I don't understand why the DH & I do this every year. The entire month before Christmas we stress about how we are going to afford to buy our kids presents. Then the entire month after Christmas we stress about how we are going to pay our bills. And this year we didn't even use any money from DH's pay checks to pay for Christmas. DH's parents gave us $300 for Christmas and instead of using it on ourselves, we used it on our kids.

My FH and I will be heading to Parent classes. maybe we can begin some sort of plan on how to get this thing under control.

So BM has been being a real bitch about the times that we set up to have SD. She will either text and cancel or send an email that SD is emotionaly disturbed from the last visit and wont be able to come this month and on and on and on with her stupid bull shit excuses. She told us a couple visits ago that SD was not listening to her and was acting out and she was sure it was from being at our house. AHHH frickin moron she is 2!!!! WTF well any way since then we have had to sit BM down and explain to her stupid ass that kids act like that.

DH and I have spent the past four days snowed in with the kids. It's been surprisingly pleasant!

The skids and BS have the Wii set up in the living room. So when DH and I weren't sharing the kitchen table to do school work (we're teachers) we were either playing games with the kids or snuggling in our room watching TV.

I feel like all i'm doing is ignoring SS's, and all they seem to do is lie and fight to get attention, I wonder if they are looking for my attention or if they are just being brats.Does anyone have any advice to help me out here?

So, DH goes on disability and we sell our city house and buy 6.3 acres. We move in two days and start farming in 2 months. We're building an extra half on just for my SDs and are moving to within 1 hour of them instead of 2.5 hours. BM knows all this and tells us that she's getting a job who knows where. She was with Families First program and forced to go to school because she couldn't get a job. She went to MedVance for phlebotomy, flunked out, and is almost graduating on her second time. She grads soon and has to train in other areas on the job for a few weeks or so.

DH and I have a little one on the way in the summer. We have 3 bedrooms upstairs in our home and one bedroom on the ground floor. Two of our upstairs bedrooms are the exact same size (Master bedroom and SD6's room) - the other bedroom is smaller.

My dh finally filled out paperwork on bm for child support that she owes him. We got a paper the other day stating that she is in default and will be taken to court to recover what she owes or she will goto jail. I know this sounds aweful, but I hope she does not pay and goes to jail... I am so happy today I want to shout.. I cant wait for her to call dh and say something about it to him..Finally she is getting hers...

So, my boyfriend (we're not married, but are living together and have an infant son together) and I have been together for 2 1/2 years. When we met, his daughter was just 4 yrs old, and she was cute and sweet and funny. Now, two years and a VERY ugly custody battle later, she is 6 yrs old, manipulative, lies often and is disrespectful. We only have her every other weekend, and it has gotten to the point when I DREAD those weekends! Now, I was a teacher, and I taught elementary school for 8 years. I know the lies kids tell, and I know how they work you over!

My SD is 11. My DH dated her mom for 4 months and had broken up with her before finding out she was pregnant. He is not on the childs birth certificate so this gives the mom some kind of power to not share report cards and doctor appointments. We have been to a laywer about trying to get full custody or even just a DNA test to make sure she's his and have some sort of court documents that would give DH some power.DH is not ready to move forward yet. He think this will make BM irrate and that she will talk poorly about us to SD (she already does anyway).