Oprah Talks to Kathryn Sansone

Oprah: How do you keep everything organized?

Kathryn: I'm an organizational fanatic. I created a locker room that the children pass through when they come in the house. Each child has a personal locker, and every day when they arrive home from school, they dump their stuff there—backpacks, shoes, soccer uniforms. I organize them by season: In summer I put their swimsuits in the locker room, and during winter the hats and gloves go there. As for keeping their clothes organized, thank goodness for school uniforms! I lay out their clothes on their dressers the night before, and until last September, I made all their lunches. I also try to get any school papers and tests signed and ready to go back in the morning.

Oprah: How many bedrooms in this house?

Kathryn: One for us, four for the kids. They're all doubling up—two boys, two boys, two boys, and three girls. But they only use two of the four bedrooms because they all end up sleeping in one another's beds.

Oprah: What are mornings like around here?

Kathryn: Very smooth. The key is the big shower we had designed for the kids. It has four showerheads, so we just throw the boys in there together.

Oprah: Hold on a sec—I think Anthony needs something. [Five-year-old Anthony opens the door.] Anthony, what do you need?

Anthony: I need my dad.

Oprah: Goodbye, Jim. Okay, Kathryn—what were you saying about the shower?

Kathryn: After the shower, they drop all their clothes down a chute to the laundry room. Then they dress, and we all have breakfast.

Oprah: What kind of breakfast do you prepare?

Kathryn: I'll make eggs and French toast, bagels with cheese, and I'll throw some bacon on the George Foreman grill. That thing is a huge hit.

Oprah: You cook like that every morning?

Kathryn: On school mornings. I usually don't make a big breakfast on weekends. Sometimes Jim cooks.

Oprah: Do you take all the children to school?

Kathryn: My husband drops off our high schooler, and I take the other five in our SUV at around 7:30. By that time, a caretaker comes in to watch the three youngest children.