Never Be Bored with Tori Spelling and Lunchables!

101 degrees outside. Nine months pregnant. If that were me, I'd be scowling under an air conditioner somewhere, elevating my swollen ankles and daring anyone to so much as look in my direction.

But not Tori Spelling. At the August 28th Lunchables event at the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley, she was cheerful, gracious and radiant. She helped construct a Sport Court, played and crafted with the club's kids and two of her own, and chatted with reporters and fans. All without batting an eyelash (or going into labor.) 

Grace under fire and friendly, too? Amazing. Which is probably what makes Tori Spelling one of Hollywood's most loved celebrity moms.

The Lunchables Lunch Combinations team is challenging America to help all kids have the opportunity to “Never Be Bored Again.” This national campaign will fund up to $100,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of America and their sport and recreation programs. As a longtime supporter and fan of Boys & Girls Clubs, I was excited to be part in the Never Be Bored launch and witness the incredible outreach program in action (literally!)

Tori Spelling and the Lunchables team invite families to capture photos of boredom-busting activities and share them by visiting the “Never Be Bored Again” application at Facebook.com/Lunchables. Every photo that’s uploaded from today through October 15, 2012, will generate a $1 donation to Boys & Girls Clubs across America, up to $100,000, to help amp up the fun. After uploading their photo, consumers will receive a $1-off coupon for new Lunchables with Smoothie, while supplies last.

We were thrilled to be invited to participate in the building of a brand-new Sport Court at the Boys & Girls Club, hosted by Lunchables and the fabulous Tori herself. The court, built in the club's backyard, includes basketball, tennis and foursquare. When we arrived the party was in full swing despite the soaring temps, and the kids were having a blast shooting hoops and hitting tennis balls all over the place. E and I hung out, admired the awesome graffiti art walls and played a little foosball.

The best part? I was able to interview Tori at the event, an opportunity that made me more than a little star-struck (hello, biggest 90210 fan EVER.) Luckily I managed (barely) to control myself from dishing on "Donna Martin Graduates" and asked her some mom-related questions instead. We bonded over finding inspiration in chaos, a love of Instagram, and crazy multitasking (she blogs from her iPhone on the living room floor!) She even admired my Casetagram iPhone case (I couldn't be prouder.) Some of the highlights from our chat appear below...

JF: I love the idea of "Never Be Bored." The pictures of you crafting with your kids are adorable! What can moms keep in the house so that crafting is an option when those "boredom emergencies" strike? Because I am so NOT organized when it comes to planning ahead!

TS: The key is to keep all your crafting essentials in one place: your glitter, your glue, your markers, your hole punch, your craft paper. I'm not organized by any means, either! Really, as long as my kids have a pencil and something to write on, they'll come up with something great. We have a crafting clutch we actually keep in the car, but even if it's just a box in your house where you stash the basics, you'll always be ready. *For Tori's crafting clutch, click here.

JF: That's exactly what I need. Because right now all I have to do crafts in my house is a paper bag and a wire hanger.

TS: So you'll need to be extra creative!

Tori crafting with her adorable daughter, Stella. E was obsessed with Stella's shoes :)

JF: Boys & Girls Club is one of my favorite organizations...they do so much for kids in our communities. You and your family are such a big part of their outreach efforts with this campaign. How do you teach Liam and Stella why they're here and what they're doing?

TS: It's interesting. The older they get, the more interested they are in everything around them. They're four and five right now, and Liam is definitely starting to ask questions: "Who are we working with? Why are we going?" while Stella was just happy to come build the court and craft. But I told them, "This is for the Boys & Girls club, we're helping to build courts, and people are going to send in their photographs so we earn more money to donate more courts." And Liam was like "That's so cool!" So even if they retain just a little bit of that, it stays with them. I love that through what I do, I'm able to work with people and actually teach my big kids that message about giving back. That's important to us.

JF: Speaking of what you do...you're such an inspiration to the mom community because you do everything: career, family, charity. I'm sure you get asked this all the time, but how do you do it?

TS: (Laughs.) The question isn't really how, but why. Why do moms do it all? Because we CAN. No, really! It's the truth. I mean, my husband is as hands-on as they come. There is not one thing he doesn't do. He's in there with diapers, he cooks and he cleans. He's like a domestic god...but he is NOT a mom. He's not a multitasker, because men just aren't! It's not the way their brains work. 

But with us, with moms...there's been times when I've been doing this, and this, and this...and it's OK, because we're good at it. It's what we do. And that's a credit to us, to all the moms out there. And for any mom that's questioning herself, who asks me "How do you do it all?" My answer is "Just go for it."

As a mom and a writer (who also writes from the middle of the living room floor,) one of my favorite parts of my chat with Tori, who's a bestselling author, was listening to her describe how she uses the daily chaos to fuel her creative energy. 

"If I go lock myself in the other room with my laptop and sit down to write, I get total writer's block," Tori admitted. "I need to be in the middle of everything, with the dogs barking and the kids screaming. That's where I work best."

Couldn't have said it better myself  :)

I loved talking with Tori. She's down-to-earth, relatable, and impossibly sweet for someone chased by paparazzi 24 hours a day. She even interrupted our chat to make sure her son Liam was OK ("he looked defeated there, for a second"); watching her interact with her kids made me realize what a great mom she is. Thanks so much to Lunchables for the opportunity to chat with Tori, and for letting E and me participate in such a fantastic event.

For more information on the Lunchables Never Be Bored campaign, please visit Facebook.com/Lunchables and don't forget to upload your boredom-buster photos to help the fundraising effort for Boys & Girls Club of America!

And that's not all: The Lunchables team wants all kids to share in Lunchables-style freestyle fun, and have the opportunity to “Never Be Bored Again.”  Now through February 2013, kids ages six to 13 can enter the “Never Be Bored Again” Instant Win Game* at Lunchables.com/fun for a chance to win one of over ONE MILLION boredom-busting prizes.  

The three grand prizes are mega-cool hangout spots including a Tree House of You Dreams, a Sport Court® backyard court or an Ultimate Game Room. Other prizes include 25,000 Hasbro™ toys and games and 1,000,000 video downloads.

Go check it out!