When my mother in law comes over she will often bring other relatives with her. It may just be her, 1 extra guest or up to 6+. It makes it difficult to plan dinner. However, if I ask her if she'll be solo - she will say "Well, you really should invite ___ over and if you invite them you have to invite__..." Any suggestions on how to figure out if she plans on bringing extra guests without it being interpreted as an open invite? The in laws are tough to please and fairly critical. She used to be at my house before I got home from work (unannounced and usually with 1 or 2 guests ), I would arrive home and after a few minutes she'd ask "what's for dinner?" My husband and I don't have kids, so dinner is usually "whatever" during the week. She'd proceed to tell me I should have prepared frozen meals that could be brought out when she popped in. Ugh..
2006-12-01 02:49:27 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Family
That's a mother-in-law for ya, isn't it?
Devising new ways to p!ss ya off.
2006-12-01 02:53:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
She is either clueless or rude or both. You will prolly never please this one ( Ive had the 'fairly critical" mil for 18 years). I finally discovered that the only way to stop her was to show her that I really didnt give a flying frogs A@#. I suggest having a stack of the cheapest frozen dinners out there. When she asks whats for dinner..point to the freezer, grab yourself a bottle of wine and go spend the evening in a nice bubble bath. Let your husband have the pleasure of her company ( he should handle her anyway). OR you could always prepare a special meal..like a potato chip, jelly bean, bean dip casserole . warning: You WILL appear rude or inept in the kitchen, but EVEn if you prepared a gourmet meal for 17 people, she would still show up the next weekend with 19 ! LOL i have no doubt!!..she is a classic !!** another idea ** if you KNOW she is coming, just sabatoge the party a bit. Hide all but 2 forks, hide the control knobs off the oven/stove, cover the entire tops of all eating surfaces with very intricate, large, complicated ( they cannnot be moved ) craft projects that you are just "passionate" about. everyone will have to sit on the living room sofa or floor :0, leave an unwrapped baby ruth bar in your toilet., leave out a "questionable" mag in there as well, "forget" to buy tp, borrow a very slobbery smelly crotch smelling dog from a friend ( dogs like dinner parties too ya know), why dont you have a friend over as well ( one who loves to share her labor and delivery story over dinner ) ?? ahhhh parties :D
2006-12-01 03:32:07 · answer #2 · answered by cheese food product 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First of all, clean you kitchen so they can not get one morsel to eat. Fix leaky faucets so they have nothing to drink. Clean and put your dishes away after each use. Tighten up your food storage with plastic containers. A tight kitchen will not be their grocery store. If you are feeding the birds outside, stop. Why wouldn't the mice move in if there is a grocery store out back?? Now, there are some things you can do without hiring an exterminate. If you have a basement/attic, place moth balls on the ledge where the house sits on the sill. This is where mice travel and they hate the smell of moth balls. Also place moth balls in the corners of your basement/attic or any where they can travel close to a wall. Do not use the moth balls in your living space for this purpose as the scent is too strong. Get a cat. Really. Go around your house and see where they might be getting in. Plug all those cracks and holes. A mouse can collapse it's body down to a 1/4", so caulk around areas that have spaces for them to crawl through. If you are renting, call your landlord. If you live in a duplex or share the building with other tenants, everyone has to be on mouse alert or it will not work for you. Think about how your trash is stored and secure it in tight containers outside. Mouse bait works well. However, on occasion a mouse will die in the house or between the walls and you will smell an odor for a couple of days. You could set mouse traps close to the walls where mice travel, but then you have to deal with dead mouse disposal. Using humane traps are great, but when you let them outside, they will make their way back again unless you take that mouse for a ride and release it elsewhere (like we have time taxi driving mice around). This is all the advise I took and used (minus the mouse taxi) and I got rid of the mice who were nesting in my basement. The biggest problem I created was I was feeding the birds and the mice fed on what fell out of the feeders.
