2/22/2004:

Saturday, February 21, 2004 4:00 AM EST
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NEast Cobb mother of two wins organizational makeover

to trim her children's playroom from 100 toys down to 20, Paige Foster of east Cobb needed a little professional help.

"There were just so many toys and not enough places to put them," said Mrs. Foster, describing the room.

So, the mother of two submitted photos of the playroom, snagging the win in The Messy Kids Rooms Contest, sponsored by three professional organizers.

Organizing pros Allison Carter, Sharon Hess and Teresa Basch dived right into the mass of toys early on Valentine's Day morning.

"We were looking for someone who didn't know where to start," Mrs. Carter said. "Their room was clearly out of control with the dumping of things in it. There was no sense of order, so it was easy to fix because we could start from scratch."

The first order of business was to sort through the surplus of toys and place them into categories like toy kitchen supplies, pretend play items, arts and crafts and toys to be discarded. The throw-away items were the largest section by far, filling up a mini-van and donated to MUST Ministries.

"There were 50 to 75 stuffed animals," said Mrs. Carter of the toys for Mrs. Foster's children Britney, 6, and Daniel, 2. "Purge things that don't work. A lot of the things were toys people have given to them and the children have never played with."

Mrs. Carter used the word "affluenza" to describe parents' urge to use their disposable income for an excess of toys for their children, and advises that kids' favorite things to play with can be as simple as a cardboard box.

"Just give them enough to stimulate them," said Mrs. Carter, who lives in Marietta with husband Jimmy and children Anna, 6, and Eddie, 3. "Also, parents need to teach children after age 3 how to give things away to kids that don't have any toys."

A mistake made by many is not utilizing bins; however, Mrs. Foster didn't even have the luxury of bins, so a Container Store gift certificate was supplied for the purchase of them. Then items were organized, the bins were labeled and the items were placed into them - and the children were taught to put items back where they had gotten them.

"So many people need help and can't necessarily afford to get it done," Mrs. Carter said of the contest's purpose. "This also lets people know that professional organizers exist. People don't have to live this way."

Mrs. Foster learned a valuable lesson about the amount of items she needs in her home.

"I learned less is more. My kids don't need everything there is on the market. They also left me extra bins, so now I can organize the rest of my house," she said. "The ladies did a great job, and they pushed me to get rid of things I wouldn't have otherwise."

ayeaman@mdjonline.com

 

2/14/2004:

NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Photo Event Saturday February 14th - ORGANIZING MAKEOVER!

Winner lives in Marietta / E. Cobb
ATTENTION:  Editor
CONTACT: Sharon Hess
Mommy Management, Inc.
2260 Rushmore Drive, Suite P
Marietta, Ga. 30062
PHONE: 770-993-4449
CELL:     770-826-3864
E-MAIL: sharonhess@mommymanagementinc.com
WEB SITE: http://www.mommymanagementinc.com 
 

* This News Release includes: story, tips, statistics, and contact information.
 

 

VALENTINES DAY ORGANIZING MAKEOVER

 

A lucky Metro-Atlanta  mom is going to have an amazing Valentines Day gift for her family... and one less headache. Paige Foster and her family have won The Messy Kids Room Contest.
Photo & story available at http://www.theprofessionalorganizer.com/newsandevents 
They have won a whirlwind organizing makeover by three local professional organizers.  To help get everything in order, The Container Store has kicked in $250 worth of  storage products.

The three organizers will work for a day with the parents and children on sorting out toys and other belongings, purging what can be tossed, and putting things away so they are easy to get out AND easy to put away.

The organizing day will take place Saturday February 14,  2004 at the home of our winner.  The wiz-bang event begins at 10:00am and is expected to last until 2pm. The family and organizers will be available for before and after photos and interviews.

Three Runners-Up have won free one-hour in-home organizing consultations so they can get some inspiration and guidance for getting their homes in order.
The runners-up are:
Deb Martino with her Monster Closet entry.
Lynda Hamadi with the boys' room disaster.
Kristin Summerville with the nursery too cluttered to get to the crib.

Professional Organizer Sharon Hess of Mommy Management, Inc.  does everything from bill paying to party planning for busy parents. She also organizes families around Atlanta. Her best advice: Children are very visual and need to see the order.  Use things like bins and baskets to organize similar toys into groups.  Even the youngest children can master these simple concepts.

Professional Organizer Teresa Basch of Organized by Design works with both individuals and families who want to get organized and create time saving systems.  Basch also specializes in personal assistant services and residential management.

Professional Organizer Allison Carter says The most important thing when organizing with children is that you have to make it easy to manage.  If it takes one extra step to put away, kids just aren't as likely to do it. Carter works with families and speaks to mothers groups around Atlanta about getting their lives more organized.

All three organizers are working mothers as well and know the challenges that face mom-preneurs.  Hess, Basch, and Carter are all members of NAPO, the National Association of Professional Organizers.


Organizing tips for families:
1. Set your priorities and stick to them.  If you know how you want to live your life, everyday decisions become easier.

2. Purge regularly - toys, clothing, papers. The less you have, the easier it is to manage it, store it, and find it.

3. Teach your children how to organize for themselves. This is a gift you can give that will last the rest of their lives.

4. Teach by example that there is true value in organization.  Pick one thing that you can organize better that your children will notice.  They will be more likely to organize themselves if they see you doing it too.

Trend/Statistics:
Organizing has become a major theme in today's society with the overwhelming amount of paper and household items to manage.  Professional Organizing is making headlines across the country and raising eyebrows with two TV shows, Clean Sweep on The Learning Channel, and Mission Organization on HGTV.  Beyond that, several major publications have monthly columns giving tips on how to get organized including Oprah, Women¹s Day, Family Circle, and Real Simple.  Atlanta¹s Home Depot is getting on the bandwagon as well offering ³Do it Herself² classes on getting organized.

There are some surprising statistics backing up anecdotal claims that people today just have too much information and stuff to manage:

* 81% of people consider themselves organized, yet 83% say getting   MORE organized is among their goals.

* 42% of adults report that too often they feel that life is a treadmill and can't get off.

* Scientific Survey of 600 adults commissioned by Franklin Covey Co. reported in USA Weekend, Feb 6-8, 1998

*The average American will spend one year searching through desk clutter looking for misplaced objects.
­ Margin, Dr. Richard Swenson

*In 1999, the average consumer received 40 pieces of spam. By 2005, Jupiter estimates, the total is likely to soar to 1600.
--  The Standard

*A week day edition of The New York Times contains more information than the average person was likely to come across in a lifetime in 17th century England. 
-- Information Anxiety, Richard Saul Wurman.

If you would like copies of the winning entries, please contact Sharon Hess.

Contact Information:
Sharon Hess, www.mommymanagementinc.com, 770-826-3864, Marietta

Useful LInks:
National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO): http://www.napo.net
Georgia Nat. Assoc. of Professional Organizers (GA-NAPO): http://www.ganapo.com