Petty Holiday Vent thread 2022

[Anonymous]

If we leave the room for even a few minutes, my ILs will just sit nervously on the couch. They never freaking relax here, no matter how many times we tell them here’s the WiFi password, here are magazines, we’re just going to put the kids to bed and it will be a few minutes. It’s like they can’t just do a crossword puzzle or read like normal guests left to their own devices for a little bit.

MIL has visited us in this house for 10 years and still not only asks if she may get herself a glass of water, she asks what glasses to use, as if we haven’t said “any glass you like” for 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we leave the room for even a few minutes, my ILs will just sit nervously on the couch. They never freaking relax here, no matter how many times we tell them here’s the WiFi password, here are magazines, we’re just going to put the kids to bed and it will be a few minutes. It’s like they can’t just do a crossword puzzle or read like normal guests left to their own devices for a little bit.

MIL has visited us in this house for 10 years and still not only asks if she may get herself a glass of water, she asks what glasses to use, as if we haven’t said “any glass you like” for 10 years.

Why are they so nervous to touch things in your house? What happened?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH went out to buy the ONE singular gift he was assigned to buy (for his mom, but I told him what to get and I got his other family gifts!!) and I miscalculated how much butter to get and asked him to grab some while he was out. I specifically said “make sure it’s real butter, not margarine”. What did he come back with? Margarine of course.

Why are men?

I was at the Geriatric Giant (the one in McLean) and literally every male over 60 from the surrounding area was there trying to find stuff their wives had sent them to find.

Lots of inadvertent fat-free sour cream coming home.

PP here with the margarine DH and this made me chuckle! I also informed DH that he inadvertently bought margarine and he admitted he actually didn’t know the difference between butter and margarine. So many issues here… he’s FORTY TWO and doesn’t know the difference between butter and margarine and also he should’ve admitted this before he went to the store.

Also margarine keeps auto correcting to both migraines and margaritas which about sums up where I’m at right now lol

Mine doesn't either! He also thinks all those fake butters "made with olive oil" are somehow BETTER than real butter because olive oil sounds fancy to him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we leave the room for even a few minutes, my ILs will just sit nervously on the couch. They never freaking relax here, no matter how many times we tell them here’s the WiFi password, here are magazines, we’re just going to put the kids to bed and it will be a few minutes. It’s like they can’t just do a crossword puzzle or read like normal guests left to their own devices for a little bit.

MIL has visited us in this house for 10 years and still not only asks if she may get herself a glass of water, she asks what glasses to use, as if we haven’t said “any glass you like” for 10 years.

Why are they so nervous to touch things in your house? What happened?

Some people just aren't comfortable anywhere. Other people, like my in-laws, are TOO comfortable in other people's homes (e.g. when we move out of this home some day, I will find all of the lost measuring spoons, measuring cups, and dishes we lose after every visit from them).

[Anonymous]

I am stuck at my MIL’s. She lives in a small townhouse in a retirement community and insisted DH and I stay here. I told dh I’d rather have a hotel but it fell on deaf ears. So we have been sitting in the living room watching tv all day. I mean, I just watched a show on how candy canes are made. MIL will not let me use the community gym - claims it’s only for 65+, but let’s her granddaughter use it when she comes. I can only go on so many walks. I need to get out of this house.

We flew here (Phoenix) and do not have a car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we leave the room for even a few minutes, my ILs will just sit nervously on the couch. They never freaking relax here, no matter how many times we tell them here’s the WiFi password, here are magazines, we’re just going to put the kids to bed and it will be a few minutes. It’s like they can’t just do a crossword puzzle or read like normal guests left to their own devices for a little bit.

MIL has visited us in this house for 10 years and still not only asks if she may get herself a glass of water, she asks what glasses to use, as if we haven’t said “any glass you like” for 10 years.

Why are they so nervous to touch things in your house? What happened?

Literally nothing has ever happened! They are like this in other people’s houses, too. (Like when we’ve all stayed at DH’s aunt’s house, or even when we rent a beach house.) It’s like they honestly don’t understand that when you visit someone or vacation with someone, it is OK not to be in each other’s presence 14 hours a day. I know this sounds mean, but it’s the same energy as when you leave the room or go upstairs and your clingy dog waits at the bottom of the stairs, on guard until you come back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am stuck at my MIL’s. She lives in a small townhouse in a retirement community and insisted DH and I stay here. I told dh I’d rather have a hotel but it fell on deaf ears. So we have been sitting in the living room watching tv all day. I mean, I just watched a show on how candy canes are made. MIL will not let me use the community gym - claims it’s only for 65+, but let’s her granddaughter use it when she comes. I can only go on so many walks. I need to get out of this house.

We flew here (Phoenix) and do not have a car.

But do you have Uber?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH went out to buy the ONE singular gift he was assigned to buy (for his mom, but I told him what to get and I got his other family gifts!!) and I miscalculated how much butter to get and asked him to grab some while he was out. I specifically said “make sure it’s real butter, not margarine”. What did he come back with? Margarine of course.

