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Thursday, June 9, 2011

House Guests Mean You Can't Get Naked

My inlaws recently stayed with us... for ten. whole. days.

My problem isn't actually with my inlaws, they're lovely country folk who would give you their last chook, or whatever it is that country people give instead of the shirt off their back.

They're about to embark on a three month grey nomad journey up North. Where abouts up North I'm not entirely sure, because neither are they. They've got a caravan and they're not afraid to use it. So they stayed with us on their way through Perth so they could see Tricky for his birthday.

Tricky absolutely adores them; he will race over to his Pop and motion that he wants a horsey ride, then toddle over to Nanna and reach up on tip toes with arms outstretched until she picks him up, then snuggle in to the side of her neck. He'll do it again and again and again and again and I know they melt inside every time.

I think they're pretty awesome too - while they were here, my Father in Law paved the massive pathway at the side of our house that has been just sand for years, fixed our gutters and dug in new soak wells; and my Mother in Law spent the whole time on my iPad playing Chicktionary kept the house spotless, hung out our washing and cleaned up after me while I prepared the food for Tricky's parties.

Plus they were our free babysitters too, allowing Map Guy and I to go to the movies together for the first time in ages where we saw Water for Elephants - where I spent the whole time wondering if I was seeing nipple or sparkles. PULL YOUR TOP UP REESE WITHERSPOON!


So why am I complaining?

Well, living with anyone is hard. Even friends or family. Especially for ten days.

Map Guy and I know each others routines; he's the morning showerer and I'm the night showerer - there is no "do you need the bathroom" talk at our house, we just know. Whilst it doesn't look like it to the outside observer, there is an order in our house, a way we do things, unspoken rules that have just established themselves over the years. It's not a rut, it's a groove.

So, whenever anyone stays, no matter for how long, the groove isn't so groovy any more.

But if I'm completely honest, the main annoyances that I have when I have to share a space with someone are less to do with whose turn it is in the bathroom and more to do with the fact that I can't walk from there to the bedroom naked.

It's the little things, that mean nothing but have a major impact on my day, like the necessity to actually get dressed in the morning rather than slum around in my PJs until Tricky's morning nap, and the pressure to eat a healthy lunch lest they discover my fetish for cream cheese on toast (hey, it's the low fat variety and it's a source of calcium, bugger off).

So I got up, I got dressed, I ate a more varied diet, I even made sure I didn't walk around starkers. Well I did for the first few days, after that I went back to normal (well, except for the nudey runs) because they're my inlaws and they already know I'm a fan of lazy mornings.

If it was for any longer, I would have gone stir crazy (well, crazier), not because of who it was, but because it was anyone at all. Even if it had been my parents, my closest friends, strangers or any of the crew from The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco, I would be cracking right about now. I neeeeed my space. 

Have you had to share your house with someone? How did you cope? I mean, what did you do when you needed to fart?  

P.S. Yep, I've been a bit more careful with my words this time because I don't want my inlaws thinking they over stayed their welcome. They don't have internet access for months, so the likelihood of them seeing this is slim, but ya know, I don't wanna cause a cafuffle. I'd have them back any day just to see Tricky's face light up when they enter the room... and to get more paving done.

P.P.S. PULL YOUR TOP UP REESE WITHERSPOON!!!

19 comments:

  1. We are lucky, we don't get a lot of overnight visitors. Well, any really.
    But when my mother in law comes over to see the kids, I feel like I have to tidy up because she is a cleaner. Her house is always spotless, she cleans every day. I mean,you could eat off the toilet in her house. 
    Our house is not so. We don't live in filth but I do leave baskets of washing on the table for days at a time and the bin in the bathroom is always overflowing with used toilet rolls. 

    Glad you can resume your bath to bed nudey runs!

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  2. What do I do when I need to fart? Blame the kids. That's why I had them. For blaming bodily functions on.

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  3. As an American married to a Brit living in Australia for 12 1/2 years has meant lots of long stays from overseas visitors.  I HATE IT.  i love the people, i love that we get an odd night out, but I am definitely in the "i need my space' camp of people. Our average visit is 2 1/2 -3 weeks but once I invited my mother to stay for 9 weeks (the whole brisbane summer and then some) and that was the year the drought broke so it rained most of her visit!  And to your fart comment I can add that my MIL does not believe that "ladies" fart (but burping is ok LOL). I just want to watch my own TV shows, cook the food we like, not make my bed like usual and read a book instead of entertaining ... I have found 3 days is my breaking point - that is usually the day where the cracks start to show and bickering commences.

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  4. You're nicer than me. I just don't like house guests, even for 1 night is a hassle, i like my space, the way things go, the comfiness of it all. 
    Your inlaws do sound awesome though, helping out, making themselves useful. My family (we don't speak to the inlaws) tend to just get in the way and tell me how to do things (and i actually pride myself on being a different parent to them), so it's really annoying. 

