Holly Robinson Peete is one accomplished lady. She's built an impressive acting resume. She's a published author, has her own radio show, runs a charitable foundation, and is married to former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete.

But Holly is also a mom ... a mom of four, in fact. Twins Ryan and Rodney are 11, and sons Robinson and Roman are six and three. "Even thought I'm not doing a specific TV show now," said Holly, "I've never been busier in my life." She and I had a chance to talk this week, and despite her Hollywood history and the many projects she's juggling, when two moms talk, the conversation quickly turns to kids and parenting.



Holly recently teamed up with Liberty Mutual to educate parents about fire safety, especially during the upcoming holiday season. "I consider myself a resourceful mom," Holly said. But she quickly realized that even she wasn't doing everything she could to protect her family from a house fire. "If I don't know this, then a lot of parents must not know this stuff."

"People take it for granted that kids have fire drills in schools," Holly said, "But we don't have them at home." To teach your own children about fire safety, Holly encourages every family to educate themselves in prevention and to have an escape route that they practice regularly.

Fire safety is especially important during the holiday season. Holly says she loves to burn candles during the holidays, and since the family practices Kwanzaa, they also use a kinara. "Blow out your candles!" (she tells us all, and never let them burn while you're away or overnight. Keep them up out of reach of children and pets, too (especially big dogs with big tails, says Holly).

It's also important to make sure that when you're cooking that holiday feast that you never walk away from the stove. Check your smoke alarms to make sure they're working, and never, ever, dismantle one ... even if it's driving you crazy while you cook. Finally, for more information on fire safety, visit Be Fire Smart.

When Holly isn't spreading the word on fire safety or working on one of her projects, she's busy parenting her kids. We talked for a while about her son, RJ, who has autism, and how it felt for her as a parent of a child with special needs to see special needs advocacy play a part in the recent Presidential election.

Of Barack Obama's victory, Holly said, "I'm thrilled, elated, blessed to be alive. I'm glad my mom is still here and wish my dad was still alive." She feels that not only are the Obamas a real couple with real issues, but that they're connect with what's going on in this country. Holly has spoke to Michelle Obama about her experiences as a parent of an autistic child and hopes the new administration will support this under-served community. Activist that she already is, Holly says she would love to sit on a board or commission that addresses autism specifically.

Though Holly believes that vaccines don't necessarily cause autism, she does believe that they can be a trigger when the right environmental and genetic circumstances are in place. Holly talked about the "missing study," the one that addresses the impact of how the totality of the vaccine schedule affect children differently. For instance, RJ's twin, Ryan, does not have autism. Holly wonders if it's possible that boys should have a different vaccine schedule than girls.

Even when talking about a serious topic, Holly's pretty funny. She acknowledged the "Hatfield and McCoy drama" or "A-list Celebrity Death Match" that goes on between celebrity parents when they talk about vaccinations. "I'm more like Switzerland," says Holly. "We need some Kum By Yah moments now."

Holly says that celeb parents speak out because they feel like they, like other parents, aren't getting the information that they need. "People walk up to me on the street and say, 'Holly I'm scared to death to vaccinate my kid. But I'm scared to death not to.' I understand this fear." But she'd like to see a kinder, gentler, more inclusive dialogue going on, rather than parents being divided into camps -- vaccinate vs. don't vaccinate.

"We're so busy playing defense that we aren't playing offense," said Holly, who feels that pediatricians and the mainstream medical community may not be willing to admit to any sort of connection between vaccines and autism because they fear people will stop vaccinating their kids, or that they may even see it as an admission of guilt. Her hope is that in the future, we can "tone down the rhetoric" and quit worrying about who's wrong and who's right.

Holly's own son has shown great improvement using hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Her long-term dream is building a HollyRod Miracle House, where children with autism can come for affordable and accessible treatment, and where they can try some of these alternative therapies that traditional doctors might not necessarily prescribe.

Holly wants us all to keep an eye out for a new family-oriented talk show she's planning, sort of a "Regis & Kelly meets Run's House." In the mean time, she'll be playing the role that she does best ... mom.