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Welcome the Thought of Hosting House Guests

10/21/2014

We've all heard the old saying that house guests are like fish...after three days, they both start to stink. However, in both cases, the foulness can be avoided if you prepare properly.

Festivities such as weddings, holidays and graduations frequently include overnight guests from out of town, and all too often we find ourselves scrambling at the last minute to clean the house and search for extra pillows in the midst of the existing chaos of preparing for the event itself. With the holidays fast approaching, now is the perfect time to start laying the groundwork for anticipated visitors by taking some or all of these steps:

Establish a regular cleaning schedule that you can easily maintain year-round. There will be fewer dust bunnies to chase away from under the bed before your guests arrive if you are keeping up on a regular basis.
Flip the room in your hotel. If you have a designated guest room, change the sheets on the bed immediately after guests leave so that it is ready for the next arrival...ditto for towels in the guest bathroom.You'll be ready for even unexpected guests this way.
Determine the sleeping arrangements in advance. Nothing makes guests feel less welcome than a sense that they are intruding on you. Do not make assumptions about where or with whom they wish to sleep, either. Get any awkward conversations about their preferences out of the way before they arrive so that there are no unpleasant surprises. Having the bed/s made up ahead of time, whenever possible, will make them feel more welcome, even if they are just sleeping on an air mattress in the basement.
Acquire extra bedding well ahead of time. Round up pillows, blankets, sheets, towels, and/or air mattresses and store them somewhere easily accessible. Ideally, you want to keep these somewhere that anyone in the family can find them. This will enable you to delegate set up responsibilities in the event that your other host/hostess duties make it difficult for you to do that yourself. If you don't own these items and don't have the budget/space to buy/store them, borrow them from a friend or neighbor in advance, or you can even request that your guests bring their own.
Stock up on basic essentials. Keep a supply of extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and shampoo on hand for guests to use. Show/tell them where to find it so they don't have to go riflng through your medicine cabinet if they forgot to bring their own. (My grandparents loved to tell the story of the house guest who got a bit of a shock when he mistook their Ben-Gay for toothpaste in the medicine cabinet...ouch!)
Ask about any special dietary needs/ preferences ahead of time and plan/prepare meals in advance. Cooking in advance will minimize the amount of time you have to spend in the kitchen so that you can focus on the visit. Consider eating or ordering out one night to take the stress out of having to feed everyone and eliminate the chore of cleaning up. Just make sure you budget for it.
Avoid hosting extra gatherings. Unless your guests are in town for a specific pre-planned event, resist the temptation to have other people over while they are here. If this cannot be avoided, keep itsuper simple (coffee and dessert or a pot luck) to avoid adding to your existing host duties and related stress.
Keep kids in their routines as much as possible.It can be a real challenge to get Jimmy and Jane into bed when Aunt Mary is around to play with, but the stability of a routine will make it much easier for them to transition back after Aunt Mary returns home to Seattle.
Understand each others' expectations and keep the lines of communication open. Living with someone requires compromise, even if it's just for a few days. Don't assume that your guests do things the same way in their house. They may have different holiday traditions that they wish to honor. They may be neater/tidier than you, go to bed or rise later/earlier than you, or require more/less time in the bathroom than you. If an issue arises, talk it out calmly and try to keep it in perspective. Remember, they won't be staying forever!

With a little planning and the right attitude, your guests will leave wanting to return...and you won't mind if they do!

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Don't Let a Power Outage Leave You Powerless!

10/6/2014

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We've all experienced a frantic run on toilet paper, bread and water at some point in our lives, in preparation for a big snowstorm or hurricane, but as I learned this past weekend, it doesn't always take a storm to leave you in the dark! Power outages can strike anytime, anywhere, just when you least expect them...like as you are arriving home from the store with a trunk full of perishable groceries...UGH!

Yes, we were treated to not one but FOUR power cuts in a 36-hour period this weekend due to a faulty transformer up the street. Just my little group of eight town homes were affected...lucky us! Fortunately, they restored it once and for all just as I was heading out the door to get ice for my fridge/freezer...but not before my poor hubby, who was off of work and in "vampire mode" (staying up all night and sleeping during the day in preparation for a string of night shifts), had to spend a very long night sitting alone in the dark with no electronics to keep him entertained.

So how prepared are you for an unexpected power outage? Here's a checklist of items you should always have on hand to minimize that powerless feeling when the lights go out:

flashlights and batteries; candles
manual can opener and non-perishable foods like tuna, evaporated milk and dry cereal
firewood and matches (in cold weather)
charcoal/gas for the grill and/or sterno (if your cooking appliances are electric)
pre-cooked rice, barley or pasta (keep in freezer to thaw and eat at room temperature)
at least one clean change of clothes for each family member
dishwashing liquid, sponges and clean dish towels
car phone charger

Most of all, keep a good attitude. While losing electricity can be challenging, it's also offers a great opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones, catch up on some reading, and tap into your inner pioneer. Being prepared will help take the stress out of the situation so that you can relax and enjoy roughing it a little.

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Welcome the Thought of Hosting House Guests

Don't Let a Power Outage Leave You Powerless!

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