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  5. 10 days sounds tough. So spare a thought for me. Our house is being demolished in three weeks and we'll be staying at the in-laws for 6 months! That's right. 

    I also have a chronic 'nude around the house' problem. And with three boys in the fam I'll sometimes spend the first few hours preparing breakfast, getting kids changed etc with just the jocks on. I knew that'd have to change at some stage but I thought it would be when the boys started bringing their girlfriends around. Looks like it's going to be sooner rather than later. I feel a bit funny with the mother-in-law checking out my googlin. 

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  6. 10 days sounds tough. So spare a thought for me. Our house is being demolished in three weeks and we'll be staying at the in-laws for 6 months! That's right. 

    I also have a chronic 'nude around the house' problem. And with three boys in the fam I'll sometimes spend the first few hours preparing breakfast, getting kids changed etc with just the jocks on. I knew that'd have to change at some stage but I thought it would be when the boys started bringing their girlfriends around. Looks like it's going to be sooner rather than later. I feel a bit funny with the mother-in-law checking out my googlin. 

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  7. Fussy Eater's MumJune 9, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    Ah well Glowless, you know my situation with the in-laws only a stone throw away (and I have thrown some stones). Late night arrivals to check if my darlings have rare diseases. Random packages on my kitchen bench for which I feel obliged to repay. But that's a different subject...

    My father will come from the US to stay for 3-6 weeks at a time. Like Deb, after 3 days the novelty wears off. You have to monitor all behaviors and activities. And when it's a parent, they assume they are still the parent and can tell you what to do. But like you, I was happy for the help my Dad gave me with projects around the house. Keeping them busy is the answer really.

    What's the saying? Three days is the limit for fish and houseguests?

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  8. I feel your pain, my MIL lived with my partner and I for 3 years. It was supposed to be just for a few weeks while she got over an injury. The first 2 years were ok, I get along great with her but she was still with us when oh and I bought our first house. By the end of year 3 I was showing signs of depression, OH and I barely spoke because 1 or the other was out of the house, I hated going home.

    I will never let anyone stay again unless there is a clear time of when she will leave.

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  9. haha awesome post! so true - guests mess up the groove!

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  10. Lol, I am about to feel your pain, my hubbys cousin and his mate will be staying with us for about 10 days - they are in their 30s, German and speak little English - I speak no German and Im a crap cook who yells at the kids too much and doesnt clean the house enough...  shit.

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  11. Last year we lived with my in-laws for seven months. SEVEN. That's a lot of therapy right there, let me tell you. While it was very kind of them to let us crash there...well, let's just say we don't mind paying rent AND a mortgage while we build. There were no nudey runs, the parenting of my kids was hijacked, to say the least, and if I needed to fart? I didn't. (I couldn't even leave a dirty dish in the sink without it being washed. And I was reminded if I had left my wet washing in the basket for oh, five minutes, without hanging it up) And you won't ever find these negatives on my blog, because my MIL reads it religiously.....

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  12. Far out I would have needed more than a beer if my in-laws stayed for 10 days!

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  13. More worryingly is when they walk back from the bathroom naked. That's when you want to worry

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  14. Ten days? You're a legend!
    I've had my mum come to stay (years ago before she died) and the plan was always to have her stay for a week. We never lasted more than four days, mum always went home early. We were much more comfortable in a long distance relationship.

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  15. Yeah my MIL is exactly the same; not a thing out of place!

    I'm with you glow less on the lunch thing. I have the same thing everyday (cause I love it) and the in laws just don't get it, and aren't afraid to say it.

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  16. Oh, I could really rant and rant and rant here, but will restrain myself.
    A few years ago the husband's youngest brother and his wife and two kids stayed with us for eight weeks, for free, because they couldn't 'afford' to help pay rent. They only moved out when I cracked it.
    We recently stayed with this same brother and his new family for several weeks waiting for our rental to be ready  - not for free, I might add (yes, I am petty) - but I handled it better than expected; probably because I was working 13 days a fortnight for 12 hours a day so was never really there. Nonetheless, I was keen to get out. I don't think they were in quite as much of a hurry - I came in pretty handy as a babysitter, cook, cleaner, taxi etc whenever I was around and they couldn't be stuffed doing it themselves.
    Definitely need my own space. Even from the husband, at times.

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  17. Oh, I know! I feel that when my 'big girls' (step daughters, 16 & 18) visit. I love them. I love them spending time with Lil. But our house is different when they're here. There's a distinct lack of open nakedness. I have to shower with the bathroom door closed. I have to pee with the door closed (almost impossible with Lil around). And definitely no special grown-up time; our house is small and the walls are thin.

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  18. I have no need to endure an extended stay from my in laws because they live down the road. Oh yes, I'm blessed.

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  19. Short visits are good with my in-laws but sometimes I miss them. It's weird. I like them but it's hard to be myself, and I have to wear a bra and I can't pee with the door open. But I like them though.

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