Kelly Clarkson Is Back From Summer ‘Hanging Out In Nature’

Kelly Clarkson spoke to NBC's Today Show about spending her summer vacation. She took some time off, and was enjoying life with her two kids, River and Remington.

Kelly said it had been a long time since she's had the whole summer off, "16 years old, and I don't think it's maybe common for a lot of working people, you don't get summers off unless you're in high school. But I just had a minute, and it has obviously been a rough couple of years; it was really important to be to shut down for a minute."

Hoda Kotb asked what she did during the summer, and Clarkson replied, "I literally four-wheeled in the mountains, and I have a lot of water on my property, so my sister and nephew and I and a couple of friends just literally spent the summer in the mountains just hanging out in nature. And the kids were with me, and it was nice because they usually have to travel a lot because of our separation, but we were both (she and her ex-husband) in Montana, so it felt for the first time, my kids felt a little more centered as well. It was nice."

Kelly said her children are excited to return to school this month, "My kids, it's the first year my kids are going to the same school cause he's (Remi) now in kindergarten, so he's very excited about the big playground."

The Kelly Clarkson Show's fourth season begins this month (August).

Kelly Clarkson celebrates her 40th birthday on Sunday (4/24), and while she says it's going to be "low-key" this year noting to E!, "I know it's my big 4-0, but I've had a crazy two years, so I just wanted a chill birthday." She is planning a dinner with her band and hiking with friends, but we want to make a big deal about it and celebrate.

Kelly is the perfect combination of a fantastic singer, an honest songwriter, and an infectious and downright fun personality.

She not only hosts her own daily talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, but she is also a regular on NBC's The Voice, and she just recently started co-hosting another NBC show called American Song Contest with Snoop Dogg.

We are covering her ten best radio singles for this special birthday list, and no doubt it was hard to choose.