My friend Eyebright has started Homemaker In Training Thursday, which is designed for ladies of all ages to learn how to be better homemakers. This is Week #1.

My cousin, sister, and I came up with this basic list of how to prepare for company, I’ve tweaked it a bit for this post.

How To Prepare For Company

• Make sure your rooms are clean. You want them to be “clean enough to be peaceful, and messy enough to be happy.”

• Check the corners of ceiling and windows for cobwebs.

• Clean the floors, make sure there are no pummies or dust bunnies playing in the corners.

• Wipe down the kitchen counters, put dishes away, mop or spot mop the floor, and replace the towels with fresh ones.

• Wipe down the bathroom counters, clean the toilet, and put new towels out.

• Check to make sure your front entry way is tidy.

• Keep the pets contained so that they do not bother or slobber on the guests, but if they ask to see or play with the pets, and when it is appropriate, you can let them out.

• If they are coming for a meal, be prepared and have everything ready in good timing, usually within 15-25 minutes after they arrive. If you have the chance, check with the guests before they arrive to see what kind of food they like, you wouldn’t want your guests to have a hard time choking down their least favorite meal.

• When they arrive, make sure they feel at home and that they are comfortable, but do not bug.

• When they say it’s about time to leave, don’t bring up another subject or try to get them to stay later, this might make them feel bad, and cause them to stay, which might end up throwing off their schedule.

We don’t do this perfect, we’re still in the training process. We’ve had people over that came to our house unexpectedly, and they still wanted to stay and visit, even though the house was a wreck.

Categories: Family | Food | The Home