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Now with her NASCAR- driver husband, 1-year-old baby girl, and two teenage boys, Niki’s loving life  at a much slower pace.

What’s it like to have teenagers and a baby?

Everybody gets along wonderfully, and the boys [Jake and Hunter] are great with Ciel [SEE-el]. She just digs ’em. She always says, “Oh, there’s my brudders!” We’ve been talking about having another baby. It would be nice to give her a little brother or sister pretty soon. Plus I’m not a spring chicken anymore.

What were the benefits of having kids when you were so young?

I had them at 19, but I knew when I was 16 that I wanted to have kids early. I had more energy then. I never really thought about having to run after two of ’em and having to change double diapers. I feel bad for people who are my age having twins. It’s a lot of work!

What kind of mother are you?

I’m very patient. I think patience came with me a long time ago, just from being in the fashion world and having to travel and be on planes and waiting for people and wait for things. The patience was always there. I’m also the mom who is going to be down on the floor getting dirty and being rough with the kids. I never wanted to grow up, that’s why I wanted to have kids at such a young age. And I get to start all over and have babies again—it’s pretty cool.

How are you and your boys alike?

Because we’re closer in age, we like a lot of the same things. We like the same music and movies and we think the same things are cool. We just look at things kind of the same way. And we’re not afraid to laugh at ourselves. For some reason I never was embarrassed—I always had to perform in front of people and do silly things at photo shoots, I call it the dancing monkey. So Jake and Hunter were always really good at that, too. They were the first ones to be on the dance floor at dances in middle school. They really didn’t care what other people thought, sort of like myself.

They’re approaching driving age, will the boys actually be taught to drive by a NASCAR driver?

Yes, Bernie will be teaching them, because it won’t be good coming from me. They’ve already told me I’m not a very good teacher. Bernie’s a totally different driver in a car off the track, so he’ll be a better instructor.

What’s it like for you to have a girl?

I get to do girl things and mommy-and-daughter things. I have a lot more pink in my house now. People still ask me if she’s a boy or a girl because I won’t put her in pink. She wears a lot more grays and neutral colors. I guess I get to be kind of like a girly-girl and dress her up and be a tomboy at the same time.

What’s the last special thing you did for your family?

I know I sound really corny, but I think every day is special and it’s a gift. We all have to make the most of it because I know how short life can be.

Go to http://www.mom360.com to read more and get a copy of the magazine

Garcelle with sons Jaid (left) and Jax

The best compliment I’ve received recently… the other day at the park, someone told me, “Gosh, I see you here all the time.” That made me feel so good, because that’s who I want to be—a hands-on mom. I really pride myself in being present. I’m very involved with my children [Oliver, 19; Jax and Jaid, age 2], and I put so much time, effort, and love into them. My kids are more important to me than my career.

Raising twins…isn’t always easy. They often want to be held at the same time, so while I’m holding one, the other is tugging on me to pick him up. Nighttime feedings with twins…can also be pretty challenging. I’d have both of them up and I would just look at my husband and be like, “There’s a poopy diaper and there’s a feeding. Who do you want?”

One time at the park…I had one in the swing and the other took off. I had to figure out what to do fast!

In my free time…I love to read to my children and work on my mom-and-kids jewelry line, Petit Bijou.

I am the way I am…because of my mom. She said, “Be nice. Be nice. Be nice”—to a fault. When I moved to New York, I had to find the balance between what my mom had ingrained in my mind and being a strong, independent woman. I’ve found you can be assertive and at the same time be a kind person.

Since my mom passed away…I feel the need to be more connected to my roots in Haiti and make sure my kids know my culture. Along with Wyclef Jean, I am the face of Haiti. We let people know what a beautiful country it is—with resilient, prideful people. The earthquake in Haiti reminds all of us how blessed we are and how appreciative we should be of the things we have and the people we love, because tomorrow is not promised.

By: Tania Luviano

Photo by: Lisa Franchot

Denise Richards wearing a Hot Moms Club tee shirt on the set of indie comedy film Mother’s Little Helpers about a rebellious teen who recruits his high school student class to start an all-boy escort service catering to the sexy cougars in an affluent Californian town. Mother’s Little Helpers stars Jim Belushi, Kathryn Morris, Denise Richards, Kyle Gallner, Sarah Hyland, Ryan Pinkston, Rebecca Mader and Christian Murphy.