To this day my mom's unsinkable spirit is an inspiration to me. For nearly thirty years she's worked at the Library of Congress. Everyone knows Sameha simply as 'Sami.' Along with 500 miles of shelved books her closest friendships are cataloged in that library. They are as much the value of work to my mom as is the work itself.

Not that we didn't have close relationships with our parents - I'm very close to my mom - but parents didn't think anything of going off for a few weeks and leaving their kids.

My hero is Michelle Williams who I grew close to when we did 'Meek's Cutoff.' She's an extraordinary actor and mom.

The fact that I'm very close with my past relationships is something I pride myself on. My mom is still close to her first husband. It's nice to be able to enjoy someone in a different form.

I was brought up as an only child and we were very close. But when I was 14 we got evicted. We came home to a padlock and I looked up at my mom and she was crying and there was nothing to do.

One of my most sentimental items is my grandmother's engagement ring that my mom gave me a few years ago. It's a Victorian-style setting that's closed in the back so it doesn't sparkle the way diamonds do now. I wear it as a pendant.

No my mom kind of led me toward acting. She wanted to be an actress when she was younger. That made me interested in it when I was a kid because she and I are very close.

I spend my afternoons painting and working on my Open Hearts jewelry line for Kay Jewelers. I designed an image of a heart that isn't completely closed. My mom always told me to live with an open heart - when life gets tough you should go out and help someone else.

I was brought up by a single mom in a poor town in Arkansas and while some aspects of small-town life were really positive - like the fact that everyone there is really sweet and hospitable - there is also this close-minded mentality and that naturally made me want to rebel.

I'm a mom so I have to be comfortable. Jeans are a staple - I have way too many in my closet! It's warm in Florida so I wear jeans and a tank top every day. I love my True Religions my Rich and Skinny and Citizens of Humanity. But I also love getting dressed up!