A Break

My mother-in-law leaves for her trips to Texas and Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

Is it horrible of me to feel incredibly excited and relieved she will soon be gone for a month?

At least, I hope she is going. Today she told B that she didn't want to go. Uh, hello? This has been planned for more than a month, tickets have been bought and your sons are waiting to see you. Why wouldn't you want to go? Apparently she enjoys moping around the house instead. I know that sounds harsh but that is what she does. Getting out and going some place new will probably do her a world of good.

I know it is going to help me.

I already have things planned in anticipation. Tuesday right after I drop her off at the airport I am getting a massage, and then dinner and a movie with a friend. That Saturday we are spending the day with B's cousin. The next week is B's birthday and we have a big plan of dinner, a ride on the indoor go-karts and then going to a musical. I am so excited to actually do couple things again!

Maybe I am being too giddy about her leaving. But I am tired. I am tired of trying to always be upbeat and happy so that she stays at a level of emotion we can handle. Because if either of us gets down she just plummets and it's really hard to get her back out of her despair. And having to be chipper all the time about everything is very tiring. It makes problems that much more glaringly obvious.

Like her incessant habit of always calling our cats bad or stupid. I know a lot of people don't believe that pets can understand what you say to them, but I do. And telling my cats they are bad if they throw up a hairball, an act beyond their control, is not cool in my book. Also, if they do something weird like run around crazy or jump up and tackle each other she calls out them "What are you doing you stupid cat?" I know she is trying to be funny but I don't want them to be called stupid. Call them silly or even crazy doesn't have as bad a connotation. Stupid and bad are words I never use around my girls because I believe they understand it when I call them something negative. And she does it all the time! And when I finally broached the subject she looked at me like I was insane for even bring up something so ridiculous. I am tired of holding my tongue.

Tuesday can't come fast enough.