WOW... What a week!
Well, this past week was a busy one… that’s for sure. I can’t believe that the whole anniversary party has already come and gone. We had a house full of guests for most of the week but the good thing was that they didn’t sleep here the whole time so at least we got SOME peace and quiet.
For this little blurb I will be referring to Sister-In-Laws as ‘SIL’ … except for the useless one, I will simply call her ‘Dumb Fuck’. Brother-in-laws will be ‘BIL’…. Just too much Typing other-wise Mother-in-law = MIL, Father-in-law = ‘FIL’
The first weekend in August is a civic holiday here so hubby was home on Monday (Aug 1st). We were expecting his brother and family either really late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. So, I spent the better part of Monday preparing for their arrival… cleaning, organizing, changing sheets… etc. I took a short break Monday afternoon to take a little swim with my munchkins but then I was back at it again.
At around 3:30 pm ish, I decided that I’d done enough and took a break to go do some gardening. I figured I had all evening to finish up the cleaning and prepping for our guests. So, there I am pulling weeds and doing my thing and hubby comes outside and tells me that he’s just called his brother to check on their progress and that they said they were in Hudson. So, I sit there stunned for a moment and then I ask for clarification.
Me: “Hudson…. As in Hudson, Quebec?..... As in, this side of fucking Montreal Hudson???? ….. As in they will be here in a little over an HOUR!!!!!???”
By this time Hubby is laughing his ass off at the way I’ve reacted. His response,…. “Oh relax! We’ll just give them a cold one and a glass of wine and they won’t notice the dust bunnies that are still in the living room……
….. and so that’s how it started.
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My in-laws were beside themselves surprised when we showed up at their house with the crew from Nova Scotia. My MIL was gardening and it took her a few moments to even register who was getting out of the car….. then she started to cry. It was really nice.
Half an hour later my other BIL arrived. He was home from Dubai. She cried again. …… I’m getting teary eyed just thinking about it.
BIL who lives in Dubai is also gay. Why a gay man would chose to live in a part of the world where they would gladly shoot you for such a thing is beyond me… But, he doesn’t seem too worried about it so….
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The folks from Nova Scotia have 3 kids. Andrew (15), Nick (13), and Felicia (11). They are amazingly awesome kids. My SIL, while perhaps a little too uptight at times, has really done a fantastic job raising her children. They are well-mannered, funny, outgoing, smart… and well, pretty much everything you’d hope your kids will be. I only hope mine turn out as well as that… LOL
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So everyone arrived late Monday afternoon. It took a while to get everyone settled down, and before we knew it it was time to say goodnight. The whole crew stayed at my Sister-in-law’s that night so they could hang out with the parents-in-law in the morning.
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====
Okay, so here’s where the fun begins…. Hubby goes off to work on Tuesday, as does my SIL… and the other SIL (Dumb Fuck). The menu for Tuesday night was hot dogs and hamburgers…. Simple enough. BUT, you still have to prep all the fixin’s and make the salads… etc.
So I spent the better part of the morning running out for last-minute stuff, and then the afternoon getting set to feed the crew while everyone else hung out by the pool. Thankfully, my BIL (the gay one) showed up at around 3:00 ish and helped in the kitchen. I LOVE this guy by the way. We get along really well and have become very good friends over the years so it was kinda fun to be hanging out just the two of us. Oddly enough, my hubby and he don’t really get along all that well. They tolerate each other at best and that’s really just for the sake of the parents. *shrugs*
The useful SIL got off work a little early so she was here by 4:30, Hubby finally got home at around 5:45….
Dumb Fuck showed up at 7:30 pm…. No real reason for it.
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====
By the end of Tuesday Owen, my 5 year old, was literally glued to his cousin Felicia’s side. He was completely and totally smitten with her… OMG, it was so cute.
Drew liked her because she was fun and she played with them and that was all cool, but Owen had a huge crush on her and it was obvious.
As far as Owen was concerned, the whole week was about nothing but Felicia.
