2008 was the year Nicole Richie really turned her life around. She became a mother, got back into acting, launched a jewelry line and discovered a passion for children and charity work.

Nicole amazed me this year, and here’s a look back at her 4 best moments of 2008.

4) Launching House of Harlow 1960

Lots of celebrities foray into clothing and accessories, and Nicole is no exception. This was a year filled with rumors about Nicole-that she was launching a baby clothing line, a maternity line and jump-starting her music career. Her costume jewelry line, named after daughter Harlow, proved to be one rumor that was true! The line, which is available at Kitson, wonderfully reflects contemporary trends and Nicole’s personal style. It’s been quite a success, so who knows what Nicole will work on next.

3) Her guest appearance on Chuck

2008 was the year we saw Nicole get back to work. She appeared in a October episode of Chuck, playing a former high school cheerleader and current bad girl. This stint showed Hollywood that Nicole can carry her own weight in acting roles. Hopefully this means we’ll see more of Nicole on the small screen in the future.

2) Launching the Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation

Nicole and the Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation did a lot of great things in 2008. The foundation was officially launched in November 2007, but it came to its own this year. They are one of the first charities to actively take social media and new technology as a forum to raise awareness and funds for causes they believe in, including “Text CHILD to 90999“, “Facebook Fruitcake” and launching a MySpace page for the foundation. Nicole got personally involved by visiting a shelter and becoming an ambassador for UNICEF. Joel was in on the action and he visited the Central Republic of Africa with his brother earlier this year.

1) Giving birth to Harlow

Becoming a mother is a life-changing experience. Looking back on the other aspects of this list and you can’t help but notice the impact Harlow has had on Nicole’s decisions over the past year, from her charity work to her jewelry line. Celebs everywhere praised Nicole for her mothering skills and for all she accomplished this year. While rumors fly that Nicole is looking to expand the Richie-Madden clan, we can only wonder what she’s going to do next.

Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know what your favorite Nicole moment was in 2008!

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden have started a campaign to get all their fans to donate virtual fruitcakes this holiday season. You can visit Regift the Fruitcake and donate a virtual fruitcake via PayPal to help the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation. The donation will go towards helping children gain access to medical services, healthy food and clean water.

This video is a bit strange. I think it’s supposed to come across as fun and spontaneous, it feels a bit stiff. I guess they didn’t have enough time to practice. That being said, this is a great cause and I’m glad Nicole and Joel are getting involved. I also love how they are using social media to do this. First texting and now Facebook!

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden were one of several celebrities to participate in a promotional video for Believe in Zero, a new campaign from UNICEF that is working to eradicate poverty and preventable diseases in children in developing countries. Lucy Liu, Mia Farrow, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Milano, Laurence Fishburne, Clay Aiken and many others make appearances.

Believe in Zero is a cause that Joel Madden strongly believes in. He recently went to Africa as a UNICEF ambassador and made another promotional video of his own for Believe in Zero.

To find out more about the organiztion, or how you can get involved, visit Ibelieveinzero.org.

According to Contact Music, Nicole Richie was officially given her license to drive back on September 19th.

After being convicted for her DUI, Nicole’s license was suspended for a year. This suspension was lifted and Nicole now holds a restricted license, meaning she can drive for work-related purposes. Nicole must be allowed to rive herself to her alcohol-education class and other DUI-related activities because she was seen driving herself to class last week!

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden went on Extra to talk about their newest charity initiative “Text CHILD to 90999“. In the wake of having Harlow, Nicole and Joel decided they needed to give back to the community and make sure that all children’s lives, not just their daughter’s, would be better.

The interview is really short and only covers the basics of the campaign, but it’s obvious how passionate Nicole and Joel are about the project.

I love that Nicole can joke about the constant second pregnancy rumors!

Nicole Richie visited Beyond Shelter with a friend last week. The pal brought along a video camera and recorded the whole thing. There are over 175 children and families staying at Beyond Shelter while they look for a more permanent home. This shelter is where Nicole and Joel Madden are hoping to build a playground with funds from their “Text CHILD to 909999” campaign.

In the video below, Nicole meets several people staying at Beyond Shelter.

“It’s just you and me making this happen. There is so much we can do together to help. A playground is just the beginning. We can change the world — you and I,” Nicole writes on the Richie-Madden MySpace. “I’m asking from my heart, and I cannot do it without your help. Please, you guys. Thank you for watching, texting and passing it on.”

I texted this morning! $5 isn’t really a lot to be asking. Did you text?

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden’s text-a-thon appears to be a smashing success. The couple has raised $10,000 already and are on mark to reach their goal of $35,000. The money will go towards building a new playground in a low-income area of Los Angeles.

“Text CHILD to 90999″ has received 1,825 text messages so far, according to People. Each text has given a $5 donation.

Joel has vowed to get out on the playground and play with the kids once it’s built. That will be a lot of fun to see!

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are trying inventive new ways to get their young and tech-savvy fans involved in efforts to do good. Their latest venture is a text-messaging campaign. The duo is partnering with MySpace to raise funds for their children’s charity, the Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation.

“We hope our support will shine a spotlight on important issues facing children and will inspire and educate the public, especially young people, to get involved, too. We want to do more than write checks,” Nicole and Joel write on their website.

The “Text CHILD to 90999″ campaign’s primary goal is to build a playground in a housing project in LA.

“We think there should be a playground on the concrete slab you’re sitting on,” Joel said at a recent event.. “It’s bigger than building a playground, but this is an exciting start. And I’ll come play on it.”

I think this is a fun and neat way to raise money for charity. I wish Nicole, Joel and their charity the best in this endeavor.

You can see photos from the launch here.

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are actively seeking an intern to work on their website for their organization, the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation.

The internship is currently posted on Quarterlife. Nicole and Joel are looking for someone who knows HTML, CSS and Photoshop, because they will be in charge of updating the website and coordinating photos with Wire Images.

The internship is unpaid and requires working 10 hours a week.

Would you work for Nicole and Joel?

Nicole Richie keeps giving back. On Friday, it was announced that Nicole would be launching a chartiable gift donation website through her children’s charity, the Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation. Needed products like cribs, strollers and blankets will be posted on the site and donors can select what they buy. It works very much like a wedding or baby registry.

Families in need can sign up for the service through local social service programs.

We take for granted the basic necessities. For some families, it’s a serious struggle,” Nicole said to People. “This is one way to ease the financial burden, and help new babies have a good start in life. We are only working with companies and products that Joel and I would use. We’re checking every product out for safety – and all products are BPA-free.”

I think it’s wonderful that Nicole is providing such a service! Becoming a mother has really done wonders for Nicole, and as a result, the whole country is going to benefit!

The website has yet to be launched, but I’ll let you know when it does!