The in-laws are coming...preparing the house for a successful visit

My previous column was all about how living, successfully, with the in-laws in your neighborhood is not an oxymoron. That discussion spurred today’s topic…can you make it work when the in-laws visit you, from a distance, repeatedly throughout the year.

Of course you can!  According to my readers, represented by Kimberly,

“I could not be more fortunate as my mother-in-law is one of my best friends. People comment that it must be hard since she comes to visit about every 6-8 weeks and I'm always surprised at the negative remarks made about their own MIL's. One big factor for me is my perspective. I revere my MIL because she was the woman responsible for shaping who my husband is today. I value her wisdom and seek her guidance. That's not to say that things are perfect. We just choose to admire each other for our strength and respect each other's differences. Also, I try and keep in mind that someday, God willing, I will be someone's MIL and that's no small feat so I try to extend grace with the hope that it will be returned to me in the future.”

So, how can you make your mother-in-law’s visit a thing of pleasure, rather than a thorn in your side? It starts out like planning for any other houseguest. When your best friend is coming to town for a few days, how do you get ready for her visit?

Ten ideas that work well for any houseguest include:

• Find an inexpensive luggage stand to make it easier to unpack,
• Clean out a drawer or two so the clothes don’t have to live on the floor,
• Add a few empty hangers to the closet,
• Cut or buy some fresh flowers, which brighten up even the smallest of spaces,
• Make sure you have clean sheets on the bed and fresh towels in the bathroom,
• Provide an alarm clock, reading light and a flashlight,
• Stack a few magazines on the nightstand,
• Include a TV and/ or radio, if possible,
• Clean the bathroom, and stock it with the basics like a fresh bar of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, blow dryer, drinking cup and of course, extra toilet paper,
• Write out instructions and demonstrate how to turn off the house alarm if you have one and turn on the coffee pot if your mother-in-law starts her day with a cup. You don’t want to trap her in her room, if she wakes up earlier than you do.

Now that you’ve got the place in shape for the visit, the next step is to plan on how you will peacefully co-exist under the same roof.

Tune in to the next column, and I’ll let you in on some of the suggestions that I have received from my readers. Of course, if you have some more ideas, send them along to me at jangelich@gmail.com.

Talk to you soon.