The Bail Money Fund

My mother in law arrived on Thursday. For those of you interested in helping out a friend, my girl Heather is taking up a collection to pay the bail money, should that become necessary.
Seriously though, so far, so good. I haven't had the urge to kill her yet, so that is always a good thing! In fact, the visit hasn't been too bad - but we are only on day 2 of 20! Ugh.
I picked her up from the airport on Thursday. I knew that I would get annoyed if I had to wait too long, so I arranged to be a little late. When I got there, she already had her suitcases and was ready to go. The worst part of the trip so far was the car ride home. That was one and a half hours of just pure one on one hell. She was busy telling me about the man she just met at the pet store and how she hasn't been laid in 10 years. Now the word prude could never be properly applied to me, but, that said, there are just some things that I don't EVER want to know about my mother in law. Her "get lucky" status would definitely be one of those things.
Robbie had duty last night and his mother and I got through that just fine. I kept reminding myself about how much I love him and FOR HIM, I can get through the next 20 days of his mother's visit. If I keep telling myself this positive mantra, perhaps I won't have to imbibed too much alcohol or dip into the stash of low dose medication the doctor gave me! I'm off to put some Bailey's in my coffee and start the day!

Rising to the Occassion- Sometimes It is Harder Than it Seems

My mother in law is going to be joining us here for three weeks in March. I am happy that my husband will see his mom and that my children will get to see their grandmother, but sometimes getting excited about her visit is harder than it should be.
My husband is under so muh stress at work that he just doesn't need anymore. Some days he works from 6 am until 9 pm or later, and when he finally comes home, he is just dragging. I mean, the minute he puts his self down on the sofa, he's asleep. My mother in law, like the rest of the women in his life, enjoys his attention - and LOTS of it. Her visits aren't enjoyment for him, but usually WORK, which really increases his stress levels and makes both him ( and her!) impossible to live with. We almost always fight while she is here, and we rarely do any other time. It's very frustrating.
This year, I don't want to add to his cares and concerns. I'd really like to have a nice visit with his mother, but I'm worried. I say this every time she comes to visit and yet, on every visit, rising to the occassion is harder than it seems. She has a vast array of weapons in her arsenal, each one uniquely designed for getting under my skin.
I guess whne I am truly honest with myself, what it all comes down to is the fact that I hate to share my husband. Our time together is so limited and to share what time we do have with someone who is so annoyingly needy really gets me. This time I want to stop being selfish and really try to make her visit enjoyable for him, but I'm not sure how to do that.
I love my husband and I want to help ease his burdens, not make them worse. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Whatever tips that you use to help make your MIL's visits enjoyable - I'm all ears! Thanks so much!