LDS Missionary Moms

75: Organizing Your Missionary's Room with Tracy Hoth

Michelle Evans

Send us a text

Cleaning out your missionary’s room can bring up all kinds of emotions—grief, tenderness, overwhelm, and sometimes even guilt. Whether you’re eager to reclaim the space or clinging to their water bottle like it’s a lifeline (been there!), this episode is here to help.

Organizer coach and life coach Tracy Hoth joins me to discuss the emotional and practical sides of this process. We discuss how to navigate letting go, how to decide what to keep, and how organizing can actually become a gift for your missionary (and for future you).

This conversation is packed with beautiful reframes, including:

  • Why feeling emotional is completely normal
  • How to start when it all feels too hard
  • What to do with mission suits, medals, and everything in between
  • Why praying as you clean can bring unexpected peace
  • How to leave little love notes for your missionary to find later

If you’ve been avoiding their room because it’s just too much, this episode is for you. You’re not alone. And this can be a sweet, sacred step in your own missionary mom journey.

Connect with Tracy Hoth:
Website | https://simplysquaredaway.com/
Free Offer | https://simplysquaredaway.com/5files
Podcast | https://simplysquaredaway.com/podcast/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyhoth/
Instagram | https://instagram.com/tracyhoth

If this episode helped you, please share it with another missionary mom.
Your story, your tears, and your process matter. 


Join the Missionary Mom Academy Waitlist: https://forms.gle/y7z1bYrtfv2Zn5tYA

Share your missionary stories where you agree to allow me to share them:
michellesevans.coach@gmail.com

Missionary Mom Journal: https://www.amazon.com/Missionary-Mom-Chronicles-Michelle-Evans/dp/B0CFZ9GZS8/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2FMSPY3SBZMDG&keywords=missionary+mom+journal&qid=1704483351&sprefix=missionary+mom+journa%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-4

Meet with me for additional mission support. Book your free call: https://calendly.com/michellesevans-coach/consult-call

Follow me on social media:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/michelle_evans.life/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082926154445

MIchelle:

Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm so glad you joined us this week. So I have a guest and you know, I don't do a ton of guests, but I do, you know, some that I feel are really valuable. And so I was really excited to bring in an organizer coach, Tracy Ho. She, I used to work with her like a number of years ago and she's just been super fun over the years. I've kind of followed her and she has she has a podcast and we'll get into that. But I really wanted to talk about cleaning out your missionaries room and so I know that this topic is super hard for some people and super easy for some. Some are like all about it and like ready to jump in as soon as they leave, but some are like. Let's just set this up like almost as a shrine. I was definitely like maybe a mixture. I had a really hard time letting go of some of my son's things and silly things like water bottles and lunchbox and so I thought it would be beneficial and hopefully something that will, will help you as you go through that process. And welcome Tracy. This is so great.

Tracy:

Oh, Michelle, thanks for having me. I'm excited to talk about this and all the emotions, but then also the practical organizing part of it too. So it's gonna be good.

MIchelle:

Yeah, this is gonna be so good. So I reached out to Tracy because I was like. Trying to find somebody that does something very specific, like organizing, and that's definitely not my forte. I follow Tracy for, for those reasons. And so I, I just think this will be so beneficial for everybody that listens and no matter where you land on the organization and, and how you feel about it, hopefully you can come away with some really good. Yeah, ideas and some tips. So, Tracy, first of all, tell me just how you got into organizing and, and how did that happen?

Tracy:

Yes. Back in the day, 2008 is when I started organizing. My youngest went to preschool and I thought, I'm gonna help people. And I knew before I had kids because I would rip pictures out of magazines and back then they just had closets, pictures of closets, and my husband even drew a logo. I kept it in a file. But when my kids started, my youngest started preschool, I started helping people in their homes, and I started then speaking on the topic so I could grow my email list. And then in 2018, I wanted to shift away from in-person because it's such a physical job, lifting totes and pulling stuff off and building shelves. And so I got life coach certified and really realized that there's so much. Deep things going on in the mindset, and before that I was just all about action. Like I would go in, I didn't even think people maybe could organize without having someone with them, you know? But once I learned the whole mindset and your identity as an organized person and all of that, I started just combining the practical with the mindset, and it's been so life changing. Then I started my. You know, as I started that online business part of it, I had to organize my own business, which was like I had to go back to my own steps and then I started helping people organize their businesses as well. So I kind of have done all sorts of things.

