Life for Kirstie Allsopp is full on. A working mum of two boys - Bay, six, and Oscar, four, and step-mum to Hal, 14, and Orion, 11, she juggles a prolific TV career, four boys and a new puppy to boot. "I'm not comparing children to dogs, but right now I think a baby would be less work!"
The thing is, despite being on TV, her seemingly un-ending talent for crafting just about anything, and her property portfolio, she really is just like us. And you. "Sometimes, just occasionally, I have a good old sob while brushing my teeth," she says. "It gets it all out of my system."
The mum and step-mum of four (five with the new pup) says time spent with her family (Kirstie's partner is property developer Ben Andersen) is what keeps her going. "It's all about those little things - spending time together, home life, and having a good routine for everyone to enjoy and thrive in," she tells us as she promotes the new Everyday Effect campaign from P&G, which is championing the ordinary things that have extraordinary consequences for our daily lives – particularly for parents.
There is always so much going on in families' lives. After school there are clubs, activities, rushing around, family events, friends to see. It can be difficult to make sure the basics are there at home - eating together, reading, bath time and bed.
"It's hard for all parents to fit everything in. Homework - for primary school kids - is a classic example. They are at school all day, and then have an evening filled with more work, using up time which could be much better spent. I feel passionate that reading and literacy is the most important thing for young children to concentrate on, and so much of homework isn't spent on that.
"Two hours spent with parents and family - reading and relaxing together is more important than homework."
Anthony Upton/PA
With so much going on at home - and at work - is another baby completely off the cards?
"I love the idea of another baby, but right now things are petty manic, and I have to think about the effect another baby would have on our family. I'm also 41, so I might not even have a choice.
"The First Response and Kate Garraway campaign (where Kate was made-up to look like a pregnant pensioner) was shocking, but I support the message it was trying to get across to women, and men. If it makes couples think about their fertility and choices they make then it has to be a good thing. Of course a lot of couples don't have the choice to start a family early, and I would never, ever judge or criticise a person's decision, but it is an issue close to my heart.
"Too many of my friends have had fertility problems later in life. When we're filming Location, Location, Location, Phil gets embarrassed as I can be known to lecture couples. They say 'I want a house near these pubs', and I say, 'don't you want children at some point?'.
The issue is a minefield, and there is always going to be backlash to such an image, but I think Kate was very brave for fronting the campaign, which had good intentions.
A self-confessed opinionated parent, an issue Kirstie has never shied away from is her birth experiences, and the impact two C-section deliveries had on her.
Convinced she would have a natural birth, and booked into a midwife-led unit, everything was turned on its head (literally), because first baby Bay was back-to-back, and a whopping 11lb, 11oz.
"I had never seen anything like it!" laughs Kristie. "He was enormous, and none of the clothes or nappies we bought fit him. We had no idea on his size when I was pregnant either, it was a real shock. He was two weeks late, I was induced and then...nothing. He wasn't going anywhere.
"I was told I needed a C-section, and I remember feeling hugely disappointed. I was at a midwife-led unit and was convinced I was going to have the perfect birth. Suddenly everything changed and I wasn't prepared. My C-section was life-saving, and it was the right decision, I just wasn't clued up about them.
"So much is talked about natural deliveries, and not enough about caesareans. That needs to change."
Her experience with Bay and Oscar is one of the reasons Kirstie is beating the drum for change within NCT classes, which she feels are too focused on what parents want to happen, and not on what is likely to happen.
"One of my main concerns about the NCT is lack of standardisation. It should be real and honest. C-sections are common, and essential, they should be part of the programme.
I know there are some excellent classes around the country, but so much of its education is about what parents want to happen. The short answer is it should be about what is likely to happen, which includes caesareans.
So, four kids, a full time job and taking on the NCT. What one invention would help the Allsopp residence most? "Something that I could see Mrs Weasley using in Harry Potter. A magic wiper that goes around the house, with a special attachment to get rid of little hand prints on door handles!"
See - just your average parent. And we like it!
Kirstie Allsopp is working with P&G to launch the Everyday Effect campaign which celebrates the seemingly ordinary actions that can have an extraordinary effect. Find out more at Everydayeffect.co.uk.
Kirstie's fee for her work with P&G went to Home Start - a charity which supports vulnerable children in the UK.