Eva Mendes revealed when she is the 'happiest': Her summer plans with Ryan Gosling and kids Esmeralda and Amada

Eva Mendes is embracing a laid-back summer. The Hollywood star revealed that she is the "happiest" when she is with her family, and she is making the most of her time with her husband Ryan Gosling, and their kids Esmeralda Amada, 10, and Amada Lee, 9.

The actress and entrepreneur, 51, recently shared a glimpse at her summer plans during an interview with New Beauty, talking about her longtime partner and their two daughters. Eva revealed that she is focused on staying in the present and enjoying her kids' childhood.

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"I have no idea. We just go with the flow," she said of their summer schedule. "I'm not blaming my kids, but summer is their time to be kids, and I'm really taking it in." She added, "Our little one turned 9 last week, and our oldest one is 10."

Eva reflected on her motherhood journey and the moments she has with her kids. "I know these moments are fleeting. I just want to be with them. Whatever I'm doing, as long as I'm with them and Ryan, of course, that's where I'm happiest," she said.

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The star, who’s taken a step back from acting since 2014, has channeled her energy into raising her children and expanding her lifestyle brand. Eva also talked about her family dynamic at home, admitting on the Parenting & You podcast that some parenting habits haven’t been as easy to shake, particularly yelling.

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"I think one of the hardest patterns for me is yelling. Because I don’t yell when they need me, quote on quote, or I’ve never yelled, ‘Shut up!’ or anything," she said. "In my mind, it’s not like a mean yell. But it doesn’t matter, I yell. And it’s this yelling that I find so cultural but it’s like I’m having a really hard time getting through and not yelling. The rushing and the yelling for me.”

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She traced the habit back to her own upbringing. “My mother was definitely, again, so loving and so amazing but it was definitely like raising us by fear. That whole thing. That I really talk about being conscious of," she explained.

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"And I hope I’m not going to look back in 20 years and go, ‘Oh, shoot. I did that.’ Because I really don’t want to raise by fear. That’s the one…I’m getting emotional over [this] because it’s so not fair to the kids,” she added, tearing up.