The Good:

Found out that my cousin and her family who have been living overseas for about 10 years are moving back home! So happy about this. Got to spend time with my whole family and was once again reminded how lucky I am to have them.

The Bad:

Had SD16 for the week. Did nothing but eat, complain and be obnoxious the whole time.

My aunt always makes a HUGE dinner on Christmas Eve and I told her to have an early lunch. She didn't listen of course. Two hours before we leave she begs her daaaadddyyyy to get her McDonalds. He immediately jumps up and grabs his coat. She scarfs that down and still complains she is starving. Daaaddddyyyy let her open a bag of chips. She changes for dinner and comes down in this skirt that is barely covering her bits. DH has a fit. 'YOU ARE NOT WEARING THAT!' SD pouts "But Daaaddddyyyyyy! I love this skirt!' I ask her if she has any tights (since she never sits with her legs closed). Nope. I look at DH and he tells her to change into her sweat pants and off they go to Walmart at 3pm on Christmas Eve Day. They get home around 4:30 (with ANOTHER McDonald's bag). She changes and off we go. Now she complains she has a stomach ache in the car. I ignore it. I have been told her eating habits are not my concern anymore. Dinner is served and she manages to scarf down her 3rd meal in under 3 hours. She then proceeds to announce to all 25 others at the table that she feels like she's going to 'barf'. DH tells her to mind her manners (OMG!) and my aunt, who is always the vision of tact offers to let her lay down in the spare room. My charming SD responds, 'No thanks, I'm sure I will feel better once I burb a few times.' I see DH's ears turn red (a sure sign that he is going to blow) and he takes her outside and rips her a new one. SD comes back in, head down and lower lip sticking out, walks up to my aunt and apologizes for her rudeness. She then disappears downstairs with my nieces for the rest of the night.

Christmas Day: We have to wake her up at 11am. I have a big breakfast (now brunch) prepared and it will be ready in 15 minutes. She grabs a cereal bowl. 'No SD, brunch will be ready in 15 minutes'. SD: 'But what about breakfast? I don't skip meals.' Me; tired and all out of patience, 'You ate enough yesterday to cover today as well. If you pull that crap at my brother's house about barf and burping, you will be eating your dinner in the car. Sit down at the table and wait.' She looks horrified and turns to DH who is pretending her didn't hear me. She behaves at my brothers except that she is constantly hanging all over DH and he is visibly annoyed. He finally tells her to go hang out with my poor nieces that I see are also getting fed up with her. (Note to self: they will be getting extra nice gifts for their birthdays this year from Aunt Fedup.) We do our gift exchange and SD thanks everyone (I'm sure DH said something to her about this since this is not her usual way) We head home, it's about an hour's drive and she asks about going shopping the next day. DH says, yes, but he wants to go early when the stores open at 7am. SD said she never gets up that early. DH tells her that if she wants to go shopping she is up, dressed, fed and ready to go no later than 6:45. Silence in the backseat the rest of the way home.

Boxing Day: I'm up, dressed and ready to leave by 6:30. I am taking my own car because I want to go to a couple of places first and then meet up with them at Walmart. DH fell asleep on the couch that night so I gently wake him and tell him what time it is. I leave and get a text at 7:15 saying she isn't out of bed yet. I text back and tell him to tell her she isn't going shopping. Suddenly she is out of bed and ready to go. I meet them at Walmart and she is complaining that she can't find anything in the store (she lives in another city and apparently the layout is different) and that she is tired, hungry (!?!) and misses her mooooommmmmyyyy. DH starts to remove her things from the cart and says, 'if you are so tired, go wait in the car' She looks horrified. I have to turn away to prevent her from seeing me laugh. She slowly starts to load her stuff back in the cart. Little girl! We are here for YOU! YOU wanted to come here, not us!!!

The Ugly:

See previous blog about her stellar performance at my mom's grave. "OMG SD! Just stop talking!" That will be the LAST time she goes.

DH leaves with her at 4pm on Friday to take her to her mom's family dinner. Good lord...I will hang myself if that child ever stays with her for more than a couple of days again. My hat goes off to you full-timers. You're better than me!