We did it again.
With only an hour before the party was supposed to start, we realized that we weren’t going to make it. So we started stuffing things into boxes, clothes hampers, and even large pots, and deposited them on the bed in our room. The plan was to keep the door locked so nobody could accidentally walk in and see the mess. Anything to clear the clutter and turn our well-used, kid-friendly rumpus rooms into an elegant cocktail party.
The party was a success. Nobody discovered our secret but when it was over, and we had to clear off the bed before we could lie down, my husband and I wondered how we let it happen again! Somehow, no matter how much cleaning we thought we did every day, hosting a party shined a light on the clutter that went unnoticed all week.
You know how everyone says, “Your friends won’t care if your house isn’t perfect.” They say that because they don’t want to host.
Now that the kids aren’t living at home, you would think—and I certainly thought this—that house cleaning would be so much easier. It just hasn’t turned out that way. I remember once, early in our marriage, my husband went on a business trip for a week. I thought it would be fun to have one less person to take care of. However, what happened was that I had one more person’s chores to do! This is still hard for me to admit but he did much more around the house than I gave him credit for.
Then something happened that gave me an idea. My workweek can be long. Last week, when Friday finally rolled around, I only wanted to go home and relax. The problem was, I found it impossible to sit next to the pile of clean laundry or walk past the sink full of dishes and not feel stressed out. After pacing about for a few laps, I ventured down the kid’s hallway and into one of their vacant bedrooms.
Eureka!
The room was clean and quiet; the bedding was soft and cozy. I spent hours watching old VHS movies that still had Blockbuster stickers on them. (Sidebar: If you are concerned that I am a one of THOSE people who never returned rented videos, remember that toward the end, as Blockbuster was going out of business, they sold VHS tapes on the cheap.)
By the second movie, I realized I may have made the best staycation discovery of all time! Between features, I was sneaking out to fill a plate with snacks and grabbing a bottle of wine. No interruptions, no cell phone chirps, and, most importantly, … no unfinished projects lying around.
So, back to my idea.
When the kids moved out, I kept their rooms basically the same. I cleaned out the junk they left behind and redecorated, against the popular advice to make their rooms into an art studio or a workout room. The same went for their bathroom and the bonus room on that side of the house. You see, now that our family is a twosome, half of the house rarely gets used.
I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before … The next time we plan to have a party, we don’t have to scramble and stress.
We can use the guest rooms!