Thank you to Metro’s Other Woman®for providing services for my review. All thoughts, opinions and experiences are my own and based on my personal playroom experience.
So yesterday we chatted about the pressures of the Holiday Season on those of us who take on the role of Magic Maker (catch up here!). The hustle, bustle and overall work load of the holiday months are enough to bring even the strongest to their knees and last year, I wasn’t just brought down, I was laid out and run right over. 
I started the 2019 holiday marathon with my mind right and my schedule on lock. I’m planning ahead, working ahead, prioritizing and shuffling tasks to willing participant when I can. My husband will be the head shopper in charge for his family, my mom will be the grocery shopper and I will focus on the traditions that mean the most to our babes. 
As many of you know, instilling the concept intentional holidays for our children is very important to me. I want them to think of others throughout the season, focus on giving instead of receiving and find joy in the small things the season brings. We’ve been working on intentional holidays since my oldest was a baby, brining in and adapting traditions and activities as they grow and mature. Our most important tradition each year is our Santa Sack Christmas eve routine. 
Each Christmas Eve, my children (yes, even as toddlers), go through their playroom and choose toys that they no longer play with to fill their Santa Sack. They leave their sacks next to Santa’s milk and cookies so that when Santa visits he can take their toys to other good little boys and girls. I allow my children to choose whatever toys they want (that are in good/great condition) and each year, they are truly excited to fill their sacks. It has never once been something they weren’t willing to do and are proud to help Santa as he gifts other children. 
But.
While the children may play a small, quick role in this lesson, the behind the scenes work is, of course, much more consuming for this Magic Maker. It is crucial to me that they only pass along toys that are in wonderful condition (I donate them to a charity that supports housing insecure families), so it’s up to me to make sure their playroom is only stocked with toys in wonderful condition. Which means (yeah, you guessed it) I clean out their entire playroom every single holiday season.
Truthfully, while it’s a task that genuinely believe needs to happen every year at this time, it’s still something that I dread every single year. It takes me forever, I only want to do it while they kids are at school so I have very little time to make it happen, and getting the process started is the hardest part. 
This year, I promised myself that I would work smarter, not harder and would evaluate the tasks that I could and should outsource. Guess what task made it to the top of the list? 
Enter Metro’s Other Woman®.
Metro’s Other Woman® is a female owned, woman run company that provides personal assisting services to every day women. They offer an array of services that help manage household and daily life needs.  From laundry to organization, they do it all! They are proud to focus on so many other aspects of life to help you streamline and lighten your to-do list. I asked Liz, the owner of Metro’s Other Woman® of Charlotte, if she thought her team might be willing to tackle my playroom and she was sure they were up to the challenge.
And ya’ll, they weren’t just up to it, they dominated. 
In one and a half hours they wrangled 3 bags of garbage, gathered, sorted and organized every single toy and cleaned out every bin. And I did not lift a finger. Seriously, they even took the trash bags out to the can for me.
I know some of you are wondering about the level of control I must have relinquished so let me tell you the process:
I sat down with Liz and Jacquie who asked me what my hopes were for the playroom project. I told them I didn’t want to keep any broken toys, toys missing pieces or anything that was basically destroyed (looking at you, ripped Cinderella dress). I also knew we had a ton of art supplies that were poorly stored, play dough that had seen better days and probably a lost can of slime or two. 
Their questions were thoughtful and thorough, asking about things like art – what did I consider “important” art, would I like to see each piece or would I like them to use their best judgement when it came to what to keep. I surprised myself and told them they could throw out anything that didn’t have a hand print, they didn’t need to check with me if pieces were missing, things were clearly past their keep date or if they thought it was a “hazard” like slime. 
And then I walked away.
I literally left the room and didn’t come back in until they asked me too. I actually worked, prioritizing my time at home without the kids, getting ahead so that I could spend less time working come December.
You guys. When they called me back in less than two hours later I was blown away. Every bin had been cleaned out, wiped out and sanitized and was re-stocked. A new dress up station had been created, art supplies were organized and lids were on all of the washable markers. 
And I’m proud to say that only one pretzel and one goldfish was found among the bins, something I have a little trouble believing still.
So here’s the deal: I’ve been making Gift Guides for months, thinking of the perfect gift ideas for all of the people in your life. The truth is, there is nothing I personally need in this world. What I do want is more time. More time without the thoughts of what I should or could be doing nagging me, more time to relax, more time to focus on things that matter. Metro’s Other Woman® is the gift of time. 
If you are gifting a new mom, a best friend, your own mom, hell, making your own list, I cannot suggest anything better than putting an hour of Metro’s Other Woman® on your wishlist. There is a three hour minimum time commitment, and each hour costs $40, so my plan is to ask my husband, my parents and my in-laws for an hour or two this Christmas. And then I’m going to send Metro’s Other Woman® into my secret closet of crap and let them have their way with it while I do literally anything else on Earth. Merry Christmas to me! 
Metro’s Other Woman® is offering Charlotte area Olive and Tate readers 20% off with code OLIVEANDTATE (only valid for the Charlotte location). There are monthly packages available but you may also purchase/gift single hours at a time. Each hour comes in at $40, so the investment is a worthy one! Just call the Metro’s Other Woman® offices in Charlotte or email them via their site and they’ll set you up. 
pretty pics by Demi Mabry, the rest c/o my iPhone