FDH and I will be traveling halfway across the country next month to visit my family for Thanksgiving. The skids are NOT (oh hell to the no!) coming. They just recently learned that we're going, and skid1 (13 years old) is being a shit over it because it's not fair that we're going without him.

FDH has always turned a blind eye to the way BM manipulates situations. He acts like your typical guilty daddy, even though he has had the kids primarily since they split (when she went to jail for assaulting him). Time after time, when it's her weekend with the skids (she has them 1 night/week and EOWE), something comes up Friday night and she can't take them. We had them three weekends in a row, and on her first weekend she tried to pull the "I have to work" card on Friday night - 2 hours before she's supposed to pick them.

Right now, FDH has the skids most of the time. They go to BM's one night per week and EOWE. Their divorce decree states this arrangement and that neither parent will seek child support for the minor children.

FDH didn't push getting CS from her because he makes so much more than her - CS from her in our state would amount to a whopping $150/mo. He never wanted ill will, so he never wanted to pursue it (despite the fact that he pays for 100% of everything for them). I disagree and thought he should have, even if only to put away in savings account for the boys, but whatever.

So, last night I discovered three enlarged lymph nodes on the right side of my neck. I have not been sick at all, which might have provided a reasonable explanation for them being so enlarged, so of course I freaked out immediately.

A friend's husband was recently diagnosed with lymphoma after discovering almost the exact same thing on himself, which is what put my inner worry wart on high alert.