Tag Archives: house guests

Sleepover Guests: A Dangerous Threshold

A sleepover guest crosses a new, different and very precarious threshold of endurance that should never be mistaken for hospitality. One who does so must tread lightly, lest they be forbidden to darken the doorway again in either the near or distant future. You have to know how to be a guest, and somehow if you can’t figure it out, there’s already trouble in River City. But let’s go over some rules of the sleepover road anyway, just in case you lost your way, but are really on the right track and mean well. Be sensitive to any notes of … Continue reading →

Some Guest Cleanup Strategies

For everything in life there is a plan and cleaning up after your guests leave is no exception. But you do have to think about it: what to do first, for example, after you decide to move rather than face it. Here are some thoughts about how to tackle the mess right after your guests leave, or at least a big part of it. Do as much as possible the moment your guests have pulled out of your driveway on their way down the road to bother other unsuspecting relatives. Even if you are dead tired, most messes will look … Continue reading →

Guests Are Gone: Time To Clean Up

When your guests get up and leave, you are left with two personal choices: you can either leave with them or clean up the mess they have left in their wake. For the most part, the choice is not that difficult, and usually the latter of the two is selected. Guests can and often do leave unintentional messes and enough work after they have gone to insure that we never let them beyond the driveway again, no matter how many times they knock on the door and scream. Here are some tips to help lessen the clean-up load. Distribute plenty … Continue reading →

House Guest Happiness: All In the Details

Houseguests are a part of life and no one wants to become a headline that reads: “Stabbed to death in home early yesterday during an argument with a house guest.” Make them happy and comfortable, and the way to do it is all in the details. Here are some tips to consider the next time guests cross your threshold. If a baby is coming along for the ride, think about renting or borrowing a crib, playpen or stroller so the parents don’t have to haul it all with their luggage. Make sure the crib’s mattress fits snugly within the frame … Continue reading →

The Guest Room: If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It

The Guest Room: If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It Many people today can’t rely on a traditional guest room when friends and relations come to visit (and stay). Usually a converted gym, storage area or giant junk drawer with carpeting is converted into a bedroom of sorts and hopefully a few moments before guests are walking up the driveway to your home, luggage in hand. But if you have such a spot, it’s best to use it NOW because getting your guests away from the household action makes everything flow more smoothly and everyone a bit more comfortable. If you … Continue reading →

The Transient Room For Transient Guests

Although many homes have an additional bedroom that serves as an occasional repose for weary guests, many homes do not. What they do have is an unused space that has become a catchall storage area for clutter and other things unwanted. The key is adaptability in a hurry, for like all species known to man, guests and the rooms they sleep in will survive the Ice Age also known as an annual, perfunctory visit. Here are some hopefully helpful tips to transform any room into a make shift guest boudoir that even the likes of Conrad Hilton might have approved … Continue reading →

House Guests: Heading Them Off at The Pass

This time of year waxes nostalgic for reunions of all kinds. The problem is that some reunions not only are unplanned but are unwanted as well. The key issue is how can you tactfully, but with malice aforethought, head off your guests at the pass before they dare to darken your threshold and mess up (and stress up) your life? One way to control the situation is a little thing called a white lie. I am honest and a bad liar to boot. Whenever I tell a small, social lie to get out of some social occasion, it always backfires … Continue reading →

It’s Your Party: Why Won’t They Leave?

Surely one of the stickiest moments of even the finest of parties is when the host is ready for the guests to leave and they aren’t so sure. Things can get out of hand as once happened to President Andrew Jackson at his inauguration party back in 1829. Things got so wild he had to climb out his bedroom window and flee to a nearby hotel. His guests would not leave until the next day when coaxed out on the lawn for some punch and goodies served by a harried White House staff. Once I attended a party and the … Continue reading →

Cocktail Party Welcomes: Some Tips

Preparing for a cocktail party can be stressful; especially in those few moments before your guests arrive and you discover that unsightly carpet stain or something of that ilk. Such mishaps can make you forget names and other details. (If you can’t remember where you live, you better go home, because the party you are hosting in that case, is someone else’s.) Take the time to review your guest-list to avoid blanking out on names. In the fluster and flurry of the moment, it can easily happen and often does, and it can be embarrassing when you are dealing with … Continue reading →

Soft Sounds Soothe The Savage Guest

An old saying about beasts may come to mind while reading the title of this blog, but make no mistake. I am talking about guests, parties and noise. Parties can certainly be a lot of fun but they can also be noisy affairs. To cut down on this element, plan on having some soft sounds to absorb the noise of rattling dishes, be-bop music, high heeled shoes and shrill laughter, just to name a few. Heavy draperies offer some respite as they muffle noise, as do soft upholstery and dense rugs. Avoid duct tape as a solution because most of … Continue reading →