My solution had several parts to it. First was telling H (now XH) that he would be putting everything back where I had it, because I am 5 feet tall and need things where I can reach them. MIL wailed that she was only trying to help and how dare I put her baby boy to work. My response was, I didn’t, YOU did when you decided to meddle. He put it back and told her not to do that again.
Another was taking MIL by the hand and leading her into the dining room, telling H (now XH) that she had tried to put my antique cast iron skillet into the dishwasher and that she was now banned from the kitchen entirely. Did that in front of the whole family because otherwise she would just try to say I said things I never said.
Also the fact the ILs were too lazy to visit helped. When we went to see them I added 2 more parts to my plan. Bringing food with and buying perishables when we got there, and cooking meals. When she complained, I reminded MIL how she had complained about the expense of feeding everyone and all the work of cooking, said I was just trying to help and that at least I didn’t rearrange her whole kitchen or try to destroy her things. XBIL piped up with “Hush, Ma, Daegranor is a better cook than you anyway!”
PS, XH tried to say that she was just trying to help too. Next time my parents came to visit, I asked Dad if he would mind helping me declutter the garage and DH’s office of tools and computer stuff….XH said but that’s my stuff, I replied, that is what I said about my kitchen equipment, too……I need my tools just like you need yours.
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Cast iron in the dishwasher?
Good riddance to bad rubbish!
You’re my hero
Oh my!
I enjoy cooking with people, but there is no way that I would tolerate someone rearranging my kitchen to suit themselves. And I’m tall enough to reach everything.
Meal prep has enough to do as it is, damned if I’m going to roll in a scavenger hunt for all of my tools and supplies.
And the cast iron heading for the dishwasher? Out, out, GTF OUT OF MY KITCHEN!
I hate cooking, so I’d be all for someone else doing it. Rearranging my home? No.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Good for you, OP! You and your shiny spine are amazing!
I wouldn’t cook anything again until it was all put back by husband
First of all, no one cooks in my kitchen but me. No one. Secondly if someone rearranged it, I would lose my mind and kick them out immediately.
You’re brilliant, great work.
I caught my MIL loading my chef knife in the dish washer. She learned “we” don’t put professional quality knives in dish washers unless “we” want to get the check book out & replace them.
DH just bluntly told her to leave my kitchen and stuff alone.
That’s like her version of pissing on her territory like a dog would.
I don’t want anyone in my house that I don’t 100% love. If I don’t like someone they’re not stepping foot into my house, let alone touching my shit.
And there’s no way in hell I’d allow them to use my kitchen stuff.
My first thought upon reading the title .. commit violence. NOBODY touches my kitchen stuff.
If my MIL were that foolish, she would have found her entire kitchen rearranged the next time she went out to visit relatives (we live downstairs, and I too have keys to their apartment).
Love this. This would be my approach.
My sister &my best friend can cook in my kitchen. 30 years on I do not touch her kitchen.
This is mine
Both my MIL and my own mother did this to my kitchen when they visited. I stopped them visiting ✌️ I’m too old for that controlling, power move BS anymore.