Hello to All!
Let me begin by welcoming you all to my first attempt at blogging. My life is pretty busy so I thought maybe others would appreciate, understand, and possibly feel the same, so I decided to give this a try and hopefully connect with people.
I am a full-time stay-at-home mom, wife, and housekeeper (which sometimes my home lacks the proof of this). It has been my husbands and my choice for me to stay at home. It isn't always easy but it works for us. My husband works as a State Correctional Officer, and he works 2nd shift. He misses out on a lot of family time due to his work.
We rent our home, in Northern Michigan. I love Michigan, especially Michigan Summers! If you have ever been to Northern Michigan you know just what I am talking about! There is much to do if you know how to utilize what there is to offer.
My daughter (my husbands 1st child) is 22 months, and boy has time past by so fast with her growing up! She loves to sing and dance, play with baby dolls, and watch Disney and Nick JR. She is entering the terrible 2's already and is a pistol.
I also have a 6 year old boy. He currently lives with his grandparents. However, for the past two years my husband and I have been fighting to get him back! Long story, short; My sons father (whom raped me) has never been in the picture, has never paid child support and has seen him once when he was 3 months old. Which is best. About 4 years ago I entered a relationship and things went down hill. There was accusations that my son was possibly being abused. I voluntarily gave my parents guardianship. I at the time didn't want to believe the was abuse going on but I knew my son was better off with them. Looking back on it now, I don't doubt he was being abused (I am just glad he was young enough that it is not permanently etched in his mind). I wont lie I made horrible mistakes as a mother. I was young and careless. At that point in my life I was selfish and wrong. I put my boyfriend before my son, looking back it disgust me. My "boyfriend" had a drug addiction problem to heroine, I eventually gave him the ultimative it was me or the drugs. He had already attempted many times to get clean. I think part of me thought I could save him and make him change... that was not the case. He was in a fatal car accident, which I took hard for a while. I was living from friend to friends, and slept some nights in my car. I was hardly making any money with waitressing a couple nights a week. I eventually was able to find roommates, and I lived with them for a few months before the lease was up. Then, I met the man I now call my husband through a kid I went to school with (they were cousins). Our relationship moved fast, I moved away and moved in with him. We got pregnant and began to do what ever we had to, to get my son back. Looking back on my boyfriends fatal accident it kind of saved me in a way. I struggled for a while but it made me realize I deserved someone who loved not only me but my son. Someone who wanted to take care of both of us. I also realized how selfish and just plain stupid I had been, to ever let a guy come between me and my son.
Anyways, my husband does just that. He accepted not only that I had a child but that I had a bad past and we would have to fight my parents to get him back. He has gone above and beyond what any man in his right mind would! He has payed for lawyers, just a year ago my parents decided to go after me for child support after two years, he has payed for counseling, and he loves my son like he was his. What more could I ask for! When we found out we were expecting, I changed my life tremendously! I no longer drink alcohol and stay away from the negative people from my past. I realized my children are the only thing that matters and they will always come first from here on out.
So were have talked to our lawyer to figure out what we need to do to get my son. After last year the judge said the goal was to have my son here with us by the end of this school year. Well my parents brought a counselor to court stating that my son was not ready to move. So the judge said ONE MORE YEAR, and through counseling as a family meaning my parents, husband, and I and individual counseling with my son he wanted a transition that the goal was for him to reside with my husband and I at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. Well this counselor my parents brought was a close friend of my parents. However, we gave her the benefit of the doubt that she would remain professional, in which she hasn't. She has no become a HUGE CONFLICT of INTEREST. We have done everything we can to the best of our abilities to follow the rules but she is siding with my parents every time. We are officially fed up and taking them to court to END it all. So with everything that we can do, I pray our son will be here soon!
Needless to say with most of our finances going to child support and counseling and traveling to get my son (an 8 hour drive total) we like most families are struggling. It's all we can do just to get by. I am a MAJOR bargain shopper and love coupons! I have yet to master the coupon Diva though.
So to rap this all up, I will blog about life, family, shopping & saving money, ways to stay active with your children and their lives, along with anything else. From time to time I may blog about products, companies, services and things of that nature (if I do this I will attach the proper disclosure).
If there are certain topics you wish me to discuss please let me know. Otherwise I look forward to sharing all of this with YOU.
