celebrity moms

                                  

 Michelle Obama

Even with an entire staff on hand, Michelle makes sure her girls, Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8, learn responsibility and have a normal childhood, which means they do their chores and complete their homework without presidential free passes. Plus, we can practically see the love radiating off of her and Mr. President — a rare dynamic in White House history. Having such a strong woman and an inspirational mother representing our country is something we should all be proud of. 

                                                                     

                                               

                                                         Angelina Jolie

Tabloids may paint her as an evil, home-wrecking child-collector, but Jolie is one of the most dedicated, generous humanitarians in the world of celebrity. She serves as a goodwill ambassador to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, supports a family at the SOS Children’s Village in Amman, Jordan, and most recently donated $1 million to Haiti with partner Brad Pitt. And say what you will about her and Brad’s growing family(three adopted: Maddox, Paz and Zahara; three biological: Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne), but we think superstars giving millions to charities (over $6 million last year alone) is pretty cool. Sure, she may have an eccentric, brother-kissing, blood vial-wearing past, but now she’s a mother who instills empathy, compassion and generosity — and for that, we love her. 

                                                          

                                            

Jennifer Garner

if there’s a magic work/family equation, Jennifer Garner holds the formula. There's A-list Jen, a Hollywood regular starring in three films within the last year (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, The Invention of Lying and the just-released Valentine’s Day). And then there’s mom Jen, spotted out with her two kids (4-year-old spitting image violet and 13-month Seraphina) and down-to-earth hubby Ben Affleck, looking, well, frighteningly normal Rather than parading around in 6-inch heels with a string of nannies, she takes her kids to the park, bakes, even wears sweats! (Heck, she even plays a too perfect mom-to-be in the comedy hit Juno.) Wholesome yet sexy; talented yet grounded, Jennifer Garner seems to have a secret we’d love to get in on.

                                              Reese Witherspoon

Maybe it’s the Southern charm, the sunny deposition, or the fact that she handled her divorce from actor Ryan Phillipe with such composure — whatever the reason, Reese tops our play-date wish list. She’s a single mom to two kids (Ava and Deacon), an Oscar-winning actress, and a Children's Defense Fund board member. Unlike other super-busy and solo celeb moms, she avoids overprotecting her kids (“Doesn’t teasing or bullying sort of make you who you are?") or spoiling them, even though she can afford to. (“Kids do best when they only have a couple of things they really enjoy.”) So how about that play date, Reese? 

                                               Katie Holmes

Katie and her always fashionable  daughter, Suri, truly seem to enjoy each other, whether it’s strolling the streets in matching heels or snuggling on a shoot. (Katie’s even motherly on set — bringing ice cream and cupcakes for the whole crew!) She also swooped in as super step-mom to Tom’s kids, Isabella and Connor, when Nicole dropped the ball after the birth of her biological daughter. And although the Joey Potter we knew and love turned into a bit of Stepford wife after marrying Tom Cruise, the high-profile relationship hasn’t affected her mothering — well, except that she can afford to buy suri $850 handbag now. Some may criticize her for dressing her daughter too old (those infamous heels!) but TomKat swears Suri’s just trying to emulate her mommy 

                                            

                                                Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani is a stunning rock ‘n’ roll mama — from her edgy maternity style to her chic L.A.M.B line, she makes motherhood look, well, cool. She and just-as-cool husband Gavin Rossdale passed down their part punk/part rock style to kids Kingston and Zuma, who with their matching mahwa and Converse sneakers are already becoming little fashion icons themselves. When it comes to their parenting styles, Gwen cops to being the disciplinarian, while gavin  hopes his kids rebel.  Here’s hoping the kids are just as non-conformist as their bad-ass mom. 

                              

                                                           

                                                    Madonna

She’s been criticized in  the press for being a lousy, self-centered parent, but the Material Mom is often seen out and about with her four children, Lourdes, 13; Rocco, 9; and adopted Malawian toddlers, David and Mercy. (She’s also apparently taking a cue from SJP and shopping around for a surrogate for her next.) The pop diva also plays mama bird to, ahem, bigger kids (read: Britney), but votes are still out on whether her parenting advice is actually worth taking. After Madge’s messy public divorce from director Guy Ritchie, she’s been seen around town with her much younger boyfriend Jesus luz. 

                                            Brooke Shields

Brooke Shields’ two little girls, Rowan, 6, and Grier, 3, have big shoes to fill, having such a Hollywood darling for a mother. Even though the actress/model/author has been working since she was in diapers, Brooke may be best known for her role as “Mom,” especially one who suffered through post-mar tum depression. Before mommy bloggers like Heather Armstrong provided honest insight into the darkness of PPD, Brooke broke her silence on the lonely, terrifying disease, giving a face to suffering women everywhere. And when a certain Scientologist bashed Brooke’s battle — advising she substitute psychiatric drugs with vitamins — she called him out big time, even writing an op-ed in the New York Times. Brooke is a continual source of courage and empowerment for women — not to mention the two little ladies in her life.

                                           Kate Winslet

Smart, ambitious, elegant and immensely talented, Oscar-winner Winslet somehow finds time between her mind-blowing roles (like last year’s hits, The Reader andRevolutionary Road) to maintain life away from Hollywood for her kids Mia, 9 and Joe, 6. Winslet and her director husband, Sam Mendes, are determined to give their kids a separate, normal, grounded life, unlike many movie-set children. She also instills a healthy body image for her daughter by speaking out against airbrushing and unrealistic beauty standards. (Kate’s said she tells her daughter about her not-size zero bod: “I love my belly. You and Joe came out of it.”) The world responded in a big way by voting her the #1 most desired body — showing the next generation that confidence and unapologetic curves trump stick-thin celebs any day of the week. 

                                 

                                              Salma Hayek

It may seem like Salma Hayek stepped out of the spotlight since daughter, Valentina, was born, but she’s been busy doing something a little more important: saving lives.  . She  admitted on Oprah that breastfeeding is not, in fact, a magical elixir that melts away pounds and that slimming down is hard work. Looking at the curvy actress, we’d never know, but it’s still refreshing to hear an A-lister call it like it is.

                                          Britney Spears

When Britney married someone named K-Fed and quickly popped out two babies (Sean Preston and Jayden James), we didn’t expect a fairytale ending. But we also didn’t foresee the car-seat-ditching, custody-losing, head-shaving train wreck that later ensued. Yet, despite falling flat on her face, Brit brushed herself off, recognized her faults, and got herself the help  she so desperately needed. Now, the former pop star is slowly starting to redeem her image, most recently winning a “Best Celebrity Mom” accolade in the U.K. Today, she’s most likely to be spotted with her boys at the pool, park, or studio — and with no man in tow. (Although rumor has it she’s dating agent Jason Trawick.) It’s hard to tell if she’ll uphold her squeaky-clean new image, but as long as she stays out of the limelight, our bets are yes.