MBELDOG BLOG

Kendra Wilkinson learned more than the tango during her time on Dancing with the Stars.

After her surprise elimination Tuesday night, the reality star says she's seeing things from a whole new perspective.

"I had the most amazing time, but after seven weeks of being on Dancing with the Stars, it actually made me think about real life," Wilkinson, 25, tells Parade. "I know what true love is now – and that's, of course, my son and my husband."

Continues Wilkinson: "Every now and then it's cool to get dressed up and glamorous, but at the end of the day, I love what's real and what's real is family ... I'm so happy that I get to be a mom again!"

Wilkinson, who has one son – 1½-year-old Hank Jr. – with her pro-football-playing husband Hank Baskett, has some simple tips for other mothers who might be struggling.

"My number one piece of advice to all moms is to just breathe," she says. "Take time for yourself, even if it's just going to the bathroom and taking a couple breathers. Take at least five minutes out of the day for yourself – you need it, you deserve it."

Wilkinson also pays tribute to one of the major benefits of being on DWTS.

"My body is so great now," she says. "The different dances did different things, like the Latin dances would shape my thighs and my calves and my butt because of all the twisting. And it would make you sweat, that's the real calorie burner right there."

"But the Viennese waltz and the tango, it's all in the legs," she says. "You're doing a full squat for two minutes. It's more intense than anybody would think. My body's back into shape and I'm so happy."

Credit: PEOPLE (Sara Hammel)

After seven weeks of rocky performances, Kendra Wilkinson was voted off Dancing With the Stars on Tuesday night.

"Some flowers bloom early, some flowers bloom late, and you've been a late blossoming girl," judge Len Goodman, 67, reassured the E! reality star. "The last few weeks you've really come on."

How did Wilkinson -- who was in the bottom three with Kirstie Alley, 60, and Chelsea Kane, 22 -- take the news?

"I've lasted seven weeks, which is seven weeks longer than I ever thought I would last," she said. "I want to thank Louis [van Amstel] for sticking with me and not fighting me."

Now that she's out of the competition -- only Alley, Kane, Romeo, Hines Ward and Ralph Macchio remain -- Wilkinson can finally get back to her daily routine.

"Baby Hank, I'm coming home for you!" the proud mom, 25, exclaimed. "I may not the best dancer, but I am the best mom."

Credit: Us Magazine

From the ballroom to the bedroom!

Turns out the judges weren't the only ones raving about Kendra Wilkinson's sultry moves on Monday's Dancing With the Stars. The 25-year-old Playboy alum's husband, Hank Baskett, was highly impressed with her hip shaking.

"Right after the [team] dance tonight we walked over to Hank and he said, 'Honey! I didn't know you could do the splits!'" Wilkinson's pro partner, Louis van Amstel, told Us Weekly after the pair took part in a group cha-cha routine with Kirstie Alley, Hines Ward and their partners.

Wilkinson says the flexibility tricks she's learned during her DWTS stint have come in handy behind closed doors.

"It's definitely great," Wilkinson told Us of the impact DWTS has had on her and Baskett's sex life. "If you come to my trailer after this you may see it moving back and forth. I'm definitely bringing the splits into the bedroom tonight!"

While Wilkinson relishes in DWTS' bedroom benefits, she admits to Us she worries about having the confidence to advance on the series.

"I have the physical, emotional [and] mental [strategy] to make it. But I'm still working on believing in myself," says Wilkinson, who also performed an intricate tango on Monday's show. "I have so much to offer and so much love and emotion to show. It's like a flower just starting to blossom, it's a process. Some flowers bloom overnight -- but not me!"

Credit: Us Magazine

Kendra Wilkinson and partner Louis van Amstel are spotted at the studio for Dancing with the Stars practice. Later, Hank Baskett arrived to catch a peek at his wife's progress.

Credit: Zimbio

Guess he liked it?

Bruno Tonioli got seriously overheated following Kendra Wilkinson's samba routine with partner Louis van Amstel on Monday's Dancing with the Stars ("Guilty Pleasures" night).

After the Playboy alum and reality star, 25, pulled off a super-sexy dance to Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca," the eccentric judge didn't offer much in the way of constructive criticism.

Instead, Tonioli quipped, "Ladies and gentleman, Dancing with the Stars presents: Revenge of the Stripper, Part 1!"

Tonioli then threw out a dollar bill and lay down on the judges' table. "Let's do it now, let's get it over with!"

Wilkinson and van Amstel laughed nervously and stepped back. The other judges praised the pair. "That was a guilty pleasure, my dear!" Carrie Ann Inaba gushed. "You were so in your element in this dance...Boy, that was a big performance!"

Added Len Goodman: "The more you gyrate, the more I palpitate! Well done."

As she rehearsed her routine, Wilkinson promised to bring "a lot of jiggle" -- plus clean , crisp lines and perfect technique -- to the performance.

"I'm gonna shake my butt all the way to the top of the leader board!"

In the end, she nabbed 25 points -- including a grateful 9 from Tonioli.

Credit: Us Magazine