DEAR ABBY: I am 7 1/2 months pregnant, living with my fiance, his cousin, his cousin's girlfriend and her little brother, who she has custody of. (He will be 18 in a few months.) I do all the house cleaning and have for the last year and a half. I constantly pick up after them after work.
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The cousin's girlfriend ("Queen Slob") is the worst of the bunch. She doesn't clean up after herself at all. She leaves a trail -- drops her purse on the table, doesn't throw away her trash and leaves dirty dishes everywhere. I have tried not picking up after Queen Slob and everyone else, but they are either so dumb or inconsiderate that they don't put two and two together and realize it's not magic and someone is cleaning up after them.
How do I nicely express that I'm fed up with being the only one who keeps the house clean without coming off like a crazy pregnant lady? I'm running out of energy. I have been trying to clean for my baby shower, but I'm getting nowhere because every time I clean something, I have to do it again the next day. I also can't get the house ready for the arrival of the baby. It's not going to be fair to my baby if Mommy has to clean up someone's mess before I feed him. Help, Abby! -- MAID IN NEVADA
DEAR MAID: You are right that once the baby arrives you won't be able to keep up what you have been doing. If you haven't expressed to your fiance what you have shared with me, it is long overdue. The two of you should convene a meeting of everyone who lives under that roof and set some house rules. If the cousin and his girlfriend won't cooperate, they should move.
As to your baby shower, if you have a close friend or relative nearby, it might be more practical to hold it in one of their homes.