Thanks for all the movie recommendations. Unfortunately, I ended up not watching any movies this weekend, but fortunately, I took naps instead. I will save the recommendations for next week.
My new favorite workout thing is using the stairmaster, the kind that looks like an escalator. I used to be intimidated by it because it looked hard. In reality, it is hard, but it is also kind of fun. And by fun I mean it makes me really sweaty but does not make me want to die. Really, that is all I ask for in a workout.
Our nephew is getting/taking/insert-correct-verb-here his First Communion in two weeks. I have been lobbying against attending because the nephew lives four hours away. Also, he is a brat. I feel really mean for saying that, but it is true. H remembered this weekend (after I reminded him) that he is the nephew’s godfather, so now H is insisting that we are obligated to attend the First Communion. He is right, but we saw all my in-laws a few weeks ago when we drove several hours to H’s hometown, and we had dinner with H’s brother a few days ago (during which he randomly tried to convince us to buy some farmland in North Dakota – WTF?), so I am feeling in-lawed out. I am really the one who is sounding like a brat here. Man.
I grew up seeing my grandparents twice a year, and my aunts and uncles anywhere from zero to four times a year, so seeing the in-laws once a month seems like a lot to me. Meanwhile, H grew up within 30 miles of his grandparents and at least 16 sets of aunts and uncles (H has a total of 24 sets of aunts and uncles – each of his parents is 1 of 13 kids), so only seeing his family once a month does not seem like a lot to him.
How often do you see your family and/or in-laws? Do you have any bratty nieces or nephews that annoy you? Do you like the stairmaster? Did you watch any movies this weekend?
TWENTY FOUR sets? Holy crap.
And yes, that seems like rather a lot to see the in-laws. Especially with the driving. And the brat nephew.
I grew up only seeing aunts and uncles and one set of grandparents rarely and because they were awesome, it wasn’t enough. But then there was an Aunt that we saw all the time and that was too much because she was just the worst relative ever. Also, we live about 15 min from my mother in law but probably only see her every couple of months whereas we see my parents every couple of weeks and they live about an hour away. This is my long winded, over sharing way of saying that how much you see them should be proportionate to how much you like them.
I see my family ALL THE TIME. But then, they live less than an hour away and we are close. If I had to see Chris’s relatives that often I might consider moving far away.
I so feel your pain on this one. This is probably going to end up being a huge comment, BUT…
Hubby is one of 7. All but one of his siblings live in the area. When we first got together, we would do something with all or some of his family AT LEAST once a week. That was his norm when he was single. As we became a couple, it began to wear on even him. Some of the constant togetherness was due to him not having a ton of other things going on in his life at that time, so once we got busier with other things, it seemed excessive…
Anyway, we toned it down, and would only go to some of the gatherings. That turned into us being “antisocial” and “not liking” them. Eventually we became somewhat ostracized.
Now we see them on holidays, and more often in the summer, since they have cookouts every week. At least. The only reason we go to as many of those as we do is because our son enjoys playing with SOME of his cousins.
I despise the indoor gatherings because my mother in law’s house is very average in size, and when you stuff 25 people into the living room and and kitchen of an average size (or any size) house for a few hours, it’s uncomfortable. Add to that the fact that the older boy cousins are rude (to answer your question about nieces and nephews) and do not watch where they are going in the cramped space and have pretty much trampled me a few times, it is NOT FUN. We hardly went there at all while my son was a baby/toddler because it was too stressful to have to watch out for a 15 year old who should no better but has practically walked on the smaller kids before. Now my son is big enough to hold his own. We saw them this weekend and one of the bigger boys bumped him and my son said “Hey – Watch it!” I was proud.
I’ve got no solution to your dilemma, but I certainly understand what you’re going through!
You don’t want me to start ranting about in-laws – but we also get constant urging to purchase real estate, or get in to some random business from my in-laws. We are busy professionals! And we make a good living already! And we will buy a house when we are ready!
Oy, my family and my in-laws are all within 15 miles. Sweets’s parents are about a 20 minute drive away and he sees them 1-3 times a week, including a Sunday dinner that we can’t seem to get his dad to quit cooking. They drive us NUTS. So you’d think he’d avoid them, but they have a way of making it sound like he’s a bad son if he has better things to do than listen his parents’ gripes for the week. Ugh.
My parents are a 5 minute drive away and I see them once or twice a month, depending on what’s going on. And we both like them much more than his parents. Could there be a connection? Possibly.
Extended family – only on holidays and that’s just fine. However, with all of them so close, at least two gatherings per holiday can be exhausting. Like 3carnations, we sometimes skip one of those and always skip cousin’s birthdays, which makes us “antisocial” and “too good for” them. With 20-36 people at any given event, you’d think nobody would notice our absence that much.
Oh, and let me add (because I didn’t say enough already), that ironically, hubby and his siblings grew up seeing their Grandparents on major holidays and cousins only as often as that. So where they got the idea that everyone should get together with this much frequency is beyond me.
That Stairmill thing is OF THE DEVIL. I am very impressed that you work out on it voluntarily. I was at the gym this weekend and looked over at it with hate in my eyes. I think I’ve only used it once, about ten years ago, and that was enough for a lifetime.
I think the term is “receiving” first communion. I can’t recommend any recent movies, but since it is St. Patrick’s Day I can suggest:
“Waking Ned Devine”
“The Commitments”
“The Snapper”
“I Went Down”
And the television series, “Father Ted”
I’ve met my future in-laws only three or four times, so seeing them once a month seems like A LOT to me. But we go to see my family much more often, about every other month, so I bet that seems like A LOT to Joel.
