What every new mom must know: Kim Raver

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4. Follow your own dreams

"Whenever I worry about the hours I work – sometimes they're 16-hour days – I think about my mom. Even though she worked insane hours as a producer for commercials, she was always there for me. I don't know whether it was because she was a single mom – so it was me, my sister, and my mom, the three of us, through thick and thin – but there wasn't a moment, never a moment, growing up when I didn't feel loved by her. I mean, my Halloween costumes were handmade!

I think that's what's given me the inspiration to have my career: I never felt my mom loved me any less because she was working. So I hope to pass that on – that it's a good thing to have dreams and pursue them, and you can still be there for your kids. Like last year, I was on set filming in a diner at 3 in the morning, and in between takes and memorizing lines, instead of just hanging out, I'd hang out and sew my son's lion costume."

5. Forget the goody bags

"My husband, Manu, is an amazing sounding board, and he helps me keep everything in perspective. I'll have such high expectations of myself, like I'll be up all night icing a homemade birthday cake in the shape of a Cars character for Luke and worrying about the goody bags for the party. Manu will say, 'Forget the goody bags! You don't need the goody bags!' Whereas I want to do them because everyone else does them. He'll tell me, 'You don't need that because you're doing this already. Just the fact that we're having the party and being there for the kids is enough.'"

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