Meghan Markle on ‘Day Dates’ with Son Archie, 5, and Why Daughter Lilibet, 3, Appears on Her New Website

Meghan Markle’s life in Montecito, California, is all about finding balance between her family, work and the joy of everyday moments.

In an intimate interview with PEOPLE for this week’s cover story, the Duchess of Sussex shares what life is like with her two young children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.

“I’m up before my kids are, so I’m normally up at 6:30, and then I get them up and dressed for the day, and we go downstairs,” she says. “I love making breakfast for my family.”

Their favorite is “surprise” pancakes, she shares. “They don’t know what’s going to be on the other side when it flips over,” explains Meghan, who picks from rainbow sprinkles, chocolate chips or blueberries in the shape of a smiley face.

“Of course they love [toast with] jam and fresh fruit preserves, because they were such a part of me making them and picking all that fruit during berry season for all of our canning,” she says. “My husband and Archie both love fried eggs. There’s a lot of bacon around here. And then sometimes you don’t have time for all that, and you just put a frozen waffle in the toaster and call it a day. And there’s no shame in that either.”

Music sets the tone for the Sussex household each morning. “We turn the music on before the lights,” Meghan says. “One of the stations I love so much is called Mom Jeans. Now even Lili asks, ‘Can we listen to Mama Jeans?’ ” she says, laughing. Their family soundtrack blends everything from “The Purple People Eater” to Archie’s favorite, “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons.

On weekends and school breaks, she looks forward to “day dates” with her son. “Archie and I like to go and have lunch, share a burger and a Caesar salad, and have an ice cream sundae with two cherries on top,” she says.

Meghan has fully embraced the rhythms of life with young children, including 5:30 p.m. “Boca dinners,” as she and Harry call them, and school parent group chats.

A close friend of Meghan’s describes her as “super patient” with Archie and Lili at drop-off: “If they procrastinate and don’t want her to leave, she takes time, letting them show her their artwork. I’ve seen her reading a book with them to ease into the saying goodbye.” Of Meghan and Harry as parents, she adds: “They’re very gentle and attentive. There’s a sweetness to their family.”

While she may not have filmed her new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, inside their home, Meghan found ways to incorporate home life into the show, filming in their chicken coop, garden and orchard.

“Archie did the [filming clapboard]! Sweet moments,” she says. “They would also come with my husband and visit me on-set, and I loved that my children were able to watch me working and see the balance of that and understand what Mama does and is working to create and share. It was really special because up until then, they hadn’t seen me at work.”

The landing page of As Ever (asever.com), Meghan’s new lifestyle brand, which is set to launch this spring, features a photo of her and daughter Lilibet walking hand in hand through their sun-dappled backyard.

For Meghan, including Lili — who carries the namesake of Harry’s beloved late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth — was a meaningful choice.

“Being able to have my own little girl, as I’ve spent so much of my life championing the rights of girls and women, and to be able to see this as a multigenerational story — Archie is of course included in that, my husband is of course included in that — but I love the heritage feeling of it and knowing this is something that I can create in front of my daughter and teach her what it’s like to be a working mom,” she says. “This is something that hopefully can be part of her legacy too.”