You're always homesick.

It's a terrible process, what you go through, during pilot season. All the shows turn themselves in and there is a good four to six weeks before you get phone call.

There's a part of me that will always believe that Angel is Buffy's true love. That there will be a piece of her heart that will always be with him for the rest of her life.

I think that's what growing up is all about. It's about taking on new responsibilities and learning what you can handle, and learning what you can't.

People always tell me how lucky I am that my kids are adventurous eaters, but I don't believe that it's luck at all. By my involving them in the process, not only are they more likely to try something new, but also I can count on them to make better choices when I'm not around.

I love every minute in the kitchen with my kids, even the mess (I've learned to embrace it!). I find that in the car on the way home from school, I often get one-word answers when I ask about their day. But when we're cooking, I get in-depth stories.

I am definitely a Type-A, tidy, everything-has-a-place kind of person, so initially encouraging a mess was against my nature. But once you realize all the benefits, it's pretty simple to let that go.