The Best of Us: MBB Mom Andrea Pinkney

We just don't get enough credit for being the fantastic parents we are, so MyBrownBaby is dead-set on giving credit where credit is due. A round of applause for MBB Mom of the Week Andrea Pinkney, who is also the brains behind a series of wonderful children's books, including the four up for grabs in the latest MBB contest. To find out how you can win an autographed set of four books authored by Pinkney and illustrated by her fabulous husband, Brian Pinkney (the beautiful couple is pictured above), click here. And then come back and find out more about MBB's incredible Mom of the Week!

My name is... Andrea Davis Pinkney

I live in... New York City

My brown babies are...Chloe, age 12 and Dobbin, age 9

I make a living as... a children’s book editor and also as a children’s book author. I’ve published more than 20 books for young people, many of them collaborations with my husband, illustrator Brian Pinkney.

The last time my kids cracked me up was... yesterday evening during dinner! While my hubby and I strongly discourage any kind of shenanigans at the dinner table, we couldn’t resist when the kids insisted on doing their Beyonce impersonations!

The last book I read with my kids was... The High School Musical junior novel (Sorry, fellow moms! I wish I had a more “serious” answer!)

My favorite place to take them is... to see the Christmas decorations in the Saks Fifth Avenue window here in Manhattan.

My proudest mom moment was... when, at a school-wide formal auction event, the head of the school presented my husband and me with a framed broadside that our kids had made for us. They’d drawn portraits of Brian and me and a bold caption that says, “OUR PARENTS ARE AWESOME!!”

My most embarrassing mommy moment was... the time when my son went to school proudly singing the lyrics of a song that was all about mature adult feelings. The boy had NO IDEA what he was saying, but we did get a note from his teacher.

The thing I most want my children to know is... that they should be exactly who are they – and not try to emulate qualities in others that they think are “cool” or “better.”

The one family tradition I hope my kids continue when they grow up is... having a big family Kwanzaa party every year on January 1.

If I could invent one thing to make being a mom easier, it would be... a planet where I had more time, more stamina, more patience, more humor, and more acceptance of my own limitations and those of my kids.

The best invention for kids ever is... school.

The most important life lesson I want my kids to learn is... to never hide their talents or interest under a bushel for fear of what others may think of them

The one thing no one knows about me is that... I am America’s Next Top Model, the new American Idol, a Shear Genius, a Top Chef, and winner of Dancing with the Stars and Project Runway (in my dreams!).

The thing I lost as a mom that I wish I could get back is... really, really enjoying my kids more when they were younger, rather than wasting time stressing every little hair out of place.

My “I’d Rather Be…” bumper sticker would say... “I’d Rather Be At A Spa!”