Well today finds me doing my usual Sunday housework, only with a little extra vigour as the MIL rang yesterday and announced that she is coming to stay for 2 days - on Monday, much notice then!
A couple of years ago this would of filled me with dread. She is not the easiest of people, infact the first time she ever stayed with us, I felt pretty beat after only 24 hours and was actively helping her back on the coach when the time came to say goodbye, and then had a stiff drink in the middle of the day!
The MIL and t'husband do not get on, well they didn't. When t'husband's Dad was alive, the MIL and FIL use to come and visit for a couple of hours and within that few hours you could guarantee MIL and t'husband would be arguing and falling out. After my FIL was killed in a tragic car accident out in Spain, things initially got worse. Little Man was only 4 months old and the week before the accident had been in Great Ormond Street having emergency surgery so although t'husband offered to go out to Spain with his mum to sort things out, she wanted to wait a week before going as flights were cheaper (seriously not kidding) and t'husband couldn't get any more time off, he needed to go while on compassionate leave. Anyhow in the end his brother went (who neither of us get on with) and his mum and him cremated t'husbands dad while out there and scattered his ashes without t'husband so he was very, very upset and his mum's attitude was he should of gone with her and it wasn't her fault.
Anyhow forward wind the clock 6 years and the MIL has joined a dating site, met someone and moved to Devon for 6 months with him. She is a different person and t'husband and her actually get on now, speak on the phone and confide in each other and have a laugh. It is so nice to see especially as I am very close to my family, and t'husband has said more than once he thinks of my parents as closer to him than his own ever were.
Since the boys have got older as well, MIL has made a much bigger effort with them. Another bone of contention with t'husband was how it took 3 and a half weeks for his parents to visit Little Man when he was born even though he was prem, ill and outcome initially unknown. My mum and dad had travelled 200 miles within 24 hours on Christmas eve. Anyhow now she is great with the boys and has recently told us she doesn't really do babies and finds them very hard to interact with instead feeling much more at ease with a 4 year old upwards.
By gones are by gones and things are so much better now that for once I am not experiencing that feeling of dread at the visit, so lets hope the visit is a success and we all enjoy it!
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