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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Follow up question

Apart from buying all new furniture, what can I do to make people feel more comfortable? [/quote]

Get rid of the glass table and put in something more natural.  Put some blankets and pillows on the couch.  Leave out the book you were reading and the toys the kids were playing with when guests show up.  Frame some snapshots and kids artwork and hang them on the wall.  Make coffee and offer it to your guests to drink in your living room when they come over.  
But more importantly ...Don’t talk about your house!  Don’t talk about your furniture, your drapes, your wallpaper, or your decorator.  Don’t talk about any artwork that you haven’t actually made yourself.  Don’t talk about cleaning your house, your division of labor with your husband, or whether or not your cleaning service does a good enough job.  [/quote]

chicken poster here.  I entertain a lot -- things I do to make people feel comfortable:

"Make yourself at home"
"Don't stand on ceremony here, if you or your kids need anything don't hesitate to ask or just grab it!"
"Don't worry about shoes/mud/spills/whatever (besides a quick wipe up of liquids).  I'll take care of it later, houses are to be lived in!"
"It's fine (we caught Suzie helping herself in the pantry or climbing on the couch backs/jumping on the bed)!  Hey Suzie, let's get down from there and go play Legos with the other kids!"
smile
smile
be warm
smile

I do have a number of antiques but anything breakable I keep well out of reach, and I don't keep a lot of clutter at toddler level.  I do have full wall bookshelves but if little Larlo pulled half a dozen out and scattered them around, which has happened on more than one occasion, I just joke about what a bookworm he's going to be and mom and I reshelve them while chatting.[/quote]

Thank you, this is helpful!

And to respond to some PPs, I’m not acting like a clean, organized house just happens, that’s not what I mean. But it’s maybe not as difficult as people seem to think. We have cleaners come every couple weeks and I vacuum a lot due to pets and allergies. In terms decor and organizing, I’m a fan of doing it once and keeping systems in place. I’m not acting like it just happens, I just want people to understand I don’t want people to feel they are in a china shop. [/quote]

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