Why are men?

I was at the Geriatric Giant (the one in McLean) and literally every male over 60 from the surrounding area was there trying to find stuff their wives had sent them to find.

Lots of inadvertent fat-free sour cream coming home.

PP here with the margarine DH and this made me chuckle! I also informed DH that he inadvertently bought margarine and he admitted he actually didn’t know the difference between butter and margarine. So many issues here… he’s FORTY TWO and doesn’t know the difference between butter and margarine and also he should’ve admitted this before he went to the store.

Also margarine keeps auto correcting to both migraines and margaritas which about sums up where I’m at right now lol

Wisconsin has/had laws against margarine - LAWS! How can he not know?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am stuck at my MIL’s. She lives in a small townhouse in a retirement community and insisted DH and I stay here. I told dh I’d rather have a hotel but it fell on deaf ears. So we have been sitting in the living room watching tv all day. I mean, I just watched a show on how candy canes are made. MIL will not let me use the community gym - claims it’s only for 65+, but let’s her granddaughter use it when she comes. I can only go on so many walks. I need to get out of this house.

We flew here (Phoenix) and do not have a car.

Oh yeah, screw that. I’d be off to the gym.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am stuck at my MIL’s. She lives in a small townhouse in a retirement community and insisted DH and I stay here. I told dh I’d rather have a hotel but it fell on deaf ears. So we have been sitting in the living room watching tv all day. I mean, I just watched a show on how candy canes are made. MIL will not let me use the community gym - claims it’s only for 65+, but let’s her granddaughter use it when she comes. I can only go on so many walks. I need to get out of this house.

We flew here (Phoenix) and do not have a car.

But do you have Uber?

She has a car but “ doesn’t need to go anywhere” so here we sit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am stuck at my MIL’s. She lives in a small townhouse in a retirement community and insisted DH and I stay here. I told dh I’d rather have a hotel but it fell on deaf ears. So we have been sitting in the living room watching tv all day. I mean, I just watched a show on how candy canes are made. MIL will not let me use the community gym - claims it’s only for 65+, but let’s her granddaughter use it when she comes. I can only go on so many walks. I need to get out of this house.

We flew here (Phoenix) and do not have a car.

Oh yeah, screw that. I’d be off to the gym.

It has an access code so I can’t just walk in. Ugh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am stuck at my MIL’s. She lives in a small townhouse in a retirement community and insisted DH and I stay here. I told dh I’d rather have a hotel but it fell on deaf ears. So we have been sitting in the living room watching tv all day. I mean, I just watched a show on how candy canes are made. MIL will not let me use the community gym - claims it’s only for 65+, but let’s her granddaughter use it when she comes. I can only go on so many walks. I need to get out of this house.

We flew here (Phoenix) and do not have a car.

Oh yeah, screw that. I’d be off to the gym.

It has an access code so I can’t just walk in. Ugh

Tell your husband that he needs to get the access code from his mother so that his wife can go workout. What is his purpose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am stuck at my MIL’s. She lives in a small townhouse in a retirement community and insisted DH and I stay here. I told dh I’d rather have a hotel but it fell on deaf ears. So we have been sitting in the living room watching tv all day. I mean, I just watched a show on how candy canes are made. MIL will not let me use the community gym - claims it’s only for 65+, but let’s her granddaughter use it when she comes. I can only go on so many walks. I need to get out of this house.

We flew here (Phoenix) and do not have a car.

Oh yeah, screw that. I’d be off to the gym.

I’d be at the gym *at my hotel* husbands deaf ears or otherwise!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My MIL lives with me temporarily due to some health issues. She began baking cookies three weeks ago. She left out one cookie per person after baking, then put the rest in tupperware and stored them in her room. I assumed she was saving them to give to friends or something. Low and behold, she brought them all out last night and declared that I don't have to bake any cookies for our Christmas Eve family & friends gathering because she has dozens of (rock hard, not very interesting) cookies. I'm still going to make cookies, but I'm trying to figure out ways to tell the guests to avoid the old cookies.

PP who asked that we not be scolding school marms, but as the family baker, here’s what I’d do - bake away and make the cookies you were planning to make and serve. Create a dessert area with your cookies beautifully and lavishly displayed for easy self serve. Place MIL’s cookies in the way back or just a very few and keep these in a covered container or wrapped in foil. Make a point to tell MIL that you’re putting her cookies out, then after a few minutes, remove these and surreptitiously toss. You can graciously explain that you’re plan was always to make a cookie tray with an assortment of which you’ll happy add her cookies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm so glad we gathered at my in-laws to watch everyone stare at their phones in the same room.

Anyone want to take the dog on a walk with us? No.
Play a game? No.

They don't even talk. Why are we here?

Story of my life!

+1 it's SO BORING

Yes!!!!