Having people to stay is Hard Work, isn't it?

[WideWebWitch]

I do like having people to stay but I've hardly been out of the kitchen this weekend or last and have loaded and unloaded the dishwasher more times than I care to remember blah blah and, nice though it is having IL's/friends here, it is hard work innit?

Two weekends in a row I've ordered food online at 7.30am on a Thursday, spent Friday making sure there are clean sheets/towels/food/drink etc here...I'm not really expecting anything other than sympathy as a response here btw, but I just realised that everytime dh says 'oh we'll have a cup of tea and then...' I note wearily that it's another 4 cups (and plates and bowls if cake is eaten) to go in the dishwasher. And he normally pulls his weight but since this weekend it's his parents visiting and he doesn't see them often I haven't wanted him to do anything other than spend time with them. And although he did apologise 'for not lifting a finger' yesterday and was solely responsible for cleaing the house and stuff before they came, blah blah, boring myself now, will stop but thanks for listening! He's taken them out for a drive to show them stuff right now and the lunch is nearly made, hence I'm here.

I feel v sorry for a friend who has an enormous house and consequently has people staying most weekends.

God, it's hard enough having people visit for a single day but a whole weekend.

and 2 weekends aswell.

Here...have a virtual cuppa made by me

yes it is - but for me its not so bad - no kids to look after as well and the whole week to recover!

It nice to see folk though.

I've got my FIL here for 2 weeks now and my brother still staying with us too. The washing, sorting bed linen and towels and making evening meals for 4 adults and 3 children is getting a bit much I have to admit. Especially as I've got a lot of work on at the moment too.

Thanks for the virtual sympathy. After I'd posted I went back into the kitchen to finish lunch and thought if this is all I've got to worry about then life is fine really, innit?
I'm going back to work for a rest and other cliched sayings

I spent the weekend gathering Wife Points by making dh and pils dinner in front of the football whilst feeding the kids in the kitchen

then when they had all gone home and kids were in bed I used my Wife Points by pointing dh at a heap of laundry and going upstairs for a bath

start counting www

Paula Yates said something like 'people relaxing in your garden drinking Pimms while you are running around like a hamster in a wheel, going redder and redder in the face and cultivating a special tinkly laugh as people break your belongings one by one'

very true IME

It is hard work, but I find a "take as as you find us attitude helps"! (in my case this means , no my house is not like something out of a decorating mag but i will make up for it by making you nice food!!)

I have to say I find satying at other peoples more stressful than them coming to us, at least I do not have to stress about DS breaking things/ eating the right food/ waking people up early in my own house!

Feel for me then because we live abroad and tomorrow is the first of our visitors. We will have visitors until the middle of August all day every day!! Our way of coping, go to the beach!

if i had an enormous house, i'd LOVE having people stay most weekends!

but, i'm also the sort who turns on her best Southern accent and chimes, 'All right then! Who's doing the dishes tonight? Either sign up or I'll draft 'ya!' and 'Honey, would you be a dear and unload that dishwasher for me, I'm a little tied up here at the 'mo.'

Works everytime!

I've only just seen these posts, thanks, yes enid, very true that Paula quote. And Cappucino, that's EXACTLY how I felt, I was being very wifely and I didn't like it! I wore my Cath Kidston apron and everything too. Expat, yes, I can hear that, must try it next time. My lovely friend sat in the kitchen for 2 hours while I made a picnic lunch for 10 last Sunday and then looked surprised when I produced it all on the picnic and said 'when did you make all that?' ! er, when you were sitting chatting to me

Marypop, oh I do feel for you! Melrose, I agree, normally I don't care if it's a mess but it was the first time dh's parents had seen our new house so he wanted it to look nice. And to be fair, he cleaned it on Friday while I was at work. Anyway, everyone's gone now and I've collapsed in a heap of flu bug!

Tmorrow our first set arrive. My BIL will be helping do some building as well. so I'll have building going on at the same time. AHHHHHHHH

MIL arrived last night AND HAS NO RETURN TICKET.....

It always make me laugh when our guests have gone and DH looks surprised that there is a mountain of dirty sheets, towels etc. I always do it when people have gone (change beds etc)so I don't have to do it all before people arrive. DH and I have people about once every six weeks for weekends.

My bro and SIL stayed last weekend. God she is one dirty bitch. When they left I found the bed laying unmade (even if she had stripped it or made it up, not left it laying crumpled) and a pile of dirty baby wipes that she had used to remove her make-up! She also left some stuff in my bathroom that I don't ever wish to see again and then texted me to say "thankyou for having us!" I only replied "next time you can clean up after yourselves before you go home!!"

We currently have my parents for 3 weeks (one to go) and a french exchange student.I am feeling knackered all the time and should go to bed but I'm really revelling in being here on my own whilst everyone is asleep.
Actually my parents are pretty easy,my mum is always tidying up...think I'll miss them!

WWW
be very glad you HAVE a dishwasher

Tic Tac OMG. I really couldn't cope with that!!!!

We did have ONE 'pestguest', however, to whom I showed the door.

I was 5 months pregnant w/DD1, and we asked her to go outside to smoke - we had a balcony, ffs.

But that meant she couldn't stay up all night chatting to her married lover online.

So when DH walked into the living room the next morning, the living room was as fuggy as a nightclub.

AND, she had let our cat out into the stair.

So when she left for the day, I put her stuff out the door and left the number for a taxi.