The Post Nephew Invasion Report card.

If you've ever considered lending out your house to some of our nephews, you might find this honest report card helpful in making your decision.

All doors and gates locked upon arrival back home: A

Beds made: A+ (although the sheets weren't clean, the microwave popcorn bags and suckers left "hotel mint" style on the pillows more than made up for it.)

The general "aroma" inside the house: A (I even found a can of my orange scent room fragrance spray out, which proves they had thought about it. I expected a mix of dirty feet, pizza, doritos and sweat)

General tidiness: A (you almost wouldn't know we were gone)

Leaving the sand at the beach rather than bringing it home: B- (this might seem like a low grade but it's actually an indication of how much they enjoyed the beach which is great.)

Toilet cleanliness: B (See sand comment above. You know how sand gets all into your swimming suit...that's my only guess.)

Kitchen Pantry stock level: A (I knew they wouldn't like Thai, Indian, or Middle Eastern food, which is about the only thing in there besides the staples.)

Leaving a 5 pound bag of Tortilla Chips when they left: A++ (The bag is so big, I'm wondering if they tied it to the top of their car to get it to the house from the store. We're trying to work around it as a piece of furniture or sculpture. Maybe we'll use if for a berm out in the yard. Nachos anyone?)

Laundry prowess: C (Note: Bleach is only for whites, not dark towels. And since we have no bleach, soft scrub with bleach should never be wiped up with dark towels. Oops. But no worries. Accidents happen.)

Not finding Broken or damaged furnishings: A

Interior plants not clinging to life: A. (They were all healthy and happy.)

Condition of Exterior plants and flowers: A. (see above)

Not receiving "Noise Ordinance" fines: A (no complaints from neighbors...I'm assuming I still have neighbors)

Travel Peace of Mind: A+ (Thanks for helping me not worry about anything while I was gone.)

Condition of recreational equipment (kayaks, bikes, rollerblades, etc) A.

Thoughtfulness: A+++ (coming home to the beautiful framed photo of Hannah and Gunther, taken from one of our vacation blog posts was such a nice, thoughtful surprise. Thank you.)

Welcoming Matt, Nate, Dave, Ian, Chris and Chris again sometime: A (anytime. Thanks so much for looking out for the place and "respecting" our house as I requested. You guys are welcome back anytime. I'm glad you had such a great time. And tell your parents they could be proud)

And finally, welcoming any of the rest of your anytime: A