What's your normal house load...

[Artos]

I don't know how you guys with large broods handle this shit. I know some of you have upwards of 3+ kids and I would completely lose my shit in that environment!

I'm friggin lucky when it comes to in-laws...my wife supports me and I just deal with the ones who are sane. I can barely handle the nutty blood relatives. We have a modest 3/2 with 2 kids, 2 labs, 2 turtles and 2 damn cats that adopted us. We have outgrown it but it's home and keeps the moochers away. I shut down the plumbing after #2 and am kinda jealous of my buddies who deal with their large quiver full of kiddos so well. Very happy with my boy and girl.

Once I get passed the 2-3 days of holiday duties, i luv this time of year. Jumping back and forth from the ranch to home & get lots of hunting in. The mfg industry simply shuts down for 3 weeks and I got a pass.

Your situation would make me go goofy...i feel for ya amigo.

[chadbag]

We have a 3BR 2BA house we rent. Me, the wife, a 7yr boy and 2yr girl (well, 6.9 and 1.9 until Jan). The girl stays in a crib in our room still. Usually she sleeps the night but once in a while wakes up in the middle of the night crying for mama. That is somewhat annoying.

Luckily my folks live 10 miles from here so all the holiday stuff is at their house. We go there for dinner or whatever. My sis and BIL and their 4 kids come down from WY for a few days at a time but the BIL does not really like being away from home that long so they don't usually stay long (he likes coming down, just for short times). My other sis and her husband and 3 kids live about 45-60 minutes away and they usually come up for just the day or sometimes stay overnight. So while my folks' house gets packed, it is usually only for the day or a couple of days with some of us just for the dinner, or whatever. My brother and his wife and kid are in Arizona and have not been here for like 4 years.

It is nice as we don't get visitors at our house, though our house is loud and noisy with our 2 kids. Unfortunately I am too busy (eguns.com and wife works 3x a week 12 hour shifts) to get to spend as much time with my kids as I would like. While the wife works I am watching them but doing the household stuff and not playing. I also don't get the alone time I would like to have to load ammo, go out shooting, etc.

[rob_s]

What has truly been a pain in the ass this year is that this was the last two weeks I could take my vacation days or lose them, so I've been home all day with this nonsense. Was hoping to get work done on articles, my website, the house, etc. but instead it's seen as "rude" if I disappear into the office.

I used up all the mojito mix and now I'm on to the cosmo mix.

[chadbag]

To me it sounds like an Executive Order or two needs to be issued ;-)

Stick around for the most important activities, otherwise go to the office or range etc.

[rob_s]

I'm to the "ignore the people in the house I don't like" phase which, had I started off that way, would have increased my enjoyment 10 fold. I've reached the point that if the woman is unhappy with the situation then that's her problem as it's her family. Whatever snit that puts her in she'll get over eventually.

I'm doing my own thing for the duration, and the rest of them can go jump in the canal out back for all I care.

range today, match tonight, and who knows what tomorrow will bring! and with no place to go, I don't give a damn if I stink until Friday!

[DMR]

What has truly been a pain in the ass this year is that this was the last two weeks I could take my vacation days or lose them, so I've been home all day with this nonsense. Was hoping to get work done on articles, my website, the house, etc. but instead it's seen as "rude" if I disappear into the office.

I used up all the mojito mix and now I'm on to the cosmo mix.

I hear you I had in our house 4/3.5 give or take due to the floor plan, the wife and our 2 kids, the sister in law, spouse and three kids and the other sister in law, spouse and three kids. The other 35 were supposed to be over for dinner tonight........ three of the kids are four, then a eight and a nine year old

The good news is the well only went dry once, to bad it was for about four hours.

Deal with it? I picked up a just because FS2000 today ;-)

[cannarella]

We have a 4/2.5. It is me, my wife and her sister who moved in to save money while she gets her educational doctorate. We have a GSD mix and a cat, and she brought a Corgi and a monster cat who is very affectionate. The third BR is for their office and 4th is exercise/guest room with no door and air bed. I get the downstairs shop (~35'x~15') for woodworking and hideaway. It actually suits me fine with the SIL here. SIL pays rent, cooks, and hangs with my wife on the weekend when they go shopping which lets me do whatever I want. We get along very well also. We are very low key laid back.

