So, I'm not due until mid-March. We're on a very tight income right now so I need to budget well when making purchases for baby. I was wondering what you think are things that are MUST HAVES as far as gadgets and things go?

This is my first kid, so I'm starting from scratch. We have a LOT of cousins and stuff in the family that have kids that are getting older, so I anticipate a lot of hand-me-down things, but just in case I want to get a good idea of things YOU couldn't live without.

Thank youuuuuuuuuu!

Maybe I'm just emotional due to the pregnancy hormones, but MAN I am increasingly annoyed with BM these days. Sorry for a long vent to come....

Regardless, of if I am a GF or a wife, I posted this situation trying to get sound and reasonable advice from any REAL WOMAN that can relate... As women, that come to this site for advice, we shouldnt judge other woman, because it really reflects a negative disposition about that person that is placing negative judgements.... Especially when the posts written are simply snapshots of that persons life / situation when they may be at a emotional downturn....

Hi everyone, you all have such vast experiences with blended families that I need to tap into it prior to writing a "new" parenting arrangement proposal for my fiancee (I am the secretary of the family. hahaha)

He was divorced in 2008 and really was just going with the flow, but now he is interested in finding more balance with the parenting arrangement. Basically, BM and he have joint residential custody with BM being primary (state of florida). HE (we) have the kids (two girls) EOWE plus 2 weeks in summer and alternating holiday.

I haven't wrote in a very long time.... I moved out of the house that I lived in with my BF, his daughter and my son in January... My son and I moved into our own place.... It has been great, I started to see my BF every other night, close to the time that I actually moved out. He works 2nd shift every other night when he doesnt have his 11 year old daughter... So he just comes over after he gets off work.... He still talks aobut wanting us to have a future together and taking it to another level.... Here is my problem, his daughter started junior high....

I'm hoping to get some feed back on this topic. DH and I would like to start giving SS10 and DD11 (STB 12) an allowance. I've read articles that say it should just be money you give them to teach them how to manage money, not tied into chores and others that say it should be tied into performing chores around the house. Both DH and I would like them to earn their allowance so in other words, we don't want to give them money for no reason. Some say that tying allowance to chores will make the kids think that they shouldn't help out around the house without expecting compensation.

Regardless of their piercings, whatever tattoos they decide they want to have on themselves throughout their lives, the music they choose to listen to, or what they choose to eat or not eat...I really love my stepkids & hope that one day they'll realize how much they mean to DH & I.

My SS14 recently "moved" in with his dad. He thinks he can go and stay where he wants when he wants. He was staying at our house the majority of the time and now since his dad wanted him to "move" in with him. I have said from the begining that he lives in both just like my kids. He should be going back and forth like all the other kids. His sister has always gone back and forth as visitation stated. Now all the kids have one chore a week ( I would like it to be more but it just works out that way).

We have labeled something we call the "witching hour" (the time, usually at or before dinner when skids know they are suppose to go back to BM house). But a WICHTING DAY!!! ugh!!!

Today, SD15 is supposed to work the afternoon shift at her job, which starts at 1230 and goes until 530 in the evening. At 1210 she is still asleep in bed, so I go wake her up and tell her to get up and go to work. She grunts at me, gets up goes to the bathroom, heads back to her room like she is going to get read for work, then comes back and tells me she doesn't feel good today and doesn't want to go to work. I tell her that is fine, but that she needs to call her work and tell them that. She throws a hissy fit! Whining about how she doesn't want to do that, can't I do it for her?