Rant about men,mother in laws and clutter!!

[wrinklytum]

OK so its Saturday.DP disappears to M-I-L leaving me with the baby and toddler,one is teething and the other a bit whingy as full of cold.Right I think in between feeding wiping dressing housework etc etc I am going to sort and tidy all the toys as the clutter is getting beyond me.I go and buy more storage with kids in tow so it takes a good hour for what is a 20 min trip minus kids.Then I start sorting toys chucking some out surreptitiously and organising others.

Of course today is the day that neither baby or toddler will go for nap,hence the house looks like a post nuclear explosion.Then after 7 hours at his precious mothers where he has been tiling her kitchen (Never mind that there are 101 jobs that need sorting here) DP breezes back and announces "god what a tip".He then proceeds to dump a large briefcase on the kitchen worktop.

"Whats in there?" I enquire as sweetly as possible my heart sinking.Usually trips to his mums entail him returning with all manner of useless crap and occasionally,bizarrely she sends out of date tins and packets of food I wouldnt consume in a million years.It turns out I now have a briefcase full of kitchen knives.WTF?Where am I supposed to put them,well yes there is a tempting option but seriously,as soon as I get rid of some clutter more arrives.DP called me an "ungrateful cow" when I voiced this opinion.Needless to say I was not happy.

Is it just me,I ams so p.....d off.I just want a relatively cluter free house,a non crazy m-i-l and a partner who helps out on occasion.To much to ask I suppose!!

Rant over.Am now off to tidy up and suss out a strategy for "losing" a briefcase full of kitchen knives....

sympathies - that sounds awful

Say "Find domewhere to put those that is both safe or tidy or I am taking them to the tip on Monday."

(dp is exactly the same. I don't want any more sodding bloody ornaments, my house is pit as it is!)

And once you've said what Colditz said, take yourself off to the shops for a mooch and a coffee. Give him a taste of being with the kids for a bit on his own.

I am with you on the clutter thing. We are doing major decluttering at the moment (I think we have given atleast £1000 worth of books and CD's to charity and filled 2 skips). I start to go all twitchy and rabid looking when anybody tries to introduce anything new into the house.

Yes. Don't for God's sake let him get away with thinking he has brought you a present.

get a big black bag and chuck all the crap she gives you away while he is at work.
Also take yourself off for a hot bath and let him sort out the mess and the kids.
Then explain to him he is married to YOU these are HIS children and THIS is his home so pull his bloody finger out and help.

I wouldn't say help, I would say do his part and being a father and husband. Helping implies it's your job and he's doing you a wonderful favour if he lifts a finger.....

Ask him to take the kids over to MILs for 24 hours to leave you some space and time to potter. And state that he must only bring back the kids and no more stuff!!!!!!!!!

We have a bread maker that was my mil's....She used it once..I have used it.......twice..Its now taking up valuable space on my kitchen work tops and is making my clutter free kitchen look cluttered...! It has to go...!

I know exactly how you feel.