It gives their family their own space and their own “stuff.” Manage the meal stress. We also assemble a basket of soap, shower gel, shampoo, towels, and extra blankets ahead of time. We don’t have a dedicated guest room, but we turn over the kids’ bathroom and one of their bedrooms to my in-laws and let the four kids bunk together in the other kid’s bedroom. It’s a big splurge for me, but I am much more relaxed about the visit than usual! Figure out bathroom and sleeping arrangements ahead of time. This year I have hired someone to clean a few days in advance. Identify what stresses you out the most, and deal with it first.įor me, it’s trying to get the house clean enough, including the nooks and crannies, to have someone else live with us for several days. Here are some things I do to help make our family visits a sane time. My husband’s family (brother, wife, two cousins) comes to stay every year for the entire week after Christmas, and the rest of the family often shows up for dinner and hang-out time, so we have an overflowing house. If you have ever read the children’s book The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, it gives a good picture of what a longer family stay is like: the long journey, the hugging, the crowding, the chore trade-off, the mess of kids getting to know each other again, etc.
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