MIchelle:

Yeah. You've totally evolved over the years. So did you actually build shelves? Like that's amazing.

Tracy:

I would literally do whatever they needed. And so if we were like building or, you know, putting in a storage space, I remember having huge, those huge black, like super sturdy shelving units and we built those together, like put'em together.

MIchelle:

Wow. That's so, and, and now everything you do is online.

Tracy:

Yes.

MIchelle:

That's awesome.

Tracy:

An old client even reached out recently and I was like, Nope, I don't do that anymore in person. But

MIchelle:

yeah, I would, I've always thought like I would love somebody to come in, in person, but I understand like teaching somebody how to fish as opposed to just doing it for'em. And so I think that there's some real value there.

Tracy:

Yes.

MIchelle:

So my audience are LDS missionary moms, and. I have sent off missionary, I've sent off four missionaries, and then I've sent just two, like, you know, they've just gone and like, you know, gone to college or whatever. But I, my, my son that left for college, like he cleaned out his room and left and I wasn't even home. And I came home and his e and his room was empty and there was wrappers on the floor and I was like, well, I guess we're doing this. It wasn't near as emotional as when I sent missionaries off. I don't know why that is. I'm not sure, like if it's just because like it's a two year commitment, they're, you know, they can be gone far away. My access to them is less, I can't call them as much. Sometimes they're facing, you know, really hard things and so, I don't know. There's just a lot of emotions around. You know, they're things and so like I mentioned before we started recording, I couldn't move my son's water bottle off of our counter for probably a month, like every time I looked at. And still, I actually got it out the other day and I was like, I'm gonna use this. And like I got teary. Just about his water bottle, which sounds so funny to me in some ways, but also like I'm living it, so I'm like just in it, you know?

Tracy:

Yeah. And what was the, what were you thinking? I, I think you said it is like they're gonna be away two years. You know, the amount of time that you're not gonna be able to see them, you know, what their struggles are gonna be because you've heard about it and their challenges and you're. You're not able to talk to'em. I think all of that plays in so much more than, like you said, when you have someone go off to college, we know we can talk to'em whenever we want to and they're gonna come home on the weekends or whatever. Yeah. So that is such a huge difference.

MIchelle:

Yeah. But, but it's also still like one of those projects that. Like, it was funny when my last son left, like it was kind of in my peripheral vision.'cause I was like, I've gotta do this. But it was so emotionally hard to like even move his bed and like, just so that I could vacuum. Like I just wanted everything to stay the same. And it was like, almost like I was clinging to. The past, and so I'm just curious, like how do you help people be able to navigate some of those really, I mean those are really hard emotions, really tender emotions, how do you navigate through. The stuff and help them be able to, you know, transition and like, you know, clean out their room and do all the things.

Tracy:

Yeah. Well, I think the first thing is just acceptance. Acceptance of those emotions. And acknowledging them, them, and seeing them and being present with them. And not thinking you should be different or you shouldn't be like this, or this is kind of dumb that I'm this emotional or whatever. Just really accepting the emotion and, and being with it for a moment and recognizing it. And then I always do like to tie it to what my thought is and what am I really thinking about the situation, like what is causing this emotion. The story like I miss him or, you know, all the memories of his life and the preciousness of being his mom or her mom is, is flooding in there. Like, I have all those thoughts at one time and just kind of tying it to what I'm thinking about it. Not because I wanna change any of it, just because it's just good information to understand and to see what's happening.

MIchelle:

Yeah. Well, and I think it was it was hard for all of me, for all my boys, but my youngest for sure the hardest because it was like at the end of. End of an era, like,

Tracy:

well, there it is again. Those thoughts, like, this is the last one, this is the end of an era. You know, like all of those thoughts play into it and it's all okay. It's all okay.

