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On April 17th, I was at the house of Angela Lindvall who is a super model & actress in Los Angeles. That day, I was still in shock about the disaster in Japan (Japan earthquake and tsunami), but I had a great time with her and shooting crew (from France and N.Y.) of Numero TOKYO.
I really felt that Angela is a beautiful (inside and out) and a down to earth person. She asked me, “How is your family in Japan (regarding the disaster in Japan)?” She is so nice and sweet to ask me about it. Her children are so cute!!! I was so happy on the way back in my car, to remind of their sweet & cute smile faces (see magazine, Numero TOKYO).
So peaceful! Her house (7 acre) has 60 fruits trees (orange, lemon, plum, cherry, guava, avocado, pineapple, almond, fig, apple, etc), a farm (there are 10 kinds of organic vegetables) and many flowers. There were bird’s sounds and the fresh smell of spring. I felt so peace and positive energy at her house.
The interview with Angela was for a cover girl special interview / fashion pages, so I had many questions and she answered all my questions during her fashion shoot. She is the best!
Numero TOKYO July/August issue came out the other day, and I translated my article into English from Japanese in here.
I would like to share the interview pages of Angela Lindvall with you. I am sure that you will feel peace like me. Please read below (Just let you know, this translation is rough one).
******** Numero TOKYO July/August 2011 issue
this month’s face
Angela Lindvall
Angela Lindvall in U.S.A. scouted the model when she was 14 years old, and she keeps working as a top model since then. She is expanding her career as an actress and she is also a mother of two boys. Today, she gave us the secret how to manage career and parenting.
Photo : Matthias Vriends-McGrath
Interview & Text : Yoko Fujimoto
Model & Actress, Angela Lindvall, she lives in the ravine of L.A. suburbs, Topanga Canyon with green overflows. The photo shoot was in her house and huge land which has fruits trees and organic vegetable farm with her two children for the cover page and the interview & fashion pages. She is doing well and lives peacefully in the nature and manages well with work and parenting.
――Is it hard to be successful at both work and parenting of two boys (Dakota, 9 year-old and Sebastian, 6 year-old)? How do you manage your time?
During the collection and advertising seasons in the fall and in the spring, it’s get little bit busy and feels overwhelming, but I also feel very lucky, because I have an extended period time to be with my kids and I get to be here every day taking them to school, putting them to bed. I have such a supportive community, my partner and their father who lives near by here, they are always with him when I have to go to work, so works out. I have a babysitter two days a week, so I feel very lucky that I have a nice environment, it’s very important to have a balance.
――What are your tips for managing time?
I do meditate to straighten the spirit and do schedule. And I try to create routine and rituals. Routine and rituals, I think make big difference, not only for myself, for my children. So keep the same flow and routine, you feel like you have that look forward to. I also think the quality of time you spend time together you really give attention, even busy week, I gave that one on one time we are sitting together, not watching the TV, not on the computer, not playing the games, really connecting as a family. We tell a lot of stories and we read a lot of stories. Really make special time for family.
――What is the hardest thing for parenting?
I think that there is demand of your time. It doesn’t matter you are tired or you are sick, you still have to get up and make breakfast. I need tremendous of patience.
――After you became mother of two children, do you have any worries?
Definitely, I thought maybe I wasn’t have a career anymore because I took one year off for each time and I am in completely financial responsible. First son was able to travel with me everywhere, but when I had two, it was hard to bring them both at work. I try not to worry. I feel like worry is opposite creation, so I try to focus on things I grateful for.
――Is there any changes in your body and your spiritual aspect before and after it gives birth?
Whole my body changed. I was so skinny, but I gained 40 pounds. It was bad that I just mentally, “you are not going to have a job unless you get fit”. But I think, it was good that I have woman’s body, more curve. I don’t want to be skinnier. I am healthier than before and I have strengthened mentally. Something the strength to comes, you realized the things that you worried about before don’t really matter anymore. I have changed.
―― Have you changed your thought about beauty after became mother?
Not really. I really think that beauty is the way is feeling. If we feel good, then we look good. Loving yourself is so important.
――What is your good habit for your beauty.
For good balance of sprit and body, I do meditate and prayer, eating healthy food and do exercise. I sometimes do cleansing diet (detox).
My motto is “love what you do, do what you love”. “Love your life to live, live your life you love” is the key of beauty.
――How do you get information and learn about parenting? Do you have any opportunities to have communication with other mothers or friends who have children?
My mother is a big influence on natural birth. She had five kids. I learned the challenge from her. When things are difficult, I always call her. I am closer to my father and my father also gave me advice for my parenting. He is very funny and fun. He taught me simplicity, driving and picking flowers up, we don’t spend any money, silly together. Dancing with kids got from my father. He taught me patience and to have an open communication with my children.
