Handover at Home

What’s the first thing you do before your wife or your folks leave home for a couple of days?   
There ….there…I can clearly see that glint in your eyes. The sheer joy which envelops any man about to get his freedom albeit for a few days.  You would rush to checkout the newspaper for those HBO special blockbusters which you could barely see thanks to the regional soaps and reality shows. No more informing (actually seeking permission) at home about being late for the day because of that surprise party thrown by one of your bachelor colleagues. The list could go on and on.

But I suggest you first prepare a Handover checklist instead. Duh? Handover at home?
Precisely. It helps maintain status quo after they return and to keep things on an even keel.

• Itemized asset list of food inside the fridge.
• What’s to be had when based on expiry dates known only to them. Some of the food could turn unrecognizable in a really short time span than you could ever imagine.
• Geographic location of salt and pepper in the kitchen. YES, scrambled eggs. Dare to attempt attempt anything more on a grandiose scale ? 
• Instructions to be given to the maid along with work quality benchmarks. Never should a question be raised about your supervisory skills. I mean, you already have a boss at office, don’t you? Having benchmarks make life easier. What get’s measured gets done.
• Any pending bills solely managed by them.
• Keys to locked Almirah’s if any.
• Standard script for incoming land line calls asking where they have gone, when they would come etc.  (Better  maintain a notepad on all such calls for debriefing sessions when they are back)

 And don’t   leave this checklist lying around the house for your ceiling fan to blow it away under your carpet. Guard it with all you’re worth !