DEAR ABBY: My husband is an only son. His mother lives an hour from us. I love her dearly, but when she calls to let us know she's coming to visit on any given Saturday, she won't give us a time of her arrival. She says she "doesn't want to be bound by time" because she runs a lot of errands while she's here.
She doesn't appear to notice the inconvenience to me and my active family, who are bound to our house the entire day, waiting for her to show up. My husband brushes it off, but it frustrates me. How should I handle this in a kindly manner? -- STILL WAITING IN TEXAS
DEAR STILL WAITING: The next time your mother-in-law calls, ask her when she plans to be at your house because you have errands to run, too. When she says she doesn't want to be bound by time, ask her to call you on your cellphone and let you know when she's done with her errands and you'll meet her at the house. That way, none of you are tied down or inconvenienced.