MIchelle:

Yeah. So how do you recommend, if it's really emotional, like how do you recommend even starting the process? Because it can, well, I think it can be overwhelming. Like my son did have a lot of stuff and he had a lot of junk and there was definitely a lot of things that we didn't need, but all of it was hard.

Tracy:

Yeah. Well, I think first, starting with the definition of being organized, what does organized even mean? If you are organizing his room, it just means that you know what you have and you can find it when you need it. Mm. So even that you sit and think, okay, we're not necessarily, doesn't mean we're getting rid of anything. It just means that I'm coming in here and I am going to know what's here and I'm gonna be able to find it when I need it.

MIchelle:

Hmm. That's a good reframe.'cause. Like for me it was like I'm getting rid of his life. Yeah, yeah. I'm throwing his life and that like it makes him irrelevant. That's what it felt like.

Tracy:

Yes. And that's not what's happening, but that's a thought that you have when you're doing it, or it feels like that when you are making decisions. And the other thing that just came to my mind when you were talking was. If we have, if we keep everything, then nothing is special. Hmm. Yeah. Like we want to highlight the most special things and make them special. And that doesn't mean only keep five. I'm just saying like when we look at it and we find an old piece of paper or a wrapper, like we can maybe, if we know that if I keep everything. You know, the special things aren't as special because I have so much stuff that might be helpful. It might not, but that's just something that came to my mind. The next step. So we know the definition of being organized. We're just making it so that we can find things when we need'em, and we know what we have. But the next step then is like, what is the goal? Is it to make this a pristine guest room? Is it for like you, you had said another child to move into? Is it so that we have all the things in one place so that when he comes back, he can go through it and make decisions on it himself and it's very orderly. So it's almost like, oh, I just got a vision of like, you're the professional organizer that comes in and you are gonna pack things. So one of the things I used to do in people's homes is I, if they were busy especially, but I would sort everything into categories and kind of almost lay it out. And then they would come in and make decisions and they could make decisions faster. Now that everything, all the books were together, all the. Office supplies were together so they could come in and see it and make decisions on it. So maybe in your mind, if you are thinking, I'm gonna pack a lot of this up into bins mm-hmm. And I'm going to sort it and organize it so that when he comes back, he's easy for him to go through and make decisions or move into an apartment or whatever it's gonna happen when they come back. But that's kind of a cool way to, I, I hadn't really thought about that, that, that's a neat way to think about it. Like you are the organizer that's gonna help make it easier for him when he gets back.

MIchelle:

Oh, I love that. So what is your goal? Okay. I love that because I have one son that's coming home this summer and he, like all of his stuff is in bins. And I asked him, I was like, I, I, I mentioned to him like. So you have your bins and you have some things to go through. And he said, I don't even remember what I put in there. Like I don't even remember what it is. And he's changed sizes. And so all the clothes that he was hanging onto, if, if I would've held onto all of it, it would've probably been really overwhelming for him.

Tracy:

Okay. That's a huge point right there. So many clients have had parents that have kept everything for their kid, and their kid is like, now their child is grown and, and I'm working with them and they're like, oh my gosh, why did we have so much? She's giving me all this stuff and I can't decide. And why did she keep it? And now I feel like I have to keep it. It's, it just do remember that, that it makes it overwhelming for them. Because now there's so much to go through and they don't even wanna look at it.

MIchelle:

Yeah. And I think that like I, I haven't really gone into a lot on my podcast about coming home, but like there's this big transition period of like you're transitioning back into real life. And there's kind of a joke in the community about how they go through this kind of weird phase and they're like kind of awkward and they don't, they're socially awkward'cause they're so used to doing these certain things and so they're transitioning back. But if we layer that with a lot of stuff, imagine how much more difficult that might be for them.

Tracy:

Yeah. So look at that. Just, just by talking about this, you now see, oh, it's a gift to be able to maybe make some decisions on things.

MIchelle:

Yeah.

Tracy:

And not that we have to do it the first day while we're bawling our head off, you know, and having all the memories. But as we go through the process, we can see. Look into the future a little bit. Like, okay, I'm making certain things special. I'm helping it make, be easier for him. And it really does depend on the child because some people might really be sentimental like the kids, and they know things they wanna keep and maybe they don't want someone going through it. So it's so unique and customized with, you know, your child and yourself and the time that you have and.

