Marla Cilley has never been to Utah — until now.

She's surprised . . . and happy to be here to help weary women learn the art of "Finally Loving Yourself," something she advocates in her weekly columns.

Each year American Mothers Inc. of Utah have a conference where classes on parenting are offered. The purpose is to strengthen the moral and spiritual foundations of the home and family. Usually the convention draws around 200 people.

This year, Cecelia Benson, Utah's chapter president, said she and other committee members were looking for a keynote speaker when her daughter suggested the "FlyLady."

Amy Lacey first heard about FlyLady after her second child was born.

"With two young children, a new house to manage, and several personal projects I wanted to do, I needed help!"

Lacy said the beauty of FlyLady's guidelines is they can be adapted to an individual situation.

"I loved the idea of taking "baby steps" to de-cluttering your home and life mixed in with her no-nonsense approach and "no whining" rule. "

The FlyLady system is all about working smarter, not harder . . . . Cilley has helped so many women create better lives for themselves and their families. She's both strict and loving and knows how to help you FLY. It's free to join, and you can try her ideas for a while and see what's working and what you need to tweak." Lacey said.

Benson said, "When I asked Marla if she would consider coming to Utah, she paused for a moment and said she really didn't like to travel very much, but that she had always wanted to hear the Tabernacle Choir in person. I assured her that could be arranged, and we decided on a date.

"Within a day of her announcing it on her Web site and World Talk Radio show, we had to rebuild our Web site to accommodate the number of hits."

"We had to move from our previous scheduled venue to Little America, and in a short time, all 800 tickets were sold out."

The "FlyLady" has many followers in the Tabernacle Choir, Benson said. "One member told me that many of the women in the choir are very creative (obviously!), and very busy and that home can be hectic at times. They say Marla has had such a huge impact on their lives, and are happy to be serving as her hostesses during the visit."

In addition, Benson said many husbands and fathers have called asking for tickets for wives and daughters.

"The women in their lives had said that was ultimate gift they could ever ask for, and they are coming from all over the United States, as far away as New York. Men often say how she has blessed their lives," Benson said. "We were absolutely amazed!"