It’s very important to have a communication with other mothers, because you feel sometimes alone and many worries. I have amazing neighbors here, we have a nice community here, sharing the story about being in the mother, being in the relationship, being in the family, we can relate to each other and learn a lot.
I think, ancient times, women are together and raising children together, now you feel very alone individual, it’s important to becoming together, our children play together, for him to go to friend’s house and learn their way their family is, their rules and their routine. And friends here, and do that same.
―― What was the best advice from the community of other mothers?
One of the greatest lessons that our neighbors are talking us about, “don’t worries things until they happen”. There is no reason to worry until the real is the problem.
―― When do you feel “responsibility as mother”?
All the time. Always.
―― Do you have time for yourself? Do you make time for yourself?
I always have an awareness of the mother, but I also need “my private time”. I go on a date with my partner once a week, and get the time to take a bath, I like to get a massage or going to the sauna and sweat, do mediation, or do taekwondo to get energy.
―― When do you feel “happiness as mother”?
When I and boys are together, playing together, sleep together in the same bed and read stories, I love that. Recently, I read all series the Wizard of Oz to them.
―― What is the most important thing for the education for your children?
I think that really knowing loving life and following their bless, having gratitude. I think that carry them through everything. If I teach them to following their bless, they will be successful.
As a mother raising boys, I don’t believe like, “oh boys don’t cry”, “oh someone punches you, punch him back”, “they can’t touch pink”. I teach them more compassionate, because I want them to be good man, gentleman, I want them to feel ok to be sensitive. If they want to paint pink toe nails or carry around the little stuffed animals or play with little dolls, I allow them to do it.
―― Do you have a special thing for the education?
I have a mentor friend, she taught me a lot about Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf School. I became involved with Rudolf Steiner and that the school my children go to. This philosophy is based on whole experiment of the child, not just academic. They are learning how to think, how to learn, how to act with others, how deicide emotional around, I just learned so much from that. So I love that I am sending them to the School, they are being in the nature and care about as individual, not just another number to memorize like academics.
So I learned a lot from that parenting, to have them participate the kitchen and help prepare the meals and sweep the floors, help them just develop.
We try to enjoy season, make a nature table by the kitchen, every season changes, we just started in the spring, add more and more, yellow flowers and brings eggs, brings the things that convert the spring, in the winter turn more to acorn, represent the winter season. So season is big thing for us. Kind of acknowledge how effected us people, celebrating the harvest, it been grateful for everything create in our lives.
―― When do you feel “my children are growing up”?
It’s funny. Sometimes almost feel in one week. Dakota is huge change, almost like a teenager. “Ah mom” he gives me a little attitude. Sebastian is the opposite, he was much tough with me, like “no”, but he is more independent, he doesn’t give me as much trouble. He cares about me. He is such a mom’s boy. He says,”Mommy, you know what, I love you so much” six times a day.
―― Who is more like you?
Dakota is intellectual, he wants to talk about things, Dakota is very much like me, mini me. His expressions, his body language and the things he is interested in. Sebastian is cuddle, hug and kiss. He is being the nature and kind of sensitive. They are almost yin and yang.
―― Do you want to have more children?
I think I am going to have a little girl one day, but do it later in life. Maybe I am going to adopt one, so I have two girls to raise together.
―― Where are your children’s favorite places?
The Bodhi Tree Bookstore has many spiritual books, so we love it. We go to Inn of the Seventh Ray Restaurant to have good organic food, and Dakota and I love sushi, so when we want sushi, we go to Go Sushi. Our favorite place is Santa Monica Pier.
Dakota is learning Japanese and he asked me to go to Japan for his birthday. Maybe next year, we would like to visit Japan in spring time.
―― Have you been to Japan?
No. I really want to go to Japan.
What a shame everything is happening there. My heart really goes down to Japan.
I think that sometimes tragedy been the hardest things to us, very difficult and hard to stay feeling good because so many bad things are happing, but I think, big help to wake up every morning focus on whatever beauty you can , even it hard to find. So focus on beauty and gratitude of things what you have. I differently send the prayers to Japan.
――I heard about your Japan relief project, what are your future plans for your business and activities?
We are planning to produce and sell organic charity t-shirt to raise funds for Japan (www.ecostiletto.com). I am going to write a blog. At this time, I am working on the movie “Small Apartments” as an actress.
******** Translated (rough) by Yoko Fujimoto
I hope you enjoy Angela’s wonderful life story.
P.S. This translation is rough translation by me which means, there is no editor…If you read Japanese, please purchase the magazine and read my real article in Japanese. My Japanese is much better than my English…ha ha ha…!
By Yoko Fujimoto
Los Angeles
June 5, 2011
Copyright © 2011 Yoko Fujimoto