MIchelle:

That's true.'cause I have a son who came home in 2020 and he's very sentimental and he still has his suitcase. And I've thought like now, like I'm totally over it.'cause like he's been home, like it's fine. And I keep thinking I'm just gonna do. Him a solid and just go through his stuff himself because it's like he can't even go, he can't even face his mission stuff that he brought home because he is so attached to it.

Tracy:

Mm-hmm.

MIchelle:

Okay. So what if somebody is so attached? Like, what if I am like super attached to things? How do you recommend Starting to kind of sift through those things.

Tracy:

Yeah, I think it's talking through it a lot. Like what do you want? Looking into the future and seeing, okay, 20 years from now, what am I gonna want to have and how am I gonna want to enjoy it? Am I going to want 15 bins full of stuff that I haven't opened for 20 years, or do I want one? Shutterfly book with photos of everything and stories where I can flip through it and it's in my living room and I can look at it and enjoy it. So just to talk through some different options of what we want and look way into the future, like what does that look like and how can we get to that point? One of the things in the, I mean, I always. Have steps. So sort is the first step you wanna sort, and you could sort all the stuff from the trip into categories. And then the second step is purge. So then you go back through each category and you're making decisions then. So it's not like you just pull something out of the bin and say, do you wanna keep this or get rid of it? No, because, well, of course we don't wanna get rid of anything when you just pull it up. Even I walk in my closet, I don't wanna get rid of that shirt. I might wear that shirt. But if I've sorted and I see I have 57 shirts, well then I might be able to get rid of that one. But I like to pick my favorites in this step. So what is your favorite thing of this category? So that would be something to talk through with hi with him or whoever it is. You've sorted things into categories and then you're like, okay, tell me what your favorite memory was or what your favorite thing. And so now you're talking about it and you're seeing things. Once you know your favorite and your second favorite and your third favorite, then the other things become maybe easier to make decisions on.

MIchelle:

So like, what about so all, excuse me. All of my boys have like their mission suits. And they are hammered, like they don't ever come home and wear them. As a matter of fact, they're like, I hope I never wear that suit again. But then also they, they have a hard time getting rid of them because they're like, I mean, I wore that for two years. And so even though like they've changed sizes, like the seams are ripped, the crotches usually ripped out, like the thighs are ripped. I mean, they're, they are. Definitely not like wearing worthy, but like what would you recommend doing with things like that?

Tracy:

Well, I mean, there's so many options. You could realize you have a picture okay of yourself in that, and you don't, the memory is not in the object and touching and feeling the object, the memory is in your brain. And you see a picture and it brings back that memory okay. Of that object. So that's, that's one thing. There are so many cool things, like you could make a pillow or a little teddy bear or something out of the material. I. You also could, if there was something meaningful. Sometimes it's easier for people to, to let go of something or give it to some place that does something meaningful with it. So if someone used that fabric or, I mean, it sounds like the suit can't be. Used again as, as a suit. So if it's used for the fabric, if that's useful somewhere, it might be easy to give it away, but to make something out of it might be kind of fun, like a pillow for their bed or, you know, something like that.

MIchelle:

Yeah. Yeah. I love that. What about, so that's like if they, when they come home, but like when they're leaving. This is like my, one of my personal issues is like they had their room decorated and all of my boys were wrestlers, and so they've got all these brackets, so we have like a million brackets and metals. We have so many metals that I'm like, we should just melt these down and make something like a car. Like a car. But like what do you do? Things like

