1. Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself and your family?
My name is Kerri-Ann, and I grew up on Long Island. I have been with my husband for 10 years, a mother to 3 little boys; 3 year old twins and a 20 month old, and I am a nurse. I love spending time with my family and traveling to explore new places with them. I truly have a passion for helping people, which is why I became a Nurse. I thoroughly enjoy helping others around me and being a Mom. I would love to have more kids in the future, but we will see what the future holds.
2. What inspired you to start a business aimed at helping mothers plan and coordinate their lives?
Having my twins at the height of the pandemic, put into perspective that Motherhood is not quite like the picture that is painted for us as we grow up. Everything seems like “rainbows and butterflies” and I found it to be very rough in finding much help or support. I was so behind on my daily tasks and found it nearly impossible to accomplish anything I needed except the very basics of daily life. When I went back to work, I also realized the challenges in finding sitters or daycare options for my children. Everything took so much time and I was sacrificing my time with my family, to solve all these challenges that came my way.
3. Managing a business while raising three boys can be quite challenging. Can you share some of the strategies you use to balance these responsibilities?
Thankfully, my husband is very supportive in whichever dreams I choose to pursue. I have found that time blocking my days is the most effective way to accomplish all of my tasks effectively. And I am constantly doing work in any pockets of downtime I have, like driving in the car or waiting at appointments. I have always had my children on a pretty tight schedule and I also use after bedtime to finish out my day and prepare for the next one.
4. Can you describe the services or products your business offers to other mothers?
I offer an array of services including Childcare support, where I do the research and the calling based on Moms parameters and requirements for her child/children, and that can be for daycare, preschool, private school, sports programs, doctors or anything you can think of that you want to put your child in. Household management, I will create schedules, chores, put together recipes with dietary restrictions as top priority, find the best deals, set up a drop off or pickup service of groceries, i.e peapod or doordash. Event planning for birthdays, showers, parties or vacations. For parties I will help you come up with the theme and then put together everything that goes along with it appropriate for the age, booking venues, booking the entertainment, invitations, etc. For vacations, I find the best deals and family-friendly accommodations and find cool adventures to go on and explore. Online Research, I will look up literally anything you haven’t had the chance to do, but keep pushing to the bottom of your list, like look up the best books for your 5th grader, first jobs for your senior, crafts and activities to keep your littles busy on those long winter days, and everything in between.
5. How do you tailor your services to meet the unique needs of the mothers you work with?
I set up a call with each Mom, going over every specific detail of what they are looking for. I then draw up a plan and timeframe, in which mom tells me when she would like the results for, and get to work!
6. What are some common challenges that mothers face when it comes to planning and coordinating their daily lives, and how does your business address these challenges?
Common challenges myself and other moms I know face, is that there just is not enough time in the days to actually accomplish everything, so you find yourself picking and choosing what you are going to be able to accomplish. My goal with my business is to help alleviate the stress we Moms have daily and not have to choose spending time with our family or on our selfcare, because we have this never ending list of tasks to check off. I allow Moms to delegate what they feel they can handle and I will handle the rest, to ensure she can rest her head on her pillow at night, knowing her list is complete!
7. What advice would you offer to mothers who are struggling to balance their family life with their personal and professional responsibilities?
The biggest, most difficult way to balance life in Motherhood, is to build yourself a community. I know this is easier said than done, of course. My ultimate goal with my business is to build a community of other moms with small businesses and build this huge positive network for local Moms of Long Island, where I can get them in contact with or I myself can help them solve their needs. Prioritizing needs is different for every family, which is why I spend the time individually with each Mom, going over their specific goals and planning out the perfect approach to making their goals a reality.
8. What do you find most rewarding about your work, and what keeps you motivated in this field?
I am motivated by the fact that being a mom is a forever job, no matter the age of your children. I know that moms in all phases of life will always be looking for help and support, and I want to be that for them. I want to build long term relationships and connections with the moms I meet over the years. Because face it, Moms can always use a friendly face and someone to go to at any point in their lives. I want to be that light for them, for the Moms with and without any support at home.
9. How do you unwind and take care of yourself amid all your responsibilities as a mother and business owner?
Traveling is how I unwind, getting out of New York and showing my kids the country. There is such a sense of calmness that takes over me, once I have the opportunity to leave the state. I come back refreshed and very positive.
10. Do you have any upcoming events or initiatives related to your business that you’d like to share with our audience?
I will be an Outside vendor at an upcoming Christmas Pop Up on 11/11/23 at Real Life Church in Wading River. I also plan to attend some more events that I have the opportunity to attend, so that I can get out there and meet some really great people. I will also be posting where I will be on IG and FB, so make sure to follow me and come say HI!
You can follow Kerri-Ann on Instagram at MommysChaosCoordinators , on Facebook and visit her Website at www.mommyschaoscoordinators.com to view more information about her services!