Jessica Alba: "I’ve Learned To Love My Stretch Marks"

Health-conscious mom Jessica Alba is the cover girl for the February issue of Self magazine. The 28-year-old star of the upcoming flick Valentine's Day opens up about everything from her marriage to longtime love Cash Warren to their oh-so-adorable 1 1/2-year-old daughter Honor Marie - and reveals how she learned to love her pregnancy stretch marks.

Here are a few of the interview highlights:

On how she unwinds: “Honor is the best cure for stress. When I spend time with her, I get instant perspective. I can be hard on myself if I don’t do everything perfectly. But now that I have her, there’s no time for that. I want to teach her that you can learn from your mistakes, and if you keep moving and stay positive and loving, everything will work out.”

On her post-baby body: “Even though some might consider them a flaw, I’ve learned to love my stretch marks. Pregnancy was the most incredible experience I’ve ever had. So I’ll take the stretch marks. I’ll take the sagging boobs. I’ll take the cellulite I can never get rid of. If you walk around with your head held high and you’re happy and positive, then all that other stuff is irrelevant. Confidence is number one.”

On her marriage: “I love the way I feel after Cash and I wake up. Or talk on the phone. Everything! Every time I see him or talk to him, I fall in love with him all over again.”

On her anti-diet stance: “Diets are for the birds. I think you have to eat in a way that makes you feel your best. I include a lot of vegetables and lean protein and fruit and grains in my diet. I’m not a big workout person. Every single day, I tell my girlfriends we’re starting a regimen. And then it’s, like, ‘Want to get dinner? Want a glass of wine?’”

On being a politician if she wasn’t an actress: “I used to think being a marine biologist would be the best thing ever, but now that I’ve grown up and seen things in the world, I think politics. Advocating and lobbying for certain issues would be a pretty interesting way to live your life… When I was in Washington, D.C., I got to meet Nancy Pelosi. She was so warm. I just grinned from ear to ear with my mouth open and my eyes bulging out of my head! Afterward, I called Cash and totally geeked out. I was beside myself. Tickled pink! The fact that a woman is speaker of the house? Oh, my God!”

On her Craigslist addiction: “I’ve bought 70 percent of my house off CraigsList! I’ve found so many things: couches, tables, lamps. I love the idea of recycling furniture and there being a history there.”

On where she'll be 10 years: “I’d love to be raising my kids on a farm in the South of France. My mother-in-law has lived there for more than 20 years, and she has a beautiful setup. I want to be able to allow Honor and my other kids, who I hope to be blessed with in the future, to maintain their innocence for as long as possible. There is so much time to be an adult.”