Filed under 'Mark Wilkerson'

As the oldest of eight kids, actress Melissa Joan Hart has always wanted a big, boisterous family of her own. But she’s the first to admit that being a mom isn’t always easy! Melissa, 32, who has kids Mason, 3, and Brady, almost 1, with husband Mark Wilkerson, recently chatted to Parents about some of the challenges of motherhood – like potty training, losing the baby weight and learning to listen to her Mommy instincts. On wanting more kids: “Since I was little, I knew that I wanted to have children. I'm the oldest of eight kids, and I have always liked the idea of a big family. I love my siblings, and I loved growing up with all of them. Having a big family has always been very important to me, and I would hate for my kids to not be able to experience that. Mark and I would like to have more eventually.” On losing the baby weight: “I wasn't in any hurry to lose the pregnancy weight. I did lose it, but only once I put my mind to it. I am lucky to have really good genes; my mom is super-skinny after having all of us. I found that after having Mason, as soon as I stopped breastfeeding it was easier to drop the extra pounds. When you're trying to feed your kids healthy food, you take better care of yourself. After I had Brady, I began eating healthier right away. I was also chasing around a very active 2-year-old, which meant constant calorie burning.”

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4/24/07: Melissa Joan Hart, with husband Mark Wilkerson and son Mason (15 mos.) shopping in New York.  credit: Pacific Coast News