We have 6 guests staying with us right now! That might not seem like a lot to some. But our home is only 1100 square feet! And 4 of those 6 guests are basically adults and the two others are 8 & 6. We LOVE every minute of it. Not once do I say “I can’t wait until they leave” we truly love it. Our home becomes a Bed and Breakfast about once a month and my kids really look forward to it too. I thought it would be fun to show you where everyone sleeps and it might give you an idea too. Also some ideas on how to stay sane with a lot of house guests!
Where does everyone sleep?
- We do have a family room/ guest room upstairs that has a very comfortable sleeper sofa. So that turns into an instant guest room.
- Finns bedroom has two twin beds (he has a trundle) so we put Finn in our bed and then two people can sleep in Finns room
- The girls sleep in their bed and then we add a blow-up mattress over by their hanging chair. We do have THIS queen mattress but just added a small single blow-up this time since one of the boys likes to sleep with his parents in the guest room.
I did this post with All the Things Your Guests Really Want HERE and below I just had a free printable created for you! (You can print the list below Guests are Coming Checklist HERE).
Tips for hosting guests, Stress- FREE!
- Declutter before guests come. The less you have when guests come to stay the better.
- I try to simplify my decor before guests come- or at least put it in a box or in storage until I can sort through it.
- Clear-off surfaces in guest room. The only real decor I have on open surfaces are plants, lamp and diffuser
- Someone suggested giving everyone a bin when they come so they can put shoes, purse anything personal in it. (I don’t have the space for that, so I have a big basket by my front door and extra empty hooks).
- Have extra reusable water bottles (we do have extra, but could have used more this time)
- Make sure bathrooms are stocked with extra things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, toilet paper, shampoo etc.
- Pick up a local baked treat for breakfast. I like to have a Kringle from Trader Joes, but they were all out. If I was prepared I would have gotten donuts from Stew Leonards (apple cider donuts), it isn’t by our house, but we will get them for our guests to try at some point.
- When the guests are there- set up a habit of everyone making beds and putting them back each morning!
What it looks like when guests stay-
Eating- I will say right now it is really great because we eat every meal outside or we have been at the beach at lunch so we eat some meals away from home. We have a ton of places to eat outside. We have had a lot of guests stay in the winter, and we typically eat meals in shifts. All the kids eat then the adults sit down to eat. Works perfectly.
Sleeping- below are some photos of the sleeping situation!
Family Room/ Guest Room- We have a great sofa that I have had for about 4 years, I bought it specifically for this home. It is from Lee Industries (I can’t find exact one, you have to find a local store to buy it from).
Below is where ALL the luggage goes, behind the sofa. I have an ottoman they put a luggage on and also a luggage stand. The desk behind the sofa has a plug for phones.
Finns Room- Finn slept with us and his two older cousins slept in the two beds in his room. (Finns daybed similar HERE)
The Girls Room– The girls slept in their beds and we had one of the little cousins sleep on the single blow-up mattress. I do have a nice queen mattress we could put up here too as an option. The single one is great tho to just lean against the wall in the morning. (I ordered THIS single mattress with a built-in air pump).
Hope that shows you that you can entertain no matter your size of home! I have to admit I always get a little anxious when someone new comes to stay. I picture in my head what they would think coming to stay at a small space….and hope they feel comfortable and not squished. At the end of the day we all enjoy being together and we try our best to make people feel welcome!