I've got nine people crammed in to my house. Oy!

[Aristus]

There's me and Mrs. Aristus, my father-in-law, my step-daughter, my son-in-law, and four kids under the age of ten.

Ugh.

No end in sight.

Hold me...

[cyberswede]

1. "four kids under the age of ten"

Hope you have stuff for them to do!

[fizzgig]

2. good luck with that

we have an overnight guest a few times a year for a few nights and i can't imagine cramming that many people into our place.

[Aristus]

3. Well, my father-in-law at least has his fifth-wheel out around the side of the house.

So he's not really contributing to the population density of the house. But the grandkids are the same ones who visited Stalingrad-level destruction upon our house a couple of years ago after moving up from California. When my wife announced they would be moving back in with us, she tried to assure me that the kids "are all two years older now" As if that was a good thing. I wanted to tell her that they are all two years bigger, two years stronger, two years more curious, and two years less well-behaved due to their indulgent mother.

But I didn't.

On the plus side, I get to see my son-in-law more often. He's a great guy. Much more agreeable than my step-daughter. The evenings after the kids are all in bed (and have stopped complaining for more water and 'I'm scared of the dark', and 'He hit me! (Did not!) are the best. He and I crack a few beers, relax and talk.

[fizzgig]

7. it's great that you have a good relationship with him

but four kids

[sarge43]

4. Start drinking and keep going until

someone is standing over you asking, "Are you ok?"

[Aristus]

5. If I do that, I won't know which is the bigger headache,

the hangover, or the infernal mess the grandkids are making of my house.

Just thinking about it makes me want to have a drink...

[sarge43]

6. You're a better man than I, Gunga Din.

I'd be in jail by now.

[politicat]

8. You are the people for whom tiny houses exist.

I would have been going for strait jackets, ball gags and possibly one way tickets to Nome by now.

Better man than I, Gunga-Din.

[Aristus]

9. It's a decent-sized house.

But still too small for me to be in proximity with eternally-squabbling, destructive children. I have my little office/library to go to when the volume reaches a fever-pitch. The grandkids know that 'when Grandpa goes into his office and closes the door, it's time to calm down...'

[politicat]

10. More, having the tiny means no guests and/or having a retreatable space.

DH has advocated for a tiny for years on the principle that a) we can pick it up and go if we want, and b) there is NO possible means of having even an overnight guest. (It's not that we don't like various friends and family, but we don't like the assumption that we're putting them up. It's a cultural thing with both of our extroverted, togetherness minded families, and we got all of the recessive introvert genes.)

The problem being the several tons of books, computer hardware and robotics/electronics prototyping/fab machinery currently under the roof.

I've often thought that having one in a backyard wouldn't be a bad idea, though, if we had a backyard.

[hibbing]

11. What would Will tell you to do?

[Sanity Claws]

12. Go to work and get away from them for a while

Sometimes we need a break from work. Sometimes we need a break from home.

[Aristus]

13. I am at work.

It's a nice break from the home-life.

[elleng]

14. 'No end in sight?'

OMG!

[Aristus]

15. They have no prospects for getting another house right now.

And don't earn enough money between them anyway.

My son-in-law is a trained cook, but believe it or not, no one's hiring. He working at Starbuck's instead.

[elleng]

16. SAD!

Glad you and he have a good relationship.

[Aristus]

17. I'm lucky with both my sons-in-law.

My other son-in-law is a Southerner, like me, and probably the only other out-and-out progressive in the family. He voted for President Obama both times. (I think his wife, my other step-daughter, did, too.) He was born and raised in Georgia to a severely racist family. After he moved up to Washington and saw the contrast between reality and their social point of view, he became repelled by their racism. And that pushed him into the liberal camp.

The three of us get together every now and then for beer and conversation.

[elleng]

18. Very good to hear.

[Skittles]

19. hey Aristus

you're doing a wonderful thing helping them out - no matter how bad it gets, don't forget the impact you're having, especially with those kids

[Aristus]

20. Thanks, Skittles. I appreciate that.

I just remind myself that it's like jogging: it feels so good when it's over...

[Skittles]

21. my family situation fell apart when I was 14

I flew from England to America and slept on an aunt & uncle's couch for a year........it has a major impact on your life - yup

[In_The_Wind]

22. Have you thought about renting an apartment for you and Mrs. Aristus ?

[Aristus]

23. I'm hoping they won't be with us that long.

Any day could be the day they make the announcement...

[jakeXT]

24. if it's bigger than a car