Hoo-boy. In-laws are in town. Give me strength.

[gcvmom]

On Wednesday, husband's parents drove from Austin, Texas to Las Vegas (non-stop, mind you, because mother in law stopped drinking coffee since it wasn't keeping her awake and started drinking Red Bull, so they just decided to push on through.... she's 73) because they got an offer to be in a slot tourny with a guaranteed prize of a 15" flat screen TV. Hmmm, I asked husband how much gas they burned up driving to pick up their new TV.

Whatever.

They spent last night in Vegas, then decided to drive out today to SoCal to surprise their oldest (sister in law#1)... not sure what the occasion is, but whatever. (I wonder if they are out of money already and so they figure they'd better come see family or they won't eat for the rest of their trip... Am I horrible for thinking these things? Despite their probability?) They are spending the weekend with her, but want to see us one of the days, so tomorrow got picked.

I have the feeling mother in law is cyclothymic or something like that, and that she's in a hypomanic mode. Her typical go-go-go-go, let's do this, let's go here, I'm bored let's do this. Ugh. Place your bets as to whether or not they talk husband into taking them to an Indian casino while they're in town! I think the odds are pretty good they'll manage that. I'd better go hide the cash I got from my recent van sale before husband decides he can just help himself to it to go play with them...

At least they aren't staying with us. I literally tore up one of the mattress sets in our old guest room because 1) the mattress was 60 years old, and 2) I wanted to save the beautiful rose ticking for a sewing project some day. So husband told them we don't have enough beds anymore to put them up for the night. (I couldn't have had a subconscious, ulterior motive there, could I? )

 

[Hound dog]

I couldn't have had a subconscious, ulterior motive there, could I?

You dear?? Oh, no certainly not.

I empathize. Truly. My Mom called again last night to inform me that she's coming a day early. Oh, lovely.

I have never informed my Mom that I have an air mattress either. lol I had enough of her sleeping over when the kids were small.

(((hugs))) I hope you survive the visit. And mother in law's energy level causes them to move on to the next kid quickly.

 

[KTMom91]

That's one of the reasons I refuse to move from my little bitty two bedroom house...no overnight visitors!

 

[gcvmom]

Funny, but ya know the part where I was wondering if they'd run out of money already?

Well I asked husband why they changed their plans so suddenly (they'd just told him their itinerary on Tuesday night before they left). Guess what he said! "They probably ran out of money."

They go back to Vegas for ANOTHER slot tourney on Wednesday. Then they come back to SoCal for a few days. Then they go BACK AGAIN to Vegas for a third slot tourney, and this time sister in law#3 goes with them. She's usually the biggest freeloader of them all, but since her husband finally got a job after 2 years freelancing, and he may have already gotten his first paycheck, maybe she'll be the one doling out gambling money to her folks.

I can tell you one thing... it won't be ME. Grrrr... I really start to get myself worked up when I think about these two people who saved NOTHING for retirement and now live on $1,700 a month from SS, rent free (sister in law#3 covers it), with us paying for their supplemental insurance to the tune of $476 a month, and the only thing they can think to do for fun is go to casinos when they have a little bit of extra money to spend.

I can tell you one thing... if husband gets laid off next week, that insurance payment is the first thing that will get dropped.

 

[DammitJanet]

Ouch! See...this is why it hoovers to get old. I keep telling Tony I refuse to go live with any of the kids because I dont want them or their wives to feel like you do about us.

Right now, we own our own home but someday it will probably be in too bad a shape for us to stay in considering it is a mobile and we are still fairly young. I want to live in a nursing home or rest home and let the kids visit if they so desire. I dont want to be a burden.

 

[gcvmom]

It went o.k. I guess. They visited with husband and I for a while. mother in law spent a lot of the time telling us about their only form of entertainment now being jigsaw puzzles (the thinly veiled "poor me" was enough to turn my stomach). And then there were the repairs they had to make on their car before they drove out that they needed to tell us about, down to the last penny (they have a truck as well -- which I don't understand why they need two vehicles). And they spent about a 1/2 hour complaining about the lack of amenities in Vegas these days -- like no coffee pot in the rooms, no pens or paper, only one shampoo bottle, yada, yada, yada. The fact that their room was FREE, their food was FREE and they got a FREE television to take home for absolutely NOTHING didn't seem to matter.

We took them to lunch at a specialty pancake restaurant near us that mother in law just HAS to go to every time she's here. Which would be o.k. if it weren't so dang expensive and we didn't have easy child and difficult child 1 with us (difficult child 2 was still sleeping).

Then we took them to see a matinee. Then mother in law said she wasn't feeling well and was cold, had the chills, (GREAT, I'm thinking, she just got all of us sick...) so they left to go to sister in law#2's house (who is also sick right now) so she could take a nap.

They go back to Vegas Wednesday for a few days... I'm not even worrying about it or planning for anything. They change their plans and their minds so often -- I'm not about to get caught up in the circus game they put people through.

 

[crazymama30]

Wow. Their children certainly take good care of them. I don't think they know how fortunate they are. Wow.

Here's hoping they go home after they are done in Vegas this time.

 

[TerryJ2]

Oooooh. I hear ya!
Too funny about the mattress.
I hope they don't lose too much money in Vegas.

 

[totoro]

You got yourself some doozies. Delusional doozies. It sounds like you are on top of it though! At least your not ignorant of most of the family!
I love the bed story. That is too cruel, but good.

 

[Hound dog]

Sounds like you survived yet another visit. Me too. We did good.

Hugs