Felicity Huffman: A Mother of Invention
Felicity Huffman talked to ModernMom.com about her invention and her family. The mom to daughters Sofia Grace, 6, and Georgia Grace, 4, and wife to actor William H. Macy keeps herself busy acting on Desperate Housewives and acclaimed films like Transamerica (as well as winning awards for her performances including an Emmy, an Obie, a Golden Globe, an Independent Spirit Award, and two Screen Actors Guild, and an Oscar nomination), writing A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend with her best friend Patricia Wolfe, and inventing the Head’s Up Pillow.
Felicity defines a modern mom as someone who "respects herself and honors her needs on par with those of her family" whereas she defines an old-fashioned mom as someone who "puts the needs of everyone else above hers to her own detriment."
Like many women, Felicity struggles with finding the balance between career and family. She said, "I rush from one thing to another and have a lot of guilt…I’m still striving to find that balance." She credits good reliable childcare to helping a lot (they have been using the same ones since her daughters were born) on top of a dedicated husband ("he travels a lot for work, but when he’s here, he’s HERE").
Lately, she’s been busy promoting her invention, the Head’s Up Pillow, which won a Good Housekeeping Excellence award last year. She created in because her neck hurt when she rocked her daughters in her glider. She said, "pillows would always slide down, so out of frustration and sleep-deprivation, I pulled out my sewing machine and made myself a pillow that stayed put." She invented the product "not because I think I’ll make a gazillion dollars, but because I feel that everyone needs to know about products that help moms and I really think every mom should have one." The pillow which comes in four fabrics and retails at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $30, cradles your head and neck and is great for feeding or rocking baby to sleep or even just watching Desperate Housewives.
What do you want to teach your daughters, Sofia and Georgia?I want them to have a strong sense of self…that they can always listen to and rely on.
What’s your favorite family activity?
Tickling on the couch! And we sing a lot… Bill plays the ukulele and the guitar and we sing together. We also love to take long walks in our neighborhood.
For more of the interview and other great parenting resources, visit ModernMom.com.Modern Mom features smart and practical advice on topics such asparenting, finances, career, health, wellness, beauty, entertainmentand more.
Have you come up with a great product for moms that you wish you could sell?
- Posted on Jan 18, 07 at 12:27PM
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- 5 Comments
January 18th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
i like felicity-she seems like a really cool, decent person(and apparently clever too!) she and “bill” seem like awesome parents =)
January 18th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
She seems to be a very cool and down to earth mom.
January 21st, 2007 at 1:25 pm
I think she is a very cool person but why is it said that she invented stay in place pillows for gliders/rocket chairs? For all I know of, they must have been on the market for almost thirty years, because I know for sure that my mom used one when I was a baby.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Hi I’m a 27 year old mother inventor. My product is called the Bite Me Bumper. It’s a convertible crib rail guard to protect your crib and your baby from biting or falling on the crib rail. I invented it last year when my son was teething on his crib and I couldn’t find anything that would fit the large convertile crib rails. I also gave it thick padding to protect his head when he would fall. I sell it on amazon and ebay and I am trying to get it into stores.People realy seem to love it and it feels good to know that I’m helping other mothers with the same problem I had. It’s the only crib rail guard for convertile cribs. It comes in all different colors. Please visit my web site and tell me what you think. It’s nice to know that celebs are just like the rest of us. MOMS!
http://www.bitemebumper.com
June 21st, 2008 at 2:15 pm
The Bed Bath and Beyond website is normally out of most of the colors, and when we contacted them, they said that they are clearing out their supplies and will no longer carry it.
Do you know of anywhere else to find them (we do not have contact info for the company that makes them) or can you recommend a substitution?