Britney Spears takes the cover for the January 2009 issue of Glamour magazine. It’s fitting since 2009 may be a huge year for her with her much-anticipated Circus tour. In the interview she talks about the kids, the crazies, and her work, all previewed below the cut.

GLAMOUR: OK, the VMAs. Three awards, that standing ovation. How did it feel?

Britney Spears: It was awesome. It was really cool.

GLAMOUR: What was going through your head while you were standing onstage?

BS: This whole year has been a hell of a year for me. I have been working so hard on my album, but…I didn’t know exactly where I stood with everyone. When I received the awards and [the audience] stood for me, it showed me how much love is out there.

GLAMOUR: You seemed so confident.

BS: This has been a crazy year for me. I got a lot of strength from it.

GLAMOUR: If you could send a message to your longtime fans who aren’t sure about buying your new CD, what would it be?

BS: Well, I have been working on this album for a while now, so it’s really close to me. I think they will get a taste of where I’m coming from. Hopefully it will be my best work yet.

GLAMOUR: How does it feel to come back?

BS: I have “come back” so many times, people are just like, Is this another one?… It’s kind of like a joke to me now.

GLAMOUR: How are the lyrics on this album different from your earlier songs like “…Baby One More Time”?

BS: I think they’re a bit older because I’ve experienced more. [The album’s] got a cooler vibe.

GLAMOUR: I just heard “Womanizer.”

BS: That’s a really empowering song. There are so many guys who take advantage of girls and play girls all the time. The song is basically saying that we’ve got your number—we know what you’re up to.

GLAMOUR: Describe Circus for us.

BS: It’s really personal, and I think people will feel that when they hear it. It’s me talking to them, instead of just singing a song about something.

GLAMOUR: I’d like to know a little bit about a day in the life of Britney. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

BS: I fix breakfast for my kids when they’re here. And then we’ll go for walks. During the day I spend most of the time with my children. At night is when I go to work.

GLAMOUR: What is one of the last things you do at night before you go to bed?

BS: Watch TV. I love Sex and the City.

GLAMOUR: Speaking of kids, do you feel like you have the same body confidence now after having kids?

BS: I’m getting there. Recently I started to appreciate my body a bit more from before I had kids. But it completely changed, and I have had to work hard at getting it back to where it used to be…. I used to be obsessed with working out…. But I can’t get motivated right now because I’m so focused on my music.

GLAMOUR: You shouldn’t feel guilty about not going to the gym every single day.

BS: It isn’t fun [for me], so to do it every day would be horrible. Three days a week is cool, even two. It makes me feel good and feel like I’ve done something. It’s important to take care of your body.

GLAMOUR: What was it like for you when Jamie Lynn [Spears’ sister] had a baby?

BS: It was mind-boggling!

GLAMOUR: Do you have advice for her?

BS: As a mother, the one thing that always goes through your head is, You’re never enough. You never can be enough—or do enough—for your kids. It’s a never-ending issue for me. I had to learn: Don’t beat yourself up so much…. You have to take it one day at a time, do the best that you can and enjoy yourself. I notice that if there are some times I’ve been stressed, because I’m human and stress about things, that affects your kids. So you have to make sure you’re a happy mom so they can be happy.

GLAMOUR: What do you plan to teach your boys about how to treat women?

BS: Hopefully they will respect me by the way I carry myself, and in doing that, they will know how to respect other women.

GLAMOUR: How do you feel about the example you’ve been setting?

BS: We have a nanny in the house, but there are always times when one of my kids does something bad or wrong and they’ll listen to me more than they do the nanny. So I think it’s important to set up that boundary of respect for them at a young age, so they will know, I better listen to Mommy.

GLAMOUR: If there’s one thing that you want them to remember your telling them, what would it be?

BS: That I love them unconditionally.

GLAMOUR: Everyone seems to have an idea of what you are like. What does everybody get wrong about you?

BS: I don’t like going out. I hate clubs. I hate being around too many people. I love my home and staying in bed and watching Dancing With the Stars or reading a Danielle Steel novel. I’m kind of boring.

GLAMOUR: Did you say you’re kind of boring? I think people will be really happy to hear that! How do you envision your life five or 10 years from now?

BS: I would love to have a lot of albums under my belt. And a couple of movies…. In five years I would like to be married and have a father figure for my kids, someone who is a provider and can be really stable. It’s hard doing it on your own.

GLAMOUR: Who understands you most?

BS: Probably my mom. We butt heads the most, but we understand each other the most too. It’s a weird thing.

GLAMOUR: This is appearing in our January issue, and that’s when we all make resolutions. After everything that’s gone on, what will some of yours be?

BS: I would like to stop worrying so much, because I worry all the time. And to learn how to be happier, just in general. I have to learn to take things not so seriously. And to stop biting my nails!… Recording this album has helped take my mind off certain things. For me, my music is therapy.

GLAMOUR: How do you feel about the tradition of New Year’s resolutions?

BS: I end up breaking them. It’s hard.