There is nothing more stressful than trying to cook, clean and control clutter when you have planned company coming over and especially with the children home during a long holiday weekend. Memorial Day is this Monday and many folks have their BBQ pits ready and burgers and ribs in the fridge. And yet, even if you are lucky enough to have your significant other manning the grill, the house and children still need to be taken care of and readied up for company. Here is my method, it is not a perfect method but as long as we try our best and try to enjoy the process we can squeeze enough tidying and cleaning in to feel like we can handle company for this Memorial Day Weekend.
- Do not skip your morning routine or your daily dozen. Make the beds and have the children help if they can. Get dressed and put on your momma face. This includes hair, make-up, teeth and whatever else makes you feel put together. Pretend you are about to go out to lunch with the girls. It will be easier to just touch up your make up later than to try to do the whole face at the last minute.
- Gather Your Tools: Vacuum, Mop, Dusting cloths, Spray Cleaners, Rags and the dreaded toilet brush.
- Now to the fun stuff. Utilizing your groovy tunes and a timer do a 5 minute pick up of clutter and trash through the house in each room. If you feel as if there is not time to put away the items then put them in a hamper, box or bag and stuff it all in your closet. Guests will think they are bags of gifts hidden from the children if they happen to get so nosy that they end up in your closet.
- Clean the kitchen as best you can. You may be in the middle of food preparations, just clean up as much as you can and put away as many items as possible. Clean for 15 minutes and then move on.
- Now grab the dust rag and dust the main rooms. Just the obvious places in the entryway, dining area and living areas.
- Next: Vacuum up only the stuff you see, usually this is the high traffic areas in the main living areas. Then a damp mop and mop up only what you see as dirty in the guest bathroom, entryway and kitchen.
- The Bathroom: Wipe down the sink, shine the mirror and clean the toilet with the toilet brush.
- Empty Trash: Empty all the trash cans. There is something about a full trash can in a bathroom that just makes the room look dirty.
- Now look for some finishing touches, fresh flowers, candles or anything with the color scheme red, white and blue. Use what you have!
Enjoy the weekend but make sure you take a moment and remember the fallen who gave their lives for our freedoms.
WAHM and loving it. I am coffee lover and a office supply store fanatic. I love to cook and organize.
