Its Monday morning (again). You glance at the kitchen clock and gulp down a cup of coffee while attempting to put on your clothes at the same time and realize that you only have 5 minutes to get your 5 year old dressed and ready for school, not to mention you still need to pack her lunch. Not soon enough do you remember that you were warned the previous Thursday by your easy-going boss (not!) for being late the third day in a row.

Sound all-too familiar? Hey, no one said being a working mom would be easy, but here are 5 steps to help you achieve that delicate Monday morning balance:

- - First and foremost, be prepared. If need be, pack your childs lunch the night before. Give your child a bath the night before as well. Do your washing and ironing on the weekend so that all clothes are hung and ready to go prepare at least 5 outfits for each member of the family over the weekend and have your husband and children assist you in the process.

- - Set your alarm clock 10-15 minutes earlier to allow yourself more time in the morning. If need be, go to bed 10-15 minutes earlier to make up for the time difference. Wake up before your kids to shower and dress.

-- Keep breakfast simple and healthy. If you feel that you just dont have the time for breakfast, try keeping bananas (and other easy to eat fruit) and vitamin fortified cereal bars handy and ready to grab and go.

- - Set a routine for you and your family and stick with it. Our bodies crave routine and thats a fact. Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. Sticking with a schedule will make it easier to effectively manage that Monday morning balancing act.

- - Divide your morning into phases. For example, phase 1: Eat Breakfast, phase 2: Get Dressed, etc. Set the phases in 15-30 minute time increments (phasing increments can vary, depending on the overall time you give yourself). Attempting to accomplish everything at once will only lead to chaos and confusion. Help your family stay within the proper phase and ask them to also pitch in and help. Encourage your family to stick to the morning phases to keep things running smoothly.

The key to achieving any balance, especially that Monday morning balance, is being prepared. Try a more organized approach to your Monday mornings and you will find that they turn out to be a lot smoother and less stressful for everyone.