Happy Holidays and Stupid Mom Tricks

My kids like to get me to perform. I have been their favorite entertainer since they were little. So of course I ended up in this photo yesterday, while putting up our tree... The outfit is my fault, but otherwise I was coerced....

Yeah....
Happy Holidays to all of you from my family and I and DrawnNQuartered and RavenaRelics.

why I'm busy (not painting) today, and my continuing saga of single parenthood

All I want to do today is paint a pretty picture of my friend's beautiful green-eyed kitty...

This is the tail end of a looooong story...

My kids and I opened a Child Support Case in 1997. By 2002 I finally started getting consistent payments. We were receiving 85 dollars a week. New York State law states that for two children the noncustodial parent will pay 25% of their income, plus a fair share of any education costs.

We are STILL getting 85 dollars a week! My ex husband brags about $150 remote control cars that HE plays with), going out, his motorcycle, their three poodles, going to Florida, and alll kinds of things that he can enjoy. His son asked him for $168 to take his A+ Certification Exam that he studied all year for. He said he didn't have it. His daughter has asked him for $70 towards her driving learner's permit. He says she doesn't need it (she turned 16 in MARCH!!). He also doesn't understand that kids cost 50% more in the summer. Suddenly I am coming up with snacks and lunches for two that we didn't have to pay for when they are in school.

We haven't been to a summer fair in years. I've never been able to take them to an amusement park, or even the ocean! For fun, we play in the woods.... I am grateful we live in such a beautiful area. The only drawback is that jobs are limited so only one of my kids is working. Albany is 20 miniutes away and for Andrew to get his license, we would need to pay about 500 more a year on our car insurance.

He has a bitter and depressed girlfriend who hates his children and makes it hard for him to bear when they visit (my kids feel it and hate this). They only see him about once a year, if they are lucky. Even then, he won't unless we split the 3 hour's drive transportation. I wish he would just stand up to her and be a man and the Dad he's so capable of being. He is a very sweet and fun guy, when he wants to be.

I've asked for a few bucks for school clothes, and was berated and called names by his girlfriend (of ten years, who has her own money and puts all their assets in her name). The kids and I spent 6 months in a homeless shelter in 1997 while I was attending college.... you think he would have cared.

My daughter had a teenage crisis and I begged him to take her for a couple weeks and he says "You guys seem to forget what I do for a living... I'm a truck driver, I'm all over the place!". Funny, I can't drive trucks, I have kids!! So does he but he fails to acknowledge that they are growing human beings with needs, besides the fact that they KNOW he could see them if he REALLY wanted to. PLUS, if I am getting only $85 a week, there might be an issue; I believe truck drivers make more than 340 a week! I mean, we've been getting the same for over 10 years!

So please, dear reader, bear with me. Today I am going to Albany to file a "Petition of Upwards Modification". I think we will get a little fulfillment, however, knowing my ex, he will just get a job off the books to avoid taking care of his kids. The thing he's going to realize though, is that they are not little kids anymore and even though I've never said anything negative about him to them, they have made their own deductions based on his actions/nonaction.

I just wanted to give you all a quick heads up with the least amount of drama portrayed as possible.

Please keep me in your thoughts today and send me positive energies!

In the meantime, I'm going to take a killer walk while I'm in Albany and get some pics for you all. There's a pretty real pic of me below, knee brace included, lol. We (myself, son and his adorable gf) only did 1 1/2 miles yesterday, but I made a little "Virtual tour" of my jaunt and will finish my composition today after I go to Family Court if I get time and you should see it here this weekend....

Hugs to you all and thanks for listening. I am feeling guilty, behind on my blog reading, and my Twitter but will make it up to you over the weekend!!

WHAT IF??? Please watch and share!! These kids are awesome!

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Oregon Boy Survives Lightning Strike ...

Boy struck by lightning tells of ordeal

This is one VERY lucky kid! I am so happy Austin is ok. I read somewhere that he was happy his hair didn't get singed, he is growing it for Locks Of Love!!

Motherhood and it's ... ahem ''joys"....

Bear with me, I am parenting a very wonderful beautiful teenager who knows everything :)

If anyone has any encouraging words on the ordeal sometimes imposed upon parents which label is "TEENAGE DAUGHTER", feel free to share ...

Yes, I know, it's not forever... and I DO love her....

I read this on yahoo answers, it helped a little:
I am having problems with my teenage daughter and a boy she is dating, I dont know what to do.?

But we are beyond that. Anyway.... I think I'll do some coloring of a very special picture I have been working on. I'll post a picture and link to the coloring sheet of it that you can get for 20 cents :).

"Hey, you dropped this..."

So I had four teenagers in the car with Ray driving us and we had just pulled up to a Cumby's (small convenience store) and the kids and I were parked facing the store and a cute white car parked in front while Ray ran inside.

A nice looking lady was in the driver's seat, opening a pack of cigarettes, and threw the top half of the cellophane out the window. I promptly jumped out of the van, ran to her, grabbed her garbage, and politely said "oh, excuse me, you dropped this," in my nicest voice possible and she smiled embarrassingly and took the garbage and looked away. I bounced back bubbily to our van, be-sandled, be-skirted, and unfettered and sat in my seat. The kids were just kind of surprised, yet proud, and perhaps even mildly embarrassed. I was happy the lady didn't just throw it back out the window.

Here's the kicker...

as they drove off, I smiled and waved as if I had just made two new best friends and her teen-to-20 daughter waved back a graceful well-manicured middle finger.... I blew kisses as they drove off. I know the mom felt a degree of shame, or the paper would have returned to the landscape... but what made me sad was the *indignation* of her daughter... the very same person who will have children of her own within a decade, and when grandmother, may remember the day when you *could* play outside....

send them love, please...

(btw, the picture is one I took at Dean's Mill in Ravena NY, 1 mile from where the lady decided to throw garbage into our world.)