Samantha Harris: Why I Write Journals for My Daughters

Courtesy P&G Everday

With her eldest daughter, 5 -year-old Josselyn Sydney, starting kindergarten in the fall, Samantha Harris is more aware than ever how quickly time is flying.

“It was just yesterday that she was a toddler like our little one,” Harris, also mom to Hillary Madison, 2 , tells PEOPLE. “I was just playing with these magnet dolls with [Hillary] and it’s so cute listening to her talk and how she phrases everything. I know that the cute little phrases she has today are going to be gone tomorrow. You have to cherish each of those moments.”

That realization is what led Harris to partner with P&G everyday, a one-stop website with simple tips on everything from cooking to beauty to helping moms spend less time getting things done, and more time being mom.

“It’s hard in our busy, busy life, especially as a working mom and as moms in general. It’s hard to take a breather and spend that quality time [with your kids], which is essential,” Harris, 39, says.

To chronicle those special moments in her own family’s lives, Harris and her husband, Michael Hess, write journals to their daughters, recalling funny stories, the day they happened and how old each girl was when the moment occurred.

“My goal is to keep those going until they turn 18 and – when each of them have their 18th birthday – present it to them,” she says, adding that the homemade quality of the journals is important to her.

“I think that there’s something to be said about having the ability to see your parents’ writing,” Harris says. “I lost my dad when I was 22 and he was just 50, and I realize truly how precious the time is, so anytime I come across a birthday card with his writing, I hold it dear.”

And how does Harris ensure the journals are filled with lasting memories? By taking Josselyn on special field trips.

“I called it Mommy Camp,” she says. “We would pick a new destination every day. We went to the observatory in L.A. We have a membership to the L.A. Zoo. We’ll go there a bunch of different times and tackle different areas of it.”

“So there’s a petting zoo we’ll spend a lot of time in one day,” she continues. “Another day, we watch the elephants go through their morning cleaning and training. We went to the art museum, the tar pits, the beach. It’s lots of special time.”

As Hillary gets older, she’ll also be joining Mom and her big sister on these trips, a milestone Harris can’t wait for. “Having my two little ones has just made my life so much fuller,” she says.

– Kiran Hefa

Tiffani Thiessen Is ‘Sad’ the Baby Stage Is Over

Ben Gabbe/Getty

They say growing up is hard to do. But when it comes to kids, White Collar‘s Tiffani Thiessen thinks it’s even harder on the parents.

“There’s nothing baby about that kid anymore – which is hard!” Thiessen told PEOPLE of her 3-year-old preschooler Harper Renn at Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins interactive Doc Mobile visit on Wednesday in New York City.

“It’s sad at the same time because the baby stage is definitely over.”

While her daughter skipped the infamous terrible twos, Thiessen, 39, says, “She’s definitely hit the independent stage: she’s a rumble-tumble. She loves putting bows on, but she loves to climb.”

The most surprising thing little Harper’s doing all by herself: water sports. “She’s fully swimming across our pool! No floaties, no nothing – it’s crazy,” Thiessen says, adding she or actor husband Brady Smith are always on hand with a watchful eye.

As for Harper’s go-to swimming hole? Aside from their own pool, “We were just in the Hamptons. She loves the beach,” Thiessen shares.

– Jeff Nelson

Ali Landry: You Won’t Catch Me on a Cover After Baby

Colette De Barros / The Bump

She’s appeared in her fair share of magazines, but former model Ali Landry won’t be caught on their covers showing off her postpartum body after baby arrives.

“It’s frustrating for me when I see moms in Hollywood on a magazine three months after having a baby in a swimsuit. It’s really just not realistic for most moms,” Landry, 39, says in The Bump‘s August issue.

“For me, personally, it takes nine months to put on that weight and it really takes nine months to take it off.”

But while the mom-to-be – she’s due with a baby boy in July – isn’t in a rush to regain her famous figure, Landry is still making an effort to maintain her sense of style with her maternity fashions.

However, the commitment isn’t always so easy – especially when sweats are staring her in the face.

“Part of me wants to wake up in the morning and throw on a big pair of pants – probably my husband’s – and a sweatshirt,” Landry shares. “But when I do that, I look in the mirror and I just don’t feel good about myself. So I really try to pull it all together – and I do feel so much better.”

Before Landry and her husband Alejandro Monteverde welcome their third child together – the couple are already parents to Estela, 6 next week, and Marcelo, 20 months – they are preparing for their son by settling their family into a bigger home.

“We’re bursting at the seams! My kids, Marcelo and Estela, are sharing a room and I want all the children on the same floor as me,” she says.

The fresh start is sure to trigger a certain pregnancy symptom in the expectant actress.

“I have a feeling the nesting is going to come in when I’m packing and unpacking,” she says. “Fortunately, I know that this baby is a boy, and I’ve saved everything from Marcelo, so I’ll be able to reuse a lot of his things.”

Colette De Barros / The Bump

As the family of four plan to make the move to their new house, Landry admits there’s someone else who’s not quite ready for the new addition to arrive: soon-to-be big brother Marcelo.

