- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Working Moms
ReeB83
member
Birthday Party Up In Smoke
ReeB83
member
DS's 4th Birthday is in a month and a half. Crazy me, I start getting invitations together about now so I make sure I get everybody. All of his parties have been at MIL's house because up until 3 months ago, we lived in a shoe box.
We moved into a two-flat this summer that is 3 times bigger than our old place and even 300 square feet bigger than MIL's.
So why is "Grandma's House" still on the invitations? All because of a stinky green plant.
The house belongs to DH's SIL (I guess she's mine too), who inherited it and rented it out to us after her grandmother died. Her brother and his GF and their kids have been living in the upstairs apartment for a couple of years (rent free, but I won't get into that). The backyard is kind of a party spot, not just for the neighbors (who I actually like), but for SIL's parents and brothers, who come visit the family upstairs and party......hard. I woke up one morning to find a jock strap hanging from the fence and one of the brothers sleeping it off on a lawn chair. Somebody decided that their grandma's old garden was the perfect spot to start growing plants. And I ain't talking tomatoes. I caught a glimpse of them at the neighbor's baby's 1st birthday party and thought a.) I must be mistaken and b.) They'll be gone once SIL finds out. Neither of those things were true. They are now 5 feet tall. And they stink. DH thinks it's hilarious.
I imagined cleaning the backyard of all the broken furniture and beer cans (seriously, who am I living with?!), covering up the dead grass with a bounce house and setting up a huge balloon display in my gorgeous dining room, while all my relatives gather for coffee and cake in my huge--but not very furnished--living room and I play hostess. Now I can't. Last thing I want is for someone to discover what's growing in my backyard. There's also a pretty good possibility that SIL's parents will come over and get wasted.
I thought by now it would have been fully grown and--ahem--harvested but no dice; it won't be ready till Thanksgiving (imagine the jokes). DH thinks there's not much I can do because it's "their" house (it's been passed down in SIL's family for generations) and not only do I not know which one of SIL's brothers started up the plant so I can tell them off, I don't want to tell them off because I don't want to create bad blood. But then again, we ARE the only one's paying rent up in here.
Better start getting ready to go to Grandma's.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Birthday Party Up In Smoke
That's a bummer, man, about the party!
Seriously, though - at the risk of maybe over-reacting - are you worried at all about being associated with the plant life growing in your backyard? If the police found out, would you and your husband potentially be considered suspects since you live in the house associated with the yard (assuming I read your post correctly)? And, if it were me, I'd be worried about the "element" of people that find out about the situation and want to harvest the crop themselves. I don't know - again, maybe I'm over-reacting - but I guess I'd be worried about more things than just moving the birthday party.
ETA - one more question/thought: after this "crop" is "harvested," are they going to be selling it out of the house? When I speak of the "element" above, do you not mind people coming to the house/property where you and your kids live to buy drugs? I realize a lot of people don't think of pot the same as other illegal drugs, but it is still illegal and it sounds like you're already not a fan of the people who come and go from these people's home.
Listen, DH and I are 420-friendly but I would never EVER put up with that as a living situation. You need to move. That is not a kid-safe environment.