To say she’s gone through a major life transition with motherhood would be an understatement, and Katherine Heigl is ready to jump back into the spotlight on the cover of Good Housekeeping's September 2014 Issue.

The former “Grey’s Anatomy” star explains that due to her own family background she was eager to have her own diverse household- "My family had its own unique look. And I wanted the one I began with my husband to have the same look, in a way."

And while she’s made some adjustments to be able to go back to work, Katherine had some challenges when her daughter Naleigh first arrived in 2009.

"I would come home angry and frustrated that I'd missed everything with my kid that day. I didn't get to wake her up from her nap, or do bath time or bedtime. I'd have to sneak into her room and kiss her when she was sleeping, hoping not to wake her up. I felt like my priorities were messed up. I was putting so much time and energy into just my work, but I was raised [to believe] that family comes first."

Three years later, Heigl and her husband Josh Kelley adopted another girl named Adalaide. "We brought her home, and right away Naleigh was like a little mommy. She'd say, 'No, no. You're not holding her right.' Or, 'She needs to eat again.' "

"Naleigh would go off to her ballet classes and other stuff, and I would sit with the baby at home. I would read, and she would lie on my chest, and we'd lie on the couch with, like, four dogs, and watch Friday Night Lights. I found it so peaceful,” she adds.