As I write, DH is off meeting with the GAL. We have been trying to get a fixed placement schedule from the court. Currently DH and BM have 50/50 custody (on paper), however for the past 3 years DH has actually had the kids 60% of the time to her 40%. This is because BM has demanded that the schedule revolve around her job and that she should only have the kids on her days off (she's an EMT that works eod 24 hr shifts). Currently we have the skids 5 days then they go back to her for 4 then back to us for 5.

So SS's 9th birthday is this next weekend. Yee ha here we go. DH and BM had a rule that the skids would have a "friend" bday party (sleepover, McDonalds the works) every other year (they still get family bday parties every year). This has been since the dawn of time and both skids are well aware of this. Well....both skids had their big friend parties last year. Low and behold SD comes home from school and asks me why SS gets to have a sleepover party this year when he had one last year AND her birthday just was and she didn't get one. Hmmm I say, he's not having a party here....

Well, DH informed me that at the end of Feb he'll be gone for 5 days (he's a pilot) on a trip. Of course, the skids will be here all of those days. I don't think he really gets how difficult it is to manage the BD9mo plus SD11 and SS9 alone. I'm already cringing....Boy Scouts, 4H, blah blah. He gets all sulky with me when I tell him I'm not thrilled with this. I explained to him that when he's gone for long stretches its like I'm a single parent. He looks at me dumbfounded as to why I'd be mad.