pattern

The same thing seems to happen every time Jason's parents visit. I feel fine about their impending arrival, telling myself they don't have high expectations but then I get a little nuts at the last minute about cleaning and such. By the time they arrive I am a little grumpy and put out. I try to work on it and things seems fine. The kids' schedules get out of whack by an hour or two for meals and bed. I tell my self to be laid back, not to worry about it. It's no big deal. Then, the kids themselves get out of whack and whiny and grumpy. And then I feel self conscious about their crappy behavior and start snapping things like, "well that's what happens when he stays up too late!" And then I feel bad and try to be overly nice to compensate. Every time. I tell myself it will be different but it's not. I'm tired. It's all so silly and minor but we are all so used to certain norms that any variation really does make a big difference. I'm just going to accept it for now, try to have a decent few more days with my in-laws and pray that it gets better as we all grow up.