The People cover girl and mom of two opens up to momlogic.
Jodi Bryson: Waiting in line to buy groceries this week was a lesson in having it all. Melissa Joan Hart, mother of two, is smiling and posing like it's no big deal to be in a purple bikini on the cover of People magazine. Could just any mother imagine her post-babies' body as the cover photo in millions of homes, offices, and market checkout kiosks coast-to-coast?
Go, Melissa Joan Hart!
As a working actress, wife, and mother of two sons, Mason and Brady, Melissa isn't exactly twiddling her well-manicured thumbs. She only has one nanny (despite the Hollywood trend of three or more), which means she doesn't take much personal time away from her kids.
For momlogic, busy Melissa with the hot new bikini body sat down to talk about how she plans on growing her family while she continues to grow her career, and why working and date night are the keys to a successful marriage.
momlogic: The body. Is it safe to say you spend some real time working on that body?
Melissa Joan Hart: It's the hardest part. First you have to get your willpower back. It's all about willpower! Then it's all about scheduling so you can get to the gym. I make a real effort to get to the gym. And it takes work. It takes a lot of work.
momlogic: That work has paid off! How do you find the willpower to diet or go to the gym with two babies and a husband?
MJH: I found the littlest thing that makes me feel really good, and it's my little reward. I go right after the gym to get my nails done, even if it's just a polish change. It's just a little thing but it makes me feel great, cleaner, prettier.
momlogic: The body, career, family ... You are so skilled at keeping it all together with a minimum of stress!
MJH: I feel like I have some things figured out. And even though sometimes I feel guilty about being away from my kids for a few hours, I try to squash that really quickly.
momlogic: You just got your body back, and yet we read that you want more babies!
MJH: I come from a big family, and I want to have three or four kids. I adore my boys to pieces! And if that's all God grants me, I'm fine. But I know myself well enough to know that I'm going to want another baby. It's not necessarily that I want girls. It's because I just know I want more babies.
momlogic: What's the toughest part of being a working mother and wife?
MJH: I think the hardest part of it all is staying focused. Let's say you're at the park with your kid and your friend's kid. You lose focus and you don't see your kid for a second and you panic! You think ohmigod, I'm not a good mom. You have to learn how to really multitask.
momlogic: Can you share an idea for better multitasking?
MJH: My kids love to be in my office with me so I keep a little basket of toys in there. They love to type on my computer and talk on the phone, so I got them an unplugged keyboard and old phone, put them on the ground, and let them bang away on them.
momlogic: And Mark? How do you find time for the third (or first!) man in your life?
MJH: Date nights are a big deal for us! We made the mistake of making our date night a Friday, and we were fighting the crowds at the movies and waiting an hour to eat at the Cheesecake Factory! Now we go on Wednesdays.
momlogic: It's great to hear that a celebrity eats at the Cheesecake Factory! Especially one that was just in a purple bikini on People!
MJH: We do lots of things! But we also realized something else: Date night was a lot more fun with another couple! We already spend a ton of time alone at home, so now we go out with friends. We find that we talk about other things. We get into their lives and other conversations about current events and politics and things that are more fun than the usual.
momlogic: Speaking of other couples, what is your opinion of the celebrity baby trend?
MJH: Babies are the new black! I think it's interesting. For a while it was cool to carry your dog on the red carpet, and now it's cool to bring your kid. It's wild how our kids are celebrities. Like, I never knew who Paul Newman's kids are but we all know who Suri Cruise is. I don't know if the media needs more to write about, but I love sharing my kids with the world. I love showing them off a little!
momlogic: How big of a role does a nanny play in managing your household, job, and family?
MJH: My one thing is, don't let a nanny raise the child. I set the ground rules and she follows them. Our nanny has become a good friend. It's really hard sometimes with the boundaries, exactly because I want to treat her like a friend, but that's also why there are ground rules. We've only had one nanny, and she's been with us since the second son was born.
momlogic: Do you have any advice for finding the ideal nanny?
MJH: It gets tricky, but honestly you can find checklists online when you're hiring a nanny, and we used those lists! I printed up a list of questions and asked her the ones that were important to me. I didn't want someone who smoked. But a big thing for us was knowing where and if our nanny went to church.
momlogic: And the kids are happy?
MJH: They're very happy! They're very laid-back and active ... and amazing! The changes happen day-to-day. If I'm working and I get a call, I feel like "Ah, man!" Literally I miss a day and I miss so much. It's amazing how quickly it happens.
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Jodi Bryson is a journalist who likes to write about everything she loves: beauty, dogs, wine, men, kids, and sometimes furniture. In that order. |
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