Friend coming for lunch on sunday, house is a complete hole atm, Help?

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

My lovely friend is coming over for lunch on sunday. I don't see her very often, the last time she came to our house was before we had our dcs.

Our kitchen should have been finished being painted by then which will help, but we now have a hole in the dining room floor i fell through it We have stuff in every corner and on every surface, our bookshelves are packed full enough to burst, there are too many toys/baby chairs etc taking over our sitting room.

I know my friend won't mind, she is too lovely, but i do still have some pride and don't want to look like a frazzled mess knee deep in shite iyswim?

What can i do? Or more accurately, how can i do something to make a noticeable difference by sunday?

[LoveBeingADaddysGirl]

Personally I would dump everything in the bedrooms

[HaveAHappyNewJung]

First I'd get ALL toys into bags/boxes and into the DCs rooms.

Then go round with a bin bag and get rid of all the crap.

Bathroom is important too, give it a wipe round as you don't want to suddenly think aaaaaaargh when she goes to the loo!

[Goingspare]

Can you push the clutter into one room and close the door firmly on it? That is my emergency strategy. And make sure she doesn't fall into a hole . That should do.

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

Thanks.

Bathroom is thankfully looking pretty good having been gutted durng the summer, so takes 2mins to clean. There is however a box full crap clutter sat in the corner - story of our life!

Have slowly been getting toys upstairs, will shift more once this baby stops feeding.

The conservatory needs another clear out too.

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

There is a rug over the hole now and the dining table sat in a very strange place to stop anyone falling in

[wandawings]

Yep, just concentrate on areas she will see and hide the rest to throw out put away later.

[violetbouncer]

If you can get some archive boxes or similar and roughly sort things as you tidy that'll save you work later - old toys, books to store, paperwork, random junk etc - label them with a marker pen and stack somewhere. Grab some fresh flowers and make sure you air the house that morning. It'll be fine - I'm in a similar boat and love people visiting because it galvanises me to act

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

I think i will put some throws over the sofas, and get some new cushions from the cheap home shop, make it look a bit posher. get DH to put up the pictures that are currently leaning against the skirting board. Load up the underbed storage boxes. Then if i move all the crap i only have to hoover and mop ad wipe stuff.

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

violet - i wish i wasn't the same, but i am, would love to be one of those people who say "Oh, please, come over for lunch, it will be lovely" and all i have to do is chuck some food in the oven, but in reality i need a week's notice before anyone can walk through my front door.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Alice - that sounds like a good plan for the house. I always concentrate on bathroom and kitchen being sparkly first and then work outwards from there!
Get some fresh flowers for the dining table or wherever.

What are you cooking? Can you do it in advance so that on Sunday morning you can have an hour to shower, sort hair and get dressed so that you look all serene rather than frazzled Mummy?

P.S - check either today or tomorrow that what you plan to wear is free from baby sick/food/snot and then hermetically seal it away until Sunday

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

Haha, good idea! Will do roast chicken i expect, will peel potatoes and veg on Saturday, but DH will do most of the actual cooking. Will have to do horses on sunday morning too, so i think the plan is to get house sorted before going to bed on saturday, then get everyone out of the house asap on sunday morning, then home for a bath while DH puts the chicken on - stop DD making a mess!

I like the idea of sortig into individual boxes and labelling.

[Longtalljosie]

Cafe? Pub?

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

I suggested, but DH thinks it would be easier to have her here instead - easier for who?

[devonsmummy]

I round gather it all up and hide it in the bedroom!
If anyone went into my room at the moment i would die of embarrassment, eBay bin bags, christmas dec and tree waiting to go in loft, 2 baskets of ironing, a HUGE mountain of paperwork an utter tip!!
But what polite person would let themsrlves into your room?
As long as bathroom and kirchen are clean thats the main thing

[ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave]

That sounds to me like your DH volunteering to clean and tidy. Thank him profusely and hand him a pile of boxes and a mop; I give you a conservative estimate of 40 minutes before you are on the phone to the pub...

[BEAUTlFUL]

It sounds like clutter is the big problem. I'd grab a binbag and set a timer for 15 minutes in each room and just THROW CRAP AWAY. Don't ask anyone, just BIN it.

Valuable things you can shove into a bag to eBay, but everything else just chuck.

