“I Had Such Great Plans for the Weekend. Then My Mother-in-Law Called”

I had been looking forward to this weekend for weeks. After a grueling month at work, I finally had two days to unwind and recharge. My plans were simple: a lazy Saturday morning with a good book, brunch with friends, and a Sunday spent binge-watching my favorite TV series. It was going to be perfect.

But then, on Friday evening, my phone rang. It was my mother-in-law, Carol. Carol is a force of nature—always bustling with energy and ideas. She’s the kind of person who can’t sit still and believes that everyone else should be just as industrious.

“Hi, dear!” she chirped when I answered. “I’ve been thinking about you and John. You know, it’s been a while since we did a thorough cleaning of your house. How about we tackle it this weekend?”

My heart sank. I glanced around my living room, which was admittedly in need of some tidying up, but the thought of spending my precious weekend scrubbing and organizing was disheartening.

“Oh, Carol, I actually had some plans…” I began, but she cut me off.

“Nonsense! It’ll be fun! We’ll get everything sparkling clean, and you’ll feel so much better afterward. Trust me.”

I tried to protest again, but she was already outlining her plan. She’d be over first thing Saturday morning with cleaning supplies and a detailed checklist. There was no escaping it.

Saturday morning arrived far too quickly. At 8 AM sharp, Carol showed up at our doorstep, armed with buckets, mops, and an array of cleaning products. She was wearing her “cleaning outfit”—a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt that read “Clean House, Happy Life.”

“Let’s get started!” she announced cheerfully.

John, my husband, had conveniently scheduled a golf outing with his buddies, leaving me to face the cleaning marathon alone with his mother. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of resentment as I watched him drive away.

Carol wasted no time assigning tasks. I was in charge of the kitchen and bathrooms while she tackled the living room and bedrooms. As I scrubbed the grout in the bathroom tiles, I couldn’t help but think about the brunch I was missing with my friends.

By noon, my back was aching, and my hands were raw from all the scrubbing. Carol, on the other hand, seemed to be in her element. She hummed cheerfully as she dusted and vacuumed, occasionally offering me “helpful” tips on how to clean more efficiently.

“Use baking soda for those tough stains,” she advised as she handed me a box of the stuff.

I forced a smile and nodded, though all I wanted to do was collapse on the couch and never move again.

The day dragged on. By late afternoon, we had made significant progress, but there was still so much left to do. Carol showed no signs of slowing down. She insisted on reorganizing the pantry and even suggested we clean out the garage.

“Maybe another time,” I said weakly, hoping she’d take the hint.

But Carol was relentless. “No time like the present!” she declared.

By the time John returned from his golf outing, the house was indeed sparkling clean, but I was utterly exhausted. He walked in with a big smile on his face.

“Wow, you two did an amazing job!” he exclaimed.

I shot him a look that could have melted steel. He quickly realized his mistake and mumbled something about taking us out to dinner as a thank you.

As we sat in a restaurant that evening, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of defeat. My weekend had been hijacked by an overzealous mother-in-law with a passion for cleaning. The relaxing break I had so desperately needed had turned into a marathon of chores.

As Carol chatted happily about our next cleaning project, I made a mental note to be more assertive about my plans in the future. But for now, all I could do was smile weakly and nod along.