How are you feeling at the moment about your home?  Are you feeling prepared for extra visitors or does the thought of people dropping in stress you out? 

Here's an idea for a quick fix I call the Mother In Law method.  Just imagine your Mother In Law (or subsitute appropriate person, say Vogue Living coming over to do a photo feature) is on her way over and will be here in 20 minutes. 

Tidy up or do what needs doing quickly just for that amount of time. Repeat daily, or twice daily until you are ready for the actual Mother In Law.  If that doesn't work to motivate you, you could try inviting your actual Mother In Law over for real.

Being ready for visitors doesn't mean you need to repaint the house and have the garden landscaped.  Start with what really matters.

A clear place for people to sit, no junk around the front door, the kitchen and bathroom presentable, no rubbish, dishes or washing/laundry laying around, a fresh smell. 

It's good to have some extra food and drink supplies set aside for visitors too.  You might have to hide or label this stuff so you and your family don't use it up, or allocate a place for "back up" supplies that are to be kept stocked up. 

Do your best and enjoy your company, and don't spend the whole time apologizing for the mess, especially if there isn't any. 

If you've made an effort and you do your best to be a good host, your guests shouldn't mind that things aren't perfect.  It might even help put them at ease.

Think about how you feel when you call on people at their homes for a visit yourself.  What have you noticed that you like and don't like that you can use for ideas for your own home, and what kind of a host you are? 

Welcoming people into your home is about way more than how clean and tidy it is, or what kind of food and beverages you have on offer.  It's about your social skills too, which I find I must always work on.

A common issue I find comes up, is which room or area do you tend to naturally head to as visitors arrive.  I know there are practical reasons why it's usually the kitchen at first - perhaps they've brought something, or want to talk to you while you get the drinks - but do you need to stay there if it's not the most comfortable place?  It can take a bit of effort to get into the habit of cultivating a new habitual sitting area, and it starts with where you tend to sit and relax yourself when you don't have guests.

Happy socialising, and may your home be the site of some delightful get-togethers.

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