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‘I don’t know how women have back to back kids and they’re all tiny,’ says 90210 star Jennie Garth

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Actress Jennie Garth with daughters Lola Ray Facinelli, Luca Bella Facinelli and Fiona Eve Facinelli. (Photo by Paul Redmond/WireImage)

As one of the main characters of the mega-hit “Beverly Hills 90210,” Kelly Taylor went through a lot during the decade the show aired. Played by Jennie Garth, Kelly became unexpectedly pregnant, was temporarily addicted to cocaine, shot her rapist, and endured many other trials and tribulations.

Garth’s life couldn’t be further removed from the drama that ensued on the teen soap that started in 1990.

Today, Garth is a twice-divorced mom of three who’s been married to actor David Abrams since last July. She loves playing board games with her family and renovating homes.

After starring in all 10 seasons of “Beverley Hills 90210,” Garth went on to reprise her role in that show’s spinoff, “90210” in 2013. Aside from other projects, including a stint on “Dancing With the Stars,” she has had two reality shows: “Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country,” which saw her move family to a seven-acre farm in the countryside of Central California, and “The Jennie Garth Project,” which followed the then-single mom renovating a dated Hollywood Hills house for her and her three kids

The reality shows gave a glimpse into her life as a mom of three girls, now aged 19, 13, and 10. Like any modern-day parent, Garth says it can be challenging to carve out quality time as a family.

“I know that with phones and computers and laptops and iPads and everything, the world is a lot more stressful than it used to be,” Garth tells Yahoo Canada over the phone from Anaheim. “It’s all a constant pulling at you.”

“For me, it’s imperative that we unplug once in a while and try and get the kids off their phones and just sort of be a family, spend time with each other eye to eye, playing games and stuff like that,” she says, admitting that she gets resistance from her kids when she tells them to get off their devices.

“They’ll say, ‘no, just one more game!’ or my oldest wants to take her phone Snapchatting with her friends. You just have to be the parent and say ‘not today, we’re going to focus on each other’…and commit to interacting with your kids.”

A photo posted by Jennie (@jenniegarth) on Apr 4, 2016 at 4:03pm PDT

A photo posted by Jennie (@jenniegarth) on Oct 10, 2015 at 10:32am PDT

One way Garth likes to connect with her children is through some good old-fashioned fun.

“I just started doing puzzles; they’re addicting!” she says. “I’m a puzzle person. It may sound cheesy, but the kids love doing it with me.”

Garth says she also likes doing road trips and spontaneous weekend getaways with her family to reconnect. She tends to opt for accommodations that come with a kitchen so they have the option of eating in – Staybridge Suites is a favourite.

“There are times when you just want to hang out with your family and have foods you’re used to,” she says. “I go through phases when I cook. Now that my girls are a little bit older, they can cook for me so I’m grateful for that. With my 10-year-old, she can read a recipe and if she finds a recipe she wants to do she can whip it up.”

Despite juggling career and family, she says the toughest days ever during her career were those when she was expecting.

“The hardest job over the years has probably been acting during pregnancies,” she says. “You don’t really get to have a sick day. when you have the flu you have to show up; there’s nobody that can take your place.”

She also admits that it can be tough living up to the physical standard Hollywood has for women.

“I don’t know how women do it that have back to back kids and they’re all tiny,” she adds. “I give them a lot more credit than me.”