My mom use to do something like the ask around thing, too. "Are you thirsty?" "Not really." "No? There's some of that soda you like in the fridge. We bought it just for you."

I knew what was coming, but what could you do? "Thanks, Mom. I'll go get a glass of it."

"Oh, while you're up could you get me some, too? And a ham sandwich? And maybe a lime yogurt?Since you're up and all."

"Sure, Mom."

Heh.

I lived in a house with seven people in university, and there would be like five of us sitting around on our enormous L couch all going on about "man, I could use some coffee, wouldn't coffee be great about now?" for a good twenty minutes until finally someone broke.

In our defense, the obnoxiousness was clear and deliberate.

My Dad's enormous family was notorious for a barrage of "while you're up"s when someone was foolish enough to pee or get a glass of water.

We used to joke we should keep a waitress tray in the kitchen.

Wheee! lil bro pulled through and got us a room. I thought I had found one, but the one in my price range that was well off the main road turned out to be a single king, and there's three of us, and the two queens tripled in price.

In my house growing up (and during holiday meals) it was much more direct "HEY MA! BRING ME THAT THING!" "MAKE ME BREAKFAST, JULIE, OR I'LL FEED YOUR HEMP JEWELERY TO THE DOG!"

Ran out of lunch supplies, so I just did most of my weekend shopping tonight. Which opens up a myriad of possibilities for the weekend: flowers! (well, sunday, supposed to rain Sat.) Paint! Sanding!

I...I don't think anyone in my family ever asked me to get them any food, directly or indirectly unless it was to get the food off your plate. We'd totally do that.

Family members fetch you food? They do that? I want one like that.

My mom will flat out ask me to do something (which is almost always no problem) and then spend the next 15 minutes explaining why she needs me to do it and fretting about asking. I keep the "you're asking me to stop by and change a light bulb, not donate a kidney" comments to myself.

Dad needs help with so much that he's very economical about asking for it, but I do wish his realization of the next thing he needs weren't triggered so frequently by the sight of someone sitting down and relaxing.

I am grateful for my very straightforward parents. Dad sometimes does passive aggressive, but we all ignore it or call him out.

They have other things that drive me absolutely bonkers, but basic communication skills aren't one of them.

Gud, I'm so sorry.

Sandalwood goat's milk soap from a local farm, Burt's Bees shampoo, Dove unscented deodorant, perfume when I go out at night, sometimes. Perfume is CK One, CK Truth, or some Chanel stuff an old roomie gave me that she didn't like. Don't like florals. I don't think I smell like anything other than sunscreen and sweat at work, but I'm a sub-smeller so who knows. Unscented detergent, no dryer sheets. KBD used Irish Spring. B uses Dr. Bronner's peppermint, at least when he travels.