I am a mom to three boys under the age of 11. My husband and I work, our children go to two different schools, and we all get on an airplane and get out of dodge monthly. Shockingly, we accomplish all of this on time and without anyone crying or YELLING.

How you ask? How do we achieve the unthinkable? Three simple steps.

#1 "Make every day groundhog day." Yes, your life may wind up pretty boring, but it's better than being late to work because you had a power struggle with 3 year old over red/green socks. In our family, every morning, we do the same exact thing, at the exact same time. Sure, some days we may be loose and let a kid eat a granola bar in his bed, but, for the most part, we run the tightest of ships. Children love routines, and you will too when you leave your home on time!

#2 "Have only one cook in the kitchen." Ir doesn't matter who, but only one parent should take charge of directing the morning chaos. No egos allowed here. Whoever has better time management skills should be running your family's morning show every single day. Yeah, the other parent may feel a bit diminished, but when the children know where direction is coming from, things will go much faster.

#3 "I am not your servant." Stop catering to every one of your child's demands. Your kids have hands and feet -- make them use them. You don't have to be mean or nasty about it, just let them know in a matter of fact way, that they have their own responsibilities each morning. I'm not saying this will be easy, but if you do it every day (see #1 "make every day groundhog day"), your kids will eventually get it. This not only takes tons of needy requests off of your back, but will ultimately empower your kids for the future.

Follow these straight forward tools every single day (remember that routine people!!!) and you'll be out your door on-time, happy and stress free.