Schedule Control (11/17/10)

My nightly mission this week has been “schedule control.” Tis the Holiday season as you know, and with the losses that happened this year in both our family and Cathy’s (the ex), I expected it to be an especially interesting year for planning, travel, parties, dinners, etc. With that said, the latest kink in the ointment is what Cathy is planning for her Thanksgiving and Christmas, and now our current struggle to get what time we want with the kids and our extended families. So if you do not mind, I am going to vent here aloud for a moment because I have not really been able to air this out, and maybe doing so will make sense of it all.

So on Monday, Cathy calls and tells us she wants the kids for Thanksgiving dinner. Okay we are all good with compromising, so with that we request Christmas Eve since that has always been the day/night that Mitch’s family celebrates, and would make planning with all of the In-Laws super easy. Everything seems to be fine when the call is finished, but alas we got comfy way too soon. Yesterday (Tuesday) she calls again and explains that she has just booked reservations for her and the kids to visit her family for the long Christmas weekend. So, Mitch proposes switching the holidays, Cathy gets Christmas and we get Thanksgiving, but according to her she cannot move her Thanksgiving plans. Now the ugliness really starts! So upon disconnecting the phone, Mitch calls a family meeting with the kids, and this is when we learn that the “Thanksgiving plans” that Cathy has made and cannot move, is dinner with her 3^rd Ex-Husband (the kids 2^nd Step-Father) and his family and that she “needs them with her for support.” The kids express to us that they do not really want to go but feel like they have no choice but to be there for Cathy, because of the whole icky divorce situation she is going through with her now 3^rd Ex-Husband. Now don’t get me wrong, I know she is their Mother, but this is insane! and the way she is stripping my husband of all his holiday time with the kids…. OMG! She is just being ridiculous!!!

So as it stands today, (keep in mind we have equal custody) we cannot have the kids on Thanksgiving because she needs them, and we cannot have them for Christmas since she needs them for her family. Now, I know first hand this can all drastically change overnight, since Cathy lives for Drama, but as of right now, it sucks that our family is torn apart for the holidays. With all of that said… my attitude has taken on a dark note of “Happy Freaking Thanksgiving and Merry F@#$%&G Christmas!!! lol. Maybe by New Years we will get to see our whole family.

Okay- Okay, enough of that, venting done; but honestly I don’t think I can discuss economic Christmas gifts today with this being my mindset. I do apologize, and I promise I will have 2 great ideas for you guys tomorrow to make-up for today, and in the meantime, please feel free to write, post, tweet any and all suggestions you guys may have regarding this circus act going on with the Ex. I am always up for a different perspective and advice. Until tomorrow, Happy Wednesday – aka Hump Day and remember, there are only 8 Days remaining till Thanksgiving :o) and 9 till Black Friday!