A supermodel, entrepreneur, and TV show host known for her often biting criticism of Project Runway designers, Heidi Klum returns to Lifetime with a new show that allows her to show off a completely different side of her personality: Mom. The mother of four, married to Grammy winning singer/songwriter Seal, has teamed up with Emmy-Award winning producer Eric Schotz (Kids Say the Darndest Things) to create and host Seriously Funny Kids, a half-hour reality series premiering Tuesday, February 1st at 9pm.
In Seriously Funny Kids , Klum interacts with children to bring out the hilarious and often insightful things they say, giving viewers a fun and refreshing look into how our future generation sees the world. New episodes will air each Tuesday at 9 and 9:30pm.
I recently participates in a call with Heidi Klum, and she discussed the show, her thoughts on kids today, and her own family, including children Leni (6), Henry (5), Johan (4) and Lou (1).
Even with four young children, Heidi seems to keep it all under control!
We do a lot of arts & crafts, painting, workbooks, and we watch movies. At home we have a beautiful garden so the kids can go outside a lot. I like that they are active and not always sitting at the computer. I think it's good that they work on the computer too, but I try not to let them do too much. I just let them be kids. They do karate, the boys do ballet with the girls. We also have an art teacher who comes once a week.
Heidi says that while she and Seal obviously travel often for business, they are never gone from the children at the same time.
If one of us is going away, we make a calendar so that the kids can participate in what's happening with the family... how long is a week, is a month, etc. This way they are a part of it and are not surprised that we are going. We often make gigantic 'Welcome Back' signs when dad comes home (sometimes they do it for me too). We try to make everything a memory.
Her thoughts on growing up:
You don't want to be the one left out. Some kids always had more money than I did growing up. I was always into Lacoste. When my parents went to Thailand they bought a whole bag of Lacoste crocodiles and my mom would sew them on my clothes. I didn't have a lot of toys growing up. So I had pet snails - we had snail races! My parents were protective, but they still let me do a lot of fun things... In my house, I tell jokes all day long. Our house is not a museum - it's a home. Kids can come and play at our house!
Heidi's kids are seriously funny too! (I had to laugh at this story. After my recent experience with my 5-year-old taking the scissors to his hair, I could definitely relate!)
My kids are so funny! They really are their own little creatures. I just shaved Henry's head because he wanted to look like Daddy and Kobe Bryant. It's his own head, his own hair. And if it's something like hair, well, I just agree with him. He had such beautiful blonde hair, but he kept asking and so I said okay. Daddy videotaped it while I cut it really short, and then I got out the clippers and buzzed it off! He loves it and Leni thought it was absolutely hilarious. That was such a fun family night. With four kids, it's certainly never boring in our house!
Heidi's advice for parents:
Before you have children you have to really know that you'll have to give more than you've ever given. It's hard to do it all. The most annoying thing about adults: blackberries, phones, computers... People say, "I emailed you 20 minutes ago, why didn't you answer?" And I say, well maybe because I was driving my kids to school or sitting down and eating lunch with them for 20 minutes!
I try to see things from the kids' side. If I have a busy day and come home - sometimes I want to be like not now, not now - I still have to do this and this... but those 20 emails can wait. So you go down to their level and put your work aside and be there for them, because you're all that they've got.
On manners and good behavior:
When we're around the children we make a point not to curse or be inappropriate. I'm no saint by any means, but when they are at home, we try our best to be proper and teach them to have manners. Sometimes Leni would say "What the?" I'm thinking, what does this mean? I try to explain that though it's not really a "bad word" she really should say something else!
On how this show is different from Kids Say the Darndest Things:
The concept is very similar, and my partner Eric worked on that show. It was very challenging working with kids, even though I have four of my own. I look back at videos of Bill Cosby and the kids were so well-behaved! It's definitely different with children today. The kids I'm working with aren't mine, and it takes me a while to figure out what their story is. They're not actors and I don't give them lines. Sometimes I can talk to them for an hour and nothing funny happens! It's a totally new experience for me and I'm not a professional host in this area. I was quiet as a mouse as a kid - I never talked back the way some of these kids talk back to me. I would have gotten in so much trouble!
What are some of Heidi's favorite moments from this show?
I did pranks with them - I love the hidden camera bits. Sometimes you just know kids want to be actors, so when they don't know they are already on camera, they are very different. It's hard for me - I can't crack up. I have to stay in the moment. One favorite was a set up with a pretend office of mine. I leave a kid there with a basket of bread. I say I'll be right back, and then walk away. Then, through a microphone I pretend to be the bread basket talking. All of the sudden the kid is talking to a croissant! Thirty minutes of conversation with the bread basket. It's unbelievable. They don't even question that the bread can't talk. Those pranks are definitely my favorite bits on the show.
How does she make time for her marriage while being a working parent?
You just have to do it. You have choices. We love our kids, but we also love each other. Sometimes I'm tired, but we still just run off for an hour and grab a bite to eat. You need to talk about grown up things, what you plan to do as a couple. We just took a holiday with the family together, and then we dropped off the kids with family in Germany and went to London for 5 days alone. I love my parents, they get along great with my husband. Grandparents are so important. You should feel great about going away because the kids can have some great time with their grandparents! Go out with your husband, go out to a club, sleep in for a day. I look at my husband and what can I say, we've been together for seven years and I still think he's the sexiest man. Yeah, that's my man!
On staying so gorgeous after having four kids!
Early in my career I learned how to cook healthy for myself. I had to for my job. And I love that kind of food. I did gain about 45 pounds with each pregnancy, and my kids were each about nine pounds! Since I was fit before, I just basically went back to where I was before. I breastfed all of my children for six to eight months, and I moved around a lot! I'm 37 now - it's definitely different getting older. I'm still an active person, I still eat right and you are what you eat. It's all about choices in life. You stick to things that work. I wish they would stick to my boobs - then I'd eat those carbs!
CLICK HERE for a video preview of SERIOUSLY FUNNY KIDS, and don't forget to tune in to Lifetime on February 1st. Just for fun, leave us a seriously funny comment from your own kids!
