They are close to my age, early 40s, attractive, physically fit, on vacation alone, and birth parents of 10 children ranging from 18 years to 7 months.

Kathryn and Jim Sansone also happen to be on the verge of celebrity. Kathryn, featured on Oprah four years ago, will promote her new book, Woman First, Family Always on the national talk show in February.

Kathryn, 43, has already drawn interest from millions of moms who want to know how this woman manages to keep her sanity, not to mention her perfect figure. But Jim intrigues me, too. How does a father of 10 rise above the financial pressure and career demands to make family time?

Before leaving town, they let me in on their insights for creating a strong marriage, strong body and mind, a fulfilling career and responsible children.

The Sansones live in St. Louis and have seven boys, three girls, two dogs. Two kids are in braces, one is in preschool, three are in high school, eight play sports, two do gymnastics, one is touring colleges.

Jim, 44, rises at 6 a.m., exercises in his home gym and drives the younger kids to elementary school before arriving to work at the real estate development company his father formed 47 years ago. Two of his five brothers are in the business too, each with a different specialty. Jim has a law degree. The company has 165 employees and Jim believes it must continually expand.

''Going to the office is not as important because my dad and brothers talk a lot on the weekends,'' Jim says. ``With a family business, you never are not at work.''

On a typical weeknight, Jim returns home by 6:30 p.m. to eat dinner with the family.

''That's our quality time as a family,'' Kathryn says. ``I cook a big, healthy meal, and the kids pitch in.''

Kathryn, a personal trainer/fitness guru, previously ran a 6 a.m. boot camp for moms from her home before starting her new career as an author. After her eighth child, she finally has hired daytime help, a housekeeper to aid with laundry and baby-sitting. Still, Kathryn says, ``I don't sit much.''

Exercising, she says, gives her the strength to balance everything on her plate. She has a system for ensuring it happens each day: ``I put on my workout clothes first thing in the morning. My goal is to exercise right after dropping off the kids at school, but if I'm having a busy day, I fit it in as soon as I can.''

After 19 years of marriage, she considers looking good a priority. ''About 85 percent of the way I look is diet. I work out for my mind,'' she says.

She also believes in having her own interests. She belongs to a book club, plays tennis and stays connected to her spiritual core by finding time to pray at daily mass. Jim hunts with his sons and coaches their sports teams.

Finding time to write a book wasn't easy. Kathryn says she says she worked on her book in her car, late at night or at the coffee shop, mulling over passages with her husband. The two say coffee breaks are their ''alone time.'' At least once a week, after the younger kids go to bed, they slip out for coffee returning home with hot chocolates to appease those left in charge.

Says Kathryn: ``Jim and I always carve out time for just the two of us. It's not always easy, but we don't waste time trying to figure out if we deserve it.''

The biggest drain on Kathryn's time is the driving. ''I don't do carpools because I just have too many kids.'' Two of the Sansones are old enough to pitch in with driving duties, all help with chores around the house. Some pitch with summer jobs and pay for their own school books and supplies.

Raising a family of 10 means financial sacrifices, too. Their oldest child, a high school senior, has begun to look at colleges. ''All of them need to go to college,'' Jim says. ``Some will have scholarship opportunities, some won't.''

Jim says his father is a role model for him and the kids, a constant reminder of careful spending. 'My dad is constantly bringing it up. If I am thinking about buying something for myself, he says, `Don't buy it, you've got 10 kids to think about.' ''

Although Jim and Kathryn have managed to slip away alone to South Florida, there is strategy behind that too. They arrived on Monday and checked out of the Delano on Thursday, benefiting from a bargain airfare and lower weekday room rates. The weekday travel also assured they were gone when their brood had no free time to socialize outside the home.

Meanwhile, Kathryn already is considering a second book on fitness as she readies for a five-city tour to promote her first book. In cooperation with the publisher, she has limited the tour to four days at a time to reduce the stress on her and her family.

Even with these new demands, Kathryn has her formula for balance: ``It comes back to taking care of myself. As long as I stay healthy spiritually, physically and emotionally, I can work on full throttle.''