MomsTalk: Survival Guide to Guests

Hospitality, n.  The virtue which induces us to feed and lodge certain persons who are not in need of food and lodging.  ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1911

If you are among the many McLean residents who did not leave town this week in search of warmer climates for spring break and Easter weekend, you may be exercising the “virtue” of hospitality.

The Washington area is a wonderful place to visit, especially in the spring. If spending a week with the grand-kids or nieces/nephews isn’t enough of a draw, the cherry blossoms and the free museums  can bring the extended family to town in droves during holidays.

All the McLean Patch Mom’s LOVE having their extended families and friends visit, but it is helpful to recognize and prepare for the challenges that come with spending your vacation as a round-the-clock hostess.

Kathleen Weil, McLean resident, married with three daughters and a sheltie.

During the summer we often have guests stay for a week or more.   Over the years I’ve compiled a list of “must see and do” activities to share with guests.  This way, if they don’t know the area, they have a broad outline of things that could be fun to do.  Any time we have an enjoyable family outing, if it’s not on the list already, we add it.   This way I don’t feel like I’m constantly trying to create itineraries for countless people.  We’ve become a lot better about feeling like we have to accompany guests everywhere they want to go.   There are only so many times in one season that  an “all day trip to the zoo in the heat of the sun”  sounds good to me!

Lately, my husband and I have started suggesting to guests that they rent a car when they come.   We can’t keep up with our three girls’ schedule, plus drive guests around to every tourist destination they want to get to.  It also gives the guests some independence to  schedule their day however they want.  Meals can be tricky.   Most nights we eat pretty early because our children are still young, followed by a walk with our dog in the neighborhood.  Most guests have grown out of the stage where they need or want to eat at 5:30pm and I cannot cook two meals a night, even if it were for royalty (which some guests think they are!!!). 

So I just let people know what time we are eating, and if that doesn’t work for them, they can help themselves to anything they want out of the fridge whenever they are ready.  Almost always, the guests choose to eat early with us.  It’s funny but it works.  One summer we actually contemplated putting an extra coffee pot and fridge in our bedroom just to get some quiet time in the morning.  That’s when we decided we’d better think about how to make these visits work for us as well!  One major improvement was spacing guests with some time in between to relax on our own again.