Tracy:

that. I think personally, I think it's up to them. I have a kid that that doesn't wanna keep any of that, and I'm the one that's like, oh, but are you sure you don't wanna keep that? Like, you'll wanna look at that one day. And they're like, no, I don't want that. And then another kid's like, oh yeah, put that in a box and I'll keep it. But I kind of feel like it's up to them. Another family I saw had a framed. Like a, you know, shadow box kind of frame. Mm-hmm. And it had all the ribbons and metals in it. Okay. And like placed in it. It was so cool. Or maybe they're most special if they have a million, you know, you can't fit'em all in there. But maybe the most special ones are in there and they frame it and it brings, instantly, brings back such good memories. And they see it all the time. It's not stuck in a box that they never see until their kids' grandkids open it. You know? Yeah. So that's options. But I feel like for me, I don't know. That's their decision. So as someone that wants to help make that decision easier, I would put it all together in one place as much as possible for them to, in the future, look at and make decisions. Okay. What

MIchelle:

do

Tracy:

you

MIchelle:

think? So, well, I guess, here's my question. So they leave, you have all this stuff. How much of it do you save for them to go through, and how much of it do you go through yourself?

Tracy:

Well, that's what's curious. Like I think I would have that conversation ahead of time. Mm. And just see like what they want me to do. Now, obviously they're not totally in charge. It's my house and I may need to use that room for something else, or I may want to pack it up. But in that, like, do you want me to pack it up and keep every, you know, keep, maybe you guys talk about like, what do you want me to keep and I'm gonna make it really organized for you so that you have it when you get back to go through, I'm gonna put it in bins and have it all labeled. So is there anything that you for sure wanna make sure I don't let go of and then you would know the the really special things in their eyes, what it is. Okay. Because I've also heard people say like, my parents got rid of this. It's maybe more when they were younger, like they got rid of my favorite toys and it's literally affected them 20 years later. Oh, that's good to know. So you, you will know your kid by the time they're on their mission. What type of child, if they're really sentimental about that and want stuff and don't want you going through it, versus if it's just, you know, they know that you're gonna go through the room and clean it up.

MIchelle:

Okay, so what do you do when every time you walk in the room you just start balling and you're like, I'm gonna do this today. And then you're like, I'm not gonna do this today.

Tracy:

I, I mean, you probably know as much as I do regarding the nervous system and how to handle it, but I think just be present with that and be curious about, interesting. What is my story? Is it, I mean, it's not that you need to change it, but is it that it's the end of the world and it's never gonna be the same, and my life is, this is my baby, you know, and all that, which is totally fine. It's so interesting, isn't it, that your brain's giving you all those stories and then you could. Also look at what are the other options? This room is gonna be amazing. My other son's gonna move into it. I'm gonna organize all of these things so nicely. I'm gonna give him a gift of having this all put together. He's gonna come back and we're gonna enjoy looking through it together. You know, there's a whole nother story there that maybe you wanna offer your mind as well, but no rush to do that if you have the time.

MIchelle:

Yeah. Okay. So just being like really clear, like, it's okay, you can take the time that you need. And it is a gift.'cause I love that reframe because it feels like such a heavy lift, like so many emotions, so many things that they have. And, but if, but like you said, just to recap, like having the conversation in advance so that you know what's special to them. And I actually gave my kids like a couple of bins and I was like, put your most.

Tracy:

Special things. Okay, so you did it. Yeah.

MIchelle:

Yeah. Put your mo, but, but it didn't, like, it still was hard. Like, so I had like their most special things and the things they wanted to keep and then I was like, and like, what about the rest of this? Like, ah,

Tracy:

I know it's, even us picturing them 20 years, like remember what is gonna be easy for them? How can I make it easy? Yeah, for them. The other thing, well, there's a couple things. I, I always picture it like an onion and you're taking a layer off. So you go in there one day, you're crying, you pick up one thing, you get nothing done. That's one layer of the onion because you've allowed that emotion to be there. The next day. You notice the emotion. You, you think about the story you're telling yourself that's creating that. And you even just entertain the other side of it for a minute. Oh yeah, I'm making it easy for them. That's the next layer of the onion, and you just keep taking a layer off at a time.

MIchelle:

Yeah, and then you just like allow your nervous system to like calm down with you. Like we're not canceling him or her, like they're coming home. We're not saying that they're not relevant, and so I'm giving them a gift. Yeah, I love that. Giving them a gift. I hadn't thought of that. Yeah, like I just looked at it such as like a heavy lift for me. Because life is all about me.

Tracy:

In your emotion in the moment. Yes.