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====
The anniversary party went really well. It was a lot easier to put together since the in-laws knew about it. Hubby took that day off of work so I wasn’t left doing everything which was really nice.
The gay BIL managed to hire a photographer for family pictures as well so that was really awesome. The whole evening was fantastic.
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====
On Thursday, my Nova Scotia SIL’s parents wanted to go downtown to see the Changing of the Guards.
I’ve lived in Ottawa for over 20 years and had never seen it either so I decided to tag along with the kids. It was really neat but I must admit I found it to be a little long.
We then took a boat cruise down the Ottawa river which was also something I’d never done.
Tons of fun was had and then we all came back to the house for a swim. We just hung out by the pool for the afternoon. Dinner that night was Fajita’s from the left-over steak from the anniversary dinner the night before.
YUMMMMMM
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Okay, so you can’t really call it a family gathering if there isn’t some sort of conflict…. Right? The only problem is that each time there’s a conflict these days, it always seems to be with me and Dumb Fuck.
So because there was a group of people around, of course Dumb Fuck had an Ailment. She had gone on all week about how she had a urinary infection and that she’d been on antibiotics for over 30 days now. Blah blah blah…. Bullshit….
Anyway, so now she was going on complaining all week about how the antibiotics were causing leg cramps in her legs so bad that it was paralyzing. And how since the anitibiotics weren’t working, her doctor had given her stronger ones that were making her nauseous……
So we’re all sitting around and she says she wants to take all the kids to Mt. Cascades, the water park.
So I say “Well, sure. If you want to take the kids to the water park then I’ll go with you.”
To which she replies “What? Don’t you trust me to take them by myself?”
AHEMMMMM…. Okay, I just want take a step back here and make sure that what I’m about to say next isn’t mis-interpreted. My issue with Dumb Fuck is not her weight… heck it’s not like I’m a size 8 myself or anything. But the reality is that she is close to 400 pounds and I no longer feel confident in her physical ability to protect my children if she needed to.
I’ve been in crowded places with her and I know she can’t get around easily. I feel terrible for her. I truly do. I also know that she loves my children very much and I know how much she loves taking them places and doing stuff with them. BUT, my number one priority is their safety and my confidence in her ability to react quickly and efficiently should anything happen has seriously diminished. There’s no goddamned way I would let her take my 3 and 5 year olds to a water park alone…. NO WAY.
There were like 4 other people in the room when she said this too, which made the whole thing even more uncomfortable. As stated above, my real reasons for not wanting to let them go with her alone is that I don't have confidence in her physical ability to manage certain situations... but I can't say that because it would be really hurtful. So, I took a deep breath and said.
Me: “Well, Dumb Fuck (obviously, I used her real name here), it’s not that I don’t trust you to take care of my kids…. But we’ve just spent the whole week hearing about your terrible infection and how you’re so nauseous it makes you dizzy and how you’re having leg cramps so bad that you’re almost paralyzed. I just don’t feel comfortable sending my kids to the water park if you’re not 100%. I mean, what if one of them falls in the pool and can’t get up and you get a cramp or something.”
…. Now bear in mind that Dumb Fuck likes to make stuff up and embellish about her health so she can get attention…. As she has clearly done with the leg cramps and nausea.
Dumb Fuck: “well…. The leg cramps aren’t so bad anymore.”
Me: “ But you just told that they’re so bad that if you were to get a cramp in a burning building then you’d probably not make it out.”…. Not kidding, she actually said that.
Me again: “So, are you getting cramps in your legs or not?....”
….. Dead Silence for like 5 seconds or more.
Then Nova Scotia SIL jumped in and saved the day.
Nova Scotia SIL: “Well, either way it doesn’t matter because if you guys are going to a water park there’s no way I’m missing out on that cuz I LOVE Water parks! I think we should ALL go!!!”
Phew! Thank You Nova Scotia SIL!!!!
