Today, 6 years ago, I was due with my youngest son. But, the due date came and went. I waddled around with his head basically hanging out of my vagina until December 23rd.
Today, 6 years later, I’m bloated, crabby and PMS’y.
This probably has to do with the fact that the kids AND my husband are ALL home until January 4th. That is OVER two weeks. Of them being home. Whining, complaining, making messes and not cleaning them, demanding, crying.
Oh yes, prolonged family time. Oh, the joy and excitement.
You want to know what amazes me? Sure ya do! Well, all week long, the “other” parents hardly see their kids. Maybe one dinner during the week. Maybe not even that much. Saturday, “their day” comes. The kids wake up early due to the excitement of seeing their “other” parent.
And they have to chase them down.
The kids have to call their parents, usually waking them from a sound sleep. At 11am on a Saturday. Just to find out if they are even seeing them and what time they should expect their arrival.
Seriously?!
And sometimes, after these kids have been looking forward all week to seeing their beloved parent, that they barely see during the week, on Saturday…that parent didn’t fit their child into their very busy, fully loaded plate type weekend. And they don’t show up.
It has been known to happen.
These kids, from both my first marriage and my husbands, are burdened with the fact that they don’t necessarily always come first in the lives of their non-custodial parent.
And that sucks for these kids.
It also sucks for us because we have to deal with the hurt feelings and try to make them as better as we can while trying to not say some choice words about the neglectful and selfish parent.
Not to mention that it affects our life. It does! Because, the benefit of divorce, if you can even consider this to be a benefit, is to not have the ALL the kids ALL weekend long.
To have our time.
And it doesn’t EVER work like that. But THAT isn’t always a bad thing.
Anyways, not to dwell on the fact of our life here. On to bigger and more important things.
Zhu Zhu pets!
While so many people are waiting in line at Wal-Mart and Toys R Us at 6 a.m in hopes of getting these REALLY STUPID looking toys…
I scored 6 of them at CVS. I did!! AND. I got a little Zhu Zhu Pet Carrier and Zhu Zhu Pet blanket. My two youngest ones are going to be so excited!!
So lean in close.
Call your local surrounding CVS stores. They keep getting small shipments in. Instead of waiting in line at the buttcrack of dawn for these ridiculous little critters that are ugly and make stupid noises, drive right on past those pathetic people standing in the cold, shivering. Wave. And head to the CVS.
Because THAT is how I spent my GNO last night. Oh yes. We sure did. We went for sushi. We got a chai latte at Target. And then, we hit all the local CVS drugstores.
I hang with some seriously wild women.
I kept having flashbacks of the Beanie Baby days when I spent 1997 hitting all the stores who were expecting those silly little stuffed animals.
Living on the edge.
BUT.
My kids are my full plate, busy type schedule.
Have a good Saturday! Off to buy goody bags and stuff for my son’s birthday party tomorrow!!
XOXO
CVS- why didn’t I think of that? Not that I stood in the cold or anything, or even ended up getting any (didn’t look hard) but still as someone who practically lived at the CVS next to work, you’d think I would’ve thought to go there.
Anyway, you do hang with some seriously wild women. You be careful!
(Shame on the “other” parents. Shame.)
.-= Jill´s last blog ..I cannot believe this shit. =-.
Happy Birthday to your soon. Rough having a “holiday” baby. I know my son gets flooded with gifts this time of year and hits a complete drought between January 2nd and the following holiday season.
.-= Nancy@ifevolutionworks.com´s last blog ..Taking My Own Advice =-.
I get the whole “time to self” benefit of divorce, but OMG am I grateful, reading this, that I am heading into a divorce in which we both agree we want joint custody because we both want time with our children. I know down the road things will probably change out of necessity with the advent of “real” school and all, but in the meantime…I am so very grateful that we both value the time we have with our children and the time the other parent has with them. It’s as close to a win as the kids can get in a divorce, I think.
In the meantime…I’m grateful that yours have custodial parents who love them as dearly as you and your husband very clearly do. Even if it means you spend your precious GNOs scoping out the CVSs.
Rock on, girl, rock on.
.-= TeacherMommy´s last blog ..Odd How My Bank Account Gets Smaller the Bigger They Get =-.
I know all about the time without all of the kids… and it definitely is a benefit of divorce. 3 of mine are gone today and tomorrow with their sperm donor, er… Um…. I mean father. This is the only break I will have over the next 15 days while my husband and 6 kids invade my house, whining, making a mess & yelling at each other. Want to go out for drinks?
OK will try my local CVS but was there the other day and didnt see anything.. ugh… oh, and my daughters father not only is going thru a divorce from his 2nd wife ( she was thrilled cuz she thought it would mean more time w/ her dad) but now he has a new gf… ugh my poor daughter!
.-= Jenn´s last blog ..Cell Phone Mosiac 12/19 =-.
That non-custodial selfish parent thing fucking sucks. Also, I’m so glad I have boys. I assume that zhu zhu pet thing is geared to girls? And c) we start our family vaca time from 12/24-1/3. My boys have already cornered the market on fussing. can’t wait to be around it, with my fussy husband, for 10 straight days…
.-= Kami Lewis Levin´s last blog ..I’ll [Never] Be Your Beast of Burden [Willingly] =-.
My ex is a moron and won’t take the kids when he’s supposed and THEN when he does he never brings them back at our agreed upon day. Divorce and custody can work out well if people just try to remember that the kids come first.
.-= mariah´s last blog ..Beating an old drum =-.
I know exactly how you feel. My ex sees Chick for ONE hour a week…..yep that’s right…one hour. HIs choice not mine! The greatest thing about it? He says he can’t afford to buy her a Christmas Present this year because it obviously takes so much effort to find a book at the Pound Store…..as for the Zhu Zhu pet….not a chance….in England they sold out about 4 months ago!!!
.-= Emma´s last blog ..Friday Foto =-.
I know we won’t hear from Andrew’s mom this year. But that’s ok, we’re better off with that psycho freak out of our lives. At least he has John’s family to spoil him rotten.
My kids’ dad……..yeah, I don’t even wanna go there. They will spend time with him….for what it’s worth.
Congrats for getting the Zhu Zhus! My kids didn’t ask for any so I didn’t bother.
Those “other” parents need to be horsewhipped.
Uh.
Too harsh?
I didn’t think so.
We were in Walmart today and offered the Queen a zhu zhu pet. (They had a couple of hundred). She turned it down. Three separate times. We even showed her how it moved around. (I hope she doesn’t change her mind between now and Friday.)
.-= Janet´s last blog ..From a More Grateful Place =-.
I would love to have some ass-whooping time with that jerk non-custodial parents in your life. Every time I read about how selfish they are it reminds me of my own hurt feelings and disappointment. It’s still there after all these years. So glad those kids have you and your husband to be supportive. They will remember you, too! On the Zhu Zhu note, I’m so glad my kid has no idea what a Zhu Zhu pet is…..yet.