As you may have picked up by now, my fondness for my mother-in-law waxes and wanes depending upon her proximity. So with the holiday season approaching, my husband and I have begun discussing the one topic that puts a damper on my enjoyment of the upcoming season: house guests. Specifically, my in-laws.
They’re getting older, and I realize that means the time with them is supposed to be precious. Perhaps if I spent less of that time cooking, cleaning and looking for somewhere to sit in my own family room, I’d cherish it a bit more. Then again, as I reflect on how my mother-in-law and I didn’t speak throughout most of the summer, perhaps I would not.
When it comes to having house guests, I have a built-in excuse for keeping the numbers low: our guest bed is awful thanks to my husband being a cheapskate. The mattress he bought for $35 almost a decade ago and stuck atop a $15 spring-less box spring, neither of which are supportive enough for an able-bodied adult, much less two elderly people.
In other words, it’s comfortable enough for one, perhaps two nights tops. Intentionally.
Although I’ve relied for years on the miserable accommodations to frighten them from mentioning long-term visits, my luck may be running out. My in-laws plan to sell their home in Texas to move to Minnesota permanently, which means they won’t be passing through our town three or four times each year. That means this next trip is going to be a longer one, whether I like it or not.
So I’m looking at guest beds these days, knowing that we either buy a better one or listen to the litany of aches and pains for however long they decide to stay here with us. I love the look of leather beds (like the one in the picture), but they’re a bit more modern than the rest of the guest room furniture, and I doubt I could convince my husband to spring for new nightstands along with a dresser and stand mirror.
You know, I’ve half a mind to pick out a single bed with a trundle pop-up, which is what we have to sleep on when we visit them in Minnesota, and hence why we no longer visit them on our July 3 anniversary even if his family has a long tradition of gathering to celebrate the 4th of July together. Oh, it’s tempting — turnabout’s fair play and all — but I’m rather certain I’d only be punishing myself.
After all, I need a more comfortable guest bed so my husband has a place to sleep at night if he won’t get a CPAP mask to stop his snoring.
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007, 3:05 pm | 
My Venomous Life | 
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October 24, 2007 at 1:48 am
Or you can put a really great bed in the guest bedroom so that when he wants to snore you can sleep in there. I agree if he’s the one causing the issue he should, but think about it. If the bed in the guest room is newer and nicer, most cozy, then why shouldn’t you have the better choice of the two?
October 24, 2007 at 7:33 am
Your title cracked me up… did you just call your MIL an old bat?
October 24, 2007 at 8:34 am
No, Lattegirl. I most definitely would never, ever do that. Mwahahahaha.
Chelle, good point, but I already made my decision. My bedroom’s decorated to suit my tastes, and it has a bathroom just 6 steps away from the bed. The guest room’s not nearly as cozy… again, intentionally.
Odd, though, how VH doesn’t seem to agree that HE ought to be the one to sleep elsewhere if he’s not going to do something about his snoring.
October 24, 2007 at 9:07 am
Or you could just get rid of the extra bed and tell the in law’s to stay in a motel. Use the extra room for something else maybe an office, a craft room, a play room, gym,etc. Oh and if you want to spend money on a good bed it should be one for you and your hubby. It might help with the snoring problems?
October 24, 2007 at 9:14 am
I actually have been thinking that, since they won’t be visiting as often once they move permanently up north, I might hold off on replacing the bed for now (just get a better mattress topper), then put in a Murphy bed so it’s out of the way when we don’t have guests.
That would let me use the room for another purpose, like a home gym. Heck, I might even hook cable TV up in there if I actually had a reason to use the room myself now and then.