MIchelle:

Especially when it's a big emotion. Like it feels like, oh, but like I love the idea of like I am gifting them. This organization, I'm gifting them.'cause by the time they get home, most of them don't remember like what they've saved or what, what they even have.

Tracy:

Yeah.

MIchelle:

And so I'm gifting them the opportunity to not have to go through, you know, maybe some of the stuff that's not as easy. And I mean, i's funny that like a water bottle to me was like so hard. But also it's probably not that hard for him. Hmm. I mean, he's probably like, mom, that water bottle is old and nasty. Like I was working on a farm before I left. Like it is dirty and gross and banged up. Like, why did you keep that? You know,

Tracy:

yes, there's gonna be those types of things. I remember a, a, a, like a dragon clay. Creation that my kids all made in art class one year. And I was like, oh, I have a creation from each child. My son is like, throw it away. I do not want that. And I'm like, oh no. I would've thought he wanted it'cause it was so unique and cute. He's like, no, I don't want it.

MIchelle:

Yeah.

Tracy:

Another thing I was thinking, Michelle was like, with each thing that you come across and each, as you're doing the room, I think it's such a great opportunity to pray for them. So anytime you're touching something, if it's shoes, you can be pray for them as they're walking today. Oh, oh my gosh, I love that. Yeah. And so in the other things, like if you. Like the water bottle is super emotional for you. That's like an opportunity to think of all the grateful memories you have. So it's memories and being grateful, and it's also praying for each category that you touch or each item and what they're doing now and tying that together. It's just a cool, I always thought that with laundry, like anytime you're doing laundry or even going through the house and picking things up, when your kids are little, instead of getting mad that they left it out, you could just pray for'em at that moment. It's such a connection versus, you know. Something that makes you mad or hard? Yeah.

MIchelle:

Oh my gosh. That like, like, like brought tears to my eyes. I'm just like, oh my gosh. Yeah.'cause my son that's in Zimbabwe walks like 10 miles a day.

Tracy:

Yeah.

MIchelle:

And like. I have like all of his wrestling shoes, well, not all of them, but like his last year. And I have, I have some of his just, you know, around the house like, and it's definitely cowboys boots.'cause he was like, do not throw my cowboy boots away, mom. But like, praying for him is he like, is out walking. I love that that is like so insightful, like,

Tracy:

oh, and it's such a sweet now, it's such a sweet exercise and experience to be in there because not only are you getting tasks done, but you're like, have this sweet connection. At the same time.

MIchelle:

Yeah. That's amazing. Oh my gosh. Okay, you guys, I totally could never have done this podcast without Tracy. Her insight has been so invaluable. Like I, like I've learned a lot and I hope all of you guys have learned a lot. So is there anything, Tracy, that you think that we should mention before we. Wrap this up that you wanted to talk about, that you think that might be helpful.

Tracy:

Well, the other thing I think is helpful, which I was just looking back over some notes I jotted down is, oh, I, I have two things I wrote down first as you're doing it and as you're packing stuff away, like take time to write a little note. Just say, I'm sitting here bawling on the floor as I looked at this item and it brought back these memories, and you could take that emotion that you're experiencing, put it in a note and pack it in his tub, and then when one day when he comes across it, he gets to read that and remember his mom like prayed for him and cared for him while he was, or she was on their mission, you know?

MIchelle:

Yeah.

Tracy:

The other thing I like to do is when I'm working in a space is I like to create something that's done. So if it's the top of the dresser and it's all cleared off and it, you dust it and you put your little one decoration up there or whatever, it's done, and you walk in and you can be like, look over there and think, oh, I got that done and it's so cool. Or maybe it's the bed. You get all the sheets washed in, you get everything done and you have your. I don't know if you get new bedding or whatever and you put it on there and it's done and it's so clean and it's just fun to walk in and see an area that's done.

MIchelle:

Yeah.'cause my son's dresser was just full of like wrappers and just old papers from school, like. I mean just, and, and junk. So that was a lot of junk. That was a lot of things that were definitely not like I was not attached to. But yeah, cleaning that off, that does feel and it does make you feel a little bit lighter.

