What is the proper etiquette for staying at someone's house?

I'm in college, and I'll be staying at my boyfriend's family's house for a week soon. We go to the same college, but live far away from each other in the summer. I'm not really good with words when I'm not close to the person (this is my first time meeting them) so I don't want to write a long "thank you" note or anything. I am thinking about putting some homemade goodies - cookies, fudge, brownies, etc - in a gift box/on a tray and giving it too his mom when I get there. Does that sound okay?