The Guide - In Preparation of His Return

The rest of the Housewife's Guide pretty much continues on about taking good care of your wonderful man (gag). I love the guy, and it does give me "immense personal gratification" to help him sometimes - but I want a little help in return.

Steps 4-5
Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. and then run a dishcloth over the tables.
The two of us will be implementing the "clearing away the clutter" step together, especially since we both work. In your home, you may want to assign this task to your significant other.

Step 6 Over the cooler months of the year, you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal gratification.

If you want to give each other "a lift", by all means, feel free to light a fire. And what a bonus! Catering to him gives you all the "immense personal gratification" you'll ever need... ;-) Just for fun, I'm going to put on our "Fireside Christmas" DVD when Mark gets home tonight. It'll be a weird contrast next to the AC unit, but ah well!

Step 7
Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

If you're lucky enough to have "little treasures", I do think it's nice to bring them to the dinner table with clean hands - for sanitary reasons, but I think the rest of this step can be thrown out the window - Well, maybe save the part about keeping the house quiet, especially at dinner time. That sounds nice.
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One of the most significant things I'm taking away from this guide is the fact that a household runs more smoothly when a husband and wife have their own individual roles in the house. Leave behind the sexist roles of the 1950s, define your own 2010-style roles, and you might find some more order in your house! For example, I make dinner - He does the dishes. He cleans the kitchen and dining room - I scrub the bathroom. He does the laundry - I sit on the couch watching soap operas and eating Oreo cookies. ;-)

So to sum up what I've taken from these steps to add to my own guide:

Steps 4-5: Use that half-hour scheduled cleaning time to pick up clutter or take on one, easy-to-do cleaning task.
Step 6: Over the cooler months, keep a blanket on the couch to cuddle with. Reading by your TV-Fire is a nice touch during relaxation time!
Step 7: Try to keep the children clean (within reason) and quiet enough to have a family dinner together. Other than that, let your little treasures be themselves...