How am I going to survive this family visit

[letmeeatcakes]

My younger sister is coming to stay for 5 days with her dh and dc, we have paid their flights but she now insists on checking 2 bags, she is now telling us dh will only drink de-caff tea and coffee, they only eat beef steak apparently! and asking us to send pics of the cellar where the kids will be sleeping, we have explained the 'cellar' is a huge lower ground floor with bedroom, tv, shower room and if that isn't bad enough she will wipe everything down with sterile wipes, yep seriously. How can I survive the visit without causing a bad atmosphere in my home.

She needs to pay for her own bags, and eat what is on offer. She is a guest, and while it is nice to do something special for guests, such as steak on maybe one night, she has no right to demand it all the time. I would ignore the wipes thing, just bite your tongue and hope she wont comeback too soon. Do you actually get on? She sounds difficult.

Explain you will happily point them in the direction of the shops when they arrive so they can pick up any alternatives they require.

Send her this pic.

They’re coming for 5 days and she’s bringing excess baggage .... ... well, she can pay for that herself for a start. Tell her you’ve recently become vegetarians but are happy for her to pop out to purchase steak if she wants it, and as for the wipes thing .... let her get on with it. (And do as a pp has said and send pictures of a dark, damp cellar with lots of cobwebs ...... ). She sounds like hard work OP.

Why are you paying for them if you don't want them to come? You could buy one decaff alternative maybe, they're not expensive. And say " we've got decaff coffee but only normal tea"
But they can't expect you to serve steak every day! Lol!

She sounds demanding but did you really expect her to only bring hand luggage with kids? I couldn’t do 5 days hand luggage only with how strict they are now.

When I host I ask if they need anything getting in for them like de-caff etc did you ask?

The cellar thing is a bit weird as it could be like your place which is all done out or it could literally be just a cellar with a sofa bed in it.

I think your sister is rude on how she’s talked to you about it though.

Megalolz Gide. Who needs 2 bags for such a short stay? All her requests are unreasonable apart from the decaf tea and coffee. Try to set boundaries breezily but firmly so as not to ruin the trip.

If Ryanair I think you would need to check a bag in as the new hand baggage size might do an overnight, but not 5 nights with kids. But she does sound a tad precious- is she the spoilt youngest, or just a worrier?! Hope you have a fab time once they get to you.

Gide I am crying, is that the London dungeon 😭

I would be sorely tempted to send pictures of either the Fritzl homestead or an old castle dungeon cell and say "don't worry, the DC will be no bother down here". If she wants extra bags, she can pay for them. If she insists on particular super restrictive foods, she can buy them. Especially when they are relatively short notice demands.

Or this one

The hand baggage allowance is per person so unless the dc is under 2 I can't see how they need to check in a suitcase. Just tell her how much it is if she insists on doing that.

Asking for decaf isn't really an issue, although most people with specific things like that would bring their own or buy when they arrive.

She sounds very rude. I'd ignore the steak request and just cater how you usually would and pretend you'd overlooked her steak requests!

And yes, send a picture of a dungeon! That will be hilarious!

She sounds demanding but did you really expect her to only bring hand luggage with kids? I couldn’t do 5 days hand luggage only with how strict they are now.

But the OP is already paying her flights. If she wants extra luggage is it really so unreasonable to expect her to pay for them herself?

Do they really only eat beefsteak ? That's quite unhealthy, given that even lean steak has a high fat content. Perhaps they only want to eat steak when you are hosting and paying for it. YANBU.

Why are you paying for her flights?!

No! Wait!

You have misunderstood... she means beefsteak TOMATOES, they went veggie, just before Christmas! Phew! Disaster averted

Also - if I knew she was bringing anti bac wipes I'd be tempted to take the piss and point her in the direction of all the communal rooms, skirting boards, insides of kitchen cupboards and get my spring cleaning done for me.