With T-3ish days until my VIPs arrive (seeing as of now, it’s early Tuesday and they’re in late on Thursday) and multiple commitments until then, well, The Neurosis Train has pretty much come to a complete stop.
Tonight is our annual MIL/DIL dinner and birthday* shopping extravaganza.
We’re meeting for dinner and drinks at Hyde Park (while I don’t care for chains, I figure if you’re treating, I’ll go where you want) and then tackling the local mega mall.
Yeah yeah, I know that malls are all kinds of weird BUT they have a two chef stores!
My goal this year is to be able to be cognizant enough to be able to partake in shopping.
Last year saw four pomegranate martinis and a giddy Stephanie running through Urban Outfitters trying to determine what items would most annoy her husband.
Wednesday I’m hoping to get an oil change and tire rotation as I’ll be primary toter. Bailey will be getting her talons filed; she got a bath on Sunday (“Explain again to me what she rolled in… she’s Camping Dirty**.”) but still needs a shedender treatment. And a festive scarf.
Thursday gives me four-ish hours for Catty Thursday with Melissa, vacuuming…
I need to figure out where to put bathroom re-grouting*** and bathroom cleaning.
Meanwhile, the walls are all washed, which, at the time, didn’t seem like such a bad gig until I realized just how much grime can collect in coughsixyearscough.
Light bulbs are changed.
Towels are folded and matched.
Guest room is cleaned and bed is made.
Office is clean (who would have guessed there is a floor in there?!).
Our room is clean.
And for good measure, I vacuumed the laundry room and I may have vacuumed the lint off the PVC piping.
So, reader(s) when you have people arriving, how soon do you start the madness?
Do you set a schedule or timetable?
When it comes to the last minute, which tasks become less important?
* Oh, yeah, right, so by this time next week, I’ll be the big three-oh.
** “Camping Dirty”: Chocolate Lab + countess streams + muddy campsites + rocks + beer ponds = very very very dirty doggie.
*** I figure that re-grouting will be easier than digging with a toothbrush. Famous last words.
please, stop bouncing 
I am impressed by MIL/DIL shopping and dinner. That’s pretty nice.
YUMMM POMEGRANITE MARTINIS.
My VIP’s come much more frequently than yours. Usually, I clean for the duration of their travel (i.e. 6 hours). But then I also have to stock the fridge, etc…. They also come with two dogs. So the house doesn’t exactly STAY clean.
I chalk up the shopping thing due to two factors.
One, I’m the daughter she never had.
Two, It’s easier than trying to pry out what I want/getting me something that is 100% not me.
His family goes out to eat like no one’s business… like, all the time.
The whole “girls night” started when my bday fell on a Thursday so Steve was golfing and she felt bad for me.
I really should do better on the cleaning, it’s just, like, the things you deal with (because you live there) but have second thoughts when people stick to the floor.
The fridge is mother-hubbard-esque and our beer fridge needs some TLC.
Craziness I tells ya.
I think we are thinking of getting a cleaning person. This sounds like the most pretentious waste of money, ever (which is why I haven’t done so yet). But the truth is? I just don’t get to it. I get the basic cleaning done – the dusting, vacuuming, etc. But it’s the scrubbing the bathroom, de-molding the shower (which, hopefully, I won’t have to do anymore b/c I have a new shower. Which BETTER NOT get mold), dusting the light fixtures and cobwebs, etc. I spent 6 hours last weekend just cleaning out my kitchen cabinets (for the first time in three years). And, after we have kids? FORGET IT.
It is nice, the girls night, though. I’ve never been to Hyde Park, but it looks pretty nice (we went to Bravo for my parent’s anniversary last time I was in town.) They really did a nice job with that mall.
You have a beer fridge?
well, by “beer fridge” I mean basement bar… I like to keep the beer down there. Makes more room for food and we don’t look like raging alkies.
tried the housekeeper thing…I am entirely too OCD! Used to fanatically clean said house…now, not as much…still clean but not ridiculously so…
thank goodness most of our friends and relatives are not neat freaks!!!
(I’m the freak) 🙂
Enjoy the shopping and dinner!!!
There is now way that Occasionally Neurotic Stephanie and Often Neurotic Steve would allow unknown people in their house.
Heck, I get nervous when I don’t know where everyone is.
hhmmm…have been to Blake’s Seafood..(which is part of Hyde Park corp.)
Now I want seafood for dinner and not the junk they have at Red Lobster.
I need a house keeper..our house has very high ceilings, old bathrooms and almost 4000 sq ft. I do the basics in the rooms we live in. Vacuum, dust, wipe things down…but otherwise I’m too lazy. Hate Hate Hate bathrooms…I’m pushing to get total remodel of both upstairs ones so I have a nice clean slate to start with.
Will you be free to stop over sometime next month to clean my house? At least you will know what you’re doing. =)
Let me check my calender… hmmm, seems that I’m booked for housekeeping… sorry 🙂
The whole wall thing started when I went to paint one wall. I washed the wall first, only to realize that it’s a few shades lighter than I had thought… I guess it must be all the dust/dander/candle soot…
Once I started though, I couldn’t stop and well, that saw me on an 8-foot-ladder, with a sponge mop, maneuvering around the ceiling fan; the ceiling in our living room and staircase are unnecessary tall.
Now I remember why I haven’t done this before.
New to commenting here! I’ve read your blog for some time now(found it by clicking through someone else’s blog, then someone elses… you know the routine!) but usually only have time in the day to read the blogs I read and that’s it. Had some free time today so thought I’d comment.
I will usually start cleaining a day or two before “the arrival”. Learning the hardway- I used to clean all week only to find my husband is a big slob and I’d have to start all over in the day or two before the arrival!
Have fun on your martini/shopping trip- watch out for the tini’s though. I was just attacked by some banana split martini’s Friday night- they are evil!
Why Hola Nikki!
‘tinis + Stephanie = HHHEEEEEEYYYY LOOK AT MEEEEE!
Loud and clear on the re-cleaning… I’m terrified that I’ll come home on Thursday to find a tiger in the bathroom and Bailey on the counter, nomming something messy and the cat will be in the hanging lamp.
(okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration)
Not to mention that as the time gets closer, I start noticing EVERYTHING.
The madness is completely different when there are little people running around tearing things up as fast as you can put it back together.
That is why we do not allow house guests.
That is why guests were never allowed in our “office”.
Teppo (who helped us move) said that it was the second time he had been in that room.
Suggestions: Put inappropriately large mints on their pillows. Do the triangle fold thingie on the toilet paper roll. Span a CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS sash over the seat.
Have a Special Place mantra ready for when they get under your skin.
I was thisclose to putting my “good night’s sleep” kit on the pillow. Then I realized that it had one of those darkening masks and earplugs in it. The whole thing would have been turned into a huge innuendo about who would need earplugs and the sounds of marital relations vs. the amount of my allowance.
Thanks, but no.
Wait …… you can wash walls?
blech.
Do not recommend.