Kelly Ripa dishes on motherhood and her marriage to Mark Consuelos

BY: BROOKE KAVIT

Petite powerhouse Kelly Ripa has a lot on her plate. Between her Emmy award-winning talk show "Live! with Kelly and Michael," successful production company and three children, the star is juggling a lot -- and like most working moms she doesn't always think she's got it all under control.

"There are days when I'm at work and all I'm thinking about is the kids," says the star. She and hubby Mark Consuelos are parents to Michael, 18, Lola, 14, and Joaquin, 12. Between interviewing the hottest celebrities on her show and rigorous workouts, she's got school bake sales and homework assignments on her mind.

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ALSO WATCH: Mark Consuelos gives sweetest response when asked if his kids take after wife Kelly Ripa

Her advice to parents out there is not to be too hard on themselves. "It's a long life, and you're going to make lots of mistakes," but she stresses that your kids will love and appreciate the effort. "They know that when I roast a chicken it's going to be bone dry, but they know that I tried and that matters."

See photos of Kelly Ripa through the years:

Ripa has made it her mission to honor moms everywhere for the hard work they do every day. She's partnered with Children's Motrin for the My Unstoppable Mom campaign, and she's encouraging everyone to create their own special book cover on the website. For every cover created, Children's Motrin and Scholastic will donate to a family in need.

"They can create a book cover that shows their mom what they appreciate about her, things that sometimes moms aren't even aware of," says Ripa. The cause is close to her heart, because it originally began as a segment on her hit show. They would get hundreds of thousands of entries, but only had time to honor a small group of devoted parents. She jumped at the chance to open it up to more mothers.

When it comes to her own children, she thinks they would each tell very different stories about her. Her youngest son Joaquin would likely focus on the special bedtime ritual the pair shares. "If Mark and I go out at night, I have to make sure that I'm home at a reasonable hour because he will wait for me to come home," explains Ripa.

Daughter Lola would show her doting mom as the ultimate sports fan, always cheering her on during her many sporting events. No matter the weather or location, Ripa is always her daughter's biggest cheerleader.

Eldest son Michael's story may be changing soon, because he's getting ready to head off to college. While Ripa is excited about her son's next adventure, she is worried about how it will impact Joaquin. "I'm nervous for his little brother. What is his life going to be like without his big brother?" says Ripa of the super-close duo.

Although, she'll have her longtime husband, Mark Consuelos to share Michael's major milestone with.
The famous pair met on the set of soap hit "All My Children" and have been inseparable ever since. "We're very lucky that we found each other, that's what I have to say. I would say to Mark, 'Who would we have married if not each other.'"

See photos of Kelly and her famous hubby:

After nearly 20 years of marriage, Ripa says the key to a happy relationship is to be as drama-free as possible. "The phrase 'this too shall pass' is such an important phrase when you're in your early wedding years. Every argument, every disagreement, seems like the end of the universe and it really isn't."

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She emphasizes that there are always going to be bumps in the road. "There's going to be times where you look at each other like 'I can't believe I live with you,'" but open communication and strong listening skills can help carry you through hard times. "That's what you want in life, to have a good companion, somebody that loves you, that listens to you and is your equal in every way."

Ripa and Consuelos are currently looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with both of their families at their home and attending the children's mass with their kids at Christmas. It's a sweet tradition they've had ever since their children were young.

"One day you'll look back at each other and say, 'Can you believe we've been doing this for 20 years?' Because it goes fast."

See some of Kelly's most fashionable moments:

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