Hey there, Thanksgiving just called! It’s heading your way and it won’t be coming alone. Prepare for your aunts, uncles, and cousins to roam around and make themselves at home. Whether it’s your first or hundredth time hosting the family during Thanksgiving, here are some tips for you to be the hostess-with-the-mostest.
1. Set some ground rules
Before your home turns into a giant playground for all the children, it’s good to set expectations ahead of time. Give your guests and their little ones the 411 to keep your home tidy and safe:
o Clean up – It’s always good to instill good manners into the youngins early on. Encourage them to clean up after meals by asking them to put their napkins in the trash and plates in the sink.
o Put everything back – Tell the kiddos to put everything back where it belongs. All shoes, toys, or electronics should be put away in a safe place. Make sure nothing is on the ground to avoid any injuries or broken belongings.
2. Prepare your home
When preparing for guests, cleaning your home is one of the most obvious steps. Wash the necessary sheets and towels, so they are ready to go. And double-check all the bathrooms to make sure there’s enough soap, hand towels, and toilet paper.
Since people may be visiting from far and wide, create a small basket of toiletries in case someone’s toothbrush or deodorant didn’t make it into their luggage. Uncle Carl will be happy there’s extra toothpaste for him since he forgot to pack his.
3. Buy groceries in bulk
With all your family under one roof before the holiday, you’ll have a lot of mouths to feed and bellies to fill. Assess your pantry and refrigerator to see what you have and write down what you’ll need. Buy your groceries in bulk and get ingredients for simple meals so you can whip up food quickly and easily.
After the big feast is over, capitalize on your Thanksgiving leftovers with these delicious recipes to transform them into a completely different meal. Your family will be relieved that they won’t be eating the same turkey and stuffing for the third day in a row.
4. Expand sleep space
So many kids, yet not enough beds, right? Expand sleeping space for the little ones with additional furniture. You can add a sleeper sofa or a bunk bed so all the kiddos can stay together. At Aaron’s, we have some great twin bunk bed options!
Quick tip – you can also pile some sleeping bags and pillows together in one room. Let the kids have their own big slumber party!
5. Keep the kids pre-occupied
Choose a space where the kids can play games, do crafts and be as loud as they want (as long as it has a door attached 😊). Store all of their electronics, video games and art materials in an easily accessible area. They can stay busy and the adults can stay happy. But if it gets too quiet, we’d definitely suggest checking on them.