====
====
The water park was awesome! We had such a good time. Everyone went except for the Parents-in-law…. They took the time to relax and rest a little.
I even managed to get along with Dumb Fuck for the whole day…. A major feat, believe me.
The kids had a blast, the adults had a blast, it was just fantastic.
Owen stubbed his toe on a rock though and got a real nasty cut. The poor little guy was sitting up on the picnic table while I tried to clean it out with water and patch it up. Funny thing, Hubby made fun of my when I packed our little pocket first aid kit… HA! He won’t laugh at me the next time I pack something like that.
Anyway, I got my dude all patched up and when I was done he looked at his toe and said “Good Job Mommy! Maybe you can be a doctor when you grow up.” -- God I love kids.
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====
Saturday and Sunday were easy relaxing days. We had pasta night one night, and then left-overs the next. Lots of cards were played, lots of beer (fake AND real) was consumed… oh and wine, and scotch, and rum, etc)
Our guests pulled out very early Monday morning. Lots of tears, many hugs, and many awesome memories.
====
====
Monday was a quiet day and then Monday night we shipped the kids off to the in-laws and Hubby and I took off for Montreal. Hubby booked us in a 5 star hotel for the night which was really nice. We got to Montreal at around 6 ish, went out for dinner, and then came back to the hotel. Spent some time in the Jacuzzi tub, then… well, ahemmm…… you know…..
The tennis was great. The matches that we got to see weren’t fantastic but that’s okay… just being there was amazing. One of the matches was Andy Murray but he played terribly and lost in two sets to some guy I’d never even hear of.
The highlight of the day:
I Got to watch Rafa Nadal practice! YEP, I was just walking around the grounds checking things out when I noticed a small crowd gathered around one of the practice courts. So, I decided to go see what the scoop was… and OMG, there he was… no more than 10 feet from me….. working on his serve.
====
====
Anyway, hats off to any of you who actually read this whole thing.
Believe it or not, I actually pared the whole thing down and eliminated some stuff I wanted to tell you all about because it was just too long.
Now I need to do some house cleaning because I haven’t really had a chance to do so since the guests left.
For this little blurb I will be referring to Sister-In-Laws as ‘SIL’ … except for the useless one, I will simply call her ‘Dumb Fuck’. Brother-in-laws will be ‘BIL’…. Just too much Typing other-wise Mother-in-law = MIL, Father-in-law = ‘FIL’
The first weekend in August is a civic holiday here so hubby was home on Monday (Aug 1st). We were expecting his brother and family either really late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. So, I spent the better part of Monday preparing for their arrival… cleaning, organizing, changing sheets… etc. I took a short break Monday afternoon to take a little swim with my munchkins but then I was back at it again.
At around 3:30 pm ish, I decided that I’d done enough and took a break to go do some gardening. I figured I had all evening to finish up the cleaning and prepping for our guests. So, there I am pulling weeds and doing my thing and hubby comes outside and tells me that he’s just called his brother to check on their progress and that they said they were in Hudson. So, I sit there stunned for a moment and then I ask for clarification.
Me: “Hudson…. As in Hudson, Quebec?..... As in, this side of fucking Montreal Hudson???? ….. As in they will be here in a little over an HOUR!!!!!???”
By this time Hubby is laughing his ass off at the way I’ve reacted. His response,…. “Oh relax! We’ll just give them a cold one and a glass of wine and they won’t notice the dust bunnies that are still in the living room……
….. and so that’s how it started.
====
====
My in-laws were beside themselves surprised when we showed up at their house with the crew from Nova Scotia. My MIL was gardening and it took her a few moments to even register who was getting out of the car….. then she started to cry. It was really nice.
Half an hour later my other BIL arrived. He was home from Dubai. She cried again. …… I’m getting teary eyed just thinking about it.
BIL who lives in Dubai is also gay. Why a gay man would chose to live in a part of the world where they would gladly shoot you for such a thing is beyond me… But, he doesn’t seem too worried about it so….
