This crazy family of mine.

[gcvmom]

So I survived the afternoon/lunch at sister in law#1's house today, thanks to brother in law#1 offering me a glass of merlot not five minutes after we walked in. He can't stand mother in law/father in law much more than I can, though I understand the feeling is mutual for them (and I'd bet that they feel similarly towards me, based on all the badmouthing they give the other sons-in-law when they're not around -- I CAN'T POSSIBLY be the only one who escapes this kind of absentee criticism).

Now we are back at our house with mother in law/father in law since husband is taking them to the airport early tomorrow morning. husband is in our bedroom (probably playing spider solitaire or watching TV). mother in law/father in law are in the guest room watching TV. easy child is in her room playing with her flip note game. difficult child 2 is in the LR watching TV (I'm essentially in the same room). And difficult child 1 is wandering back and forth between his room and the LR watching TV.

This is so freakin' weird. Why is everyone gone to their separate corners?

I shouldn't really complain, though. It's rather nice having things so relatively (pun intended) quiet.

And when I think about it, this truly is the LAST time they will EVER have to spend the night here in my house because now they will be living in their own place in the next county and not half a country away! Woot!

 

[susiestar]

Don't count thos chickens before they hatch, sweetie! They will want the place painted, bug sprayed, etc... (at their kids' expense of course) and likely will STILL want to take trips that you and the other kids pay for and will HAVE to stay somewhere the night before so they don't have to get up half an hour earlier to get to the airport.

Sadly moving closer may mean even MORE demands on you and husband. I hope that you both have a good therapist to help you navigate this and set up your boundaries early. The earlier those boundaries are set the healthier and happier the entire family will be. It may take time for husband to get there, but keep working on it. Figure out NOW how much you will tolerate of last minute requests, financial demands and rude behavior. And be glad that when they are closer you can beg off with various routine things - make a practice of it from the beginning.

Fish and visiting relatives stink after 3 days - ole Ben Franklin had that right!

 

[tiredmommy]

I have one phrase that I want I want you to keep running through your head because you are the daughter in law and their daughters can't seem to be responsible adults toward their parents:

"I will be the one to choose their nursing homes."

Bwaa Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!

 

[Hound dog]

LOL TM is right.

mother in law used to joke about that one, even though she knew both her daughter in law's adored her.

 

[susiestar]

I have often told my mother that if she doesn't watch it I will dress her in miss-matched socks and plaids and polka dots on the same outfit. She knows it is a joke, but it can relieve stress.

 

[gcvmom]

LOL -- you all are too funny!

Susie, she and sister in law#2/brother in law and her husband got most of the interior painted this past weekend apparently. husband was supposed to go down to "visit" on Sunday and then bring them back here (so he told me), but then at the last minute before he left to go down, they said they were done and decided to go to sister in law#2's house instead.

This afternoon mother in law made a point of telling me aaaall about the "oops" paint they bought for cheap at the home improvement store and how they just added white to it to get the color they wanted, as if I'm supposed to feel sorry for her. And then she informed us that there are still some areas that need painting, and she told difficult child 1 that when he comes down to see her new house he can paint one of those rooms for her! In all honesty, by the time she gets moved out here in August, difficult child 1 will be busy with camp and lots of other fun family activities his momma has in store If she wants stuff done, she can wait until husband is off on the weekends 'cuz I am NOT driving 90 minutes south to try to supervise my difficult children' to paint in 110 degree weather for somebody who treats the world like they are at her beck and call. No bleepin' way.

I also got an earful today about how broke sister in law#3 is (the one who chose to buy this house and the double-wide they are now moving out of) -- it was all I could do not to laugh. I must really look stupid. I mean, if I felt sorry for their situation I'd have to also feel sorry for my drug dealing DJ neighbor's situation (in the men's central jail for yet another probation violation). Apparently, though, in her world, consequences are only things that happen to OTHER people. And their sorry lot in life is just SO unfair, but if they WISH hard enough, their dreams will come truuuuuuuue! La, la-laah, la, la-laah, please pass me the pixie dust...