CNN's morning anchor Soledad O'Brien says living the news ‑- from covering Hurricane Katrina to the 2004 tsunami ‑- has made her a more grateful mom. "It keeps everything in perspective," she says. "You can't have four healthy children and complain about your life."

For this mother of four kids under age six ‑- Sophia, five; Cecilia, four; and 20-month-old twin sons Charlie and Jackson ‑- life is certainly fast-paced. In fact, Soledad squeezed this interview in from a cab while taking her kids to the pediatrician! Read on for her take on the ins and outs of being a working mom today, overscheduling kids, her advice for managing multiples and why she doesn't even try to stay balanced.

Who inspires you as a mom?
A million people. I'm really lucky that my job takes me every day to meet people who inspire me. Just last week, I was presenting at a Big Brother/Big Sister event in New York, and I met a 16-year-old whose son is the same age as mine. She's positive, she's funny, she's cute ‑- and she's determined to learn from her mistakes. It's impossible not to be inspired by that.

What's the best parenting advice you've ever received or given?
Probably from my sister Maria, who has eight kids. She told me that things come in stages and to believe in "This, too, shall pass." It's really easy to be stressed in the moment, but you have to step back and realize it's not you; it's just the terrible twos. You can't get too worried about one stage.

Tell us about your involvement with March of Dimes. Did you experience premature birth?
Luckily, no. If anything, I was over 40 weeks with all of my pregnancies. As a mom, I felt like their message on preventing birth defects and premature birth was so important to share and an easy one to get out there.

Do you volunteer as a family?
My kids are mostly still too little. When you volunteer with small children, you become a much less helpful volunteer! My oldest daughter was very interested in helping with Katrina. When I would go to [fund-raising] events, she'd hand me quarters from her piggy bank. For [the kids], understanding what I do and how we help is important. If I have to go to an event at night and won't be there for bedtime, I explain why.

As a news anchor, you must see so much that's difficult to watch. How do you help your children stay optimistic when they see you covering so many things that are not?
Every story has its sad side, but in the aftermath, you see the optimism and tenacity. The people who open their homes, their lives, their checkbooks... if you can't be inspired by that, you have a heart of stone.

As a grown-up, you shape the information the kids get. After Katrina, my oldest daughter would ask me, "Did any babies die?" and "Do they have enough water?" When I went down to visit, she was really worried about my not having enough water. When she asked "What if you run into somebody who needs water?" I told her that you stop and you give it to them. Everything is an opportunity to teach.

You've said that, because of your work schedule, you're able to take the kids to doctor's appointments and to make dinner every night. How do you stay balanced?
I don't try. It's a lot like a [romantic] relationship, where you're supposed to aim for 50-50, but in reality, some days it's 70-30, and some days it's 90-10. What I try to do is not spin out of control too much.

How do you sneak in "me" time?
I don't get a lot, unfortunately. If I'm traveling, I make sure to bring books and catch up. I find manicure/pedicures a pain ‑- they're too slow for me, but that beats the purpose of going there to relax! "Alone time" for me is really just that: time alone. On the weekends, I like to go shopping ‑- not grocery shopping, just window-shopping ‑- and really try not to rush. For me, double-booking stresses me the most.

You've said you cook dinner every night. What's a typical dinner at your full house?
Well, I'm not a great cook ‑- a lot of what I do is "heating up." I love serving chicken nuggets, love pasta. The kids eat a lot of fish, and my oldest loves sushi ‑- California rolls and edamame! The boys like everything. But God knows, there's a speck of oregano on something and someone will shriek about it.

And dinner-table chats?
We ask, "What was the most fun thing you did today?" It's a way to focus the dinner a little. It's so easy to get involved in a phone call or get distracted.

Can you share some of your can't-live-without products for surviving early motherhood?
My Baby Bjorn ‑- I loved having my hands free. Somebody in CVS one day told me I was wearing it all wrong and helped fix it. My jogging stroller ‑- I guess I like things that allow me to multitask! I went through, like, 20 diaper bags, and the best one I had was cheap and light ‑- nothing in it aside from what you absolutely need.

Do you have any specific advice for moms of multiples?
They become really fun at 20 months old. All the stress of trying to manage two isn't as bad. They'll hold hands, they'll hug each other. You sort of emerge from the darkness, so stick it out!

Your mother is a black Cuban and your father is Australian ‑- what are some ways you enjoy your multiracial background and your husband's with your kids?
Soon, through travel. When the boys get older, we hope to take the kids to Australia and Cuba. The girls are starting to really understand and be curious about where Grandma's from and what she eats, and how it's different from what we eat.

I read that your whole immediate family attended Harvard! Would you like to see your children follow in your footsteps?
It does not make the slightest difference to me. There are all types of schools that are better for different personalities and interests, so I would never, ever push my children to do anything other than what they want and what inspires them.

What's your take on the overscheduled, overachieving child ‑- the baby learning Mandarin, prepping for that Ivy League education?
I actually think it's much ado about nothing. I never learned Mandarin, and neither did my kids, and the truth is, the best thing you can do with your children is to love them, have fun and encourage them to explore. And mostly what I've noticed is that now mothers are more interested in setting up play dates than entering their kids in pre-K SAT classes.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? What's your dream job?
I don't really have a dream job. I love telling stories, being in the field and doing important interviews. Right now, I'm doing what I want to do, and we'll see where that takes me.