2016-05-23 07:45:02 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
change locks! (thats ur first and foremost goal), second if u pass by ur house and she is there with guests then just keep driving, have ur husband talk to her about these visits, explain to her that u are working a high stress job (even if u arent) and want the time to urself and hubbie when u come home, if she does show up say that u were planning on eating out (when check comes make sure u say only u and hubbie on one check or pick place u know she doesnt like), and if she insists on u to cook and freeze fix a few "special" meals (warn the hubbie) and then proceed to sit back and watch her eat. after a few of these sessions she wont ask u to cook anythign ever again :) nor will the drop bys be as frequent im sure...
2006-12-01 02:52:38 · answer #4 · answered by jenivive 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your husband needs to lay down the law in regards to this. If he's okay with it, then tell him that he needs to be the one to prepare the meals and clean the house before his mom comes over with her uninvited guests.
Have him explain to her GENTLY that you would appreciate some notice when coming over and also letting you know who and how many people she's bringing so that you can prepare yourselves for 'your' guests. If she refuses, then he needs to let her know that they will not be invited in the house until you can make the house presentable. In those situations, even if the house is okay, have HIM make her and her guests wait outside for a few minutes just to prove to her that he is serious about this and that she can't take advantage of you (this would be even more effective in inclimate weather).
2006-12-01 02:57:20 · answer #5 · answered by tipper 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well the next time she says " what's for dinner?" say, "gosh I was planning on coming over to your place so what you having?" ;o) If she pop's over with guest's and you haven't enough I would say in front of the others, "gee mom if you would have told me you were bringing such and such over i would have cooked more." And just sit down to eat like nothing is wrong. I wouldn't go out of my way trying to fix up more food when she's not being very considerate with you by announcing ahead of time her plans of coming by or who she's bringing along. As long as you keep catering to her by going out of your way to make food for all she brings unannounced she'll continue to do this. Good luck to you ;o)
2006-12-01 02:59:09 · answer #6 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Listen very carefully, you should not be the one to deal with this inconsiderste and quite frankly RUDE person. Explain the situation to your husband and have him approach her about the subject. Why would your husband allow this to happen anyway. Tell him to get off of his mothers t i t and show some testicular circumfrence, his mother is over bearing, inconsiderate, rude, and is not allowing you two to have the privacy you both deserve.
Yes, if it was my mother I would and have said something a long time ago. Especially if it was causing my wife to be upset or stressed out. Good luck.
2006-12-01 02:57:23 · answer #7 · answered by teenypurplebinky 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well ...I guess you could load 'em up with "really good" rum balls and hope they forget your address...... Or buy a crap load of "Weight Watchers" meals to toss in the freezer to impress her and her friends with .....
If you have a "window or time frame" that you inspect the onslought ...then perhaps you could (freezer space - providing) to cook up a stew or similar dish that will freeze well and keep some of those instand "Cresecent" roll stuff around to --pop-- into the oven and bake while the micro-wave is singing to the stew......
If you have the time to defeat her plan ... it is a plan you know ... she like catching you off guard. The next time she rolls in have a freezer loaded with "Emergency gotta placate the Mother" supplies you cam cook up or warm up in 45 minutes or so.
Or a few cans of "Alpo" and a can opener ....swear its the greatest patie ever drop the crackers and run!
Happy Holidays !
2006-12-01 03:01:00 · answer #8 · answered by John 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well if my mother in law did that I would serve her what I was going to have myself and tell her that next time if she calls ahead you'll provide a better meal. Bringing other people to dinner when invited is rude.
2006-12-01 02:53:19 · answer #9 · answered by elaeblue 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Tell you husband that you are changing the locks in 24 hours, and if he wants a key, he will tell his mother that she had best stop coming over unannounced and definitely stop inviting other people into YOUR home and expecting free food. She has her own home, let her cook for them herself.
2006-12-01 02:55:57 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