[WeasleyMum]

She's never been here before, lives several states away and doesn't travel but it's amazing the power of a new grandchild. House is messy, cluttered, disorganized. TWO WEEKS. AAACK. Calm me down people!

...I guess it's a good thing because I do need a kick in the butt to get things done. Once I have it MIL-ready, it will stay nice for awhile, right?

 

[jocelyndale]

Hah! My parents arrive tomorrow. I kinda decided that they already know I'm a pitiful excuse for a housekeeper. I'm scrub the bathroom and make sure the kitchen's clean, but that's about it.

I do usually make sure things are picked up for MiL. So she just thinks I live in a cluttered, dusty house, not a cluttered dusty house with laundry piles and craft projects stacked everywhere.

 

[sunnysandiegan]

Two weeks is plenty of time to get your house guest-ready. Breathe.

1. Where is she sleeping? Get that area ready first and give her room to have a suitcase and hang her clothes and shower, etc.

2. What will y'all be doing while she is here? Plan those things, even if loosely, and create space in the house, if needed. For example, if you want to go places, start looking for where and how to get reduced prices. If you plan to just hang out with the baby, then get the rooms ready where the baby spends most of his/her time.

3. If you don't already have routines in place to keep the kitchen clean, develop some and practice in the next two weeks.

4. Walk up to your house as if you were a stranger. Straighten along the way (pull weeds, put away items you don't even see anymore, etc). Clean the door and walkway.

5. Walk inside your house the way you'll be doing it with MIL during her stay. Is there room for all of you? Clear the space, clean a little, add a welcoming touch. Develop a routine to keep the entrance clear and user-friendly.

6. Spend your remaining time on areas where you'll be spending most of your time during her visit.

Meanwhile, the only way your house is going to stay clean after MIL leaves is if you develop the routines necessary to keep it that way. Defining your level of comfort and what "clean" means to you may be a worthy endeavor...

 

[WeasleyMum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan Meanwhile, the only way your house is going to stay clean after MIL leaves is if you develop the routines necessary to keep it that way. Defining your level of comfort and what "clean" means to you may be a worthy endeavor...

Thank you for all of your tips! Don't worry, I'm not delusional and thinking that, once clean, the house will somehow stay magically tidy and organized. I embarked on a big cleaning/ decluttering project last year, that ended abruptly as I came into my third trimester. My main objectives then were to have a home for every "thing" in the house, and to have systems in place for dealing with stuff like paperwork, laundry, etc. I was getting into a good system as far as having a place for everything... then came the baby and all of his STUFF. (Gifts. Basically all gifts.) So I have a to-do list that includes stuff like "store all too-small baby clothes", "put away maternity clothes", etc. Somewhere under the last six months' worth of baby clutter is the tidy house I had last March.

I just have to find it in the next two weeks!

 

[sunnysandiegan]

Well, then, I think you will do just fine!