Since school started, her first year of Jr High, SD12 has had a shitty attitude. Constand whinging and back talk. Well this whole entire week she has been a superstar! Good test grades, awsome in cheer, homework getting done without being told, same for chores. And very pleasnt to be around. I told her today when she got home from school that she has had an awsome attitude this week and has been doing a good job. She said with a smile on her face, "you noticed?"

I feel like this site has helped me "talk out" my feelings - valid or not. I don't have close friends, so this forum has become my social life! Depressing, I know.

I am professing to myself that I will not be a victim to my skids anymore. I pay bills, I clean house, I feed them, I take care of the animals, and I am a good person. I know I'm an intelligent woman and, overall, very loving. I also know what's right, reasonable and respectful. I know I don't ask for much as a parent and I know I ask less of my skids than I do from my own bio kids.

Great! No skids this weekend, and of course FDH is away with "the boys" for the weekend.

Not that I expect him to choose a weekend he has his kids, but it does kinda suck.

Anyways, just wanted to vent a bit.

I finally told him that if he plans on playing poker with his buddies this winter, he can pick the odd weekend that he has the kids - it doesn't always have to be on "our" weekend, and he actually agreed! Well, we'll see how that goes.

so this is what SD posted "somebody deleted all the pictures of my camera ugh" so the aunts (BM's sisters) promptly replied "you know who it was" and "it was the hater "L" B**ch as i like to call her" oh well... so I guess i'm going to be blamed for everything huh??, i know is all the crap their dad, aka son to be X, is feeding their family about me, so they can think better of him...
oh! and no sign of him, not even to check on the baby...geezz i think he really doesn't care about our son
P.S. I didn't erase those pictures!

Sometimes the big picture of Sparenting can get pretty overwhelming. When this happens maybe we should look at the little moments that can be fun or at least tolerable.

Or visa versa. When the little moments get aggravating maybe we can look at the big picture.

Regardless of the situation there has to be some direction as Sparents that we can look for our blended family adventure to at least be tolerable.

This came up on another blog and I wondered what other people's opinions are. Maybe I'm the odd one out with my opinion.

It was said that appropriate punishment is blistering a bare ass with a belt, paddle, hand

EDIT - This was advocated for OLDER children -age 12+. If I heard of a grown man who was baring the asses of someone that age I'd want him arrested.
END EDIT

By the end of SD5's week long visit I had made great progress and developed several tools for tolerating her (baking, mp3 player, choking a pillow, etc...). H is on his way to pick her up for the weekend and despite my progress I still just don't want her here. It's not as bad as it has been but like many of us, life would be so much better if these skids would just go the f*** away. A girl can dream.

I am off every other Friday. The project I am on works a 9day 80 hour schedule every two weeks.

If only I listened to my mom and friends, who warned me how difficult it is to deal with being with a guy who already has kids....

I like to think I'm a pretty strong and confident individual. I figured, "how hard could it really be? I am patient, understanding, I can do it!It's only until she is 18! Plus, it's only for two weekends a month, that's nothing!"

Oh, how wrong I was...lol...(I laugh to keep from going nuts )

Ok. Let me rehash the event in a nutshell. Stepson 22 works a little minimun wage job lives with bm and only has to pay for his toys, no rent, no bills, nothing to teach responsiblilty. BM asks my husband for money to help... cause she is broke (so she says)

One month ago I saw where he was going to buy a new bike. Told my husband and he DID NOT believe me...ok whatever. HE BOUGHT THE BIKE.