MIL Shower Rant (long sorry!)

wbrauns

Ok so my MIL hosted my bridal shower when DH and I got married. She did a "Pampered Chef Party". Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Pampered Chef, I grew up with it, and every single utensil in my Mother's kitchen is Pampered Chef, so I know what high quality stuff they have. However, my MIL is a Pampered Chef Consultant and DH and I already have a kitchen full of Pampered Chef stuff, so anyways my MIL refuses to put where we were registered at for our bridal shower, because "then people won't buy Pampered Chef!" and we have a bridal shower that no one brings presents to because instead they are supposed to buy Pampered Chef stuff at the party (that I don't even want) all for the sake of padding MIL's pocket. The entire shower she just stood up front and tried to sell Pampered Chef stuff to all the guests. Umm, hi, I thought this shower was supposed to be about me, but I guess not...

Ok so then she hosts DH's SIL's baby shower. This shower was just as self centered as my bridal shower because the ENTIRE shower, and I am not being dramatic here, she stands up front and talks while SIL is trying to open presents. DH had many people call him and talk about how she made the shower completely about her instead of about SIL.

 Fast forward to my upcoming baby shower. MIL of course insists that she host the shower, which is nice of her, and I know she has good intentions, but I really really wanted one of DH's aunts to host it instead of MIL. However, we can't exactly tell her no, so instead we thank her and say, "yes of course you can host it.." so then she says that she doesn't really want to host it at her house because it's too small so she's wondering if she can do it at our house. I have no problem with this except I dont want people to think I am trying to host this shower myself, because I am not. The other reason she wanted to do it at our house is because we just moved in and a lot of people haven't had the opportunity to see it yet. So anyways, DH's stepdad was recently diagnosed with cancer so MIL has been dealing with that, which is hard, I know, my 17 year old brother was also diagnosed with cancer just a few months before DH's stepdad was, so I know what MIL is going through.

So anyways, the shower is about three weeks away and as of last week MIL had not gotten invitations out or said anything about them, I called her and asked if she would want me to get them/make them for her and then all she would have to do is send them out, because I know how much she has going on with her husbands cancer. She seemed really irritated that I had asked that and said that she could handle it, I hadn't meant to overstep any boundaries, I was simply trying to help because I am at home all day and would have had plenty of time to make the invitations myself so that she wouldn't have to.

Ok so last bit here, DH and I have decided that we are going to use Cloth Diapers, we have been picking up quite a few used ones as garage sales and on Craigslist and have ourselves about 15 diapers. However, that was our main "gift priority" we asked MIL if there was a way to write on our invitations, "Registered at Target with cloth diapers being top gift priority" and she said that she had already told people to just bring money to shower instead of getting us presents. (She said this because she thinks that getting stuff off of a registry will be too hard for members of her family because they don't know how to go online and view and order stuff off a registry) so DH said that she didn't have to put the bit about the cloth diapers in the invitation, but PLEASE put that we are registered at Target, she agreed and that was that. Today I get my invitation in the mail, and surprise! There is absolutely nothing listed about being registered at Target on it! Ughhhhh why is it so hard to list where we are registered at!?

So now people know that A.) The shower is taking place at my house, and B.) They are supposed to bring money. Wow! That doesn't make me sound that I am hosting my own shower or anything! Seriously? What do I even do in this situation? I know if I ask her why it didn't say that we are registered at Target on the invites she will get mad and say that she has a lot going on right now with her husbands cancer and everything, but that is why I offered to do the invites in the first place! Ugh ok this rant was extrememly long, but seriously, that woman does not listen to anything!