Well ladies, I'm literally days away from saying adios to Kandahar (Afghanistan) and coming home... To an empty house.

See, both DH and SD17 (yes, you saw that right) have moved 3000 miles away, and are waiting for me to hurry up and get out there.

Some back story - I've been a member for something like four years, and 99% of my problems have been with BM, other that relatively minor dumb teenager crap with SD17. BM really burns my biscuits. She is a NPD holier-than-thou train wreck.

On whether or not we can get through the next 539 days without BM dragging us to court.

DH SWEARS that BM is going to realize that her gravy train ($10k gross, $8k net) is going to end, and that she will try to get CS continued until SDstb17 is done with college.

I think BM is too stupid to realize it.

Personally, I hope she tries it. If she does, we'll bring SDstb17 into the courtroom and ask her who she wants to live with - the girl has been begging to live with us for two years now. Once she is a legal adult and done with high school, she can choose.

because I was really enjoying having my house back - until SD16 called us last night crying because she was so homesick for us.

We got her for seven weeks this summer. She was our #1 main cook and grocery-getter. She managed to feed all three of us on $80/week - healthy food, too! Outside of the nutrition plan, SD16 also started walking and doing some easy exercises - and lost 30 lbs. (which still puts her at 5'3" and 175, but 30 LBS!! In 7 weeks!)

SD16 arrives in T-1 hour for SEVEN WEEKS.

I'm not too concerned about getting along with her - I'm more concerned with resisting the urge to call BM up and read her the riot act regarding her idiocy that I'll get to hear ALL ABOUT.

Or possibly about telling SD16, "I'm sorry that your mother is a sorry excuse for a so-called adult."

BTW, anybody got any ideas for getting a non-driving severely overweight 16YO a job? She wants one, I just don't know anybody who will hire for that short a time period.