“He wants to be with me all the time and he’s very much still a baby,” she explains. “When I’m around, he clings to me. I might have to call in some of my expert mommy friends to help navigate our way through this.”

As for Estela, she is already envisioning her hairy future with two baby brothers.

“We were at the doctor’s office and the doctor said, ‘How do you like your little brother?’ And she said, ‘He pulls my hair,'” Landry says. “Then the doctor asked, ‘So what do you think about having a new brother?’ And she’s like, ‘I’m going to be bald.'”

The future mom-of-three adds, “I think she knows that double trouble is coming.”

– Anya Leon

RELATED CONTEST: Enter The Bump and PEOPLE’s Royal-Worthy Giveaway

Tara Strong Teases The ‘My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic’ Season Finale

Today marks the season finale of The Hub’s My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and it’s literally a magical send-off! BFTV caught up with prolific voice actress Tara Strong, who voices the show’s main protagonist Twilight Sparkle, to preview the episode and discuss the epic My Little Pony fan base.

What makes today’s episode so great? “The ending’s pretty spectacular,” Tara explained. “[Twilight Sparkle] finally gets rewarded for her good deeds by this amazing growth and transformation.” It’s a plot development that was heralded by the special coronation concert that The Hub hosted last weekend, and celebrated by a My Little Pony marathon today, hosted by Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan.

She added that the series is something that can be enjoyed by more than just young women. “When you first hear My Little Pony, you think it’s for little girls, but it’s not for little girls,” she added. “It’s literally a show families can sit down and watch. There’s nothing that you can say, ‘I’m not going to let my kid watch that.'”

Voicing Twilight Sparkle is one of many lines on Tara’s amazing resume, which also includes the likes of Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, The Fairly OddParents, and The Hub’s own Pound Puppies and Dan Vs. “I’ve been incredibly blessed. the roles that I’ve booked are just so iconic, like Batgirl, Harley Quinn and The Powerpuff Girls,” she reflected. “The list really goes on and sometimes I have to pinch myself. The sequel to Little Mermaid [The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea] was my ultimate fangirl [moment]. When I was singing with Jodi Benson, I just burst into tears looking at her! I’m so lucky to have had this career.”

With hundreds of voices in her repertoire, that’s a tall order to keep straight, or avoid duplicating, but Tara explained how she keeps everything sorted. “I’m really conscientious about not doing the same voice on two different shows. I’m like ‘No, Timmy Turner lives with The Fairly OddParents.’ Even if you just tweak it a little, once you create a character, they sort of live in your brain [and] I don’t confuse them. I don’t mix them up. I know when I’m going somewhere, I become that character.”

Tara is one of the folks who is in the elite echelon of voiceover actors, including but not limited to the likes of Billy West (Futurama), Maurice LaMarche (Pinky and the Brain), Rob Paulsen (Animaniacs), John DiMaggio (Futurama), Grey DeLisle (Young Justice) and Tom Kenny (SpongeBob Squarepants). Asked to name one of her favorite voice actors, she said, “I did my very first job with Cree Summer. We loved each other then, and we still do now. We’ve worked together on many shows and she’s just so gifted. I consider her a sister really.

“We all do know each other, and we all get along,” she added. “I’m amazed daily in the studio.”

1 of 2Next pagePhoto Credits: The Hub

Malia and Sasha Obama’s Chic Election Night Style

First Lady Michelle Obama‘s style icon status is already trickling down to her girls.

Joining her parents on stage prior to President Barack Obama‘s re-election acceptance speech Tuesday in Chicago, 11-year-old daughter Sasha looked primed to follow in her stylish mom’s footsteps in a gray cardigan, layered necklaces and a Zara bow accented top, paired with an emerald print skirt by American designer Chris Benz and matching J.Crew flats.

Older sister Malia appeared equally celebratory in a scoopneck black top, a hot pink Zara belt, an ASOS peacock blue circle skirt and J.Crew black flats befitting her 14 years.

Win McNamee/Getty

“The girls have very full lives in D.C. now,” a source tells PEOPLE of Sasha and Malia’s first four years in the White House. “They are very settled and happy.”

While not often in the public eye, the stylish siblings have been known to set trends on the campaign trail in chic, age-appropriate pieces from H&M to Anthropologie. We call that a victory!

– Brooke Showell

RELATED GALLERY: The Obama Campaign: Then & Now

The Spelling-McDermotts: Hattie Turns One!

Michael Simon/Startraks

Happy first birthday Hattie Margaret McDermott!

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott‘s youngest daughter celebrated her special day with an Alice in Wonderland-themed birthday bash — and everyone dressed for the occasion!

Dad was the Mad Hatter and Mom was the Queen of Hearts, while Liam, 5 , was a miniature version of his father. Stella, 4, was Alice, while 8-week-old Finn dressed as the potion that causes Alice to shrink. The birthday girl stood out from the pack in a rainbow tutu and Retro Crocs.

Guests dined on a four-tiered cake and went home with goodies from Playskool, Seventh Generation, Net Nanny and Mabel’s Labels.

RELATED: Tori Spelling: How Stella Saved My Life