====
====
The folks from Nova Scotia have 3 kids. Andrew (15), Nick (13), and Felicia (11). They are amazingly awesome kids. My SIL, while perhaps a little too uptight at times, has really done a fantastic job raising her children. They are well-mannered, funny, outgoing, smart… and well, pretty much everything you’d hope your kids will be. I only hope mine turn out as well as that… LOL
====
====
So everyone arrived late Monday afternoon. It took a while to get everyone settled down, and before we knew it it was time to say goodnight. The whole crew stayed at my Sister-in-law’s that night so they could hang out with the parents-in-law in the morning.
====
====
Okay, so here’s where the fun begins…. Hubby goes off to work on Tuesday, as does my SIL… and the other SIL (Dumb Fuck). The menu for Tuesday night was hot dogs and hamburgers…. Simple enough. BUT, you still have to prep all the fixin’s and make the salads… etc.
So I spent the better part of the morning running out for last-minute stuff, and then the afternoon getting set to feed the crew while everyone else hung out by the pool. Thankfully, my BIL (the gay one) showed up at around 3:00 ish and helped in the kitchen. I LOVE this guy by the way. We get along really well and have become very good friends over the years so it was kinda fun to be hanging out just the two of us. Oddly enough, my hubby and he don’t really get along all that well. They tolerate each other at best and that’s really just for the sake of the parents. *shrugs*
The useful SIL got off work a little early so she was here by 4:30, Hubby finally got home at around 5:45….
Dumb Fuck showed up at 7:30 pm…. No real reason for it.
====
====
By the end of Tuesday Owen, my 5 year old, was literally glued to his cousin Felicia’s side. He was completely and totally smitten with her… OMG, it was so cute.
Drew liked her because she was fun and she played with them and that was all cool, but Owen had a huge crush on her and it was obvious.
As far as Owen was concerned, the whole week was about nothing but Felicia.
====
====
The anniversary party went really well. It was a lot easier to put together since the in-laws knew about it. Hubby took that day off of work so I wasn’t left doing everything which was really nice.
The gay BIL managed to hire a photographer for family pictures as well so that was really awesome. The whole evening was fantastic.
====
====
On Thursday, my Nova Scotia SIL’s parents wanted to go downtown to see the Changing of the Guards.
I’ve lived in Ottawa for over 20 years and had never seen it either so I decided to tag along with the kids. It was really neat but I must admit I found it to be a little long.
We then took a boat cruise down the Ottawa river which was also something I’d never done.
Tons of fun was had and then we all came back to the house for a swim. We just hung out by the pool for the afternoon. Dinner that night was Fajita’s from the left-over steak from the anniversary dinner the night before.
YUMMMMMM
====
====
Okay, so you can’t really call it a family gathering if there isn’t some sort of conflict…. Right? The only problem is that each time there’s a conflict these days, it always seems to be with me and Dumb Fuck.
So because there was a group of people around, of course Dumb Fuck had an Ailment. She had gone on all week about how she had a urinary infection and that she’d been on antibiotics for over 30 days now. Blah blah blah…. Bullshit….
Anyway, so now she was going on complaining all week about how the antibiotics were causing leg cramps in her legs so bad that it was paralyzing. And how since the anitibiotics weren’t working, her doctor had given her stronger ones that were making her nauseous……
So we’re all sitting around and she says she wants to take all the kids to Mt. Cascades, the water park.
So I say “Well, sure. If you want to take the kids to the water park then I’ll go with you.”
To which she replies “What? Don’t you trust me to take them by myself?”
AHEMMMMM…. Okay, I just want take a step back here and make sure that what I’m about to say next isn’t mis-interpreted. My issue with Dumb Fuck is not her weight… heck it’s not like I’m a size 8 myself or anything. But the reality is that she is close to 400 pounds and I no longer feel confident in her physical ability to protect my children if she needed to.
