Just wondering if anyone has tried this. I am thinking of a big bright poster size chart with rules of this home and consequences for breaking them! Seems 2 kids in this house know the rules but the SD10(other 2 are my D9 and his son 13)can't ever remember them...no let me say I know she knows them just chooses to break any or all of them. So with this big poster no more fighting with dad over what the punishment will be if such and such is done. Or for that matter not done
Example:

FDH has finally seen what I have been telling him about FSS8's emotional immaturity, and this weekend he really cracked down on it. I'm soooo proud of him.

I know this is a little minor compared to some of your problems but here we go.

Does anyone here live in the San Antonio area? I find it hard to believe there aren't any Step Mother Support Groups in this city or even its surrounding areas.

It would be great to have an actual support group of other women to share experiences and get adivce/support.

Anyone live in the San Antonio area?

So we told BM that she needed to meet halfway or pay for half the gas.. She tried to say that she would just drop SS off at our house and "inspect" it to make sure it is safe for "her son". Mind you this is after she previously broke into the house, and called the cops after being at the in laws. Now she is mad and making him drive all the way down there to pick him up at the daycare GRRRR. I'm so tired of everytime we have his son it turning into a huge fight between them, and a monster of problems with her. Something has to give she is very impossible to deal with.

This battle of wills and constant conflict has left me feeling lethargic and stupid.
I know I have no control over others. I accept that.
When I feel as though I am beaten and down, I pray for courage.
When everyone seems to be blaming me for their life being the way it is, logic tells me it was this way when I met them.
I have wasted enough time trying to make them happy and make their life better. It is time to take care of myself.

Where do I start?

Well I hope most of you had a better weekend than I did. Here it goes:

DH goes off on Sat morning to a fishing trip with friends. I'm left alone with SS22 and SD16 and SS22's weekend girlfriend. I'm laying in bed reflecting on my life. Paying bills for skids, not seeing my own bio kids enough, alone in the house, blah blah blah...

Stress is setting in and I decide to smoke cigarettes - I haven't smoked in 6 months. I'm not happy with my life. Skids are slobs, don't relate to me, disrespect DH, and on and on and on....

So I have been trying for 2 yrs to show him that the path(or example)he is making for his daughter is gonna lead down the wrong one.
Why can't he see what he is doing is insane?!?!?!
So ladies....this child pushes all the buttons she can....example...the tv is to go out every night weekend or not at 9pm. I had to make this rule because it would stay on all night and she used the light of that tv to do as she pleased in her room...painting nails in bed blah blah.

Every single morning this crap goes on! My SD is 10 and will not do anything with her hair. I suspect she does not even really wash it when she showers! It just hangs in her face and trying to get her to even put it up in a ponytail is like trying to herd cats! Of course, then the complaining starts. "Basil I hate my hair so much blahblah whinewhine" UGH! I dont know what to do!

Ok, since I don't know where to begin... I'll just start rambling and hope some of it makes sense. I have only been a SM for about 10 months, and although my DH and I dated for about a year and a half before we got married... I had no idea how hard this gig would be. I was warned about it, sure, but mostly by people who didn't really have any first hand experience about step parenting. Why should I take the advice from my overtly pessimistic mother about what I was getting myself into, when she was basing all of it on the few encounters she'd had with step families in her past??