The ex-supermodel and current television host advises working moms to “forgive yourself when you can’t do everything.”
by Melanie Gaball
Cristina Ferrare cooks healthy classics with chef Rocco DiSpirito on the Jan. 16 episode of Home & Family.
Cristina Ferrare has had an accomplished career as a supermodel, a TV host and a New York Times best-selling author, but the mother and grandmother has never put a job before her family.
“There are a lot of things professionally that I missed out on because I put my home life first. I always did things that had a family element to them,” Ferrare says. “If I couldn’t bring my kids, I wouldn’t do the job.”
Ferrare has a blended family of seven children with husband and entertainment executive Tony Thomopoulos. She commends him for calming her down during overwhelming parenting moments.
“My husband would say to me, ‘Cristina, the days are long but the years are short,’ and let me tell you those years went by so darn quick,” says Ferrare, whose children are now parents.
Ferrare is now in her second season as co-host of the Hallmark Channel’s “Home & Family,” the Emmy-nominated daily lifestyle show, which she refers to as a combination of HGTV and Martha Stewart.
“The show is a rebirth of the original ‘Home and Family’ from the late ’90s. The only difference is that we have technology and social media,” says Ferrare. “The values of home and family never change. We still do cooking, DIY projects and anything that you would actually do at home.”
The live, two-hour show films Monday through Friday, but Ferrare, who has written five cookbooks and the best-seller Cristina Ferrare’s Family Entertainment, still makes time to entertain at home. Every Sunday she invites family and friends over for dinner.
“My house is fun on Sundays,” says Ferrare. “It has always been the go-to house. I love entertaining my family and my friends and I have always wanted every event at my house.”
She reassures working moms that it’s normal to feel overwhelmed, but to realize kids are busy and can also feel stressed out. It is important for everyone to have some down time, she says.
“It’s OK for you to miss a practice or a play,” Ferrare says. “You will feel guilty, but your kids will be OK if they have a stable environment and they feel loved. Forgive yourself when you can’t do everything.”
