I'm super excited, but anxious: my MIL, BIL and niece will be coming for two weeks! We will be at a beach house for one of the weeks, but I'm trying to figure out what we need for the extra people in the house. I've taken care of the bed situation, and I've added to my list: extra dishes, utensils, towels, and bedding. I'll preparing some frozen meals. What's am I forgetting?
Suggestions on helping the kids to adjust? All three will share a room, and my oldest hates change. She's already complaining about sharing a room with her baby sister-even though she adores her, wrote a lullaby for her, etc. She wants to sleep with her cousin, but her cousin is 11 and will be sleeping in the office near her dad. The previous times they've attempted to share a room didn't work.
I hope the toddler sleeps in a blow up bed. Maybe we can move the day bed into the other kids room for the first part of the visit to help her adjust? I can just hear my oldest complaining about this idea.
What else should I think about to plan for guests for such a long time? I loath guests, btw, but I love my MIL and BIL, so I'll be happy to see them. My BIl hasnt been to the States since we got married 14 years ago, so I want to make the visit special for him and his daughter. They love roller coasters, so we''ll go to great America, but I'm not sure what else to do. Do 11 year olds like museums? Chicago has great museums, and my kids love them, but I don't want to bore her. Brookfield zoo is great, but I don't know what 11year old girls like. She lives on a farm in Wales, she's super sweet and still very much a child. She was very happy to go for an ice cream last August : -)
Suggestions?
Thanks everyone!
I will try to be super flexible. :-) we will have nothing to do for a full week at the beach house but go to the beach, so I want to have some fun ideas for the week in chicago. It will work out to four days before the beach in chicgao, and then 2 days after. I figure we can get in a few fun things before and one after.
Science and Industry and Shedd!! Any kid or adult loves those places. Brookfield is great too. Depends on where in Chicago you are, but special, Chicago only, food "destinations" are always great for visitors (and those of us who have moved away from the city too)-Rainbow Cone, Lou Malnati's, Ed Debevic's, .
J., you LIVE in Chicago!!! C'mon, girl, your niece is not going to be bored going to places she's never seen! Why not take the whole group and hang out at Navy Pier? There's enough to do there to keep everyone entertained, and you might even go there on more than one occasion.
I think Shedd Aquarium would be good as would the Adler Planetarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum, the Art Institute, and Brookfield. You might want to ask your niece which of these she'd most like to see, and go from there. How about taking them around Lincoln Park? A game at Wrigley Field? Sears tower? (I refuse to use the new name). ETA: Run around Millennium Park on a sunny day!
As far as the kids' sleeping arrangements, just tell your 11 what the plan is and don't indulge complaining about sharing with her siblings during the visit. If you expect her to complain, she'll meet your expectations. If you expect her to be flexible, she'll eventually follow suit because there's no other option. There's no need to give in to grumbling.
Why not give your niece another chance to have a big sleepover in the same room with her cousins? Just because it didn't work out before doesn't mean it can't now. Could be great fun for them and a way to make special memories. Use sleeping bags or just throw blankets and pillows on the floor or air mattresses. Kids love that!
I know this may go against your sensibilities, but to save yourself from being in the kitchen and doing tons of dishes, consider some disposable plates and cups, especially on days when you need to get out the door and on to your next adventure.
Have different drink options for them--- juices, teas, flavored or plain waters. If you can have their favorite shampoos, bath products, toiletries, and a hair dryer ready for them, then they won't have to pack those things.
Make sure to have extra toilet paper, kleenex, and laundry soap on hand so you don't have to run to the store for those things that will surely be used most. Three extra people in the house can make a big difference with these things!
Enjoy your visit!
J. F.
I suggest you are overthinking this. Sounds like you're wanting this visit to be perfect. The visit won't be perfect even with all this planning. And....I suggest that much of what you're asking will go more smoothly if you stick with a general idea and make decisions as you go. Your guests will appreciate being given the opportunity to be included in making plans.
As to sleeping arrangements; the kids are older than they were during the last visit. You have a general plan. That's enough. You may decide to do it differently at the time, or not. The key to a good time is to relax and go with the flow.
-Some how when we have stayed at others' home they were happy we brought pillows (they didn't have enough). So double check your pillow count.
-Chicago has a lot to offer. I am sure you will find many points of interest for this family.
-My kids often end up in my room when we have visitors. Could this be an option for the youngest (giving the big sister more space)?
-The eleven year old could be looking forward to something very American. Right now American Girl store popped in my head because a friend mention they went to this with their daughters in Chicago. This is a hit or miss since not all girls care about this stuff.
Years ago my former fiancée had his tween cousin come over from their farm in Ireland,
She was very interested in American teen culture: teen movies, fast food, teen music, malls, etc.
Extra toilet paper/paper towels. I always find it surprising how much extra I need when I have guests staying for an extended time.
How about the aquarium? Some 11 year old children like museums (history, science; not so into the art in my experience), some don't.
Just explain to your children that it is only for one week and be prepared to just let the youngest sleep wherever she decides to sleep. Not worth fighting to keep her in a blow up bed if she will happily sleep on your floor or the couch.
Enjoy your visit.
A couple of night lights. Even if they don't sleep with them, it would be nice to have one in the restroom for over night needs.
I bet if you sit with the 11 year old for 20 minutes, you will get an idea of what she likes.
My MIL is here now. In our 1 hour car ride, her and my 9 year old talked about the president, how long a term is, riots, looting, protesting, the next election, and heart attacks.
Keep in mind they probably feel the same. Excited but wondering about some alone time and what to expect. I would call or email and let them know basically what you said here. Then ask for their input. Make sure to offer them some days to do something without you and your family. If I were going to stay with family in another country I would NEED a day a week to be alone without them. Perhaps add a link to Chicago activities or a list of museums and a very rough schedule. Also ask for food allergies or dislikes. Sounds like you worked most of the details out already but just confirm with them. My mom had an aunt and uncle stay while us kids were still in school and dad at work all day so she expected to take them places and they were gone and out the door all day without her, something that hurt her a lot and I found incredibly rude. But when she said something about it they were oblivious. They thought of our house as a hotel. Hope your guests are nicer!
I would just have some ideas and as other moms have said, just go over them with your guests and see what appeals. I don't try to overplan stuff because by the time they arrive, you will have stressed yourself out unnecessarily.
As for sleeping arrangements, be flexible. I think it's good you have an idea, but I find with kids in that age range, they will change their mind, have their own ideas, and you even might have to swap around during the visit to make it work. So long as you have enough pillows and bedding, you're good.
For food, I just do plenty of side dishes (salads, breads, etc.), plenty of snacks, and make it easy - barbecues, etc. No need to get fancy - you'll be tired out from visiting sites and hanging out.
I always do a day trip (beach, site, etc.) and then a day home (or something low key) like kids to the park or something, or we do a small trip in morning, low key in afternoon. I just make sure to break it up otherwise it's a bit of tourist overload.
Have a fun visit :) relax and enjoy!
My 11 year old would love the zoo and museums very much! Site seeing and hiking would be at the top of the list too. I think you have plenty planned and as for the sleeping arrangements, just be flexible. If your daughter needs her own space, I'd consider moving your little one in with you to keep your oldest comfortable. It's hard having guests for kids who aren't good with schedule changes. We just had guests for a week and did a few board games at night and lawn games while we had a BBQ. Very fun to get the adults off screens and playing with the kids. I swear the grandparents are worse than the kids when it comes to screen time!! How many animal memes or political jokes do we need to hear about today Grandma?
