My in-laws will be arriving in a few hours and will be staying with us for several days. So am I: (a) scurrying around the house frantically trying to make it picture perfect, b) begging my husband to check them into a hotel or c) mixing up my second batch of martinis? The answer is … drumroll, please … d) none of the above.

You see, I absolutely adore my mother-in-law. Get those shocked looks off your faces, ladies, and I’ll tell you why. It’s because she loves me without judging me — or at least if she is judging me, she’s awfully quiet about it. Here are some examples:

1. When my husband and I decided to move in together six weeks after we met, she accepted it and welcomed me into her family.
2. When we announced two years later that we were running off to Vegas to get married, she and and the whole family joined us for the adventure.
3. When I chose to breastfeed our kids, she supported me — even though I was definitely in the minority on that decision 13 years ago. (That’s another blog post.)
4. When my 3-year-old daughter fell out of a shopping cart and split her lip wide-open, my MIL consoled me instead of making me feel like the bad mother I was convinced I was.

I could go on and on here, but I think you get the point. When I hear some of my friends’ MIL horror stories, I thank my lucky stars. And with Mother’s Day fast approaching — my first without my own mom(s) — I am really looking forward to spending some time with her. Did I mention that she’s a hell of a lot of fun too? Maybe I’ll mix up that batch of martinis after all.

So what’s your MIL like? I’d love to hear your stories.