A few weeks ago, I stared wistfully at the woman ahead of me in the preschool drop-off line. She had on tailored jeans, high heeled boots and a lovely top. Her hair was combed and she had tastefully applied makeup. She had on earrings. And a belt. She was a put-together mom. If she had glanced behind her, it would have been like staring in a fun-house mirror that reflects the opposite image. I arrived in the clothes I slept in. Though I had been working for hours, it appeared as though I may have just woken up (darn that no makeup), and that I might be headed home for a long winter’s nap. Staring at her, I reached nirvana-like clarity: I am a messy mom. _thumb.JPG)
On my work, church or outing days, I can look like I’ve got it together. I’ve been known to rock a boot with a dress and throw some dangly earrings into the mix. But my all-mom days reveal who I really am.
I admit that I don’t prioritize put-togetherness, but my messy-mom mojo is beginning to effect my happiness.
I lose my car keys multiple times a day, every day. Locating a matching sippy cup and top in my kitchen drawers requires the tenacity of a paleontologist. My office is a disaster, with bills, preschool papers, and my writing and business work intertwined like rhythmless line dancers. At any time, you can find enough shoes by my door to outfit an entire kindergarten, as long as the shoes don’t need to match.
It is time for an intervention.
I rolled a Matchbox car away from my keyboard and quickly found my help: A Sorted Affair, a professional organizing business started by two local moms. I read the company tagline: “We offer both knowledge and hands-on assistance. Combined, they give you unique, intuitive solutions for your organizing dilemmas.” Ah, I thought, but can you clean up this messy mom?? I contacted A Sorted Affair and made them a deal: rehabilitate me, and I’ll let the richmondmom.com readers follow along, in the hopes that others can share in my joy (and pain) of home organizing.
I made a conscious effort on the day I would meet Olivia Acree, co-owner of A Sorted Affair. I resisted the urge to put on my put-together look. When Olivia and Patty Hoyt, another organizer, arrived, I was sans makeup and in full workout attire. My preschooler sashayed behind me, clad only in a t-shirt and pull-up diaper. As you would expect, Patty and Olivia looked like professional organizers. They were calm, professional, and able to find everything they needed in their bags. I envied it. I wanted it.
After a minor potty training emergency from the tot, we sat down together to discuss what help they could provide. Olivia Acree began A Sorted Affair with partner Caitlin Shear in 2005. Like many other intelligent women in the business world, Caitlin and Olivia joined forces when they began raising their children. Olivia reflected on the synergy between them: “it all just came together. The people and opportunities came to us!”
A Sorted Affair changed households in Richmond, one preschool morning at a time. As their children grew, so did the business, expanding to Northern Virginia with partner Caitlin’s move, and adding staff members along the way.
“A good organizer wants to hear your story,” Olivia explained. “Lots of organizers bring a system and try to fit you to it. We always fit the system with the person.” I arched my eyebrow, wondering if a system could fit this person. “Take for instance, paperwork. If you aren’t a detailed person, you will never file bills alphabetically and by month. But we can get you a file folder to toss everything in, and at least if you need something, you’ll have a place.” I nodded in agreement, and the first flicker of hope sparked. Maybe I could be different!
“Learning our client’s story is what sets us apart,” said Olivia again as she began to take stock of my office situation. I was already feeling like they knew me too well, particularly when we started emptying baskets on the floor. “What’s this for? And this? What do you use this space for?” I found myself mumbling incoherently when Olivia asked me questions, but she had the grace to save me from myself. “That’s why we are here. Let’s figure out how to make this space work.”
Olivia’s affection for her clients was evident as she shared stories of clutter busting and system setting. “I love the appreciation in this job. People just love you when you help them. They hug you, they cry—it’s like a mini-extreme home makeover.”
A couple of hours later and we had a plan. The clutter-busters (my pet name for my new best friends) helped me decide that we should tackle the entryway situation immediately. Olivia explained that more than one step is too many for elementary school children, so we decided to create a space with hooks and cubbies where the kids could easily hang backpacks and put away shoes.
My job: find a bench with three cubbies underneath, three sets of double hooks, and a framed bulletin board. Meanwhile, the clutter-busters took pictures, took notes, and stayed ridiculously calm and organized the whole time. When the dynamic duo left, I breathed a sigh of relief. To have two women devoted to helping make my life work better? What a gift!
So until next time, you’ll find me spending time on lost car keys and sippy cup tops, but not for long. I have a feeling that this messy mom will be rehabilitated in the capable hands of A Sorted Affair.
What will happen when Olivia and Patty create a landfill-sized pile of paper in my study? Stay tuned to find out!
Need professional help? Contact Patty at www.asortedaffair.com or 464-9820.
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