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Parent Spotlight: Torri Merten
Torri Merten: A Winner of U.S. Cellular’s Multi-Tasking Mom Makeover Contest”
By Leah Parodi
It can start with a junk drawer loaded with expired coupons and old buttons. Or a closet overstuffed with dated board games and holiday decorations. Or it can be an entire room filled to the rafters with items that we think we need to hang onto. It seems that most of us have an area in our homes cluttered with stuff, that for whatever reason, we just cannot seem to part with. For Torri Merten and her family it was a space in their basement that had been taken over by stuff and was in big need of a makeover. Happily for Torri she ended up getting the help that she needed, and much more.
Torri was one of five lucky winners of U.S. Cellular’s “Multi-Tasking Mom Makeover Contest” with Peter Walsh. You may recognize the name Peter Walsh as he was a regular guest on the once Oprah Winfrey show. He is a well known de-clutter expert with past shows called “Clean Sweep” and “Enough Already” and now hosts a show on the Oprah Winfrey network called “Extreme Clutter”. Peter came to Omahato help Torri clear up her basement and show her how stuff keeps us from what really matters.
Torri and her husband Luke have been married for 11 years and have a 6 year old daughter, Emily. Torri, once a full-time nursing educator, works part-time atConcordiaAcademy(her daughter’s school) and at the front desk of the Shockey Dance Company. Torri volunteers for the March of Dimes and is the Nebraska Nurses Association President. She teaches Sunday school, runs Emily to dance and soccer practices and despite all of that, has managed to lose over 70 pounds. And if that is not enough, Torri is also an avid scrap booker and takes adult dance lessons at the same dance studio where she works.
So, it is not hard to see why such a busy mom would not pay much attention to the growing piles of work papers, scrapbook supplies and other items that, over the years, grew to be more than just a few piles. “I’ve known for years that the space was getting overwhelming and unmanageable,” says Torri. “I went from finishing my Masters Degree while assisting with the opening of Lakeside Hospital Emergency Room to the implementation of medical records to the opening ofBellevueMedicalCenter. I was working lots of hours. I was not focused on the house.”
In 2007, Torri saw Peter on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Torri considered applying for Peter’s new season of “Enough Already” but missed the deadline. While following Peter on Facebook she came upon the U.S. Cellular contest and on a whim, entered. “It was a nation wide contest,” she says. “I thought there was no way I would win.” Torri’s 73 second video depicting her cluttered area and busy life did win and when she got the call from U.S. Cellular she could not believe it. But sure enough, Peter and his assistant, Barry, showed up and helped Torri and her family regain a wonderful living space.
Initially, Torri and Luke showed Peter the space and talked about things that should be tossed or saved. “He asked what we wanted to keep; he works with you. I got to make the final decisions,” says Torri. After that initial consultation, Torri was whisked away while Peter, Luke and Barry got to work.
The first stop for Torri was a U.S. Cellular store where she received an LG Genesis cell phone complete with full data plan and credit for almost two years of free service. “U.S. Cellular was just great. I love how they give back,” says Torri. “They were just phenomenal to work with.” The next stop was a day of spa and beauty treatments before Torri was driven back home for the big reveal. “I just cried,” she says. “I cried because I am very much a control freak and I was nervous about the outcome. But it was like a huge weight had been lifted.”
Torri says that Peter advises to create three piles; keep, donate and recycle or trash. And then completely empty the entire space so that you can envision what you want for that space by identifying your needs. And in Torri’s case she wanted access to her treadmill as well as areas for her work and scrapbooking. The end result was a cozy nook for Emily to read, a place for the treadmill and an efficient scrapbook and work space. Peter brought in new furniture and decorations from Target, office supplies from Office Max and organize.com and used things that Torri already had.
Torri says that Peter was warm, funny and truly cared about making her home a sanctuary. “He said that sometimes stuff starts to own us instead of us owning our stuff. We need to honor what we have.” As an example Torri says that family heirlooms and keepsakes should not be in boxes in the attic collecting dust but out on display, to be shared.
Torri said that she and Luke have continued what Peter helped them start and have gone on to other areas of their home to clear up clutter and use Peter’s advice. “He said to set aside 15 minutes each day to de-clutter. Set a timer and if you can continue after it goes off, great. If not you have at least cleared out a junk drawer.”
Torri and Luke are grateful to U.S. Cellular, Peter and Barry for helping them clear out and organize their basement. But as busy as Torri is, she says that at the end of the day life is all about finding balance. And when she and Luke sit down with Emily to read a book or play a game, having a clear and comfortable space to do it in is a lot less stressful because they don’t have to worry about cleaning it. “It’s about spending time on important things,” says Torri. “Not about the stuff.”
By lhath1