And I thought I had a lot of aunts and uncles! I have nine sets, that’s practically nothing compared to H!
My family is extremely small and no one likes each other. I’m not kidding. My cousin and I are the only ones who have the potential and we’re not speaking right now. So, no. No obligatory family gatherings. My mom and I do stuff together, but that doesn’t count as a “gathering.”
I don’t like the stairmaster and I didn’t watch any movies.
No nieces or nephews yet, but SIL and BIL who are trying. Fortunately, they will live in Connecticut which is LOTS of miles away.
We see our inlaws rather infrequently. They are a 5 hour drive away, so usually just holidays, and they sometimes come up here for Easter.
Also, I get along with all of my in-laws. We live near my mother and stepfather as well as my father and brother-in-law. From April to December, they’re all pretty much in our lives a few days a week.
I suck at stairmasters. Prefer ellipticals.
I saw “The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford” over the weekend. The cat was on my lap and the heater was on and I fell asleep at the two hour mark, woke up 15 minutes later, and decided not to rewind. The movie still made sense.
My family is totally small, and they live all over the place, so I’m not very close with them. I don’t think I would travel 4 hours to a christening. Unless there was a promise of really good food. That changes everything.
I’m scared to do the escalator stair thing, but the point is moot since they are always occupied at the gym. They seem to have a devoted, loyal following.
I see my in-laws all the time, but I really like them so it’s no big deal. No nieces or nephews, so no problems there, but my Mr. does have a few cousins that bug the crap out of me. luckily I don’t see them very often.
The stairmaster scares me, for whatever reason. I already have a booty, and I fear that it will give me “superbooty” or something (and NOT in a good “superbooty’ kind of way).
I live in the same town as my parents, my husband’s parents, and my husband’s brother and sister-in-law. Growing up, I saw my grandparents/cousins/aunts/uncles/relatives about twice a year. And that was fine with me and seemed perfectly normal. So, seeing all these people all the time is crazy for me.
I am okay with the occasional family gathering, but I do get totally burned out when they turn into weekly things. I don’t know why, but I seriously think it is some kind of genetically ingrained COMPULSION to either see or NOT see extended family.
The reason I think this is because Cody never understands why I don’t want to see them again so soon, and I never understand why he does.
Each of his parents is one of 13 kids?? That’s a crazy coincidence is what that is. Christmas must be retardedly expensive in his family. Jeeze.
Yeah, i’d have to agree with H – i think he’s obligated to show for this one. YOU, however, can be “sick”. (*cough, cough*)
I see my family about once every 4-6 months, longer if I can help it. And I see my in-laws about the same. I’m not what you would call…in to family. My nephew/niece bug the crap out of me and so does my SIL/BIL’s horrendous parenting. Moving on..
I fell off the stairmaster and have since been too shamed to try it again.
Definitely, Maybe w/Ryan Reynolds was cute enough but I was thoroughly disgusted that he didn’t take his shirt off ONCE during the entire film. I mean that’s the whole point, right?
I grew up seeing my extended (ha – that sounds funny since I have a teeny tiny family) family a few times a year – basically major holidays, if that.
Now, we see my family VERY rarely (I think Matt has met my parents twice in the 3 years that we have been dating, although to be fair, I have only seen them 4 times in the last 3 years). But, we see Matt’s family a lot. They all live pretty close (within about a 45 min drive) and they are a pretty close-knit family.
I really don’t mind, because I really like his family members. The only times it gets a bit wearing are 1) when we only go to something because we feel obligated, which is rare, but I get annoyed when it happens because his siblings never feel obligated and just show up or don’t depending on whether they feel like it or 2) when his family doesn’t take into account that we live the farthest away out of everyone in the family, and that possibly things like getting up at 5:30am on Christmas morning so that we can make it to their house on time is not on my list of fun things to do.
But, all in all, they are super. They treat me like a member of the family, they’re fun, and I enjoy being around them. My own family, on the other hand, is a completely different story!
I see my family about three times a year, so once a month would seem excessive to me. But then, it’s all about what you’re used to. I’m used to acting like an orphan, apparently.
I look for the same thing in a workout, so maybe I should try the scary escalator steps. It always seems like the people on that thing are up there on display, since they’re so high up and all, but it does actually look like more fun than the regular stair climber, so you’re probably on to something.
Also, I watched “Into the Wild” this weekend. I’d give it a thumbs up, but that’s just me. If you don’t want to watch a hot guy emaciated in the wilderness, that may be just you.
I call that escalator thing the StairMill. Did I make that up? Anyway, it’s pure evil. If it doesn’t make you want to die you must have quads of steel.
Farmland in ND. Ha. HA HA!
I feel like I would get less annoyed at spending time with AS’s family if we saw MY family more often. (Because we are geographically closer to AS’s family, mine gets short shrift.) I guess then my family’s awesomeness could counteract all the strange things AS’s family does?
Hey, I’m commenting weeks late! But I grew up close to all my family memebers. We used to get together ALL the time when we were all younger for birthdays, holidays, you name it. Now it isn’t as much since we’re all grown and have our own lives. But I lived 2000 miles away from home for 10 years, so I actually enjoy seeing them sometimes now.
And my nephews and niece aren’t bratty. But they are still young and say funny things!