for KARK. The position allows me more time with family and a much more flexible schedule. I want my girls to know me and not the stressed out and exhausted version of me. I am fortunate that I now have a good balance of work and family time. My anchoring career dreams are still there, but just on hold for the time being!

The best parenting advice I ever received was to love my children’s father and to be our children’s parent and not their friend.

When I was on the cover, I just had two drivers. Come April, I will have three. That’s a nerve-wracking stage to be in as a parent. Many parents have told me that one never quits worrying about their children behind the wheel. And, that when you hear sirens, a parent always wonders, “Is that my child?” It’s parental instinct.

My life has always been rush, rush, rush, on the go. Of course, after having Cruz life was so much better, but it got even crazier! I’m slowly learning to stop and really cherish every moment. I recently read an article online about a mother who stopped saying, “Hurry up” to her child. It made me really think about how many times I’ve said that to Cruz. If we’re always in a hurry, we never really have a chance to enjoy the simple things in life.

A lot has changed since my family’s July 2013 feature! Three months after the issue, in October 2013, after nearly 14 years at THV 11 News, I decided it was time to step away from the anchor desk. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. Right now I’m enjoying spending every minute with Cruz. He’s 3 years old and growing up fast. I’m excited about this new chapter and ready to see where life takes me.

Best parenting advice? No broken promises. No idle threats. If we make a promise, we keep it. If we spell out a consequence, it happens. We realized very early on (during the terrible two’s) that we have to mean what we say.

When I was on the cover of Little Rock Family, our son Cameron was about the enter Kindergarten and we were getting ready for the school year. Now, Cameron is in first grade...and we’re happy to share that we have a new baby on the way who will arrive this summer!

Some of the best advice I remember getting was although having children will likely be the most amazing and wonderful experience of your life, there will be times when parenting is NOT easy. Whether it’s the sleepless nights, the boo-boos and illnesses that won’t go away, or the challenges parenting brings to a marriage...it’s okay to admit defeat every now and then. Even the moms that “appear” to have it all together with perfect hair and a smile on their face probably have broken down in tears from feeling like a bad mom at some point. And THAT’S OKAY. So give yourself some grace. Don’t feel like a failure when someone says “enjoy every moment” and you just so happen to not be enjoying messes or the tantrum that was thrown in the grocery store. It’s okay.

Life has changed in a huge way because we added another child in September 2011. Sydney has done a great job becoming a big sister and they really are best friends. Two kids definitely has its challenges but it also gives both of them a built-in playmate. We do have to be “referees” every now and then though.