Step-family Talk

Headed off for another fun-filled day of picking up kids. I swear it just doesn’t get any easier. It’s not the driving that is the tough part either it is having to try to arrange a pick up time with his ex that is really a pain in the ass. My ex and I have a pretty set time that he picks up and I drop off every other weekend. If there is a change we call the other party and we are civil about what needs to happen to make it work for both of us. Unfortunately for us that just isn’t how it works with Love’s ex. She likes to hold all the cards which means no set pick up and drop off times. She likes to arrange them just before every other weekend.

It is a little game she likes to play called, “What can I do to make it difficult”. I know it probably sounds like I’m just bitter about her in general and I kind of am, but honestly she doesn’t even attempt to make things work smoothly for anyone involved including herself. It is just beyond the point of being ridiculous anymore.

Do you ever get the feeling that you are being ignored? You call someone a few times, leave a few messages and get nada in response. Of course, sometimes you are just being paranoid but there are the times when you are actually being screened, ignored, and avoided.

That has been the case each time we’ve tried to call Love’s ex to set up a pickup time to meet her to get the kids on Friday. I’m not sure what she thinks she will accomplish by ignoring us. I honestly think she hopes it will tick off Love and he will call her all upset and then she can say… “oh look at the effect I still have on him. Yada yada yada”

We’ve called and left messages at least three times this week and gotten zero response so it will be interesting to see if she ever calls. Considering we should be going tomorrow to get the kids if we are getting them. And you never know with her whether she will actually send them or not.

Last week was just ridiculously busy. There wasn’t a single day or night that we didn’t have something going on. Family functions, ball games, doctors appointments, etc, etc, etc. It was great and awful. I hate weeks where you don’t even feel like you have a chance to breath. So the weekend of nothingness was literally the best few days I’ve had in a long long while. I got to sleep in a bit on Saturday and sort of refresh myself and we lounged around a good part of the night watching movies and enjoying the lack of kids.

Which I know sounds mean and awful. But believe me I need an occasional break.

This week unfortunately looks like it will be just as busy as the last one. We’ve got haircut appointments, work related stuff, family stuff, ball games, stuff for the kids school. UGH UGH UGH. I’m a tired old woman and I need a lot more rest and relaxation than I’ve been getting of late. I wish that I’d clean out an old closet and find a genie in a magic lamp who would grant me three wishes. The first would be to be insanely wealthy so I could relax and pay off everyone I owe and help out family members who could use the money as well. After that I’d just want a few minutes of peace and quiet a day.

Not too much to ask, right, LOL.

The ex is furious with me. What’s new, right?

Anyway with my car being completely undrivable I had two options for the kids schooling. They’ve been going to a school about four miles from our house but with me not able to drive them and no bus service from here to there that just wasn’t possible anymore. So we talked about transferring to a closer school, which they absolutely didn’t want to do. I don’t blame them. It is very hard to switch schools mid-year and J already had to do that last year.

We talked about homeschool. The kids and I and they decided that is what they wanted to do. So we got books, guides, how to’s, and lots of advice from my fabulous sister in law (who homeschools her four children) and away we went.

The ex thinks I’m harming the kids by taking them out of school. That they will hate homeschool. That basically I’m being a selfish beast to even consider it.

I think, not only that he is completely wrong, but that I really don’t care what his opinion is. As long as they are being educated does it really matter where the education takes place. He, of course, thinks I’m completely brainless. I’m actually pretty damn smart. I graduated with a good GPA and I’ve got twice the common sense he ever dreamed of having.

Aside from that, the kids and I are studying scriptures and having prayer and family devotionals every morning and that alone has made a huge improvement on their attitudes.

So he can kiss my nose.

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Let me tell you. It is definitely a Monday. I’m exhausted, I’m irritable, I’m kinda wishing I could suddenly become deaf just for like an hour or so. The noise level in this house has been at all time highs today. I don’t know if my kids forgot that my hearing is fine and there really is no reason to yell or if they are used to talking more loudly at their dad’s house or what the deal is but I’m telling you right now it is making me a crazy woman.

It is five o’clock and I’m wishing it was eight so I could send everyone to bed, put on my jammies, curl up in a ball and beg my husband to rub my back, neck, and feet.

I am tense because of a number of things but among the tops on the list of distractions is that we are going to find out this week how big of a pain my husband’s ex wife is going to be. I really don’t want to dish on the details but keep your fingers crossed for us. Praying wouldn’t hurt either if you are the praying kind.

So, hoping tomorrow will get me out of my funk I am leaving you with nothing more than some random mumbling and a fun Thanksgiving craft (pictured above) to make with the kids. My kids have been saving pinecones for months so this one should be pretty easy for us.

My husband’s sisters want to get all the grandkids together to have a picture taken of them so we can give it to their parents for part of their Christmas present. I think it is a great idea and would make a beautiful picture, but…

You knew that but was coming, didn’t you. Here is where we hit a bit of a snag. Lately hubby’s ex hasn’t been sending all the kids on the weekends they are supposed to be with us. So it isn’t at all surprising for him to only come home with two or maybe three out of the four kids. Which absolutely sucks because it kills him when they don’t want to come. And as an ex-wife who always send all the kids I think it is complete and utter bullshit that she doesn’t. But that is another story entirely…

So we never know how many kids will be coming until he goes to pick them up. To further complicate things. My kids go with their dad every weekend because they want to and I’m nice like that, hehe. So in order for all our kids to be in the picture we have to wait til his all come and then try to figure out how to arrange it with my ex so that mine can be there. Ugh. Do you think any of this ever gets easier? I’m guessing no.

By the by, I know the picture is random. I took it this weekend on a little hike hubby and I went on.