More to Life than Folded Laundry...

I know that there is more to life than folded laundry, I know it, but when there is a knock at the door, there is sheer panic that rises up within me that cannot be calmed.  There are a few other things too:
1.  Dusty Furniture - my Grandma always told me that if her dusting was done then she felt as though the rest of her house was clean.  No matter the piles of other things that needed attention. I don't happen to agree with that logic, but there was no arguing with a 90+ year old woman.
2.  Dishes - I always try and clean the dishes right after my husband leaves for work, and keep them going throughout the day.  Well, at least I try to unload and reload the dishwasher.  My sister use to cover the sink with a towel if she knew people were coming over, which made no sense to me then, we all knew what was under the towel.
3.  Cluttered Counters - in our home practically everyone comes through the back door and straight into my kitchen, where there is a large counter/seating area which seems to become a catch all for all kinds of books, clothes, socks, papers, mail, and any form of anything else that I need to find a place for.
4.  The Toy "Corner" - Yes, "Corner".  You see, we use to have a large bucket where we would put all of the little girls toys, and ideally they would play with a toy or two and then put it back in the bucket.  Over time they would dump the toys out of the bucket, and play with the bucket.  So, a corner in our living room became their corner.  Which is typically okay when the toys remain in the corner, but more often that not the toys creep out into the rest of the living like the mixture of a school volcano project. Another downfall of this corner full of toys happens to be why most everyone goes to our back door.  Their toy corner is right in front of our front door, and if we have to for some reason answer the front door, it takes forever to get to the door and then wretch it open from lack of use.
5. Vacuuming - Growing up this was a OCD thing for my Dad.  In his mind the floors were not clean if you, well if he could not visibly see the lines from the vacuum cleaner.  Hence the reason we would wait until about 10 p.m. and vacuum the entire house right before bed, so that when he got home from work at almost midnight the floors were freshly cleaned.  For a long time after I moved out and took care of my own house this was an issue.  If someone called and said they were coming over I would pull out the vacuum and madly put fresh vacuum lines on my carpets.  That issue has lessened for me as the years have gone by and the number of children has increased in our home.  Now with three active girls, I am happy if the toys are picked up and I can follow a path from one room to another.  I promise, most days it is not that bad, but there are times it feels that way. 
7.  The Dreaded Laundry - This is now my panic inducing chore.  I usually fold the laundry on our dining room table, this chore can last anywhere from 1-2 hours for a few small loads, to an all day marathon event, as things were yesterday.  By the end of the afternoon, there were tall piles of each clothing item for each person, waiting to be put away. 
I get so antsy when the dogs bark for a little longer than normal, waiting for the knock on the door, signally someone, whom I may want to see, and visit with, but if I still have to do any of the above mentioned chores, please be prepared to hear, "I am so sorry for the mess, but we actually live here."