Holidays, Family Reunions & Surprises?  More Inlaws & Outlaws…

Returning home from our trip to California last week, Cindy and I are still “catching up” on sleep and chores along with our yearlong committment to lose 40 lbs each by “This Time Next Year.” 

Our first morning home, we “hit the scales” since let’s face it, we weren’t exactly dieting on our trip expecting to see a weight gain- we were delighted to find a weight loss instead!  

The holiday season is often our worst time to stay on track but, we are committed to meeting our own goals so we didn’t dare “dip into” holiday pies or cream gravy. 

The mini me twins love carbs and getting them to stay on track isn’t easy since their diets consist of bread and potatoes with chicken, turkey & beef or any type of protein accompanying their favorite finger foods.

I’m planning on buying bongo boards for my home aka WorthamWorld and Cindy’s home aka The DanielDivaDiggs to keep everyone on track and my husband is buying a stationary bike for our home for my weekends off from daily workouts with Cindy at Planet Fitness during the week. 

As usual, there were a few moments of bickering between my niece Stephaney Mahaney & my daughter in law, Stephanie Hafele who have a “problem” getting along everywhere we go!  My son and Stephaney were very close until he married Stephanie and my niece has never accepted the marriage or her “new cousin.”

My home has a few rules and one of them is no arguing but upon walking my dog Foxy Wortham to my sons house to give my son a heads up on lunch, Stephanie Hafele decided to throw in her plans to bring her dogs to my home.  My husband, Matthew Wortham forbids other pets in our home because it upsets our dog and because of this rule- Stephanie and I got into an argument over “her plans” at my house.

You will often hear me refer to inlaws and outlaws as the family you gain and occasionally, the family that gets on your nerves hence the term outlaws!   These outlaws “stir the chili” every chance they get by trying to make the rules or worse- refusing to follow them.

Since I work with my family all year long, I’m often asked if we always get along and the answer is no but our clients are never aware of the arguments because I pull people off into a corner and give them a “heads up!” 

 Since Stephanie Hafele didn’t get her way with “her animals that are her children and should be allowed to go everywhere she does,” she ran home and brought 2 dogs to my fathers home who were running wild by jumping on his bed, knocking over trash cans and acting like hooligans running wild!  

At my last home, Stephanie “showed up” with one of her dogs who had fleas and proceeded to eat all of our dogs food, poop in my den and hump our dog.  My husband was so offended that he made a New WorthamWorld rule of no pets by explaining the expense of having our home exterminated and ending it by stating that “this is Foxy’s Home and he has just been pillaged and assaulted by someone else, he will need therapy to put this episode behind him and feel safe again- NO Pets.”  For the past 7 years, the no pet rule has been enforced through the “hurt feelings” complaints and other opinions regarding a rule that Stephanie thinks is stupid and doesn’t understand.  Oh well, Happy Holidays as the arguments and ideas of someone else kick off the festivities around here! 

My niece Leigh Ann called my sister to advise her “I’ve decided to move home because I’m unhappy here and lonely.  Alex (her husband) and I have decided it’s best for me to move home until he is stationed somewhere else!” My sister was effectively sucker punched by this “news” and wrote her own blog regarding adult or boomerang children moving home last year to elaborate- The DanielDivaDiggs- Five Females Fighting.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my son and work hard at getting along with my daughter in law but believe me- it’s work!  Some of Stephanie’s ideas and theories have me reaching for the liquor cabinet.  One example?  “There is too much laundry to was so I think I’m going to throw everything away and buy new clothes!”  The problem?  Money.  When their home burned down last year, I had “boomerang kids” myself and the fight over no pets here started all over again but- I put my foot down.  For 6 weeks I was a maid and cook and for six weeks, I endured my daughter in law complain about not having her pets!  A thank you for opening my home?  My son was the only one thankful for our generosity while he wife continued to make one mess after another.  One morning I awoke to find at least 8 loads of clothes and when I asked what was going on- my daughter in law advised me that I needed to wash them because “I’m too busy!” Six weeks felt like 6 years and it was one argument after another with her on a daily basis.

Why is my daughter in law “different?”  Well, she was raised by her grandmother and is accustomed to getting her way regardless of how it affects everyone else.  I’m the “boss” around here and I also make all the rules.  Stephanie would like to but she doesn’t because I write the checks and I own and operate all of my businesses and “the buck stops here.”

Ideas on how to operate my businesses from someone who did nothing to create them by sacrificing and working these past 6 years gives you yet another idea why we don’t “always get along.” 

With Leigh Ann moving home again, the chaos will erupt at my sisters house because Leigh Ann “wants her own space” and occasionally, argues with her sister Stephaney, my son Robert and especially his wife. 

 Do we always get along? Nope.  But family is family and it’s a hodge podge of #Cindyism “mixed nuts.”  

I’m expecting the usual arguments of someone getting a better gift than someone else this year and reminding myself that “you can’t always get what you want” around here while humming a few bars from my favorite Elvis Christmas album to a few “bah humbugs” but I won’t let it ruin my holiday and am looming forward to seeing our friend Tammi and numerous upcoming events…

Wendy M Wortham