Tracy:

Yeah. So notice that like, we're gonna feel lighter at the end of this. Remember the outcome. Think about your goal at the end. Take a before and after video or photo just for fun. I mean. That'd be something you could put in a book one day.

MIchelle:

Yeah.'cause a lot of moms do mission books. Like, so they send their, they, they send a lot of, you know, Google photos. And we only have about a month or maybe even less, I'm not even sure before those emails go away. And then you don't have access to'em. So you have to like hurry

Tracy:

Yeah. And

MIchelle:

get them uploaded, but. You could, because I always talk about like, yeah, your kid is on a mission, your son or daughter is out serving, but you are on a mission as well.

Tracy:

Mm.

MIchelle:

So you could add your little pieces in, like you're out doing this and you're in this area and you're in this with this companion. And I just finished cleaning off your desk. Yeah. And this is a before picture and this is after like that is amazing. That would be such a gift for them. And, and actually kind of funny.

Tracy:

Yes. They're gonna be like, my mom's a basket case. And then when they get to experience it themselves, they're gonna be like, oh, remember when mom did this? I mean, it's so sweet.

MIchelle:

Yeah. And, and they would actually, I,'cause I think that my boys would actually really appreciate and love that because they love to hear like how I am doing personally. Aw. And so it would be like. Just this little gift that they gotta see some insight. Like I love their emails, I love their pictures.'cause I get this little glimpse into their mission and then they get a little glimpse into like what we're up to and like how we're, yeah. That would be so good. What a great idea. Yeah,

Tracy:

that's

MIchelle:

fun. Okay, so we can, we can pray for them as we like with the different items that we're putting away. We can be very specific, like with those, we can take pictures right. No. Write notes and leave them in their tote. I love little hidden notes, like, you know when they're little and they like write you a little note and they like put it someplace and you find it and you're like, oh my gosh, this is so cute. I know. So I imagine that they would like it. I mean, they may roll their eyes, but they may like it down the road. Especially once their parents, they'll understand.

Tracy:

I think they'll love it.

MIchelle:

I know that they love my emails and, and I've written some letters to my kid that's in the States, but it's harder to get him to my son that's serving out of the country. But he did say to me like, can you just send me an email like, so I have something to read during the week. And so this is like a gift, like for them when they come home. Like they, they get like these little glimpses also of like what we're up to. I love that. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Tracy, this has been so amazing and so much insight. I love, I love this so much for me and my audience. I feel like I kind of maybe hijacked it and like made it like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna do all the things.

Tracy:

No, that's so good. It's fun to brainstorm different ideas and now all of a sudden it's the heavy lift has become like this adventure and sweet time and. I don't know. It just sounds so much more exciting. It

MIchelle:

does. And so much better than just like this heavy dread. Yeah. You know, and so it's like these little ways that we can do little things for them. Which just sounds so amazing. Is there anything else? I know you said two things. Did we get both of them? Yes, we got both of those. Okay, great. Alright you guys, that is what I have for you this week, and I just want you to remember like I. We are here to support you no matter where you are in your journey. And if this is hard and you're like really struggling and you're just having a lot of resistance to whatever's happening on their mission, that's what I'm here for. And if this is amazing and you love it, great. That's amazing too. I feel like I've been through the whole continuum and. And so like I've mentioned before, this is my love project. This is like my gift to missionary moms everywhere. So it would mean the world to me if you shared this episode with somebody that you felt like would enjoy it. So thank you so much, Tracy, for coming in. And where can my listeners find you?

Tracy:

My website is simply squared away.com. Okay. And on there I work with people individually. I work with business owners to organize their business and with people to get their home and life organized as well. And Michelle, I'm so grateful you brought me in to talk about this. This has been really fun. Been really fun. Yeah, this has been so good.

MIchelle:

So if you are interested and you need help. And you want somebody alongside you for this part of the organization, definitely reach out to Tracy. Like she obviously has a ton of insight and has been in this space for a lot of years, and she's gonna help you in ways that maybe it would be a fun journey to have somebody else along with you. So, all right, Tracy, thank you so much and everybody, we will see you next week. Bye-bye now.