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?

[TheHouseofMirth]

Would it not be better to do that after friend has been and save your time for more major, visible tidying and cleaning?

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

Yes and no really. Normally i would shove them in a draw and forget deal with them another time, but DH's family can get a bit funny about thank you notes arriving swiftly, so it is worth doing it now, sent tomorrow, then spending tomorrow doing other jobs.

[TheHouseofMirth]

Fair enough!

[Simmylou]

Way to go Alice! keep it up! You are doing really well especially as you have a 4mo and a toddler, but even after your friend has gone you and the family will benefit from having a clutter free house.

If you have a wibble and think you'll miss the binned stuff - I can virtually guarantee you'll miss a maximum of perhaps 1 item out 20. You won't even remember what you threw out in 3 months (or 3 weeks!) Obviously the trick is not to buy more crap to replace them with.

When you think you're getting there, stand at the doorway of each room and cast your eye around. Is there something you continuously ignore? In my case it was an enormous pile of newpapers and magazines that I was keeping for the cat litter trays. It had become part of the furniture so much I practically dusted it . Did I really need a big pile of newspaper? No. At most I need half a newspaper a week. Out to recycling went the rest. So what you are aiming for is: every visible surface to be free of crap. Anything that's left on there SHOULD be there and would be EXPECTED to be there. Anything that HAS to be there temporarily because there's nowhere else to put it should at the very least be tidied up and look cared for (ie, toys, papers).


So, tomorrow you are achieving the following:

Clean bathroom, kitchen, sitting room, dining room
Hoover and mop.
Finishing off any outstanding jobs from your list today.

I want a progress report from you tomorrow on the above, Miss Alice. No excuses

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

will do

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

Despite a shocking night and a baby that would not nap this morning, meaning DH has taken him to the office with him in the hope he will sleep in the car, i have:

Cleared out down the side of the fridge, which meant that the ironing board could go away, and chucked a bit more clutter.
Cleaned the kitchen skirting board and step.
Swept and scrubbed mopped the kitchen floor, just doing jigsaw puzzles with DD and having a drink while the floor dries.

Next:
Clear kitchen sides
Get DH to put the stuff that belongs on top of the cupboards back
Wipe down kitchen sides

Then
DINING ROOM!!! (bit of an area of doom)

[Simmylou]

Well done Alice! Sounds great. You must have got the majority of stuff done now, anything outstanding probably isn't worth bothering with. Hope you enjoy your day tomorrow!

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

Hello, update:

Kitchen is spotless!
Conservatory looks twice as big as it did.
Dining room i have been chipping away at all day, so just needs a hoover and furniture rearrange.
Sitting room has been cleared, just needs clean throws on - last minute!
Stairs are clear and hoovered.
Bathroom is clean, but as yet haven't tackled the box of junk in the corner.

Feel like i have really achieved a lot, so thank you all for your encouragement

Lost a couple of hours with my horse having her tooth out, then DH having to do a call, but all in all i am very pleased.

Tomorrow's main jobs are tidying the hall, giving the loo a last minute wipe down and cooking dinner. Going to buy a pudding.

[Simmylou]

You have done amazingly well. You must be knackered and I hope you have nothing at all planned for Monday after this flurry of activity!

What's in the box of junk? Can't be that important..

I hope your DH is rearranging the furniture and hoovering the dining room

Poor horse! Sounds painful (and expensive)...

[JustKeepSwimming]

Well done!

And enjoy today :)

[Deflatedballoonbelly]

Well, how'd it go?

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

Hello

Sorry, haven't been on my laptop since saturday!

Sunday went really well. DH did a good job with the dinner, and it was lovely and stress free.

Thank you again for all the help and encouragement.