This Christmas I didn't want to make the drive to Tampa so I let my parents know they were more then welcome to come up. They hung back and had a low key holiday. My in laws come with their damn dog who like to start fights she can't win with our dogs. Luckily they are home bodies and when they come literally the stay about 24 hours and are on the road again. They don't talk much and we usually just sit around flipping through the channels not knowing what anyone wants to watch. The FIL will always bring me a box of .45 he reloads and I send him back with empty brass. I haven't paid for .45 in 10 years and have hundreds of rounds to spare. Just have to but some powder and primers every once in a while. Now I just have to talk him into reloading 5.56 then all my ammo costs will be greatly reduced. My MIL pays me to do fix it up things at their house when I go since the FIL is useless in that category. Whe she is at our house she can't still and has to be cleaning something of doing whatever. It is an interesting dynamic.

[HES]

I don't know how you guys with large broods handle this shit. I know some of you have upwards of 3+ kids and I would completely lose my shit in that environment.

Drugs, quality drugs LOL

For my household its:

• Me (AKA the rock, AKA the normal one, AKA he who should be sainted)
• My lovely bride (AKA the Warden, AKA She who must be obeyed, AKA my hawt momma)
• My eldest daughter (16, formerly the Resse Witherspoon clone, now retitled as the PITA)
• My youngest daughter (11, AKA the attorney, AKA the wanna be rander)
• My son (AKA Jokey Smurf, AKA Dr. Evil Jr, AKA the reincarnated Alvin York)
• My insecure, co-dependent, watch (but not guard) dog the 110 lb Great Dane / Labrador Retriever combo that thinks he is a tea cup Yorkie.

With all of this we are constantly running to scouts (Venture, Cub, Boy, and Girl), Sports (Football and Soccer), and Academics (meeting with teachers, school plays). The only nights that we may have free are Friday and Saturday. That is of course is if we are not camping with the scouts (at least twice a month). Oh and did I mention the broken shower in the house that requires all of us to share the two remaining ones (with a 16 year old in the house it is indeed a major issue).

Now add to it the neighborhood kids that are constantly streaming in and out of the house (there were 4 earlier) and the friends that drop by all the time. This of course does not include the load at Holidays / Birthdays (5 birthdays, plus wedding anniversary). Figure an additional 15 people will be here at a minimum. Though that number may diminish a bit since we have recently declared nearly everyone on my wife's side of the family to be persona non grata (yes that sound you may have heard did sound a lot like an orgasm from me).

I do have a 2,800 SF 4/3 with a split plan and the house is made for entertaining. That is a blessing and a curse since it designates our house as the default gathering place, but still....

To say that this house is the epitome of chaos would be an understatement. There are days when I wished it was just me and my wife in some cabin in the mountains, but honestly, its all worth it because the kids are getting to do things because their parents are willing to sacrifice where many others aren't. Besides I will be 46 when Jokey Smurf gets a boot in his ass and is told he has three choices 1) Get a job, 2) Go to College, 3) Join the military. At that point we are selling the house, getting an RV and a small condo, and traveling across the US.

What has truly been a pain in the ass this year is that this was the last two weeks I could take my vacation days or lose them, so I've been home all day with this nonsense. Was hoping to get work done on articles, my website, the house, etc. but instead it's seen as "rude" if I disappear into the office.

Since I own my own business and work from home I used to get that reaction until I level set everyone. They were informed that just because they are on vacation does not mean that I am. I have no problem hosting them, but If they want to be able to return here again, instead of seeing us in a cardboard box, that they better cut me some slack and adjust their expectations. They will get my attention as host as soon as I take care of business. In the mean time they will have to make do with my wife and fend for themselves when it comes to the kids.

I used up all the mojito mix and now I'm on to the cosmo mix.

If you start having drinks with frilly little umbrellas in it I am coming down there and throwing you into rehab

[ToddG]

Mother has been here since Thanksgiving

[mattjmcd]

850sq ft farmhouse bungalow built in the 1930's (or earlier) with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath

...2 little girls and an Aussie, plus the wife and a cat

...then add me into the mix as an afterthought

Company? Nah, we don't roll like that!

I feel for you, rob.