I’ve been in crowded places with her and I know she can’t get around easily. I feel terrible for her. I truly do. I also know that she loves my children very much and I know how much she loves taking them places and doing stuff with them. BUT, my number one priority is their safety and my confidence in her ability to react quickly and efficiently should anything happen has seriously diminished. There’s no goddamned way I would let her take my 3 and 5 year olds to a water park alone…. NO WAY.
There were like 4 other people in the room when she said this too, which made the whole thing even more uncomfortable. As stated above, my real reasons for not wanting to let them go with her alone is that I don't have confidence in her physical ability to manage certain situations... but I can't say that because it would be really hurtful. So, I took a deep breath and said.
Me: “Well, Dumb Fuck (obviously, I used her real name here), it’s not that I don’t trust you to take care of my kids…. But we’ve just spent the whole week hearing about your terrible infection and how you’re so nauseous it makes you dizzy and how you’re having leg cramps so bad that you’re almost paralyzed. I just don’t feel comfortable sending my kids to the water park if you’re not 100%. I mean, what if one of them falls in the pool and can’t get up and you get a cramp or something.”
…. Now bear in mind that Dumb Fuck likes to make stuff up and embellish about her health so she can get attention…. As she has clearly done with the leg cramps and nausea.
Dumb Fuck: “well…. The leg cramps aren’t so bad anymore.”
Me: “ But you just told that they’re so bad that if you were to get a cramp in a burning building then you’d probably not make it out.”…. Not kidding, she actually said that.
Me again: “So, are you getting cramps in your legs or not?....”
….. Dead Silence for like 5 seconds or more.
Then Nova Scotia SIL jumped in and saved the day.
Nova Scotia SIL: “Well, either way it doesn’t matter because if you guys are going to a water park there’s no way I’m missing out on that cuz I LOVE Water parks! I think we should ALL go!!!”
Phew! Thank You Nova Scotia SIL!!!!
====
====
The water park was awesome! We had such a good time. Everyone went except for the Parents-in-law…. They took the time to relax and rest a little.
I even managed to get along with Dumb Fuck for the whole day…. A major feat, believe me.
The kids had a blast, the adults had a blast, it was just fantastic.
Owen stubbed his toe on a rock though and got a real nasty cut. The poor little guy was sitting up on the picnic table while I tried to clean it out with water and patch it up. Funny thing, Hubby made fun of my when I packed our little pocket first aid kit… HA! He won’t laugh at me the next time I pack something like that.
Anyway, I got my dude all patched up and when I was done he looked at his toe and said “Good Job Mommy! Maybe you can be a doctor when you grow up.” -- God I love kids.
====
====
Saturday and Sunday were easy relaxing days. We had pasta night one night, and then left-overs the next. Lots of cards were played, lots of beer (fake AND real) was consumed… oh and wine, and scotch, and rum, etc)
Our guests pulled out very early Monday morning. Lots of tears, many hugs, and many awesome memories.
====
====
Monday was a quiet day and then Monday night we shipped the kids off to the in-laws and Hubby and I took off for Montreal. Hubby booked us in a 5 star hotel for the night which was really nice. We got to Montreal at around 6 ish, went out for dinner, and then came back to the hotel. Spent some time in the Jacuzzi tub, then… well, ahemmm…… you know…..
The tennis was great. The matches that we got to see weren’t fantastic but that’s okay… just being there was amazing. One of the matches was Andy Murray but he played terribly and lost in two sets to some guy I’d never even hear of.
The highlight of the day:
I Got to watch Rafa Nadal practice! YEP, I was just walking around the grounds checking things out when I noticed a small crowd gathered around one of the practice courts. So, I decided to go see what the scoop was… and OMG, there he was… no more than 10 feet from me….. working on his serve.
====
====
Anyway, hats off to any of you who actually read this whole thing.
Believe it or not, I actually pared the whole thing down and eliminated some stuff I wanted to tell you all about because it was just too long.
Now I need to do some house cleaning because I haven’t really had a chance to do so since the guests left.