I hate the idea of you loading up the underbed storage boxes with clutter and buying cheap cushions which will only become more clutter very soon (ask me how I know!) - start to throw stuff out, it is LIBERATING!

[Simmylou]

Just concentrate on areas she will go in.

Can you be brave and tip/bin/charity shop some of this clutter? Does any of it have a real place in the house? Are you hanging onto stuff that's broken/half finished/just "needs XYZ" doing to it and it'll be fine" but you know in your heart you will NEVER do it (you sound like you've got your hands full!) If it's stuff you definitely need to keep, put clothes stuff in suitcases and pile up all the other stuff into a corner of one room. Ideally you need to clear the kids out of the house for 2 hours to do this. Can your DH take them to a relatives/friends/soft play so you can roll up sleeves, stick music on, get bin bags at the ready and get stuck in without interruption?

Even if you have loads of ironing, it looks and seems a lot better if it's folded and stacked whilst waiting to be ironed. Put toys with toys, papers with papers. Thoroughly clean the kitchen, bathroom, dining room and lounge and forget the rest.

I sympathise because I used to be like this. Now everything has to have a HOME or it can't be in the house I keep gloves, cloths and cleaning stuff in the bathroom, downstairs loo and kitchen, I keep polish and duster upstairs and downstairs (have 3 sets, it's not any more expensive than having 1 set and using it up faster). I got ruthless, closed my eyes and binned a lot of shite unessential stuff god knows why I was hanging onto. When you've negotiated round the same three picture frames on the landing floor for 9 months running, you know it's time to bin or hang them up no excuses . Same for crap coffee tables that are too small/big/high to use, etc. Good luck but most of all enjoy your friend coming.

[Simmylou]

Re the pictures, you need to get hammer/picture hooks/nails sorted in advance or it's never happen (again) . Don't buy more cushions, that's you distracting yourself from what needs doing. Face up to it girlfriend what will make the house look a million times better than cushions and throws (which just add to the overall cluttered look, throws rarely enhance a sofa except one which is ripped) is for there to be NO CLUTTER and the surfaces to be clean and dust free.

If you've ever watched How Clean Is Your House you'll have seen that even the most modest abode and modest possessions, the oldest cooker, battered sideboard etc can all look perfectly presentable if they are clean and free from crap and clutter.

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

Yes, i know you are right

Getting kids out of the way is not an option. DS is 4m and ebf, and having DD (3yrs) about does entertain him to some extent.

Plan of Action
This morning: Load up a couple of boxes of stuff from downstairs that belongs upstairs.
Keep ploughing my way through Mount Washmore.
This afternoon (once horses are done and before picking DD up from preschool): Go roud the house with a binbag for chucking.
Attack box in bathroom.
This evening when kids are in bed: put things back where they belong in the kitchen (after it has had painting finished).
Clear out down side of fridge, put ironing board and iron away.
et DH to put stairgates in shed for time being.

Tomorrow:
Clean bathroom, kitchen, sitting room, dining room
Hoover and mop.
When kids are in bed, put throws on sofa - sofas are filthy, and ripped, so need it (i put clean throws on when people come over. rather than to keep sofas clean )
Maybe get new cushions - old ones should have been chucked 5yrs ago - will go today!

May even take before and after pics (maybe)

[JustKeepSwimming]

Love the idea of before & after pics :)

Good luck!

[TheHouseofMirth]

Downstairs my house is (currently) clean and serene. However, there is not one square inch of visible floor in my enormous bedroom...

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

Ok, so i have:

Filled up a box with books/toys to go upstairs
Gone around downstairs with a binliner and filled it(!) with stuff to chuck, and put it straight into the black wheelie bin - feel liberated
Filled up a basket with lid full of nappies/wipes etc, rather than having the bags in the sitting room
Gone through a box full of 'paperwork' and 'important' stuff, chucked it all apart from 3 letters
Emptied the sitting room bin and hallway bin
Chucked pile of junk mail

[TheHouseofMirth]

Well done! Sounds like you're on a roll; keep it up!

[JustKeepSwimming]

Wow that's loads!
LOL at chucking all that 'important stuff'

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

While dinner was cooking i wiped down the front of the dishy and the bottom cupboard doors, then on my way downstairs i wiped the landing windowsill with a floor cleaning wipe, so doing okish.

Tonight we have got to get thank you's written, and write a list of people who sent us a card. Then i can chuck all the cards.