It’s here! They’re coming! In fact my niece and her boyfriend are in the plane right now. I have managed to finish Christmas shopping, wrap presents, and plan activities for their visit first winter visit. I’ve fluffed the pillows, straightened (overhauled) the house, er…I intend to get to the grocery store sometime while they are here. Um, I swear I’m going to give that toilet a once-over before they get here tonight…after I work, pick up Paolo, make supper and, well. Who am I kidding. They are just going to have to experience a very real family setting.
Here are my usual last-minute efforts before house guests arrive.
- Febreeze the hell out of anything that I walk past.
- Wipe child fingerprints and smudges from obviously shiny places like the TV.
- Stash my personal paper pile in my clothes closet.
- Put out fresh towels.
- Put fresh sheets on the bed.
- Set out a carafe of water in the bedroom.
- Wipe up the toothpaste droppings around the sink.
- Spot-clean the painfully light-colored carpeting.
What are your secrets to making your house look clean and inviting when you don’t have the time to do it thoroughly? No time to chat. I see I missed a stale kleenex under the couch!
Definitely, the paper piles get stashed somewhere. I try to quick swiffer and vacuum. I keep a container of those Lysol wipes under my bathroom and kitchen sink. Then if I need to do a quick freshening, those are handy and quick. Good luck, frankly they will be having so much fun they’ll never notice the fingerprints.
I hope you are right!