Organizer helps clear out closets for peace of mind, productivity

McKinney resident and "mommy mentor" Deborah Viapiana-Ricci wouldn't call herself a professional organizer - there's more to her business than just file folders and shredding machines.

But Ricci brought her Boston-based business, Mommies a la Mode, to McKinney a year ago with a mission: to help women from all walks of life overcome clutter in their lives.

"I'm very unconventional when it comes to coaching," Ricci said. "I teach women to fish; I don't hand them the fish."

For those still coming up with resolutions for 2013, it's important to make sure one has the tools necessary to make those promises a lasting success. That's where Mommies a la Mode, a company specializing in life consulting and coaching, comes in.

"I don't call them resolutions, I call them New Year's considerations," said Ricci. "The biggest thing for me is going into a home and dealing with the important [areas] that affect a woman and teaching her how to put simple things into place."

Ricci focuses on three main areas in a busy mother's life - fashion, meal preparation and overall orderliness - which are closely interrelated, she said. While one might think the company is only a professional organizing service, Ricci said she digs below the cluttered surface to find the source of a mom's disarray.

She's not a counselor, but Ricci said it's important to listen to each client's story, since doing so allows that individual to vent about what overwhelms her most in life, something Ricci uses to assess the client's needs.

"I feel it is so important to educate women - especially young mothers - so generations to come will be much more adept and will have the tools to deal with this crazy world of ours," she said. "Actually, I feel like I'm doing work in the world that makes a huge difference and it's so important to me. It affects all of us."

Mommies a la Mode celebrated its one-year anniversary in October, but Ricci has been organizing lives for roughly 25 years. The idea to move her business hit Ricci during a routine family visit to McKinney, when she realized her services are needed anywhere there's a family.

"The common struggles that women deal with are everywhere, not just in my neck of the woods," Ricci said. "I feel like this person is very special to me, I'm seeing their pain, seeing their grief because they can't get it together for whatever reason. It ends up being a personal victory for all of us."

Many mothers resort to chronic multi-tasking, a habit that, despite popular belief, can be detrimental, as mounting research has linked such activity to Alzheimer's for its ability to fragment the brain's thinking processes.

"Science has shown that when we are multi-tasking, the brain cannot accept all the messages we are trying to impart on it all the time and asking it to absorb then recreate whatever the task is," she said. "So in a sense, it begins to shut down and we become scattered and fragmented and that's when stress takes control. [But] society and the media will have you believe that by being a multi-tasker, you are a super mom."

Frisco resident Andrea Ellis met Ricci about a year ago and said she was relieved when learning about Ricci's services. At that time, the mother of four had a 7-month-old son and was struggling with responsibilities as a mother, wife and small business owner.

Ricci helped Ellis get rid of the "mental garbage," starting with the closet. From there, Ricci taught Ellis a few organizational tips for her office and helped her create menus in two-week intervals that allow her to feed her and her family healthy food three times a day.

"My life was in utter chaos, I felt I had a pretty good handle on it until then," Ellis said. "It's been a little slow to get my husband on board, but I see how much less stress is in my head because everything around me is organized."

However, women don't necessarily need to hire help when it comes to managing demands if they can learn to lean on loved ones when things get tough, Ellis said.

"I think there are a lot of stresses on us women to do everything and be everything. Heaven forbid we fail," she said. "[Ricci] helped me to see that I don't have to do that, I can delegate to other people around me who are my support system. I don't have to be everything to everyone."

Ricci said she has received plenty of positive feedback, which tells her she has been on the right track to innovating the working mom's world. In a few sessions and continual contact with her clients, Ricci has helped mothers in North Texas understand the dangers of constant multi-tasking, fast food runs and neglectful beauty and wardrobe habits, and how each leads to the other.

"This is spiral most women are in and they cannot possibly get out of it by themselves or they would have done so already," Ricci said. "It's a very demanding life. This creates a sense of hope. You have to lead by example."

Ricci offers a complimentary initial consultation. For pricing and information, visit mommiesalamode.com.

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