Unexpected visitors. 10 minutes - what do you do?

[ChristmasTrulyReigns]

You know the scenario - Great Auntie Maude rings she's "in the area and would like to pop in for a coffee".

AAAAaaargh.

What do you manage to get done?

[AgainMarjorie]

ummmm. Throw a few toys in the toy boxes and wipe the DCs faces (it's a snotfest here ATM). Sweep up a bit. Put some coffee on.

[MaryBS]

Concentrate on the living room and hallway. I throw everything into a basket/box and hide it in the spare room or kitchen. If time hoover the obvious area and dust where it looks really bad and obvious.

[briefcasewanker]

Put the kettle on, quick tidy up of the toys.

[LadyOfTheFlowers]

Kick a lot of stuff under the sofas.

Have a quick hoover....

That's what I'm going to do just now - my Mum went to get the kids for me today from school so I can't let her come into this mess! lol :o

[greentig3r]

Open bathroom and kitchen windows a little. Give toilet&sink a quick clean, fresh loo roll and towel. Chuck dishes in sink with plenty of soapy bubbles, so at least it looks like you might have been in the middle of it when she phoned. Gather piles of bills/junk and shove it in back room. If no time to hoover, lift any obvious bits of crud. Bootiful.

[nannynobblystockingnobs]

straighten/foof up cushions on sofa, kick all kids rammel into one corner, pick up big obvious bits of rubbish off carpet, pick up strewn dirty laundry :) [/slattern]

[mylifewithstrangers]

I always check the loo - kids are terrible for leaving skid marks
Straighten the cushions on the sofa (whole room looks bad if they are messy)
Kick toys into a corner
Shut the doors of the messy rooms!

[Theantsgomarching]

Ladyoftheflowers You are not hoovering - you are MNing my dear

[CeliaChristmasFate]

Wipe toilets down and put bleach in. Wipe sinks over with a Flash wipe. Pick up all clutter and put in one room upstairs. Straighten up the lounge and run a hot soapy cloth over kitchen surfaces.

[DurhamDurham]

Plump and tidy sofa cushions, clean worktops in kitchen and put toilet cleaner down the loos.Put the kettle on and find some biscuits to put on a plate (from my hidden stash!) I might put the fire on if it was cold outside.

[rodformyownback]

Straighten out sofa, throw toys in baskets. Carpet-sweep the middle bit in living room. Run upstairs with pile of clean laundry, chuck on spare room bed. Firmly shut bedroom doors. Clean toilet and pick up towels/yesterday's clothes from bathroom floor. Put kettle on. Wipe surfaces if time.

[MollieO]

Always screen my calls.

[mousymouse]

flush the loo, hide stuff in the spare room, open the windows for a minute.

[RockinRobinBird]

Toilet, basin and quick tidy of front room. Sod everything else! Oh and shut all the other doors :o

[TheUnmentioned]

get dressed (dd pukes on me all the time so stay in slobby clothes), tidy toys, put dishes in soapy water, wipe kitchen, check loo

[BeenBeta]

Toilet, basin in downstairs loo. Do it with baby wipes then squirt bleach down loo. Then tidy kitchen. Shut doors to all other rooms and pray.

[dikkertjedap]

Make a pot of coffee or tea (depending on who is visiting) and put a selection of biscuits on a nice plate. That's it really, house is tidy anyway, so no rush on that front.

[TheUnmentioned]

[onessa]

Presumably your visitors are coming to see you and your family-not to check on your housekeeping skills?I would put the kettle on, get the nice cake or biscuits out of the secret cupboard stash--she won't remember your house she will remember how welcome she was made to feel.
(would however, check the toilet and put bleach down in case she needed to 'go' before leaving!)(wink)

[onessa]

my wink didn't work!!!

[stickersarecurrency]

Chuck dishes in sink and run scalding hot water in with washing up liquid, run upstairs to wipe round in loo and empty bin, shut bedroom doors, back down to living room, throw toys on toy pile, shove papers in DP's desk, grab random bits of clothing and shove in basket, 30 second hoover of hall and sitting room. Then kettle on, sweep floor and start washing up. If time allows, rake around in depths of cupboard for random snack offering - may range from elderly Soreen to soggy digestive. Hopefully that'll put them off visiting again

[rivi]

put paint on your face and pretend you have been busy so housework has had to suffer and how you hate it!

[LadyViper]

spray furniture polish behind the radiator to make it smell like you have polished and put the hoover in the middle of the room and say she caught you in the middle of your housework.

kick clutter into a cupboard/ under your bed

[LadyViper]

oh and chuck some bleach down the loo

[RedRosie]

Ladies. Ladies. I'm exhausted just reading this!

Open bottle of wine/put on kettle for teatotallers.

Big welcoming smile. :-)

Simples.