Family coach helps put things into perspective

Last week, I met with a certified family coach, Huntersville resident Heather Allen.

Now just what is a family coach? And why do I need one?

A family coach helps busy moms conquer clutter, get organized and achieve goals for their homes.

The day Heather came for my in-home assessment couldn’t have been more chaotic.

My 2-year-old was especially whiny. She had spilled Cheerios and dragged every imaginable toy onto the living room floor. My newborn was fussy, and it’s a miracle I had even showered by the time Heather arrived with her two children that afternoon.

I spent all morning trying to make my house appear spic ‘n span to impress my family coach. But by the time she arrived, it still looked like the toy box had vomited all over the living room.

I imagined Heather would march into my home with clipboard in hand, and in ABC’s “Super Nanny” style, tell me what I needed to do to transform my castle of chaos into a restful retreat for my family. And our four children would play peacefully at our feet.

It didn’t quite turn out that way.

I opened the door and said, “Well, here’s what my home’s really like!” I moved some things from the couch, so she could sit down, and I vacuumed the Cheerios off the floor. It was embarrassing, but I thought it would be even worse if I just left food there for the family coach to stare at our entire visit.

Our two 2-year-old girls enjoyed playing together, but halfway through the visit, they knocked the fish bowl off the kitchen counter, and the poor fish almost didn’t make it.

“Tickle is hurt!” screamed my daughter.

I squeamishly tried scooping up the squirming pet. I just couldn’t do it with my bare hands. But no worries. I rescued Tickle with two spoons and a cereal bowl.

Heather’s baby and my baby—just six weeks apart—both started screaming, so she tended to them, while I ran upstairs to get some towels to clean up what seemed like gallons of water all over my kitchen floor.

Do I even need to tell you why I wanted to see a family coach?

In between the vacuuming and fish bowl fiasco, I shared with Heather some of the reasons I sought her services. I feel overwhelmed. I’ve lived in three states, one foreign country, changed jobs twice and had two babies in the last two years. I just turned 30, and I’ve barely begun to figure homemaking out.

I struggle to effectively care for my children, provide healthy food for my family, keep the house clean and organized, shop wisely and balance my spiritual life with my home life, outside activities and freelance writing.

When it comes to homemaking, I’ve definitely been humbled.

Heather’s response to my confessions of a “humbled homemaker” surprised me.

“I think most moms feel just like you, but we put on fronts so other moms don’t know we struggle,” she said. “We make sure our houses look immaculate when others come over, but nobody’s perfect.”

“So, really, is there any hope?” I asked.

She assured me that there is. In fact, Heather became a coach to learn how to better manage her home and help others along the way.

With Heather’s empathy and encouragement, I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe I can make this homemaking thing work after all.

Follow Erin Odom’s progress

Giving birth to her second child in October inspired Erin Odom to become a better mom. Read about her progress in Mooresville Weekly on the second and fourth Fridays of every month. Next month, she’ll share her family action plan.

Want to learn more?

Heather Allen is a certified family coach through Family Manager. She charges $99 for a Family Manager Assessment Package. Contact Heather at hlallen@gmail.com. For details on Family Manager, visit http://www.familymanager.com. 

This column first appeared in the January 28 issue of the Mooresville Weekly.