The way you see Natalie Morales every day on NBC’s Today Show, is the way I found her to be when I spoke to her.

Natalie co-anchor of the highly rated show, is the mother of 2 children, Josh 5 ½ and Luke a little over 1 year old. She talked to me about how much she struggled to get pregnant with her second child; told me the one thing about her body she would like to change, the compliment she hates the most; and something she loves to do that you would never have imagined.

Are you a Hot Mom?

“I appreciate the compliment, I think all moms are hot I think what we do is in it self pretty amazing. There’s  no question that moms today are more than anything. We are the caregivers, the providers in the workforce, we do it all. I think every mom out there right now is a Hot Mom!!

How do you balance work and motherhood?

“What allows me to do what I do is that I do have a great support system, but you have to be willing to ask. We have to accept our limitations, also, knowing how to prioritize”

Do you have any family rituals?

I love cooking, so we make dinner every night for my kids.  We try to have our sit down meals and make sure we spend that quality time together. Also, we spend weekends together; we maximize the time for our selves”

You struggled to get pregnant with your second child. What advice would you give women who are going through the same difficulties?

“It took us more than 2 ½ years to get pregnant, so finally I had Intra uterus insemination”

“I think the key is, if you feel it is taking too long and you are in your mid thirties or so as I was, go talk to somebody, don’t wait. Sometimes doctors say, ‘oh don’t worry just wait.’ But if it’s been about a year and you are having trouble,  go and see a doctor and find out what’s wrong or what’s happening with your body”

You gave birth to Luke on September 9^th 2008 and I saw you on Halloween on the TODAY show looking gorgeous, as always.  How did you lose the weight so fast?

“I gained 25 pounds exactly with both of my kids, and I always gain a good portion of that early on, I’m the opposite of every pregnant women”

“ I think cravings are a segment of our imagination:, listen to your body as to what it needs.  I craved protein and cheese. I concentrated on eating  the dairy and what was good for me and the baby and focused on quality of food more than quantity.

I know you like to run.  Did you run during your pregnancies?

“I run between 20-25 miles a week.  I continued to run, but at a moderate pace. I did yoga and stretching. This made labor and recovery much easier”

Kids do the darndest things.  Anything your kids have done lately that you can tell us?

“We were staying at a hotel and Josh said he wanted to use the bathroom and he was taking quiet a long time, so  my husband called him and asked him, ‘Are you ok in there?  Are you making a poopy?’  And Josh answered, ‘No, Daddy, I’m here playing the tambourine!’ Where does he come up with that sarcasm at the age of 5!”

What about you, would surprise your audience?

“Get me a karaoke and, even though I cant sing, that’s where people would be surprised.  When it comes to karaoke, I am uninhibited;  when it comes to grabbing the microphone, I sing from the top of my lungs, whether you like it or not”

If you had a magic wand, what would you change from your body?

“I’ll be 2 inches taller, I would like to be 5.7”

Josh is 5 ½ years old. How did he take the arrival of his new brother?

“He has being an incredible big brother. I think the age difference actually has worked to my benefit, because from day one he was so excited to be the big bother and to take care of the baby. He always wants to kiss the baby and hold the baby. It’s the most amazing thing. You think you can’t love a child anymore than you do, but having two now, you just love them all the same and seeing how much he loves his younger brother, that love intensifies”

Do you have any advice for moms who are planning on having a second child?

“We had a lot of parenting experts on the show who told me about this as I was pregnant. They said; “Just make sure you make your first child feel so special the day when the newborn comes”

“What it was great is people who got us presents, got us presents for both of our kids. So Josh never felt excluded and it made him feel special, knowing he had this great role too, that he now had to fill”

But having 2 kids could be chaotic. Do you recall any embarrassing moments?

“The traveling with two kids is not easy. I recently did a trip without my husband and brought both of the kids down to see my parents. It’s a testing moment for parents for sure, but the good thing is people are very helpful I find. Sometimes if you just say ; “Would you mind just helping me hold the stroller?”. I mean so many parents have been there and done that, they jump out of the line and say;  “I’ll help you, you want me to hold the baby?.”  “Sometimes if you can just rely on the kindness of others and the patience of others it could help you get through those tough situations”

Was it easy to potty train Josh?

“We started training him at about 2 ½ years old, because by the time he was 3 going into school they wanted him to be almost potty trained”

“No, any parent who goes through it, knows is not easy. We had accidents up until he was four years old.

I think what worked for us, is what my friends call “The naked weekend”. Where we let him be naked for Saturday or Sunday as long as he could, and whenever he had to go the bathroom, making sure he knew how to communicate that or spotting the signs and putting him on the potty and making him go”.

Do you recall any embarrassing moments in the potty training process?

“We were in a drug store and Josh gets into the toy aisle and of course he’s so into the toys, but then all of a sudden on the corner of my eye I see him standing very steel and a trickle of pee right down his leg and around him in the middle of the store. I mean as a parent you get use to that kind of  thing, but for him the fact that he was 4 years old and he knew better and that I had just ask him how many times that he needed to go and he kept telling me he didn’t.  I can tell he was upset by that”

What is Natalie’s favorite activity?

“Mine, still running. My favorite thing is get out there and go for a nice long run. Makes me feel good. To me is never torture, I know people hate running, for me is an escape a relief. Is when I write my best.  I do my best thinking when I’m running”

You are pretty by nature. Do you have any beauty rituals?

“Concealer. Working morning television you get very use to having concealer under the eyes. That’s the one thing, is not a secret, but you have to find the right concealer that works for you. But also I completely believe in hydrating, drinking a lot of water and watch what you eat as well. I’m very sensitive to things and if I feel bloated, I feel terrible and if I feel terrible I don’t come off as high energy as I should on TV”.

What’s your opinion on plastic surgery?

“I’m never going to say, “I would never do that”. This is a tough industry and people expect you to maintain your youthful appearance, there’s a lot of pressure on that. I just hope I can grow into my skin gracefully. That’s why I put so much emphasis on being fit and healthy.”

Do you think being pretty has helped you in your career?

“Well thank you first. I think looks certainly play a part in our business, absolutely. But you have to have the goods to back that up. I think it helps you to get noticed but if you are not intelligent or well educated and experienced in this industry you’re not going to get anywhere pretty fast”.

Oh, one more thing. If you ever meet Natalie, don’t you dare say how pretty she is. She says she would much rather hear how smart she is or well spoken.  And I agree, Natalie Morales is much more than just a pretty face.

I want to hear from you. Your opinion, write me.

tania@hotmomsclub.com